Arlo's Birth Story
We welcomed our son Arlo into the world on March 14, 2020 and I wanted to share our birth story with you. Since the Hypnobirthing work-shop my pregnancy continued to be smooth. At my pre-natal appointment at 37 weeks my doctor was surprised to find that I was 1 cm dilated and my cervix was starting to efface. I continued to dilate another centimetre each week and by my due date (March 12) I had naturally progressed to 4 cm and was 100% effaced. I was told that most first time moms tend to be overdue but my doctor was confident that the baby would come naturally and sooner rather than later. This natural progression only solidified my chosen affirmation, “I trust my body knows what it is to do.”
I woke up at 2:30am on the morning of March 14 seconds before my water broke. I gradually started to have surges at home before making my way to the hospital. My surges quickly progressed and by the time the on-call doctor checked me I was 8cm dilated.
I wanted to try and achieve a natural delivery. I wanted to push my body through the ultimate test and embrace my labour. I had a highly positive health care team and supportive husband by my side. I was encouraged to use a birthing ball to help progress the labour and opted for gas which helped me focus on inhalation. I continued to power through the surges by using the practiced breathing techniques.
HypnoBirthing allowed me to quickly re-centre my mind and body in between surges. This ability to achieve a deep relaxation state was extremely valuable and helped me persevere throughout my labour and delivery. My son was born at 6:55am weighing in at 9 pounds 6 ounces and he arrived naturally with no further intervention!
My doctor seemed impressed with the delivery and stated that it was well controlled. The nurses were also surprised by my delivery. It was apparently out of the norm for a first-time mom to deliver such a large baby without an epidural. This feedback only reinforced my admiration for my body and the success of my birth.
The main reason I pursued HypnoBirthing was to overcome the fear of birth. I wanted to have techniques to help prepare myself for something that really can’t be prepared for. HypnoBirthing not only allowed me to overcome my fears, it also helped me trust my body, and gave me the skills to achieve an empowering birth story!
Arlo is happy and healthy and we are all doing well at home as a family of three. I will always treasure this experience and wanted to thank you for sharing the power of HypnoBirthing.
