Jensen’s positive birth story
Ashleigh and Josh’s Positive Caesarean Birth Using Hypnobirthing
Ashleigh and Josh joined my online group Hypnobirthing course back when we were all in lock-down. They joined from England, and were a great addition to our group. They'd initially hoped for a straight-forward physiological birth, however, birth through a curve ball and they ended up welcoming their little boy via Caesarean with Disney playing in the background! I hope you love this story as much as I do!
Not quite believing our luck!
I've always known I wanted to be a Mother, so when I found out I was pregnant, after a double and triple check, I was so ecstatic. I was admittedly concerned about having a pandemic baby and what the restrictions would mean for Josh and me in terms of scans, appointments, and labour. But I knew how supported I was by my family which eased any anxieties I initially had, and the news came at just the right time as we were, as many people, having one of the worst years on record! We found out we were having a baby boy through a private scan as the NHS wasn't yet allowing partners to visit and I wanted Josh to share in this moment by my side as I had already had to attend most scans and appointments by myself.
We were feeling confident
I felt as if the last trimester of the pregnancy flew by and before we knew it the nursery was decorated, the virtual baby shower had been, everything was ready, and the labour bags were packed complete with snacks and essentials. I had a feeling things were starting to happen when I developed lower back pain and a sore pelvic area. This was followed by a gradual loss of the mucus plug and bloody show. Josh was nervous as he was working and could be an hour away if I needed him. Fortunately, timings worked in our favour. There was definitely a sense of nerves, good nerves, from both of us but also excitement. There was a strong feeling of confidence that we had built up over the last 4 weeks learning on Claire's hypnobirthing course. We felt informed and prepared. Thankfully so, because At 2.30 am on Wednesday the 5th of May I woke up and felt funny. When I stood up to go to the toilet I felt a gush of water.. at first I thought I had weed myself but on second look it looked like my waters had broken. However, they were a funny colour.
Oh poo - Meconium!
At that point I went to the toilet and put a pad on but as I stood up they went again. This time in the light I could actually see the colour and it was green. I knew from Claire’s course and previous knowledge that this was meconium which meant there was a chance my baby might have been distressed.. I began to panic a little, so I made sure I did some breathing to calm down and rang my mum and told my partner what was happening. Josh went straight into birth partner mode and made sure everything was in place for a swift getaway, most crucially this included the dog care being put into place!
I rang triage at 3 am for advice as I was unsure what to do next with the meconium; should I go in or should I wait until morning. In the back of my mind I knew what the right call was but to have a professional confirm this gave me reassurance. We had a feeling that due to the meconium things might not go quite as we had hoped in labour however, armed with multiple copies of our birth plan we felt prepared for whatever twists and turns may occur. Triage said to go to hospital as soon as I could so they could check me and baby out. I felt happy with this decision, and we made the 30 minute drive to York hospital.
On the way to hospital my contractions started so I used my hypno breathing and felt very in control for the journey. They continued all the way to hospital, and they were about 5 mins apart. Josh wasn't keen on the idea of delivering baby in the Co-Op car park on the way!
Making informed decisions
At 4 am we arrived at the hospital where I was sent straight to labour ward. The midwife who was very calm and welcoming asked to see my pad and to do a urine sample too. The Midwife and Lead Midwife then came and had chat with me and Josh and asked if it would be possible to put me on the hormone drip, because of the meconium baby may not be happy and may need helping along. Me and josh had a chat in private and decided this would be a good idea as we had already planned and discussed the possibility of an induction. If it wasn't for the meconium I am sure we would have proceeded in using the techniques we had learnt to bring on contractions more naturally but we both agreed we needed to do what was best for baby and myself, even if this meant deviating away from the birth I had in mind. I remember the midwife, who as so supportive throughout, saying, "Ashleigh just because we are having to start this drip doesn't mean we can't stick to the rest of your birth plan," then in she came with LED tea lights and pulled the curtains shut.
At 5 am my contractions began to get stronger but still manageable with the hypno breathing. The midwives then came to me and Josh and said they were beginning to be unable to monitor baby with the straps around my belly and would we be able to have the clip on his head to get proper monitoring done. I was really against this idea in the beginning and declined at first. We asked to give it another half an hour and see if things picked up which they didn't seem to. However, after talking it through with the midwives and Josh about the pros and cons I also decided I would say yes to that. Having that clip put on was the most uncomfortable experience ever but I kept reminding myself this was all for my baby and to keep us both safe.
The midwife then told me I was 2 cm dilated which was really good news. So, the hormone drip was in and monitoring clip on I then laboured with breathing till 7.30 am where things got going stronger and at that point I asked for some gas and air to help me as they had told me the drip contractions can be more intense and powerful, which they were. I was completely in my head at this point remembering everything Claire had taught us! Trying to remain as calm as I could and think about my little boy at the end. " I'll soon be holding my baby in my arms" was the positive affirmation that came to mind.
At 9 am I was really struggling with the contractions they were one after the other after the other and the midwives were worried about babies’ heartbeat as it dipped and appeared to not come back up as quick or as high. At this point we had the lead midwife come and monitor his heartbeat and she wasn’t happy at all, and she let us know she would be contacting the consultant. We had time to chat just Josh and I ahead of the consultant coming.
Thank goodness we made a Plan B
At 9:30 - 9:45 am the consultant came and gave us 30 minutes of monitoring. They decided, because of his heart rate they were very concerned, and they would be taking me for a Caesarean. Initially I became a bit overwhelmed and admittedly a little scared of the recovery time of a Caesarean but again midwife Lizzie and daddy Josh calmed me and reassured me they would not leave my side.
I had luckily planned for a Caesarean in the birth plan, just to cover all bases and I got a few of my wishes; once his head was born he was able to birth himself; I was able to have music played and everyone was calm and spoke gently around to gently around me. The midwives and theatre team helped birth our son, Jensen Jonathan Green, at 1:43 am to the song the Circle of Life from the lion king. It was a beautiful moment and tears from us both. Jensen was born - A Healthy and screaming 7lbs 4oz.
Josh ended his DJ duties and was able to cut his cord and I was able to have immediate skin to skin also which was a big wish of mine as his mummy. I honestly felt so supported throughout and so informed from the knowledge I had gained. I don't think either of us would have managed this labour as well as we believe we did without having done a hypnobirthing course beforehand and, it also highlighted the importance of taking time to write a birth plan and planning for each possible situation.
to our other couples who are soon to be parents...you've got this!
to our other couples who are soon to be parents...you've got this!
At the time of writing this, Jensen is now 4 weeks old. He is an absolutely amazing child. We couldn't have wished for a better son, and I can't wait to take on the future as a family of 3 and to show him the love, kindness, respect, and humility that we were brought up with and to show him all the goodness in the world. Along with a thank you to my amazing family, the midwives and theatre team, a final special thank you to Claire for her support beforehand on the course and her ongoing support now Jensen is here. And to our other couples who are soon to be parents...you've got this!
- Ashleigh and Josh, Group Hypnobirthing Course