My partner and I completed Hypnobirthing classes with Maryam around 7 weeks before my ‘due date’. She made me feel at ease and excited about meeting my little girl. I found it all really interesting and when the whole process was explained to me I realised how incredible our bodies were and that there was nothing to worry about (and I have anxiety issues!!). 

All the way up to giving birth not one part of me felt scared, worried or nervous. I was just excited for it to happen and so in love with the bump inside me that nothing else mattered. Thanks to Maryam, I went into that hospital happy, relaxed and in control.

I really enjoyed the scripts given to me and the information supplied covered everything I needed, I felt very relaxed around Maryam and I felt I could discuss anything with her. My partner was so helpful and calming during my birth and this was from what he learnt in the class, he knew exactly what he had to do and made sure he was forceful when he needed to be (otherwise I’d have given birth in a corridor!!). He was a little sceptical about Hypnobirthing but he came out of the class happy, he enjoyed it and found a lot of it really interesting and I can safely say he used a lot of it during my birth and it made a massive difference.

My pregnancy went over my ‘due date’ (there is no due date, the baby knows when he or she wants to come but in doctors terms) therefore they wanted to induce me, this didn’t scare me but I wanted to wait for her to make her own appearance, she was already giving me signs that she was nearly ready but unfortunately I had a pregnancy rash called PUPPS and it was causing me a lot of pain, so I decided to go ahead with the induction.

I rang up the hospital and got told to come in straight away. I got to the hospital happy and excited. They warned me I could be in the induction ward for 24hrs before anything happened like the other girls that had been in there overnight so I had my checks and was given the induction pessary at 11am. I then went off for lunch feeling the start of my surges. I got back from lunch and lapped up the sun in the gardens outside my ward, bouncing on balls and making sure I kept moving to speed things along, the surges were getting stronger but I still felt relaxed and in control, going through some of the scripts in my head and my partner making sure I was ok, massaging my back and keeping me calm. At 5.30pm dinner was served at the hospital, my surges were every 2 minutes at this point so in between the surges I ate my meal. I then asked the midwives to check me, they were a bit against doing this as in their mind it was too early and I was far too relaxed but my partner insisted. They examined me and I was already 4-5cm, this meant I could move out of the induction ward and in to the birthing unit, the other girls were shocked that i was the last girl into the ward and the first one out!

I wanted a water birth so I got into the pool, my partner put on my relaxing music and I felt amazing. I felt a wave of happiness and confidence that I could do this. I was only in for half an hour and I felt I needed to push, again the midwives didn’t believe me and our constant nagging at them to check me made them realise I was actually at 10cm and ready to give birth! They then panicked that is was all happening so quick and it was down in my notes that she could have a big head (she didn’t) so unfortunately rushed me to the labour ward, this didn’t stop my state of mind though, I was in the zone and I knew what I wanted and had to do. I got into the ward and jumped on the bed on all fours and within 10 minutes my beautiful girl Thea was born at 9.30pm, 10.5hrs after my pessary. The midwife looked at me in shock to how relaxed and calm I was and how quick it all happened. It happened this quick because not once did I try to fight it, not once did I feel frightened but I went in to my zone and did the job I was there to do with the happiness of seeing my baby I had looked forward to seeing for so long. 

All of this was down to my Hypnobirthing training, anyone that feels frightened, unsure, curious, want to help their partners through labour or just wants to know more about giving birth then I would highly recommend Calm Birth Club classes, it made one of the most important experiences of my life the most beautiful moment to treasure and we can’t thank Maryam enough.

Catherine & Ben