Imogen Rose, born at home on 25 December 2012

Without you, and Hypnobirthing, I would have never considered homebirth and would have not had half the experience I did.

Jon was encouraging me to breathe our baby down and let my body do the work. Holding a cool wash cloth to my head with each surge. He was amazing.

Thank you so, so much for your guidance and friendship throughout my pregnancy and for the beautiful yoga classes.

Hypnobirthing helped me more than I ever thought it could, I don’t remember using any techniques except the breathing – I didn’t need anything else. I was so relaxed and trusted my body completely. Hypnobirthing worked for me at a subconscious level, this took me completely by surprise. It was the most amazing, fulfilling and beautiful experience of my life. The only part I remember hurting was when Imogen’s head was crowning. – the rest was more just like pressure.

After on and off labour for two nights straight (manageable but long) my body gave me a break. Not one surge for two days. Then at 1am on Christmas morning my waters broke. Slight period pain started immediately and shortly after surges started at around 10 minutes a part. After an hour or so I could sense things were picking up and Jon called Tasha (my midwife). I ate between surges and when one came lent over either the sofa, bed or my birth ball – moaning my way through them, they were nothing compared to what I had experienced in the previous days. These were just pressure. We decided this time we were not going to time them so I have no idea how far apart they were. Tasha arrived at 3.50am and watched me have a few surges – I was chatting between them and was very comfortable. After about 15 minutes Tasha told me she could tell by my moans that my body was starting to push. I wasn’t sure, as I had felt these feelings in the days before. She asked if I would like to put up the pool. I declined as I was coping so well, I didn’t need it for pain relief at this stage. I didn’t realise she meant put it up, to birth my baby. She told me to be aware that if we didn’t put it up now, we might miss the chance, and started putting it up anyway. I clearly had no idea how far along I was!

I began feeling my body push and my baby girl move down, but I was still almost in denial that it was happening. I expected to feel more pain. I went to the toilet and noticed a large amount of blood on my pad, I asked Tash if this was normal and she said with a smile “yeah, that just lets us know your fully dilated” I was so shocked and immediately got in the pool, I could not believe I was so close to meeting my little girl.

The water was pure bliss! Each surge came and I just went with it, letting my body do what it needed to do. Jon did light touch massage which felt amazing and Tash and Bel took video and pictures between chatting to me and having a joke about their families being unhappy about them having to attend a birth on Christmas day. – They encouraged me all the while and really made the experience.

Each surge felt about 10 minutes apart at this point and between them I was completely relaxed. I was later told that these were about a minute a part. Each one bringing my baby close to me. I almost welcomed them, they did not hurt much at all. Jon was encouraging me to breathe our baby down and let my body do the work. Holding a cool wash cloth to my head with each surge. He was amazing. I even, at this point asked Tash and Bel if they wanted a coffee as I suddenly realised we hadn’t offered them anything. Everyone found this quite amusing considering I was in the middle of birthing my baby!

A few more surges and she was out. She came out face down and turned face up to look at me, her beautiful little eyes wide open. Wow, just wow. What a feeling that was. Jon picked her up and brought her straight to my chest where she just stared at us for a few seconds without crying. Imogen Rose was born at 5.19am just 4 hours from my waters breaking and no tearing! (my biggest fear) – it was PERFECT. Tasha has since mentioned that my labour and birth has been the most controlled and calm that they have ever had.

Thank you so, so much for your guidance and friendship throughout my pregnancy and for the beautiful yoga classes. Without you, and Hypnobirthing, I would have never considered homebirth and would have not had half the experience I did. By birthing at home, I was up, showered and dressed within a few hours of giving birth and enjoying Christmas lunch with our family.

Love and so many thanks.”

Claire, Jon and Imogen, Little Mountain, QLD



“I promise, that nobody could be more sceptical than me.

I believed birth was what we saw on TV, long, drawn out, painful and in a hospital. That’s just how it was done. Husbands sat back and watched as their wives suffered through the ordeal and it was worth it because in the end, whatever they went through, the result was a happy baby. Right?

Then my wife introduced me to the concept of Hypnobirthing, she asked me to read the book and at first, I did simply to humour her. Then I started to realise what this book was saying and how much the concept made sense.

We started the course and within the first session it was so clear that there was another way – that there should be no other way. Birth could be peaceful, I could do something other than watch on as my wife suffered and it could be an experience to be enjoyed.

With each subsequent session we became more and more confident and quickly decided that we were not going to birth in a hospital, we were going to do it at home, and nothing felt more natural. We had the most amazing, calm, quick home water birth, I was an active participant in the whole process, no drugs, no IV, no busy hospital staff, just me, my wife and our midwife. Hypnobirthing made our experience. 

Let me know if you want to talk more about it!  I’d be happy to chat!”

Regards,

Jon

Special thanks must also go to midwife Natasha Oglesby from Sunshine Coast Midwifery and Belinda Kelly-Mandalis from Sunshine Coast Doula Service