Hi gentlebirthing, I dont really know much about gentlebirthing. I've been attending yoga 3 times a week and plan on having what sounds like a gentle birth. What are the cd's and where can I find out more? Thanks

Hi Kiwi - have a look at http://www.GentleBirth.ie


Yoga is very complimentary to the GentleBirth program and a lovely way to relax and fit in some exercise during your pregnancy.


http://www.gentlebirth.ie/gentlebirth-and-yoga.html

Any questions - just shout!

Tracy

A very unexpected change of plans - but Mum was able to stay calm and cope brilliantly

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Tracy!

We've had a real whirlwind the past few weeks since Summer was born so I'm only getting around to writing her story now! So here goes....

When I found out I was pregnant, I really wanted to have a home birth. But much to our dismay, the midwife who covers our area had booked holidays around the time I was due, so we resigned to the fact that we would have to have the baby in Holles Street.

Anyway, nine months flew by and baby Summer was born at around 5.40am on Sat May 28th weighing 9lb 1oz. I say around 5.40am as we're really not sure, she arrived so quickly we forgot to check the clock! I had been having lots of Braxton Hicks in the week before she arrived and particularly the previous afternoon. We were up Dublin getting a hand X-ray for my husband who had a suspected fracture following a football injury the night before. Luckily he got the all clear and no plaster as he was going to need his two hands later on that night!!

The Braxton hicks eased off that evening and I went to bed as usual. I awoke during the night at around 2am with more warm ups and thought that baby might be arriving over the weekend, hopefully not during the Heineken Cup final or the Champions League! So I went back to sleep to squeeze in the last few hours I could! An occasional surge woke me just as it "peaked" and then I went back to sleep. At the peak, I repeated the phrase "loose and limp" in my head and visualised our hibiscus flower opening! I had no idea how frequent surges were as I was asleep between them.

At around 5am, I awoke with a really annoying pain in my back and no matter what position I tried I couldn't get comfortable. I'd never had any back pain in labour on my previous two deliveries so this was a bit of a surprise. So I woke my husband (Fitz) to get him to put the TENS pads on my lower back and this made a huge difference. So back I went to bed to get some more sleep. Fitz had downloaded an app. for his phone which timed and analysed contractions so he set about playing with that! Told him not to waste his time and to go back to sleep while he could! He wouldn't listen to me and timed the surges and woke me to tell me they were 3-4 mins apart and that we needed to get going to the hospital! (We live about an hour's drive away from Holles St.) I really didn't think I was in labour and didn't want to drive all the way to Dublin to be told "You're not in labour"! So I said I was staying in bed and going back to sleep. Fitz started to pack the car and phoned my parents to ask them to come over to babysit our two boys.

Meanwhile, at about 5.30am, I got up to go to the loo (thought I needed to do a poo!, sorry if that's TMI!!) and when I got out of bed something emerged! So I called Fitz and asked him to look and see what the hell was going on! "It's a water balloon", he told me as he dialled 999! I sat on the loo and then I felt that familiar expulsion reflex kick in as a wild roar came out of me! A kind of throwing up sound- but I was throwing down! The paramedic operator on the phone was asking Fitz for our details when I told Fitz the baby's coming and I need an extra pair of hands! As Fitz rushed around trying to find towels and pillows, he gave the operator our address and told him where the spare key was hidden! I made it to the bedroom floor and on elbows and knees, and baby Summer was born in a few non-pushes! I was trying to keep her in until paramedics arrived, but she had other plans! Luckily Fitz had the use of his two hands and guided baby safely into the world! She cried out immediately and was lovely and pink and clean! The waters didn't release until she emerged! Fitz handed her to me and sat behind me to support me as I felt rooted to the spot.

About 5mins later, my parents and paramedics arrived to the sound of Summers' cries- they were so relieved and in shock at the same time!

Paramedics checked us both and all was well so they went downstairs as Mum whipped up some brekkie for them and told them all about the Gentlebirth program as they couldn't believe I had slept through the first stage of labour! Fitz, Summer and I hopped back into bed for a snuggle and a little time for ourselves to allow the events of night to sink in!! Our second son, Aaron (3) awoke then and popped his head into our bedroom door and was overjoyed to see his little sister! He hopped into the bed with us, so we figured we better bring Kai in too (our eldest son, 5) to meet Summer! A very sleepy Kai looked on in amazement and said "Mom, she looks kinda wierd!" to which Aaron replied "Bur she's soooo cute though Kai!". The boys soon discovered the ambulance in our driveway and off they went to explore and tell all the neighbours about the new arrival.

