Claire and Baby Beauden

Beauden was born on the 8th September 2020 at 02:08 in East Surrey hospital. Before I was pregnant, the thought of giving birth made me feel quite anxious but once I was pregnant and read the calm birth book, I started to feel at ease and confident in my body’s ability to safely bring my baby into the world.
In the lead up to labour, I was sent in for an additional scan after my last midwife appointment at the end of August as baby was measuring quite large. The scan showed that he had grown quite a large tummy and they had concerns that if we left it until his due date (14th Sep) then it may be harder to have a natural birth without complications so I was admitted to the maternity ward awaiting induction. At first I was a bit nervous about the induction as I honestly thought baby would be overdue and I’d have a couple more weeks before the craziness began but then quickly came to terms with it and how I was in the best place for both myself and Baby. Luckily the induction went well and I experienced minimal pain and managed to sleep for a few hours to be woken and told I was already 4cm dilated. The worst part was all the waiting around as the labour ward was always fully booked but I now know September is like plate change month from xmas baby boom 😂
Labour began in the labour ward once they hooked me up to a drip to speed things along. As contractions became more intense, I used breathing techniques and reciting affirmations to myself with each contraction. My support system was my amazing husband who was there to help me in every way that he could from back rubs to feeding me Colin the caterpillars!
In the end I opted for an epidural and that whole experience was amazing and alleviated the pain almost instantly.. the man administering the drugs was also very funny and made the whole experience a delight! I even managed a few hours sleep!
The labour ward was very welcoming and my midwives were lovely (one was in training) so I quickly acclimatised to my surroundings. I felt a huge amount of support from all the staff and doctors who kept expressing how incredibly well I was doing given his size. We had a c section on standby which was agreed if I felt that after so many hours of pushing, I wasn’t making the progress that I should have been. I just remember closing my eyes through the contractions and focusing on counting down through each push with just the midwife in the room then next minute I opened my eyes to a room full of staff as the doctor informed me it would be best to assist with a ventouse which I agreed to and before I knew it, Beauden was here!
After the birth, I felt so content and empowered. Nothing will ever compare to that first feeling of my new baby being laid on my chest. It was all very surreal.
It was so surreal once Beauden arrived, hearing him cry for the first time was amazing. He was a very healthy 8lbs8oz and we took to breastfeeding quite quickly too which I was very fortunate of. We had to stay on the ward for a further 24 hours after the birth because he was born with a ventouse so needless to say staying on a ward full of new babies meant zero sleep - I couldn’t wait to take him home!
Overall I look back at my birth and feel so fortunate that I had such a positive and amazing experience. I wouldn’t change anything with how it went - the staff at East Surrey were all so caring and tentative. Instilling trust in myself that as long as I have a positive and calm mind, my baby will arrive safely is all that I needed.
I would recommend hypnobirthing to anyone facing child birth. Whether you’re anxious or feeling confident, having knowledge in all the different scenarios that may occur and belief in your own abilities will better equip anyone who’s birth may not go as planned. For me, I found it was best not to have a plan and just go with the flow - what will be will be and in the end, all that matters is seeing your baby arrive healthy and happy into your arms.