This snippet is Hayley from Ecolust chatting on her IG stories.
I met Hayley and Chris back in July when they took the Hypnobirthing Australia Positive Birth Program with me.
We met up a few weeks later to record an episode for their podcast…and we ended up chatting for so long that they turned it into two episodes!
Part 1 includes what hypnobirthing actually is, how to deal with fears around birth, and claiming your rights as a birthing woman.
Part 2 covers the physiology of labour, hypnobirthing techniques and why they work, and how to write a birth plan.
Hayley and Chris really committed to hypnobirthing.
The came to class with questions ready, they took notes (as an avid note taker myself, I love it when people take notes in class), they asked follow up questions outside of class, they practiced the tools.
They went on to have a positive birth and were able to welcome their beautiful baby Arthur in a way that was aligned with their preferences and values.
Adeline’s Birth – A Positive Caesarean Birth Story
I honestly think hypnobirthing is so much more valuable when nothing is going according to plan.
That is when you need to really work with your partner, work with your caregivers, and make those tough choices that you were hoping that you wouldn’t have to make.
It is really about understanding what is happening, being able to ask your caregivers educated questions, and making informed decisions…and Natalie and Tim definitely did that.
In fact, they did that throughout your entire pregnancy and labour!
By choosing to birth at the birth centre, by waiting for spontaneous labour, by using their tools to labour for days…they did so well!
I also want to mention that you are allowed to feel both positive about your experience and disappointed too!
Parenthood is full of conflicting emotions. And that really begins with birth.
Even if everything goes completely as we had hoped, birth (and in particular our first birth) is a massive learning curve. We learn so much about ourselves, our partners, and just the birthing process in general.
This birth story is a great example of how to feel comfortable with making decisions and giving birth in circumstances that are very different than what you anticipated…in particular feeling comfortable in a caesarean situation, ensuring that you know your birth team and speaking up for meaningful details that help to make the experience your own!
Here is Adeline’s birth story as written by her beautiful mother, Natalie.
Our birth certainly didn’t go to plan at all!
I was 41+3 weeks and I had been labouring on and off for 5 days with surges really ramping up for about 36 hours prior to birth.
We ended up having multiple types of intervention with no progression (only 3 centimetres dilated for more than 12 hours) and then I unfortunately went down hill with a fever and our baby’s heart rate was not ideal.
By that stage sheer exhaustion had kicked in and I physically, mentally, emotionally felt broken and scared (and I could tell Tim was feeling the same way).
I was offered a cesarean at this stage which I had really wanted to avoid, but because of your course, I knew what to ask and felt well informed and able to make the best decision for me.
I eventually accepted the caesarean. And I honestly believe that was the right decision.
I continued to labour for another 3 hours before I was prepped for surgery.
We met with the team – they made me feel so comfortable and my midwives stayed with me the whole time.
Once I was given the spinal, I felt completely euphoric and so ready to welcome our baby girl.
I remember the surgeon asked me if I’d like some music as they delivered our little girl and I happily said yes as we ‘birthed’ to Bon Iver, such a memorable moment as the music and cries of our Adeline reached our ears.
It was 11 September and all day we had been saying we didn’t want that as a birthday for our girl (not that it really matters, but you know) and as the labour went on for so long and as we waited so long for surgery the clocked ticked over and at 12.29am on 12 September our girl entered the world.
Although there was just about nothing that went to plan, we believe our birth was a positive one and without the knowledge we learnt from you and the hypnobirthing course we know it would have been a very different story.
We did feel a sense of ‘trauma’ afterwards but on reflection feel happy with our decision and have both said ‘we’ll try again next time’.
Anyway, we just wanted to say a big thank you for empowering and informing to-be-parents on all aspects of birth.
Knowledge is certainly power and I’m so thankful we felt well informed to make the decisions that we did.
It meant that our birth story was our own.
Your Weekly-ish Virtual Oxytocin Boost – August 25
Hello, hello!
I hope you all are well.
I feel like I don’t have much to report.
The past month has been wonderfully full of working with hypnobirthing clients.
Teaching hypnobirthing brings me so much joy.
And it is a joy that lasts well beyond the end of the course…there is nothing better than to get an email or a text message from a new mama who is feeling so proud of herself and so full of love for her baby.
