I just wanted to thank you for a great course, you totally put my mind at ease about the whole birth experience. Having been conditioned by tv and friends’ tales I was petrified of the idea of giving birth but you refocused me to believe that it didn’t have to be the grim melodrama that everyone predicted. Whilst I didn’t have the most straightforward birth I was calm throughout which is a testament to your techniques.

So Shona Elizabeth Fell was born at 9.13pm on 24 April, weighing 8lbs 3oz. I actually went into labour at 2 am on 23rd and spent that day going shopping, walking round the park and generally trying to relax. I finally went into hospital at 2am on 24, having begun using a TENs machine at 9pm and ended up in a birthing suite with a pool. I used the pool from about lunchtime. By 5pm I was 9cm but I was exhausted, she was back to back and I had a change of midwife – who wasn’t exactly encouraging – so I opted for an epidural. Shona was born at 9 that evening with a little help from a ventouse kiwi to just rotate her head slightly. I then had a retained placenta so that had to be manually removed. All in all I think I got off lightly. The whole process whilst not exactly enjoyable was calm. I had the hypnobirthing music you gave us on continuous loop which really helped – though it drove my birth partner and the midwives a bit mad! Because I was in labour so long I had 4 different midwives, one of which was actually the midwife I’d been seeing for all my antenatal check ups which was lovely. She said she’d never seen anyone so relaxed and said you must be some kind of miracle worker!

Anyway many thanks for everything. I’m enjoying my first few weeks with Shona although she’s already growing up so fast – I can’t believe she’s already 3 weeks old!

Regards

Rachel