“My first child was born at 34 weeks, one week after my waters had broken,
by emergency cearean section after a failed induction.  The birth (and the
lead up to it) were traumatic and the effects on me were long lasting.
Many of the hospital staff were kind and friendly but the process was a
litany of miscommunications, poor hand-over between staff, being asked to
make decisions without the information I felt I needed, and abysmal
post-natal care for myself.  I came away feeling bereaved and broken and
with the sense of being unable to assess information well or make good
decisions.  When planning the birth of my second child, I knew I wanted to
try for a VBAC and that, no matter how my baby was born, I needed this
experience to be different.

Stina helped me to prepare for the birth with one-to-one Hypnobirthing
sessions which focussed on releasing the pain and fears I was carrying
from my first birth and replacing them with positive thoughts and
feelings.  I was scared that I'd end up with another cesarean and we
talked about how different it could be this time and created a
Hypnobirthing script to help me approach that possibility with calm
acceptance.  We also worked on my fear of needles and internal
examinations.

The preparation helped enormously but what made the biggest difference was
having Stina present at the birth as my doula. Knowing that I was
accompanied by someone with extensive experience of birth who could
support me and be my advocate if needed gave me so much more confidence.
I also knew that she would support my birth partner (my mother).  Stina
was caring, practical, and hugely encouraging.  She was constantly looking
out for my needs and did everything from making sure I was eating and
drinking at every opportunity to keep my strength up during a long labour,
to checking I wasn't too hot or cold, to giving me homeopathic remedies.
Towards the end, the midwife wanted me to start really pushing, and I was
uncertain about how this fitted with the hypnobirthing model of 'breathing
the baby out'. Stina was able to explain to me clearly that the baby's
heart rate was dropping a bit and that I now needed to make a real effort
to avoid interventions. By this stage I was getting tired and I couldn't
believe how hard the pushing was but Stina was amazing at keeping me going
and encouraging me.  At times I felt I had no energy left and that I was
actually using her energy to get me through. Without her I think I might
have given up entirely!

Once my baby was born, the midwife wanted to deliver the placenta
immediately because I was losing blood.  I'd hoped for a physiological
third stage and wasn't sure how to react to this news but, again, Stina
was able to reassure me that the midwife was right and that we needed to
do this.  Although the decision was, of course, mine, it was a great
relief to know that Stina agreed with the midwife and made it very easy
for me to agree to the procedure which was, undoubtedly, the right thing
for me.

Despite some tough elements (no one says birth is easy!), my experience of
giving birth a second time around could not have been more different from
my first.  Stina played a big part in that and I am immensely grateful for
her knowledge and support.  I would recommend having a doula to anyone who
wants to feel supported and confident while giving birth and Stina, with
her combination of energy, empathy, and experience was wonderful”.