In addition to hypnobirthing, I am thinking of offering micro courses. I started doing this when Brisbane was in COVID lockdown and it is something that I would like to continue.
So, topics!
What do you want to learn about?
This is my brainstorm, but as you are the pregnant ones, let me know what would be helpful for you!
– tips for choosing your caregiver
– how your birth partner can best support you
– how to create an individualised birth plan
– preparing for your second (or third, or fourth) baby
– postpartum planning
I am also looking to start a online portal of sorts that would be filled with supplemental resources.
Again, I would love your input.
I am thinking short yoga sequences, meditations, breastfeeding tips, baby wearing videos, recipes.
What would you like to be able to access?
If you have any thoughts about any of the above, please let me know!
Take care!
And keep in touch!
Here is what’s coming up:
Sunday 13 September and Sunday 20 September:
IN PERSON group hypnobirthing positive birth course
Monday 7 September, Monday 14 September, Monday 21 September, Monday 28 September:
ZOOM group hypnobirthing positive birth course
Tuesday 22 September:
FREE hypnobirthing positive birth information session
Here is the Zoom link and the password is hypnobirth.
Saturday 10 October and Saturday 17 October:
IN PERSON group hypnobirthing positive birth course
Please note that as of September 1 in person group class prices will be going up. So if you were thinking of taking an upcoming course, please book in now to lock in the current price.
Here are five things that might help to boost your oxytocin this week.
Do you record what makes you happy?
I have found that keeping a gratitude journal of sorts helps me to focus on what fills me up. Each day I just jot down three things that made me really happy. It has been interesting to see what patterns emerge (coffee makes it onto the list at least once a week). And if I find myself in a funk, I can flip back through the journal and get some ideas for what will help lift me up again.
Lately car sing alongs have been just the thing.
Lydia loves Lean On, Charlie loves Blinding Lights, and my current favourite is Think About Things.
And now that spring in the air, we roll down all the windows, crank the tunes, sing, and all feel so free!
1 – Now that I am gluten free, dairy free, and soy free, I have been looking for new recipes to add to our family dinner rotation. I think this one could be a winner (minus the yogurt).
2 – Art history with a side of masks, hand sanitiser, and toilet paper…I am loving this IG feed.
3 – Restoring an actual French chateau…learning its history and discovering its secrets…while I am sure some days are total nightmares, this project sounds like a dream come true.
4 – A brilliant concept. So real. And so fun!
5 – The story and the narrator make this an amazing audiobook. Part magic and part mystery, it is worth a listen!
If you would like to get oxytocin boosters and other updates delivered directly to your inbox, you can sign up to my weekly-ish newsletter here.
I will only ever send you information about upcoming free Zoom events and links to things that I think will make you happy.
And to be honest, before this pandemic the last time I sent an email was probably 2018, so don’t worry about me clogging up your inbox!
Books For Positive Pregnancy, Birth, Postpartum
I often get asked for resources women can access to help them have a positive birth and a positive postpartum.
I honestly think choosing a supportive caregiver, taking a hypnobirthing class, and creating a postpartum plan is all you need to do…but as an information seeker and an over-preparer, I totally get the need to not only do all the things but also read all the things!
And, as I know Google, chat boards, and even some books are more interested in fear mongering than in empowering women, I thought I should share a reading list that will leave you feeling like you can totally achieve that positive experience you are planning and preparing for!
Now obviously you don’t need to read all of these! Even if you are a super speed reader, I don’t think you could get through all of these in nine months!
Pick one or two that resonate with you and start there.
Most of these should be available via your local library. Or if you have friends who have prepared for a positive birth and a positive postpartum, check with them and see if they have any of these titles and if you could borrow them.
And remember, that while reading is an excellent way to expand your understanding, you also need to learn how to embody that knowledge.
There is a saying that knowledge is for the mind, experience is for the body. During birth, we want to shut off our minds and get into our bodies…and this is where the combination of reading and hypnobirthing is so valuable. When you take a course with me, I will help you put your knowledge to use!
