I thought I’d try and write my birth story for you today, I’ve tried a few times but have felt it sounded too exaggerated but there’s no way round it…it was awesome and I hope you can feel my smile as you read it!!!

So I’ve known Wendy for a few years now, we were both midwives at Frimley (although I don’t think our paths crossed on the wards). We were brought together by a diamond of a friend and we just got each other – our views, our beliefs. Wendy has the kindest soul but also a wicked sense of humour and I love her! So when I found out I was pregnant, there was no-one else I wanted to share our journey with.
Being a midwife has had its benefits, but also it’s negatives, during my first pregnancy – I felt like I was finally doing the practical exam after many years of theory. After an initial 17 weeks of terrible hyperemisis, the rest of the pregnancy was an absolute dream and I (excuse my French!) bloody loved it!! I am in total awe of what my body can do and so so proud of it – I showed my bump off proudly and lapped up the compliments!
One benefit of being a midwife is that I’ve seen many births, including some awesome ones, and I had this deep down belief that I could have one of those…I was going to have a dream birth!
My partner, Chris, is not medically trained so I didn’t want him to miss out on anything but I also didn’t want him to just have the NHS or NCT birth prep class – they are amazing at giving the basics but I wanted him to know the birth secret – we could have an enjoyable birth!! So I immediately knew we had to invite Wendy round for a hypnobirthing lesson…and that’s where it all started! Chris really got on board – reading the book, playing the MP3s, using the words surges and discomfort and pressure when we discussed our birth – we knew we could do this!
We’d planned a home birth – I always pictured myself in our living room, candles, music, Chris and I dancing our baby into the world – I got a lot of shocked faces when we announced this but I just kindly asked people to support us and scurried off to listen to my positive affirmations! Unfortunately, right at the end I was measuring small for dates and a scan showed we had low amniotic fluid levels and they were concerned about the blood flow and suddenly we were confronted with talks of induction and all the risks of going full term. We used our BRAIN and came to a decision together with our lovely consultant…
However, my body had other plans and the night before our induction date I felt my first surge at 21.09 (on the way back from my last yoga session!) I drove home, ran a warm bath and lit a candle – the surges were coming regularly but I felt they were only short. Chris came home about 22.30 (he’d been watching the football with friends!) and immediately turned into my birth partner hero – he turned all the lights out, lit so many candles, got my TENS machine out, put my playlist on and cut me up some fruit – declaring he was my Oxytocin Guardian ???? we spent just over an hour dancing together in the living room (ok I’m welling up just writing this – I want to go back to that time just to experience that again as it went too quickly!!) Chris had been keeping an eye on my surges and without me realising they had been lasting a good 50seconds and coming every 2minutes so we phoned Frimley and made our way in just after midnight!
Arriving on labour ward wasn’t half as scary as I thought it would be – I kept my breathing going and Chris firmly at my side…we were monitored and then moved to a room that Chris and the midwife turned into my dream – low lighting, bed up high so I could mobilise and lean on it, I didn’t even notice the continuous monitoring as I sway my hips and carried on breathing through – how amazing is gas and air by the way?!
I had no idea of time as I kept my eyes firmly closed and just wondered at the sensations I was feeling! I started to get pressure and the midwife gave this air of confidence that I could do it – everything was perfect and I confidently beared down, following my bodies lead and welcomed our gorgeous baby girl into my arms at 03.22 (we thought she a was a boy for the first 5mins – but that’s a whole other story and the moral is not to take the word of me high on gas and air and pure birth ecstasy!!) Anily Kimberley Evans was born wide eyed and inquisitive and spent the next 2 hours on my chest with her mummy and daddy in absolute awe of her! We did it!!

On paper our labour was 2hours and 58mins and if I’m honest now, it went too quick! I had the best time of my life, I’ve never loved Chris more and like a party that’s over before you know it – I want to relive it all over again!
Anily is just a dream – she’s so peaceful and perfect and completes our world in every way possible! I feel like I’ve been in a bubble of contentment ever since! I am certain that she’s as chilled as she is because she was born into a calm environment and we had that golden hour (well we were greedy and went for 2!) after birth!

So sorry it’s long but I could have gone on forever! Thank you, thank you, thank you Wendy for giving us this gift of knowledge and I will shout it from the rooftops “BIRTH IS AWESOME!!!”
As well as highly recommending –
1. Practice, practice, practice your hypnobirthing MP3s and breathing
2. Stay active – get walking and swimming
3. Eat your dates and drink your raspberry leaf tea
4. Do your perineal massage
5. Tell yourself on a daily basis that your body is amazing and you will have a positive birth
6. Have Wendy as your birth angel guardian

Have an amazing weekend everyone!
Lots of love