Sophie was due on Thursday 9/7/2020.
Monday 6th at around 4:30pm I started to get tightenings only at the front and 10mins apart for 20- 30seconds. I tried to relax had a bath and then went to bed to see if I could sleep. Around 10pm the tightenings had basically gone and nothing all day. I tried to keep moving and now was keen for baby to come out.

That night (Tuesday night/Wednesday morning 8th) at 1:30am started getting more tightenings 6-7mins apart and lasting 30 sec and monitored them until they fizzled out again at 5:30am.... Come on baby.

Finally after a walk with the dogs some lunch on Thursday 9th and a nap I felt tightenings a little more intensely and starting to pull from my back at about 2pm. I monitored for a bit and they were 2-3mins apart and lasting over 35sec.
I called my partner to let him know to come home and I think this might be it. Called my midwife that something's happening and then waited for the surges to be lasting closer to a minute.

By 5:30 I stuck on...

Hi everyone!

Ready to share my birth story now after 4 weeks of recovering.

So I had my last hospital appt at 39 weeks. Due to a low Papp-A result I wasn’t allowed to go past 40 weeks so if labour didn’t occur spontaneously I’d have to get induced. I asked for an internal exam at this appt just to check my cervix to see if I had dilated at all because I was feeling really nervous about having to possibly be induced. They examined me internally and I was dilated 2cm and my cervix was very ripe and soft apparently! I went home happy knowing that labour would hopefully be starting soon!

At 39.2 I was at home and my membranes released before any surges started. About an hour after my membranes released, the surges started. I called the hospital to let them know that my membranes had released prior to labour starting and had to go in to be monitored due to the risk of infection. After being monitored for 2 hours I was able to go home and continue labour at home!

I...

A huge thanks to Melissa for your wonderful online course which helped to empower my husband and I to meet our second little boy via a VBAC on 22 July!

My first birth was emergency c-section after induction at 41 weeks. As first time parents we did the generic hospital antenatal classes but not a lot of extra reading and research into birth. Our philosophy was 'we have no plan' because we thought that would help us navigate any situation. Well, that was a big mistake because it also meant that we weren't well aware of our options and our choices. Overall, I still reflect on the birth as positive - we were supported by the people around us and it brought us our wonderful little boy. But, from that moment I knew that I would do things differently for my next birth!

Hi Melissa,

Wow! I’m so glad you loved my story as much as I do!! Thank you so much
Fear crept in for a minute when the obstetrician was trying to push for a c-section, but I’m so grateful that I had the tools to switch my mindset quickly and have the AMAZING birth I had visualised

I would be honoured for you to share my story and I’m happy for you to use my name. 

Thank you for keeping me on a high with this beautiful message

Michelle xx

Dear Melissa, 

I wanted to write this email to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I heard about hypnobithing through a friend when I felt pregnant and I decide to do the course. But things got a bit complicated due to COVID-19 and my husband now works in Antarctica got stuck down there and I decide to leave Sydney where we live to come and give birth in my home country Argentina.

When I arrived I was 28 weeks pregnant and the country went into lock down. I felt very isolated and lonely. That is when I look into hypnobirthing online courses and found yours. I decide to do the course and in a way it was good to be in lock down because I dedicated all my time to do the meditations, afirmaciones and find my birth  partner( that end up being my best friend).

The 24 of June of a snowy night Amaro was born after a 10 hour calm, easy and completely natural birth. I did most all the labor at home and arrive at the hospital to give birth. The tools I learn in the course guided...

Hi Melissa,

" Just wanted to say (the practice bundle) has been helping so much. Melissa's voice is fantastic, it helps to relax immensely ( the music itself is already very soothing). In these trouble times we are living in at the moment, when is so easy to let the news, the fear take the most of us, it has helped me calm down, focus in myself and makes me feel empowered for the birth to come." 

Maria - Portugal

Dear Melissa,

I wanted to send you a note to say thank you. My husband Tom and I completed your online Hypnobirthing course throughout our pregnancy and the information and skills we developed helped immensely with the birth of our little girl Queenie who arrived on July 25, 3 weeks early at the Mater Hospital in Sydney, Australia.

I can honestly say Hypnobirthing contributed to us having the most positive and incredible birth. My husband was an incredible coach and support throughout the entire labour and my mum was a fantastic back massager :)

I feel so empowered by the experience and feel so grateful I can tell my story from a positive place. A story so different from all the negative and fearful accounts I had been exposed to in the last 9 months and most of my life, to be honest!

The Hypnobirthing course allowed me to go into the experience with a completely different perspective and mindset and one I feel which allowed it to transpire the way it did.

I handled the surges and...

My little guy was born 12 days past his due date, one day before the hospital had me scheduled in to be induced. At first, I was quite upset about the possibility of an induction, but the hypnobirthing approach helped me to let go and decide to calmly meet whatever path my birthing took. I was still keeping my fingers crossed he would decide to come on his own before then so I felt really positive and excited when I finally went into labour naturally.

I woke up a few times overnight with some lower belly pain and by 4am Thursday morning my surges were about 10-15 mins apart and uncomfortable enough that I needed to get out of bed. I spent the next 14 hours at home as they gradually increased in frequency and intensity, and I used a TENS machine and listened to the affirmations and meditation music while my partner timed the surges. 

When we got to the hospital the midwife in the assessment centre said something about maybe sending me home, which I was horrified by because I was...