“I was really quite terrified having seen loads of things as a midwife, and obviously the things that really stick with you are the ones that weren’t so nice,” Street, 35, told news.com.au. “I remember being heavily pregnant with Oscar, sitting on the sofa a nervous wreck and just bursting into tears saying ‘I don’t know how I’m going to do this.’”
Hypnobirthing focuses on the psychological and physical well-being of the mother and baby during the birth process and aims to keep the mother in a state of deep relaxation, according to Hypno Birthing International. Street forewent pain medication during the birth and kept talking in the room at a minimum.
“It all felt very new and intense, but it was never overwhelming or unmanageable,” she told news.com.au. “Oscar arrived just before 8 a.m. I had a fabulous birth, and there was no pain relief. It surprised me how well it worked.”“Once we got to the water birthing room, the hypnobirthing became all about working with my own body. Rather than taking deep breaths in and tightening up, you take really nice long, slow breaths, with the lights down and the music playing,” Street said.
Street said the euphoria sensation after the births of Oscar and her three other children was similar to an orgasm sensation, and that each lasted for three to four weeks after delivery.
“I absolutely loved every minute of being in labor,” Street told news.com.au. “I don’t want any more children but I would love to have that sensation again.”
She now works as a consultant for Reproductive Health Group and shares her experience with other expectant mothers to help prepare them for childbirth.
“The difference we can make to a pregnancy changes the relationship between mother and baby for the better,” Street said. “It really can change people’s life.”
