Caesarean birth

Emma’s unplanned caesarean birth

emma’s challenging birth story illustrates her resilience, strength and how hypnobirthing can help in all sorts of different circumstances.

Please note, this was Emma’s second birth. Her first baby was born by C-section. In this birth story, we see a rare example of possible scar rupture.

When circumstances change, choices might have to change. My mission with Hypnobirthing is to help women feel empowered and able to make informed decisions however birth goes. Emma felt able to do this.

All is well in the end, but you can choose to not read this if you think this will make you anxious.

If you would also like to read a smooth VBAC story, please see Jemma’s.

Hi Zoe. Just a note to say thank you again for your fantastic course (and for your part in the breastfeeding session with Nicky Harris).

Our baby Anna was born yesterday morning.

It wasn’t a straightforward birth in the end.

I went into early labour on Tuesday morning but things slowed down when the midwives arrived. I had surges every 10 mins till Wednesday afternoon when they gave me a sweep and then things really got going and I was 4 cm dilated by 10pm and we went to hospital.

We chose the midwife led suite and had a case-loading senior midwife which was wonderful. Throughout the Tuesday and Wednesday I practiced my hypnobirthing techniques and I felt totally calm, confident and in control of my pain.

I went into it unafraid and ready. All that was due to your course.

It was only at 3am on Wednesday that after labouring positively for 4 hours I was checked again and I was still 4cm dilated so they suggested breaking my waters.

I felt quite disappointed and accepted this. It turned out to be a very very good choice as although it was painful, they discovered the amniotic fluid had blood in it.

It looks like my body chose not to progress me because it knew it would be a bad thing to give birth naturally.

The consultant gave me the option to labour on or have a c-section. Foetal heartbeat from monitoring was totally fine but the blood was a worry and my pain levels were through the roof even between surges.

They were worried about my c-section scar from my first birth but as the baby seemed happy were not sure what to do.

I secretly thought that perhaps I just couldn’t handle the pain now that I’d received some bad news about progress, but I told them I wanted a c-section because I wasn’t going to take risks.

At that point the pain was intense. I was given gas and air but continued with my hypnobirthing to get me through.

After the c-section the Doctor said we’d made the correct decision at the right time. My scar was so thin it has turned translucent and was fraying and bleeding into the amniotic fluid. If I’d have gone any further it would have ruptured. Trust me to be that 1 in 400 woman who gets that with a VBAC!

But everyone was safe and well at the end and I don’t have feelings of trauma about it unlike last time.

I feel really proud of how I handled it and kept up the hypnobirthing breathing.

I just kept picturing that calm woman in the video you showed us and her amazing birth story and thought ‘I can do that too!’.

I don’t feel bad I had to have another c section as obviously that was the right thing in the circumstances.

And the Doctor said the extra pain in the end was due to the rupture situation so that’s a comfort that this is why I found it harder.

So that is my birth story!

It truly was positive, I feel immensely happy about it and so grateful.

And hypnobirthing played a huge part both in preparing me calmly in the run up and helping me to manage early labour and a potentially stressful situation at the end.

It was totally worth it and David and I were just saying how we will use the techniques we learned for other life situations as it was so effective.

Thank you so much - it may not have been the publishable ‘perfect’ birth story some people get but I’m so proud of how it went and feel so grateful and blessed that it ended well.

Thank you so very much - I honestly think I’d be traumatised right now is it hadn’t been for your classes.

Love Emma xx

Ps. Breastfeeding is going well! I did the colostrum harvesting beforehand as Nicky recommended and baby Anna has taken to it really well.