My OB said how important hypnobirthing is / Steph

My first birth was an emergency caesarean due to failure to progress, I was naive and agreed to an induction at 39+5. My second birth I had wanted a VBAC however had a planned caesarean at 40+4 due to ‘hospital policy’ of not being able to go over 40 weeks.

For my third birth, I knew if I wanted to have a VBA2C, I needed to change hospitals. I booked an appointment with the Perth VBAC guru at Mt Lawley. My first appointment with him went for 1.5 hours! He was shaking his head in disgust & disbelief at my previous CS history. He explained everything that went wrong last time and explained in depth, WHY. I also loved how he is a huge believer in hypnobirthing & not laying down whilst in labour. He had to get approval from the hospital CEO before he would be able to take me on as a patient but a few weeks after our first appointment, he got the green light. I was going to be the first ever VBA2C at SJOG Mt Lawley!

I was recommended by a family friend to try hypnobirthing. She and her husband were so grateful to Renee for giving them the tools to have the most enjoyable and empowering birth of their second child after having a traumatic first birth. My OB said how important hypnobirthing is for women in labour to ignore the outside world and concentrate on their own journey. I wanted to give myself the best chance possible of achieving my VBA2C and I knew I wanted to educate myself and equip myself with the tools I needed in order to do so. The Hypnobirthing Australia course not only covers the things you expect (breathing, meditation etc) but it also covers birth preparation, expectations, your rights, postnatal care and so much more.

I felt so confident and empowered in the lead up to my daughter’s birth. I felt like I could do anything! I also loved going into it knowing that my husband knew what I wanted and what I didn’t want. I owe so much to Renee and I am so truly grateful to have met her.

The birth:

Friday 13/2/21 (41+4 weeks) I woke up at 3:30am with a really intense pain along my whole pubic area. Went to the toilet and wiped and saw I lost my plug. I then went and quietly sat on my fit ball whilst letting my husband sleep. I was still getting those pains every 10 minutes or so. At 4:30am I had another really intense pain and then my waters broke. Well they trickled out (baby's head was really low so my OB warned me that mine would only trickle out and not gush out). They only trickled out when I had a contraction! I rang the hospital and due to how close my contractions were (they had moved to every 2-3 minutes), they told me to come in.

When I got to hospital, I asked for a vaginal exam. I was feeling so much pressure in my bottom with each contraction that I wanted to know if I was dilated. I was only 1cm, but still contracting every 2-3 minutes. At 9am, I went against everything I thought and begged for an epidural. I was 2-3cm but contractions were 1-3 minutes apart and so strong that I just couldn't do it anymore. My OB was reluctant, but agreed as he said that as the breaks were so short, I was holding my pelvic floor so tight that I would be holding her head in. Luckily, the contractions continued after the epi went in and I could relax.

By 11am, I was 4cm and the epi completely wore off. Top ups weren’t working at all and I was doing it all on my own. I was struggling big time. I was exhausted and I honestly felt like a repeat c section would be easier (not that I admitted that out loud!). A couple of hours later, I asked if the anaesthetist could come and fix it as no one could work out why my epidural wasn't working. A different anaesthetist arrived and couldn't work it out either. He decided to take the old one out and start again, this time with a spinal block/epidural mix. It didn't work at all! Like not at all! So I kept going. By 5pm, we had to make a decision. I was exhausted and lost my will to live haha! I was checked and I was still 4cm but my cervix was so swollen that it was blocking everything. I was wheeled downstairs for surgery, and honestly, I was ok with it.

I was disappointed, my OB was disappointed, but with my cervix so swollen and not budging, it was the right thing to do. So, I was in theatre. The anaesthetist was trying to give me an epidural so that we could start. He kept giving me more and more doses, but I could still feel that ice on my abdomen! My OB asked if he could have one more check as with the high doses I was receiving, I had stopped feeling my contractions and was relaxed. He checked and I could hear him tell the staff "It's criminal to perform a c section, when the head is right here, I need to do something".

He held my cervix to one side and told me to try and push. I pushed so hard that her head spread the cervix to 8cm and as his hands were holding my cervix, her head completely pushed it out of the way. With every contraction, I was told to push (I couldn't feel the contractions), everyone was getting excited in the room. I was asked if I was ok with forceps as the epidural was starting to paralyse my legs more and more and my pushes were becoming weaker. I said "obviously!” And we kept going.

I looked at one of the midwives and asked with tears in my eyes "do you think this is going to work" and her nod made me burst into tears and push harder than I had pushed before.

Her head came out, and then her body.

The whole room was full of cheers and tears! Everyone was in absolute disbelief over what had just happened. Several staff members were called in for a c section and instead weren't needed at all!

This was the first ever VBA2C at SJOG Mt Lawley and I am so so happy that I chose and trusted my OB. He is an incredible man and his quick thinking made my dream came true!

Lucija Suzana

Born 13/2/21 at 6:37pm

3.4kg