Rosanna and Raphael had a challenging labour but they used their tools and made the decisions that were best for them and that it is what it is all about.

This birth story is a great example of knowing your options!
First, Rosanna knew her options around an induction. Including the option to wait until labour started spontaneously.
She knew her options around labouring at home and used her hypnobirthing tools to help set up a comfortable environment and to cope with the intensity of the surges.
She knew her options around monitoring.
She knew her options around breaking her waters and how that might impact her labour.
She knew her options around pain relief and decided which was right for her and when.
And she was able to communicate with her caregivers about her options for birth and come up with a plan that she was comfortable with.

If you don’t know your options, you don’t have any!
And it is so important to also understand your options and the potential consequences associated with different labour pathways.
Rosanna navigated this challenging labour so well and ensured that she was making the decisions that were best for her and for her baby.

Here is Raphael’s birth story as written by his beautiful mother, Rosanna.

Our bub was born on 28 October. We named him Raphael.
I’d like to share the birth journey with you.

Prior to labour, Raphael never fully engaged in my pelvis, his head was at a less than optimal angle.
I went into labour naturally when I was 41 + 2.
I laboured at home for hours and when I arrived at the hospital I was already 6 to 7 centimetres dilated.
The midwife could not believe how well I was handling the surges. Your course totally helped me dissociate the surges as being painful – instead I just felt them as sensations throughout the whole labour.
I was lucky enough to get a birth suite with a bath so I laboured in there for several hours.

Unfortunately from this point onwards, my birth took on a course far from what I expected.

They ended up getting me out of the bath as my pulse got quite high. I suspect it was because I became dehydrated. I was hooked up to a saline IV and I agreed to CTG monitoring. 

Raphael’s head was still high so we opted to break my waters, hoping that would help get his head lower. At this point I was about 8 to 9 centimetres dilated.
As there was no meconium when my waters were broken and my pulse had lowered, I was allowed to get back into the bath.
My surges continued and intensified for a few more hours and I began involuntarily pushing.
After a few hours of this, I was still 8 to 9 centimetres dilated and Raphael’s head was still not at the right angle.
My midwife did not want me to push on a cervix which was not fully dilated as she said this could cause swelling.

Up until this point I had not needed any interventions to cope with the surges, but after those intense hours I decided to get an epidural.
After the epidural my cervix dilated to 10 centimetres.

Over the next few hours, I was moved into several different positions to try to encourage Raphael to get into a better position for birth.
During this time the CTG detected a drop in Raphael’s heart rate so we opted for a foetal scalp electrode in order to get better reading.
His heart rate ended up stabilising and being okay.

Even thought he was still not in an optimal position, I began pushing.
After pushing for an hour to no avail I was given an option to go straight to c-section or to try the ventouse. If ventouse was unsuccessful, then we would need to proceed to a c-section.
We were told there would be a 90% chance of a successful ventouse delivery and as I did not want to start motherhood with major surgery we choose the ventouse.
After two good pushes with the ventouse, it popped off Raphael’s head and we proceeded straight to an emergency c-section where they attempted to get him out by hand, then forceps, and then finally and successfully by hand again. 

Due to the effects of the ventouse, Raphael needed support immediately after birth.
It absolutely broke my heart that I could not have the skin to skin with (or even touch) my baby immediately after birth. The shining light throughout my whole labour (which ended up lasting around 24 hours) was that I would have my baby in my arms at the end. And when that did not happen, it was devastating.

Luckily Raphael only needed 2 nights in NCCU.
I had expressed a lot of colostrum towards the end of the pregnancy and he went through all of it while in NCCU.
He has made a great recovery and we have had great success with breastfeeding so far. He is gaining weight like there is no tomorrow! 

Even though the birth was not the intervention free experience I hoped for, I still found the knowledge I gained in your course so valuable.
It made us aware of our options, aware of the consequences of our choices, and helped us understand the medical terminology and interventions presented throughout the birth. 

Your course also made me believe my body could handle a natural birth (which I never previously believed) and made me no longer fear labour and birth, which was a huge deal for me.

Your course also gave me strength to say no to the suggestions of inductions which were offered on numerous occasions as I was over 40 weeks.

Your course also helped me disassociate pain with the birthing experience which I found to be a big game changer. I am someone who always believed my pain tolerance was low (I am known to cry during blood tests)!
The midwife was so impressed with how I handled the surges, she wanted me to teach other pregnant mamas how to handle them too! 

I am enjoying the blissful newborn bubble. Even the fourth trimester is challenging at times, I try and look past that as I know this special stage will be over too quickly!

The Hypnobirthing Australia Positive Birth program is for all births.
But if you know a caesarean section is what is best for you, there is a specific Positive Caesarean Course.
The Positive Caesarean Course covers the same hypnobirthing tools as the traditional course, it just demonstrates more specifically how to apply them to to a caesarean birth.
Megan and Tony took the Positive Caesarean Course to help them prepare for the birth of their baby girl.

Before the course they were not feeling calm and confident.
But after taking the course, practicing their tools, communicating their preferences to their caregiver, they did feel calm and confident.
And they had the positive birth that they were hoping for.

Our beautiful baby girl, Poppy, was born on 30 October by elective caesarean section.
We are all doing well. 

I just wanted to say thank you so much for the time you spent with Tony and I, it really made our birthing experience stress free and truly beautiful.

Going into my pregnancy, I was so scared that I would sit on the couch and cry at night, but after seeing you and doing the Hypnobirthing Australia Positive Caesarean Course everything changed.
It made me look forward her birthing day in a calm way.
In particular, the guided affirmations and fear release hypnosis really worked for me. Also learning how to tune out when people would tell me their birthing horror stories was really helpful.
I walked into theatre so happy and confident. 

After my experience I really want mums-to-be who decide to have an elective c-cection to know that it can be a calm, special, and beautiful experience.
For me, personally, my c-section was the best decision I made!
You and your program empowered me and gave me much needed confidence and I can’t thank you enough. 

Also, my recovery has been amazing. This was another thing I was really worried about and that the course helped me with. I listened to the recovery affirmations in the lead up so I was in a really good mindset after birth. 

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.

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!

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!