Welcome Harriet!!

This has been sitting in my inbox for way too long, I am soooo happy to share hypnobirthing superstars, Bec and Kris' birth of Harriet!! Enjoy its gorgeous xox

Dear Nic,

We just wanted to email to say thank you again for the wonderful hypnobirthing classes and to share our birth story and bundle of joy with you!! Harriet Isabel Gesling was born at home in our bedroom at 12.28am on 8 July.   

I laboured for about 24 hours from early prelabour to Harriet's birth. I can't imagine our birth without the hypnobirthing preparation! I found the tracks so helpful and listened to tranquil chambers, affirmations and surge of the sea at various stages. I remember spending time on the birth ball early on, standing leaning over the cot, sitting on the toilet and lying on my side trying to get Harri in a good position with some positions suggested by our midwives. We hired a birth pool and the midwives suggested a shower early on but I didn't want to take the TENS machine off! Near the end of labour they started to pump up the pool but only got it 1/3 full before realising that our baby was ready to arrive! 

We laboured from Saturday night and called my mum and the midwives on Sunday morning. The midwives came around 2pm but I hadn't begun dialating yet, so they suggested we have a nap because I hadn’t slept. We napped for a couple of hours and I remember waking when the surges started to really build in intensity. I remember some doubt and fear creeping in, not knowing how far along we were, thinking, if we’re not getting closer I’m not sure I can do this… but I went inside myself and back to the breathing, listening to the tracks, having Kris do light touch, anchor touch, trusting my body and letting go. Time is a blur! Later I remember shivering and shaking uncontrollably, feeling hot and cold, not being able to control my bladder or bowel and my waters exploding with a pop! It was time for the midwives to come back! They arrived at 9pm and Harriet was born 3 hours later...  

In the end we laboured together in our dark candlelit bedroom, just the two of us for most of Sunday, and we did it! We birthed our beautiful girl at home without intervention! Looking back I can hardly believe it. We are so in love and so proud of us... but there is no way we could have had such a beautiful homebirth without hypnobirthing tools and the incredible support of our midwives. 

Thanks for being as part of our pregnancy and birth journey, the work you do to empower couples to have natural births is amazing!!

Bec, Kris and Harriet