claymore niklaus born at sunshine coast university hospital, kawana 28 april 2017

Colin and I welcomed our son into the world at 6:59 am on 28/04/2017, weighed in at 2.9 kg and was vocalising right away.

The pregnancy progressed very well and I felt great through nearly all of it. The Hypnobirthing classes were wonderful, and the material kept us centred and in the right frame of mind.

During my 39th week of pregnancy, Colin and I learned we were facing a special circumstance. Bub was measuring a bit small for gestational age, and his amniotic fluid level was on the cusp of too low and acceptable. An obstetrician advised induction, as there was really no way to tell if baby was healthy without meeting him.

Induction was not among our preferences, so we agreed to extra monitoring. The next two follow-up scans revealed bub was moving well, and the dopplers all sounded great. However, the amniotic fluid level had dipped a little lower each time.

We'd really been hoping for spontaneous labour, but our baby possibly having fetal growth restriction didn't sound good either. In the end, we agreed to induction Wednesday night (26/04/2017) via balloon catheter. Using HypnoBirthing affirmations carried me through the insertion process with ease.

The following morning, we requested a two hour delay between the catheter removal/rupturing membranes and starting the syntocion, to see if spontaneous labour might start. While we waited in the birth suite, I kept active and even did a power walk workout video (that made my midwife smile). After our two hours and no surges starting, the syntocin was started.

Surges began within an hour or so, and I breathed and relaxed through them. Colin kept me comfortable and safe, and had me falling in love with him all over again! He read me the Hypnobirthing relaxations, massaged me as I moved through poses and labour props, and even danced with me to some Phil Collins hits!

Late in the evening, active labour was established, so I was given the go-ahead to use the tub. My surges were growing more intense, so the warm water helped significantly.

A couple hours passed, and I was still humming and breathing my way through each surge with Colin right next to me. As we had a special circumstance, I asked to be examined to check progression. I was at 7cm, and given the okay to continue labouring in the tub. That's when my body took over the effects of the syntocin. Despite not being fully dialated, my surges became so powerful, they were producing a sensation of involuntary bearing down. Several rounds of these extra powerful waves began to take their toll on bub and me. Baby boy was showing signs of fetal stress, and I was becoming weaker from the several hours of intense surges. I followed my instincts and asked for an epidural, in hopes for a chance for me and bub to rest. It wasn't on our birth preferences list, but we went in with open minds and hearts, prepared to meet any turns and twists in the journey.

The epidural worked well enough for me and Colin to sleep a couple hours. We learned labour wasn't progressing as well as before, and the signs of fetal distress kept coming and going.

The doctors recommended a cesarean delivery to prevent further distress on bub. Per request, Colin and I were given an hour to make a final decision. Thanks to Hypnobirthing, we were able to calmly meet this turn as well. Despite this not being an original preference, the safety of our baby mattered most.

We went into the surgery knowing we could apply Hypnobirthing relaxation and affirmations, and we did. The surgeons and supporting staff were wonderful, incredibly calm, and friendly. They honoured our requests for delayed cord clamping and immediate skin-to-skin contact. I was highly encouraged to breastfeed as soon as possible, and felt solidly supported. All the hospital staff involved respected our Hypnobirthing approach, and were all very respectful.

Recovery has been good so far, with midwives, family, and friends surrounding us with care. Claymore has been a delight, and we are smitten by this tiny baby!

Thank you, Carrie, for the Hypnobirthing classes. Despite Claymore's birth not happening as we would have preferred, we were able to calmly navigate through anything that came our way, and we have a beautiful baby boy.💙 
 
Best regards from Elaine, Colin and Claymore

Despite Claymore's birth not happening as we would have preferred, we were able to calmly navigate through anything that came our way, and we have a beautiful baby boy.💙 ​