We debated for a while as to whether we should go up to Holles' St. We decided it would be safer to be examined by the medical team there. So the paramedics dropped Summer and I up in the ambulance which meant we bypassed admissions and walked straight into the delivery suite which was actually very funny! The staff had heard we were coming and greeted us all along the corridor! They weighed & measured Summer (9lb 1oz, 54cm) and gave us the cursory hospital wristbands and card! After a few stitches, we both got the all clear from the medics and Fitz drove us home a couple of hours later. My parents had the fire lighting and food ready when we arrived home and so we all settled onto the couch to watch Leinster win the Heineken cup!

When I tell friends and neighbours the story, they all ask me if I was traumatised by the experience! I tell them on the contrary, the whole experience was exhilarating and I never once felt panicky or afraid. It all felt completely natural and that it had panned out exactly as it was supposed to! I listened to the "New Mother" track every day for the first couple of weeks after the birth which really helped me to relax (when I had the chance!) - something I always find difficult to do after having a baby!

Thanks again Tracy for all your help and sound advice over the past few years. The Gentlebirth program gave us the confidence that we could handle whatever type of delivery our babies' had and enjoy it! Which we did!

Just ordered my Gentlebirth Cd's I'm really looking forward to listening to them and I'm really looking forward to the birth. And hopefully the cd will make it even more enjoyable.

Another lovely GentleBirth!



Monday 18th July. I was awake on and off since 2am. I wasn't having pains or anything at that stage, but obviously something was afoot! When I woke up properly & actually got up at 11am, I noticed a very slight gush of water, but I still wasn't sure what it was. I went to the toilet, there was no show or anything like that, so I just ignored it. By 12pm though, the little trickles were still happening and now they were accompanied by some pink mucus discharge. So, I thought that must be a show.



By then, I was starting to get some pains, but very manageable and I really didn't think much of them. Andy timed them to be 8 mins apart and only about 15 seconds, so I thought I was very much in for the long haul. I rang the midwife to let her know that something might be happening & she reminded me to put on a pad to make sure that the waters were clear, so I did that straight away. I told her I thought it was very early stages so I was going to get on with my normal day. So, that's what I did – I started by changing the bedclothes & cleaning our bedroom & continued around the house doing the bathrooms etc. As something of a 'Monica', I can honestly say that I've never taken so long to do such a half-assed job of the cleaning as I did that day as I laboured my way around the house! It seemed to pass a lot of the labour for me though. By about 3pm we had everything done – Andy had followed me around doing the hoovering, so he decided to go to the chipper to get us some lunch. I didn't think I would eat anything, so I just asked for a battered sausage, but actually I milled that and half of Andy's bag of chips! At this stage, we weren't really timing the contractions, still convinced it was too early for all that. Andy suggested that I start to listen to my gentlebirth CD's, but I really felt able to cope with the contractions & I didn't want to 'waste' the CD's on the very early stages of labour!!!



So, instead, we went upstairs to watch some DVD's we had prepared for the big day – lots of Billy Connolly and comedy stuff. I got to watch about a half hour of that, but then I started to need more focus for each contraction and I was actually feeling pretty tired. Andy started to time the contractions then & found them to be about 5 mins apart lasting 45 – 60 seconds. At 6.30pm I decided to lie down and try and get some rest as I thought I'd be needing it for when the labour really beefed up. I went to our guest room & actually was able to nod off between contractions until 9.30pm when I wasn't really able to take them lying down anymore!!! When I got up out of bed, Andy timed the contractions to be 2.5 - 3 mins apart and still lasting approx 45 seconds. At this point, my midwife rang to see how I was getting on as she hadn't heard from us since 11am that morning. We let her know what was happening & she said to ring her whenever we wanted her to come over. I was still thinking that it was early days and I was still coping quite well during contractions, although I was finding it increasingly difficult to find a comfortable position. Earlier on, I had found leaning against a wall or swaying on all fours helpful, but now that was nearly more uncomfortable. The best position I managed to find for this part was swinging from Andy's neck!!! Between 9.30pm and 10.30pm, I really felt that things were hotting up, and at 10.20pm, I just wanted to get into the pool. Andy contacted the midwife and asked her to come and also started to fill the pool, from a previous practice run, we knew this would take 2-3 hours. the midwife arrived just before 11pm and I was in a lot of discomfort now with strong contractions and I still couldn't find a comfortable position.



I tried kneeling at the end of the bed with pressure on my back from my midwife/Andy and this eased the pain somewhat. My midwife suggested an examination to see where we were at and I asked her not to tell me if I was only 2cm! But, I was very surprised to hear that I was almost fully dilated. Lying on my back for the examination was agony & I had a couple of very difficult contractions in this position. Also, I started to feel the urge to push. I told the midwife about this & she told me to try to relax and just breathe through the contractions. She set up the gas and air & showed me how to use it. I tried it a couple of times, but I found that it acted as more of a distraction & I needed all my focus to work through the contraction, so I didn't use it at all after that.



