Dear Dawn
I’m happy to let you know that our daughter was born on Friday morning at 9:07 am. She was 7lbs 14oz and 21 inches long.
After I saw you on Thursday, I had a pretty vigorous stretch and sweep both by my midwives. I think perhaps the combination of that plus the great work you did got things moving through the night and by 4:30 am I realized I was probably in labour. The funny part was that my next door neighbour and good friend had dropped off her son at our house a few hours before as she and her husband headed to the hospital to have their baby – their baby girl ultimately arrived 10 minutes after our daughter.
I had about 3 hours of relatively calm and relaxed labour to get to 10 cm. After that I had a bit of a stall and my water still hadn’t broken so the midwife broke my water but still nothing. With the help of a breast milk pump, I had 2 very intense contractions and she popped out into my hands on the birth stool just after 9 am.
Thanks again for your great sessions – I found them calming and relaxing and really enjoyed them.
A 3-5 treatment series, known as Birth Preparation / Labour Preparation / Cervical Ripening, is recommended for pregnant women starting at 36-37 weeks gestation. Research has shown that these treatments can benefit women in the following ways:
-Shorter labour times
-Less medical interventions
-More positive birth experience
In addition to preparing a woman for labour, treatments in late pregnancy can be very helpful for dealing with the common challenges of late pregnancy (such as relieving heartburn, nasal congestion, constipation, varicose veins, backache, hemorrhoids, leg cramps, swelling of the hands and feet, difficulty sleeping, and increased anxiety and tiredness). Treatment protocols combine standard points with points chosen to address a woman’s specific needs. Preparation for labour (and especially for a life of parenting) is a mental-emotional process as well as a physical process. Taking time each week to address this preparation in a supportive environment reduces stress and fosters a calm and empowered attitude.
