Teya’s positive hospital OB birth

Teya shares the story of her “incredible positive birth” in hospital to her daughter, including how she prepared for birth and managed labour sensations using hypnobirthing, a TENS machine, birth comb and gas and air.

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Where did you give birth? Private hospital

How would your describe your birth overall in a few words? Incredible physiological birth.

Top things you did to prepare for a positive birth

Hypnobirthing, reading and listening to Australian Birth Stories, and going to chiro.

Teya’s birth story

I chose hospital birth, mainly because I thought that is what you should do. I was blessed with a fantastic health care team, but I also am a bit of a birth nerd so I researched the heck out of pregnancy and birth and made sure I was fully (overly) prepared.

Everything went just as I had imagined: I laboured at home for as long as I could and went in when contractions were about 3 minutes apart. We arrived at about 8:30am my waters broke at about 10:30 and baby girl was born at midday.

It was calm and I was in control and I look back in awe of the experience and what my body can do.

Leading up to birth

Teya was told she was carrying a “small baby” and at her 38 week appointment and her obstetrician suggested an induction. Teya said “From all the information I had gathered during pregnancy regarding birth and interventions, I was determined not to be induced,” so she tried lots of things to bring on labour. She said “one thing in particular that really started my contractions. That being a little intimacy with my partner.”

But then contractions stopped. “I had experienced what is called a false labour,” she says.

Early labour

Five days later and two days before her due date, Teya was having trouble sleeping and woke up with a painful feeling, thinking she needed to wee, but then realised she was experiencing surges again. “So once again I popped on my TENS machine and began my breathwork whilst I timed my contractions,” she said.

“After realising they had begun falling into a more regular pattern, I woke my partner to let him know I was in labour. I was feeling calm and able to use my breath to manage the pain, so I had a shower, washed my hair and prepped our stuff to go to the hospital,” she said.

Labour

In hospital, Teya says she “was left to labour in peace”. She says: “I remember just really being so inside my own mind.”

She says she was “listening to my affirmations, breathing long slow breaths and just teetering on the edge of losing all control from the intensity of the pain. Labour really is such a mental game as well - you need to push yourself through mentally just as much as you do physically - like really really intense exercise.”

Pushing

At the pushing stage, Teya says: “I was kneeling on the bed, which was raised so that my body was upright, holding on to the top of the bed. I was given some gas to help manage the pain, but I felt this really challenging to operate given the intensity of everything else that was happening. I was told I wasn’t able to push yet but after a couple of contractions I had dilated fully and my baby had started make its way involuntarily down my pelvis.

“I was letting out what can only be described as a primal groan… I was told only to push very lightly at this point, which felt incredibly difficult given my body’s involuntary movements.”

When it was time to push, Teya says “I felt a pop and my baby’s head was out. The relief I felt was like nothing else. Strangely enough, it did not feel painful but more like a relief of pressure build up finally being released.”

Then, a few moments later “a shoulder and then our baby’s body slid right out with such ease,” she says.

What tools/support did you use during birth?

Hypnobirthing, which included visualisation tracks affirmation tracks and written affirmations, breathwork I used a TENS machine, birth comb and a fit ball. I found applying heat helped in the early stages too.