Laura and Sean’s Birthing Story. Here is an inspiring story of an early induction because of medical reasons and how brilliantly it went. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry in some parts! The two photos show what a difference two months can make. Layla was small at birth and now look at her! Gorgeous girl!

Laura says “Hope it makes other people less worried when they read it! And how brilliant the hypnobirthing is in so many different ways.”

“Due to gestational diabetes and also that baby was showing to be small on the 37 week scan, my midwife team recommended that they do a sweep to start labour, the sweep failed due to not being able to reach my cervix as it was placed high up. They then decided it would be best to come to hospital and be induced the following week at 39 weeks. Being our first child we felt like we trusted the doctor’s opinion and booked to come in on the 6th February.

The night before was hypnomums at Jo’s, this was perfect as it made me more relaxed and able to have a more settled night.
Sean and I woke up early the next morning. I felt anxious so I had a hot bath and listened to some hypnobirthing scripts.

We arrived at Whipps Cross hospital at 11am, with numerous bags that had been checked 100 times. I was lucky to be shown my own room due to suffering from GAD {Generalised Anxiety Disorder}. My midwife team allocated me my own midwife throughout my pregnancy, she was wonderful and organised that I have my own room, so I felt more comfortable and relaxed.

At 12.30 a nurse arrived to start the process by inserting a pessary, which looked like a shoe lace. I did some hypnobirthing breathing techniques while this was happening which helped.

By 2.00 I was experiencing a lower back and stomach ache, this remained and continued to worsen as the hours ticked by, but Sean was there to take my mind off it. My mum arrived at 4.30 so Sean could have a break to eat and rest a while, so he’d feel his best to support me when labour progressed.

Mum and I passed the time by reading magazines, using the birthing balls, playing cards and taking relaxing walks along the corridors. The aches were increasing and I could feel myself getting emotional thinking how bad is it going to get. I had a tearful moment but the nurses hugged me and said ‘just keep thinking baby will be here soon’ at that stage I had no idea how soon or even if I was in active labour yet.

Visiting hours finished at 8pm so my mum had to head home and I was hoping I would get some sleep to charge my batteries. I listened to some hypnobirthing scripts on my ipad to calm me. I couldn’t settle to sleep as I had a constant stomach and back ache. A nurse came to examine me, I did my breathing techniques which helped. She said I was 1cm dilated. I was so happy to hear this news, so I phoned Sean to let him know labour had started but as I was only 1cm I told him to get some sleep and I was fine. I had a long way to go yet! Little did I know how wrong that statement was.

I asked the nurse for some gas and air to help with the constant ache. My waters broke soon after, the nurses changed the bed. An hour after that I felt I needed to push, but I didn’t really connect it to being in a different stage of labour because a few hours before I was only 1cm. I remember reading and hearing it takes about 1 hour per centimetre, or sometimes longer!
Luckily a nurse walking past asked me asked if I was ok? I explained that I felt like I needed to push, so she examined me and to my surprise and probably her’s too. I was fully dilated and she could feel the head.

I was then swiftly transported to the delivery room, just managing to shout to the nurse ‘PASS ME MY MOBILE, I NEED TO RING MY BOYFRIEND’ I frantically called him, he didn’t answer the first time, but answered the second time… I quickly shouted ‘COME HERE FAST, I’M 10cm’

He told me he jumped out of bed, splitting his jeans in a mad rush to call a cab and get dressed at the same time.

I was worried he wasn’t going to get there on time, as the need to push was getting stronger. Just in time Sean burst through the door, he stood by me giving me support and keeping me focused on the final stage of the birth. Telling me I can do it! Before I knew it Sean was cutting the cord and we were blessed with a beautiful girl. Our little perfect daughter Layla Kempley Murtagh arrived at 5.15am on the 7th February 2015 weighing 5 pound 10.

I surprised myself how well I had handled the birth, and shocked I had gone from 1cm to 10cm in about 3hrs. The hypnobirthing definitely helped me throughout the pregnancy and the birth. The nurses congratulated me and said how well I had done, on this wonderful morning when two became three.

Now three months on, Layla is thriving and is double her birth weight, so I am glad we went along with the doctor’s opinion to induce me at 39 weeks as I think it was the right decision in my case.”