Hypnotherapist with a passion!

FIVE BIRTHS

(Four Babies and One Career!)

Coming from a banking/book keeping type job history, the last thing I expected to gain from motherhood was a new career path. I am now a mother to four children, Emma (15) Sophie (13) Jamie (7) and Kate (5) and work part time as a hypnotherapist. I specialise in pregnancy and childbirth related issues, as my own experience has left me with a desire to raise awareness of this beneficial therapy, and this is why.

My own experience of childbirth varied greatly for each of my children. Emma was born on her due date, after I'd spent a week in hospital being monitored for pre-eclampsia. After 2 pessaries and a sleepless night, labour started and I used a tens machine until it was no longer effective. I had a shot of pethidine and zonked out for several hours much needed sleep. When the pethidine started to wear off the midwife on duty at the time (I had about 4 in total) personally recommended an epidural in rather the same manner as a waiter might recommend the dish of the day! I accepted and the epidural was administered speedily and easily, and I settled back down for another kip! I lost track of time completely and as it was 15 years ago I have some difficulty remembering how long it was before I was fully dilated and ready to push. This is when I was in for a nasty shock. The epidural was allowed to wear off so that I could feel the urge to push.....WOW! What a difference. As I was attached to a monitor and a drip I could hardly move and every time I pushed I experienced knife like pains just under my ribcage that literally took my breath away. To cut a long story short, a ventouse was tried unsuccessfully and the decision was made to top up the epidural again and take me into theatre for an attempt at a forceps delivery. If that proved unsuccessful too, then a c section would be performed. Thankfully Emma put in an appearance on the last attempt at forceps, weighing in at 8lbs 14oz and looking like she'd gone 10 rounds with Frank Bruno. (He's a boxer for those of you too young to remember!)

I had pre-eclampsia again with Sophie and 10 days before her due date my blood pressure went sky high and, as she was breach and estimated to be in the region of 10lbs in weight, I agreed to a c-section. She actually weighed in at 7lbs 14oz, the smallest of the four!

It took me 5 years to make the decision to go for number 3 as I was scared of the prospect of a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) and didn't want another c-section. I decided to give hypnotherapy a go, having used it successfully some years before to increase my horse riding confidence. WOW again! But this time in a good way. I had a 10 hour labour and an amazing delivery in a birth pool with only gas and air towards the end. No stitches was an added bonus, probably due to being so relaxed.

It was this experience that led me retrain as a hypnotherapist myself so that I could help other women have a better birthing experience. My dream would be for each and every expectant mother to receive at least 2 free sessions of hypnotherapy on the NHS (I won't hold my breath!). Labours would be shorter, less stressful and without the need for so much intervention. I feel that every woman should feel empowered to feel capable and confident in their bodies natural ability to birth their baby in whatever manner they choose. There will always be cases where an emergency c section is the best option, but even that experience can be less traumatic if the mother has learnt self hypnosis to help her cope.

Each of my 4 birth experiences have been very different from each other but all, thankfully, with the same result....a healthy baby and also, most unexpectedly, a new career!