A calmer environment rather than a medical one
We attended a workshop dedicated towards a positive birth, which included labour positions, massage techniques, hypnobirthing techniques and various other tips and information. I started experiencing contractions the day after, at first thinking they were Braxton Hicks but after they kept coming at regular intervals, we decided to go to hospital at 8am after a whole night of mild contractions every 6 minutes. I was found to be 2cm dilated and remained that way 4 hours later when I was checked again. This time we were sent home and told to wait for contractions to increase in intensity. We were also told that the first phase of labour can take various hours and even days so contractions could have also wound down and stopped. After a couple of hours at home, contractions started increasing in intensity and frequency and we went back to hospital at 8pm that night since contractions were getting strong, to the point where I could not speak during one. When we got to hospital, I was found to be 5cm dilated and was started on antibiotics since I was GBS positive. I opted to use Entonox (gas and air) as pain relief. I found this to be very helpful in distracting from the pain. During this time, I continually used hypnobirthing breathing techniques, essential oil spray and partner massage. I also found that the use of fairylights and my own pillow created a calmer environment rather than a medical one. The only position I felt comfortable in was sitting on the exercise ball and moving with it. At midnight, contractions had become very frequent and the midwife broke my waters. I was dilated 8cm by then and soon increased to 10cm, pushed for 30 minutes and baby boy was born at 2.30am :) although not an easy experience, I would definitely call it a positive one with the best possible outcome.
Hope this helps to encourage other mothers preparing to give birth!
The workshop mentioned in this birth story was delivered by Pauline Borg from Mamaste Yoga & Rebecca Mizzi from SereneStarts Hypnobirthing, two midwives from our team at Positive Birth Malta!
