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We had intended to have a home water birth, but the midwife had been with me for over twelve hours before the decision
was made to take me into hospital. The time at home had been sacred; I used the pool, reiki, oils, candles, music and even Friends
videos to keep me relaxed! My husband had massaged and supported me, but once I started vomiting and my blood pressure was rising it
was thought best to leave this peaceful place and an ambulance took me the thirty-minute ride to the hospital. Fortunately I still got
the natural pool birth that I wanted, delivering Taran myself as the midwives talked me through it, and then having that eternal moment
of oneness as I held him to my chest and looked into his eyes for the first time. I needed a doctor to repair the damage, so it was a
good job that I was already in the hospital; it had been a long couple of days!
With this baby I decided that I would like another water birth, but this time we made the decision to go into the local hospital
for it, as the home where we now lived couldn’t accommodate a birthing pool. We actually live in a self-contained flat that is attached
to my mum’s hotel. The flat is built above railway carriages that were brought here many years ago, pulled by horses! I had considered
a home birth again, but decided that I really would like to use the pool, as it has seemed such a peaceful way for baby to be
introduced into the world.
I use visualisation and manifestation techniques a lot in my life and I did a couple of visualisations that included my pelvis
and cervix opening easily for the birth. During a QT class, where I teach how to use QT to help to manifest, one of the students
joked: ‘I’ll let you know when I get the fireplace I have just asked for.’ My reply was ‘Yes I’ll let you know when I have had the
easiest and most beautiful natural birth ever!’ I was excited about the prospect of using QT during labour as having worked with QT
for a while now I am aware of its power and potential.
On the eighth of September I went to bed aware that I had a little discomfort in my lower back. I did QT and hoped that this was
the start of the special event. During the night the back ache turned into mild, then stronger contractions and I lay in bed,
determined to rest for as long as I could, and allowed the QT technique of sweeping energy up through my body and breathing it
down to my hands to penetrate my whole being. At one point I decided to do a charka spinning meditation, and the experience was
amazing, I almost felt like I was levitating through the pain!
My midwives had told me that the position of baby was ‘back to back’ i.e. her limbs were at the front of my body, her spine next
to mine, this indicated another long labour (Taran had been in this position too). At 4.15am I decided to get out of bed and walk
around to help with the labour, I expected to have contractions for quite a while at home before needing to go to the maternity unit,
so I let my husband continue to sleep and got on with it myself. I stayed upright, or knelt over a birthing ball and did QT. When I
teach QT I recommend that you should ‘sweep, breathe and smile,’ the smile helping you to get to that blissful place within. And so
I managed to smile my way through the contractions, and the breathing certainly helped!
When I started to vomit, as well as experience the contractions, I thought it must be time to rouse my sleeping spouse, I was aware
that the time between the contractions was now quite regular and perhaps if we went to the hospital now I could get in the pool to
ease the pain. I woke Conrad at 5.50 a.m, telling him that I was in labour and please could he time the contractions, they were
closer than I had anticipated, just two minutes apart – ‘well perhaps that wasn’t a proper one’ I said! He got up and shared the
excitement; our daughter was going to be born today. As he showered (yes I believed he had time to do that!) I vomited and had
stronger contractions, it was about this time that I forgot the sweeping and just coped with breathing! As Conrad called the
hospital to say that we were coming in, I became increasingly concerned about making the journey there; I was obviously closer to the
birth than I had thought. He returned to the bathroom to say the midwives would meet us there, just as I had a tremendous surge of
pain. ‘I don’t think I’m going to make it to hospital’ I said calmly. The pain then turned into what I thought was an explosion(!),
the next contraction bringing with it the breaking of my waters, the force and noise was amazing, ‘Call an ambulance, ‘ I said, this
time less calmly! The events of the next two or three minutes were quite surreal. The baby was obviously going to be born there and
then in our bathroom, as I stood next to the toilet I could feel her head ready to appear and moaned my way through the next wave of
pain as my body pushed her head out. Because she had been back to back her crinkled face looked up at mine, what a wonderful moment.
My husband at this time was on the phone to the 999 operator, my body did another enormous surge and her little body appeared too,
Conrad just managing to put the phone down in time to help me to support her. She cried, and then just looked at us as I cuddled her.
The time was around 6.10 am.
My mum then arrived; she actually heard her granddaughter’s first cry as she got to the door! Then Taran woke up and met his baby
sister when she was just a few minutes old. The next to arrive were the ambulance men, followed by two midwives. Our small bathroom
was certainly a busy place, but there was an amazing air of calm, peace and perfection. What a wonderful way to have a baby, in our
own space, without any intervention, being able to deliver her ourselves and with very little pain and no tearing. Within the hour
everyone had gone home and the four of us were cuddled up in our bed, totally enraptured by this new being we named Aiyana (eternal
bloom).
Looking back on Aiyana’s birth I am filled with joy and gratitude. It now seems like a wonderful dream. Aiyana has adapted to life
here quite beautifully, she is very calm, peaceful and alert. I do QT as I feed her and often when I’m cuddling her I think she is
giving me healing too. She certainly is a QT baby and I am so thankful that I have the knowledge of this technique, as I know that
it helped me to have such an incredibly special birth experience. I give thanks to ‘all that is’ for my wonderful family and for being
able to stay in my own power throughout – and thanks again Richard for sharing the gift of QT with us all. |
