A positive natural labour after IVF: Harry’s birth story
We underwent our first round of IVF in November 2019. I managed to produce 3 eggs and only one was successfully fertilised. When we had the one embryo put back in we were aware that there was a huge chance it wouldn't be successful. We were absolutely over the moon when we had a positive pregnancy test 2 weeks later. The pregnancy was good, we found out at 16 weeks we were expecting a boy and I only had 3-4 weeks of morning sickness.
The HPHB antenatal courses were brilliant - we learnt so much about labour and what to expect from the Obstetric Doctor and also learnt about what would happen to my body afterwards from the midwife which, was really useful. It was great to talk to other parents-to-be who were expecting at the same time and share our experiences! The hypnobirthing masterclass was our favourite. We are so grateful for the techniques taught to us and it definitely kept us calm and level headed. I had always had my heart set on a home birth but unfortunately that wasn’t possible, however we were reassured that hypnobirthing can be used in any type of birth.
I went into labour at 36+5 days. My waters had broken before my contractions started and the hospital asked me to come in to be monitored. I arrived at hospital at 3pm and hadn't begun dilating but I had to stay and be monitored. If it hadn't been for HPHB antenatal classes I would not have known my options, what pain relief to ask for and what to expect. There were times when I was scared and frightened but I knew I had to keep my oxytocin levels up so that labour could progress. I had a stern word with myself at 1am the following day after discovering I was only 1cm dilated that I needed to relax to make sure things progressed. I had some gas and air, plugged my headphones in and listened to the HPHB relaxations and really focussed. By 5am I knew something had changed as my contractions were stronger. The midwife examined me and I was 6cm !!I had done it! With a final push at 6.25am on the 25th of July, Harry James entered the world.
The first moment I saw my baby I felt overwhelmed with love, exhaustion and relief! A little, slippery, grey bundle was placed on my tummy for skin to skin.
We had to stay in hospital after Harry was born as he had a suspected infection. He also had jaundice and needed light therapy. I used the B.R.A.I.N analogy, which we had been taught on the course to understand and challenge what was going on. The hypnobirthing techniques were also extremely useful keeping myself calm when it felt a bit overwhelming.
We were discharged after 4 days and couldn't have been happier to be back at home as a family. It was empowering to know the baby first aid we had been taught, now that we were doing this alone!
I would recommend the HPHB classes as the classes were so informative and really prepared us for having a baby.
Top Tips:
Practice hypnobirthing!!
When the midwife tells you to not to push, take her advice!
