The Birth of Moses

Written by Imogen.

Instead of listening to the families in next door cubicles, I listened to my playlists (one upbeat and one relaxing). I requested that our monitor’s sound be turned off when monitoring needed to happen. I used my eye mask and relaxing scents to encourage feelings of peace and security. I wanted to protect my oxytocin and tried to create a bubble of safety for my body to get ready to birth our baby.

In preparation for our third baby, I spent some time doing pregnancy relaxation and hypnobirthing techniques with Mollie. I had set up our bedroom for early labour with affirmations, quotes and pictures, fairy lights, birthing ball and a pillow mist on hand. I had hoped to begin labour at home and go in for a waterbirth on Bracken but this wasn’t to be.

At 39 weeks I had a growth scan which revealed that my waters had gone. I didn’t know when they had gone so we felt that it was best to induce labour for our baby to be born safely. Although induction hadn’t been Plan A, Mollie had helped me to think through Plan B and Plan C. I knew that I could navigate induction while continuing to practice the hypnobirthing techniques that I had learnt.

Throughout induction I remained active, using a birthing ball and getting out of Willow ward to walk around the hospital site. Instead of listening to the families in next door cubicles, I listened to my playlists (one upbeat and one relaxing). I requested that our monitor’s sound be turned off when monitoring needed to happen. I used my eye mask and relaxing scents to encourage feelings of peace and security. I wanted to protect my oxytocin and tried to create a bubble of safety for my body to get ready to birth our baby.

Plan B became Plan C when our baby became increasingly distressed. The team looking after us remained calm and it never felt like an ‘emergency’. They explained to us every step of the C-section journey and kept reassuring us that our baby was okay. It felt so obvious that this was what our baby needed to safely arrive into the world.

I was able to use some of the techniques I had learnt in theatre. During the C-section, we listened to a relaxing piano playlist and one of the midwives brought some aromatherapy scents for me. The screen was lowered so that I could see my son being born, we did delayed cord clamping, and we had skin-to-skin. Throughout it all my husband was my amazing birth partner and was by my side.

On February the 28th at 3:17am Moses Emmanuel was born. We are so grateful for him and for everyone who helped us get to this point as a family. I will never forget my birthing journey which brought him into the world.