Books for Pregnancy:
Expecting Better – real science combined with common sense, presented in a non judgemental way that allows you to make your own decisions
Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide – this books helps you understand that you are an individual and that “one sized fits all” care probably isn’t going to be what is best for you
Books for Birth:
Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering – Sarah Buckely combines science with the spiritual
The Positive Birth Book – the book that was birthed by the Positive Birth Movement, this book challenges the negativity and fear that we have come to accept is a part of childbirth
Give Birth Like A Feminist – your body, your baby, your choices
Birth With Confidence – this book changed the way I view birth and approach childbirth education
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth – filled with practical advice and encouraging birth stories, this is the kind of booked that gets passed around between women who are wanting a positive birth
The Second Baby Book – acknowledges that while perhaps physically the same, preparing for your second birth can be very different than your first
Books for Postpartum:
The Fourth Trimester – normalises the experiences and emotions of new motherhood
First Forty Days – focusing on the transition to motherhood, this is a beautiful book, you will feel nurtured just reading it and will feel extra nurtured if you make some of the nourishing meals suggested
The Postnatal Depletion Cure – easy steps to help you feel less exhausted, less overwhelmed, and more like yourself
Baby Love – this one great for baby sleeping, feeding, and development basics, it is really practical and full of common sense advice
The Wonder Weeks – fabulous for normalising your postpartum experience by helping you understand your baby and their experience
Becoming Us – this one talks about how parenting is a partnership that is likely different than the relationship you had before becoming parents
Everyday Blessings – this is written by a mother and a father and beautifully shares both perspectives
What Happens Now – this one is written for dads and while I haven’t read it, my husband loved it
What books did you read to help you prepare?
And if you have already read all the things are are now wanting to learn how to utilise that knowledge to ensure a positive experience, start here!
Some links on this post are affiliate links, which means when you click on that link and make a purchase, this can result in a small commission in form of credit. It doesn’t cost you a cent, but as a small business, it helps me and allows me to keep reading birthing books so can keep educating myself and you!
A Positive Hypnobirthing Birth Story
I know I always say it, but I absolutely LOVE getting birth announcements in my inbox.
It doesn’t matter how brief or how in depth they are, I so appreciate when my clients take the time to let me know they have had their baby and that they now truly get what a positive birth is all about!
This beautiful couple were so engaged from the very beginning…they were totally committed to a positive birth.
Taking a hypnobirthing class was one of the many decisions they made that helped them reach their goal.
In addition to the preparation and techniques that hypnobirthing provides, they also sought additional information, tools, and supportive caregivers.
And like they said, it was all totally worth it!
Birth is a day you will remember for the rest of your life…and I am so pleased that this new family will look back on their birth and be filled with warm, proud, positive feelings!
So our big news is that we birthed our little boy at the RBWH Birth Centre at 40+1 weeks on Tuesday 30 June at 9:18pm with the help of our My Midwives private midwife Karen Hollindale.
It was the most empowering, positive, and rewarding experience of my life!
All the tools of hypnobirthing, as well as the extra reading and education I did, the Spinning Babies exercises, and all the couples work Tom and I did together really paid off.
During labour, I worked with the intensity because I knew it was helping me to birth him (I literally watched a heap of Sheila Kitzinger interviews on YouTube for the hundredth time the night my waters broke – I had her empowering voice in my head throughout a lot of my labour).
Some other things that really helped me.
I listened to a background music track (no words) on repeat from about 3:00pm that afternoon until he was born.
I utilised a TENS machine throughout the whole labour.
My partner did soft touch across my hips during the surges.
I wore a mask, robe, and slippers on the challenging car journey into the hospital (definitely considering a home birth next time around) and really focused inwards.
He was birthed on all fours, I was learning over a beanbag, with my partner catching him to pass to me, and me cutting the cord.
The placenta took its time, but we managed to encourage it with the gravity of a birthing stool and me engaging with the positive mindset again too.
We were in and out of the hospital in 8 hours, with no pain relief used.
The midwife was filling up the birthing pool, as we’d discussed we’d like to try a water birth. I remember hearing the water running and thinking, there’s no bloody way I want to get in there! I want to be dry and on firm, solid ground. Funny how birthing plans change!
For anyone that asks me for advice, I will scream your services from the rooftops as well as that of the private midwives. It was worth every dollar. I was also a LITTLE bit obsessed with anything and everything to do with positive birth throughout my whole pregnancy and I think that obsession paid off!
Thanks again so much Caitlin – your service is gold!