Hi ladies
My rainbow was born in February and I disabled my old account (MrsSheen) shortly after and never got round to setting up a new one.
Anyway I thought I'd share my BS now. It was written for the lady we did the hypnobirthing with so it does focus a lot on that!
Percy was due to be born on the 27th February which was just two weeks after Billy's first birthday/anniversary on the 14th February. If I go back to pre 20 weeks my main aim was to stay positive and get to 20 weeks with no problems, post 20 weeks I realised I needed to start preparing for this rainbows arrival.
The first thing I did was get in touch with a hypnobirthing teacher to arrange some one to one classes for my husband and I. I didn't want to do group classes as I didn't want to have to deal with the "Is this your first?" question. One on one fine but I didn't want to have to answer that question in a group, let alone a group of expectant parents. Anyway I contacted Steph and arranged to start the classes. I think we started at about 24 weeks.
After the first session and listening to the birth affirmations daily I began to accept that I might just get to bring this baby home. Up until that point I'd only bought one thing for him but my confidence grew and soon I couldn't stop buying!
I used to listen to the affirmations in the car on my way to work. For many months that journey had been my time to think and shed a tear for Billy. I continued to do this but I also ended my journey with the affirmations. I'd never been a big fan of baths but as my pregnancy progressed I became slightly addicted, maybe they were my craving. I used my time in the bath to do the Bond and Breath exercise and I absolutely loved this time in the water with my bump.
At Christmas time we got some unexpected news about my mothers health. It was very serious and really threw me initially. I'd spent weeks preparing for all the emotions that this rainbows arrival and Billy's first birthday would bring and suddenly I'd been side cared by this news. I probably spent about two days in shock and complete panic. I continued with my affirmations and Bond and breath in that time and they really helped me to refocus and stay as calm as I could. During that time alone the hypnobirthing classes had paid for themselves!!
I had a lot going on but I really felt great in the last weeks of my pregnancy and very confident about our rainbows arrival. I decided to finish work a little early. I was due to finish on the 12th but finished on the 7th as I wanted the week before Billy's birthday to myself.
So I finished work and began wondering what I would do for the next 2 weeks or even 4 if I went overdue. I had a lovely two days relaxing, doing my hypnobirthing and getting a prayer flag made for Billy's birthday. I had pretty bad back pain all weekend and the Wednesday I spent the day on my birthing ball chatting on the phone and making the flag. I had reflexology booked at 6.30pm that evening and James was going to pick up my birthing pack from our homeopath.
I arrived at the reflexologists and felt a bit of a twinge. As she worked on me she commented on how strong the pulse was in the area of my foot where the uterus is and she even left me feel it. We discussed my twinges but I wasn't really thinking much of it. I should have coped when she was looking at me like I was half mad as I booked to come back the next week. I left hers and went to the supermarket, twinges were getting more noticeable now but nothing major. I went home and hopped in the shower. James got home at about 8 and I joked about the fact that I could be in labour. I cooked dinner, we watched Outnumbered and at 9.30 I said I think we should start timing these twinges! James downloaded an app and we began timing them (I now love looking back on the app and remembering what was happening at different times during my labour). I think they were about 5 mins apart so at 10 I rang the labour ward to check if it might be labour. The midwife spoke to me and because I was talking through the surges she said it was early labour, stay at home and call when things got more intense.
James went to the supermarket to get some hospital snacks and I went upstairs for a lie down. Things began to get a bit more intense and I must admit I made some loud noises but quickly realised it was using up all my energy so I refocused and began walking around and leaning over the bed with each surge. It really helped me to focus on the surge and visualise what was happening inside my body. I got in the bath but because my discomfort was in my lower back and bottom this didn't help so I got out.
At 12ish I was worried that I hadn't felt the baby move for a while so I phoned the labour ward and they said to come in for monitoring. When I got in there my surges got more intense. They monitored me for a half an hour and the baby was fine. The midwife asked to examine me but I have a mental block when it comes to being examined and I just couldn't relax. She said she'd transfer me to the midwife led unit and they could examine me there. She put me in a wheelchair and literally ran me over to the unit. When I arrived and went to stand up I felt the urge to push, the pressure in my bottom was really strong. They got me on the bed and started filling the pool.
The MLU midwife asked if she could examine me. I said there's no need this baby is coming. I asked for gas and air to help me focus on my breathing and I had Billy's blanket and my pillow which I used as a comfort/anchor also. I wasn't puffing in the g&a for long when the midwife said the baby's heartbeat was a little low and we needed to focus on getting him out. I didn't panic at all, I knew this baby was coming safely all I had to do was focus. I got rid of the g&a and leaned over the back of the bed for about 10 minutes until the pool was ready.
The relief when I got in the pool was amazing. The midwife was monitoring the baby and I was focused on staying calm so my body could do its thing. One big surge and I looked down to see his head was out. I felt something moving which I thought was the midwife touching his head. I asked her to stop and she said that's not me it's your baby turning himself to come out. Next thing he was out and in the water. I put my hand down and scooped him up. It was amazing, I couldn't believe my eyes. I held him for a bit but although he had his eyes open he wasn't pinking up and didn't cry so the midwife had to get the paediatric doctor and they gave him a little oxygen. He soon left out a cry and was fine. He was a tiny little thing and looked just like his big brother. He was born at 2.33am on the 13th February just one day before Billy's first birthday, we couldn't believe it. He weighed 5lb 13oz.
I had lots of cuddles while I waited for the placenta to pass and then I got washed up while James snuggled him. We were the only birth on the unit that night so we got to stay in the room until almost 8am which was lovely. We took our rainbow home 6pm that day.
He is such a calm baby and we are so blessed. We still listen the hypnobirthing tracks from time to time and he just gazes around listening to it and then eventually nods off x
My rainbow was born in February and I disabled my old account (MrsSheen) shortly after and never got round to setting up a new one.