Again, I was asked if I wanted my CD's, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to listen to them & they would just divert my focus from the labour. Andy did a great job of reminding me to breathe properly, relax my hands & my mouth etc though. Huge advantage of doing the weekend, rather than just the homestudy – this allowed Andy to really know how to help at this point. The water temperature in the pool was adjusted and I was finally allowed in at 11.20pm. What a relief, being under the water felt great and the contractions felt much more comfortable to deal with. I was on all fours facing Andy and he would wait for the contraction to really bite and then hold both my hands and tell me that I was nearly done, only a few seconds to go and reminded me that each contraction was one more closer to meeting my baby and that I'd never have that one again.



Andy told me afterwards that the midwife was busily rushing around trying to get everything organised for the baby coming and she'd have a quick look at me and then rush off to do another little bit of preparation! So he was aware we were close but I was just in a world of my own. My midwife asked if I would mind if a trainee midwife who was doing some work experience with her could come and help, which I was delighted to agree to. Shortly afterwards, she arrived and she was really helpful during contractions, telling me that I was doing great. At around 12.30am, Tuesday 19th July, I reached down between my legs & could feel the baby's head! I announced to the room that I could feel the baby's head & both midwives asked me what I meant - as in could I feel it internally or externally, so they mustn't have been able to see it at that point & it must have went back in a little. I started to feel the stinging that I had felt when doing the Epi-No in preparation for labour. My midwife was brilliant at reminding me to relax at this time, to not be afraid of the sensation and to let the stretch happen.



After about 4 or 5 intense contractions, at 12.43am on Tuesday 19th July 2011, Baby James Harvey Maher, weighing in at 9lbs 13ozs, was born in the birth pool at our home. the midwife passed him between my legs and I was still in a daze from the whole experience and just saw my baby floating past face down (which was surreal) so I picked him up in my arms, turned around and sat on the seat in the pool and cried a mixture of tears of joy, relief and exhaustion. I was holding him in such a way that only Andy could see the sex of the baby and I was delighted that he got to tell everyone that it was a boy, a very beautiful, placid, oily, healthy, little (well big) boy. The birth of Baby James was everything and more that I had hoped for and I count myself very lucky that it all worked out as I managed to have my natural home birth (James was term+8 days by the Rotunda dates) and in the pool as planned.



I asked for the cord to be left in place until it stopped pulsating and myself and Baby James got out of the pool and onto the couch well wrapped up in blankets. When the cord was eventually cut, the midwife weighed James and did some tests to ensure all was ok and then she checked me out to ensure that I was ok. A few internal sutures were required and these were applied once I delivered the placenta. The sense of relief that I felt once the placenta was delivered was amazing, I really felt like the pregnancy/labour process had completed. All in all, it was a long day, they call it labour for a reason I guess, but I would have done it all again straight away if I had to as it is so worth it! I had a cup of tea and some toast in bed at approx 5.30am surrounded by my new family, Andy (my fabulously supportive husband that I could not have done it without), Bailey (our 6 year old Labrador) and the newest addition, Baby James Harvey.

wow they are great birth stories!

Another fab GentleBirth

My bouncing baby boy, Nicholas John, arrived on wednesday 24th at 23.50, weighing an impressive 11lb or 5.07 kg. He was the talk of the Rotunda! All went well, birth was fine and all the staff in the Rotunda were fab



(No stitches!!)

Have just finished compiling the birth statistics of 280 GentleBirth Mums.

Emergency caesarean rate was an incredible 6%

Epidural rate was 15%

Pethidine - 3%

Gas & Air used by 46% GentleBirth Mums

What was even more fascinating was Mums' description of their contractions/surges - in active labour only18% described their sensations as painful (2% felt it was extremely painful). This is a time when most non-hypno Mums have the most difficulty. Most GentleBirth Mums described active labour as comfortable to uncomfortable.

Will post more details on the website soon.

Tracy

I'm liking the sound of those statistics!!!

is anyone selling their gentle birthing kit

Can I ask what does VBAC mean?

As in what's the difference between GentleBirth™ Antenatal Program & GentleBirth™ VBAC Antenatal Program?

At 35 wks am I too late to start this?

VBAC = vaginal birth after caesarean.... I think

buttercupbabe wrote:VBAC = vaginal birth after caesarean.... I think

Thanks for that.

I will be 26 weeks pregnant on Friday and was wondering if it would be a good time to purchase the homestudy CDs? Also would many hospitals have heard about Gentlebirth? I would like to make it the focus of my birth plan but I have heard that my hospital (Kilkenny) is.not the most receptive to birth plans or alternative methods of pain relief.

Hi Tracey,

I brought the gentle birth CDs kit from you but I'm having problems playing the CDs on my laptops (I have two). Do you have them in MP3 format?

I did receive CD1 in MP3 format (dropbox) when I first purchased the kit but it's the other CDs I was looking for

Thanks!