naolin born at sunshine coast university hospital, kawana 24 oct 2018

​​Hi Carrie, 

Arturo and I can’t thank you enough, we welcomed a little boy to our family on Oct 24th. His name’s Naolin, a Mexican name, the Aztec god of the sun (pronounced na-ow-LIN). 

We were so pleased with how his birth went. I was 9 days over but we didn’t rush into an induction. We laboured at home for 15 hours and I used all of the things we learnt about, from the relaxation meditations to the breathing to the icy washers with lavender! I was walking or marching in the shower for most of that time but twice I was able to lie down and relax so deeply that I was able to doze between contractions for about an hour each time. There is absolutely no way I would have known how to manage at home for so long without hypnobirthing.

When we got to hospital meconium had shown up in the waters - it wasn’t there when they first broke - and so the team talked about using syntocin to speed up the labour. I said I was fine with it but they did a quick vaginal exam and we’re surprised to see that I was close, they didn’t think I was very far along because I was managing so well. I was so impressed that the midwives then talked me out of using the syntocin and advocated for us sticking to my birth preferences. I was so glad, we had a drug free natural birth, I couldn’t go in the bath but I used the hot water in the shower as my only pain relief. 

Arturo was an absolute hero, he was super calm the whole time and relaxed when I didn’t need him so he was right there ready when I did. He was at the business end with the midwife and wasn’t worried at all. Everyone laughed when after Naolin’s head was out I turned to Arturo and said, ‘Remember it’s going to be purple and have a cone head, don’t freak out.’ 

We’d love to come by soon to show off Naolin, but in the mean time here he is!
Elizabeth xx