My husband and I did the Calmbirth course with Ash because we wanted to be equipped and knowledgeable going into the birth of our first child. For me, it was about having the confidence and tools to support my body to do what it is biologically designed to do. The end of pregnancy is filled with excitement about the birth of your child but also a lot of apprehension and nervousness. For me, this nervousness mostly stemmed from the fact that birth is unpredictable and things may not always go to plan or plans need to change in the moment.
The Calmbirth course thoroughly explored the different pathways that birth can take, what is involved, what decisions may need to be made so I could still be confident in the face of some uncertainty. It opened up conversations for my husband and I to discuss our preferences and empowered him to be part of the birth experience and to be able to advocate for me if I had trouble doing it myself.
Ash was a wealth of information about how to use breathwork, visualisation and relaxation techniques to feel calm during labour and birth. My husband was also confident that he had things he could do to support me if required. Ash created a very comfortable environment for people to ask any questions they had. The course was very comprehensive in covering birth physiology and the role of hormones, pain relief options, potential interventions and how to make decisions and be your own advocate.
I had a wonderful birth experience using the tools that Ash equipped us with. After a membrane sweep I went into labour at home that same night. Because of the cramping associated with the sweep I didn’t even realise I was in labour until my water broke in the early hours of the morning. In hindsight and given all that Ash told us about the role of hormones, this was the best possible way to spend early labour – in bed and ignoring the fact it was happening in the first place!
From there the intensity and frequency of contractions increased but I was comfortable using techniques such as breathwork, a birth comb and movement as was comfortable in the moment. We had a lot of other tools that we could use (acupressure, tens machine etc) but they just didn’t feel right for me at the time so I just continued with what was working. After a few hours we went into the hospital in well established labour. The midwifery team were fantastic and were happy to honour our preferences which we had written on a sheet of paper. The preference sheet was set out to reflect an “ideal birth experience” for us based on what we learn during the course. It was very open to alterations and I had full confidence that our wonderful midwives would advise us and guide us if things needed to change.
After another hour or so I opted to get in the bath where I went through transition. Whilst transition is an uncomfortable phase and I see how it can feel quite overwhelming – I remembered (more so subconsciously by this point) what we had been taught about how you can feel, what is happening to your body and the purpose behind it. It gave me motivation knowing things were progressing and coming towards the end. During this stage I found using the gas to be helpful. It didn’t make me feel much different but it did provide an intense point of focus for breathwork and distraction.
Then it was time to meet our baby! It was so helpful to be able to use movement and different positions during the pushing stage as it was a little bit prolonged than I expected. It was intense and exhausting but actually felt better to be actively working towards a goal and to work with my body. The midwives helped me to feel and see her head as it descended which was so surreal and amazing.
The moment she was born and passed up to me was the most euphoric and incredible experience. It was a truly life changing moment and a feeling I will remember forever. We had some very special skin to skin time in which we allowed her to breast crawl and latch all on her own. I was just in awe of her!
I am so fortunate that I got to have the birth experience I wanted and this wouldn’t have been possible without my supportive partner, our amazing midwives and Ash’s advice, education and encouragement during the Calmbirth course.
We would recommend the course to anyone who wants to feel prepared and empowered in their birth no matter how it happens!
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