Anyway I thought I'd share my BS now. It was written for the lady we did the hypnobirthing with so it does focus a lot on that!
Percy was due to be born on the 27th February which was just two weeks after Billy's first birthday/anniversary on the 14th February. If I go back to pre 20 weeks my main aim was to stay positive and get to 20 weeks with no problems, post 20 weeks I realised I needed to start preparing for this rainbows arrival.
The first thing I did was get in touch with a hypnobirthing teacher to arrange some one to one classes for my husband and I. I didn't want to do group classes as I didn't want to have to deal with the "Is this your first?" question. One on one fine but I didn't want to have to answer that question in a group, let alone a group of expectant parents. Anyway I contacted Steph and arranged to start the classes. I think we started at about 24 weeks.
After the first session and listening to the birth affirmations daily I began to accept that I might just get to bring this baby home. Up until that point I'd only bought one thing for him but my confidence grew and soon I couldn't stop buying!
I used to listen to the affirmations in the car on my way to work. For many months that journey had been my time to think and shed a tear for Billy. I continued to do this but I also ended my journey with the affirmations. I'd never been a big fan of baths but as my pregnancy progressed I became slightly addicted, maybe they were my craving. I used my time in the bath to do the Bond and Breath exercise and I absolutely loved this time in the water with my bump.
At Christmas time we got some unexpected news about my mothers health. It was very serious and really threw me initially. I'd spent weeks preparing for all the emotions that this rainbows arrival and Billy's first birthday would bring and suddenly I'd been side cared by this news. I probably spent about two days in shock and complete panic. I continued with my affirmations and Bond and breath in that time and they really helped me to refocus and stay as calm as I could. During that time alone the hypnobirthing classes had paid for themselves!!
I had a lot going on but I really felt great in the last weeks of my pregnancy and very confident about our rainbows arrival. I decided to finish work a little early. I was due to finish on the 12th but finished on the 7th as I wanted the week before Billy's birthday to myself.
So I finished work and began wondering what I would do for the next 2 weeks or even 4 if I went overdue. I had a lovely two days relaxing, doing my hypnobirthing and getting a prayer flag made for Billy's birthday. I had pretty bad back pain all weekend and the Wednesday I spent the day on my birthing ball chatting on the phone and making the flag. I had reflexology booked at 6.30pm that evening and James was going to pick up my birthing pack from our homeopath.
I arrived at the reflexologists and felt a bit of a twinge. As she worked on me she commented on how strong the pulse was in the area of my foot where the uterus is and she even left me feel it. We discussed my twinges but I wasn't really thinking much of it. I should have coped when she was looking at me like I was half mad as I booked to come back the next week. I left hers and went to the supermarket, twinges were getting more noticeable now but nothing major. I went home and hopped in the shower. James got home at about 8 and I joked about the fact that I could be in labour. I cooked dinner, we watched Outnumbered and at 9.30 I said I think we should start timing these twinges! James downloaded an app and we began timing them (I now love looking back on the app and remembering what was happening at different times during my labour). I think they were about 5 mins apart so at 10 I rang the labour ward to check if it might be labour. The midwife spoke to me and because I was talking through the surges she said it was early labour, stay at home and call when things got more intense.
James went to the supermarket to get some hospital snacks and I went upstairs for a lie down. Things began to get a bit more intense and I must admit I made some loud noises but quickly realised it was using up all my energy so I refocused and began walking around and leaning over the bed with each surge. It really helped me to focus on the surge and visualise what was happening inside my body. I got in the bath but because my discomfort was in my lower back and bottom this didn't help so I got out.
At 12ish I was worried that I hadn't felt the baby move for a while so I phoned the labour ward and they said to come in for monitoring. When I got in there my surges got more intense. They monitored me for a half an hour and the baby was fine. The midwife asked to examine me but I have a mental block when it comes to being examined and I just couldn't relax. She said she'd transfer me to the midwife led unit and they could examine me there. She put me in a wheelchair and literally ran me over to the unit. When I arrived and went to stand up I felt the urge to push, the pressure in my bottom was really strong. They got me on the bed and started filling the pool.
The MLU midwife asked if she could examine me. I said there's no need this baby is coming. I asked for gas and air to help me focus on my breathing and I had Billy's blanket and my pillow which I used as a comfort/anchor also. I wasn't puffing in the g&a for long when the midwife said the baby's heartbeat was a little low and we needed to focus on getting him out. I didn't panic at all, I knew this baby was coming safely all I had to do was focus. I got rid of the g&a and leaned over the back of the bed for about 10 minutes until the pool was ready.
The relief when I got in the pool was amazing. The midwife was monitoring the baby and I was focused on staying calm so my body could do its thing. One big surge and I looked down to see his head was out. I felt something moving which I thought was the midwife touching his head. I asked her to stop and she said that's not me it's your baby turning himself to come out. Next thing he was out and in the water. I put my hand down and scooped him up. It was amazing, I couldn't believe my eyes. I held him for a bit but although he had his eyes open he wasn't pinking up and didn't cry so the midwife had to get the paediatric doctor and they gave him a little oxygen. He soon left out a cry and was fine. He was a tiny little thing and looked just like his big brother. He was born at 2.33am on the 13th February just one day before Billy's first birthday, we couldn't believe it. He weighed 5lb 13oz.
I had lots of cuddles while I waited for the placenta to pass and then I got washed up while James snuggled him. We were the only birth on the unit that night so we got to stay in the room until almost 8am which was lovely. We took our rainbow home 6pm that day.
He is such a calm baby and we are so blessed. We still listen the hypnobirthing tracks from time to time and he just gazes around listening to it and then eventually nods off x