After a  healthy, happy and hypnotic pregnancy, my own (second) beautiful baby was born in April 2000.

After a visit to see the consultant gynaecologist (a matter of routine when you are a week overdue) I was having contractions by the time I got home, so I phoned the midwife to warn her.
I had a bath to relax and by 7:30 the contractions were every 5 minutes. The first midwife came at 8pm and on finding me 7cm dilated sent for the second midwife, who came armed with gas & air (just in case!!).

I managed to breath through all the contractions, but I was convinced the baby didn't want to come out before midnight, as it was still the 13th!  After midnight the real pushing and grunting started, lots of panting and heavy breathing and the odd scream (of effort, not pain) and our baby finally popped out at quarter past 1. 

I had had visions of this little baby just slipping out easily as I gently coughed, but when we saw the size of him, I wasn't surprised I'd had to put so much effort in: at 4.76 kg (10lb 8oz) and 64cm (25inches) long he was the biggest home birth delivery in Solihull so far that year - and all with no pain relief and no episiotomy!
(My daughter, born in hospital, was only 7lb 7oz and I had to have an epidural, ventouse, forceps and episiotomy - none of it my choice, I believe it was just a consequence of being induced and interfered with in hospital!).

My husband says he will never doubt the power of self-hypnosis again - we're just sorry we didn't know better before our daughter was born.

Some amazing things:

Our baby was totally relaxed during the birth (no sign of his heart beat faltering), he didn't cry when born and was so perfectly clean (that was in my programme) that we didn't need to wash him.

My placenta had two membranes attached to it - had my sub-conscious made it extra strong to ensure that my water's wouldn't break prematurely and force me to go to hospital (as had happened the first time)??

The midwives were amazed that my uterus had shrunk back to it's normal size within 3 days (I think it normally takes about 10).

I never felt any pain - it was uncomfortable at times, and took great effort, but there was never pain.

I felt great during and after - but then it helps not having to recover from so called necessary physical butchery like an episiotomy!

Anyway, that's enough words, here's a picture of my gorgeous daughter and her beautiful one-day old (looks 3-months) brother.

STOP PRESS.......
Look out for my Hypno-birth story in the July issue of Mother and Baby Magazine - out early June 2002.