OTTO MAURICE GREEN

Born October 17th, 2020

'I first thought that I was going into labor when my waters broke very mildly (not like in the movies) as I was getting ready for bed. Unsure whether it was actual labor I decided to rest and then experienced very mild surges, not too dissimilar to the braxton hicks that I was used to. Nevertheless I used this as an opportunity to practice the HB  breathing techniques and relax for a few hours. When my midwife arrived at 3am she confirmed that I was in fact in labor and we booked a taxi to take me to hospital for 6am - due to an infection that was identified a few weeks prior, I was scheduled to deliver in hospital with IV antibiotics administered during delivery.

Whilst my birth plan was to deliver as naturally as possible, the medical intervention did require speeding up delivery by breaking my waters further and administering oxytocin to help make the surges stronger and more regular. Myself and my husband spent the morning calmly working together through each surge; using the HB massage techniques learnt at our mamamoon retreat and deep breathing. We had the room set up with music and home comforts to keep me relaxed. The nurses were impressed by our teamwork and my calm approach during that first stage of labor - I felt very much in control which was my main aim when I signed up to the Mamamoon HB course. 

Once I reached 7cm things began to move very fast; the oxytocin being administered meant that the surges were very strong and whilst I admit that I considered pain relief at this point, there simply wasn't enough time - before I knew it, I was 10cm dilated and ready to push - my favourite part of delivery as I used the mantra "with each push my baby is getting closer and closer to meeting us".  At 2.24pm our baby Otto was lying on my chest, crying the most gorgeous sound I will ever know, as myself and my husband wept with joy. 

I cannot thank the ladies at Mamamoon enough for preparing me for this day. Like many women, I was not able to follow my original birth plan due to medical intervention (this also meant no birthing bath as planned) but I welcomed the deviations and remained in control throughout using the HB breathing, mindfulness and audios. 

I recommend the one day retreat to any parents-to-be and would not hesitate to sign up again if I were to ever have baby number two. 

Warm regards

Amy'

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Amy and Mark joined us in Amsterdam during Mamamoon One Day Retreat July 4th, 2020