Pauline Gannon
When looking ahead to your baby’s birth, most parents to be have an idea in their heads of how they would like labour and birth to go. But as many parents who have been through labour and birth will tell you, sometimes the reality is vastly different from the plan, and the challenge then is to get as close as possible to your wishes and – above all – ensure the safety of both mum and baby.
Ciara McFarlane planned a natural birth using hypnobirthing with her first baby, but unfortunately interventions ended in a traumatic experience that had a knock-on effect on breastfeeding and her confidence as a new mother. For her second child, Ciara then decided to go for a midwife-led birth and to avoid interventions unless absolutely necessary. This was when she met Pauline Gannon.
“I rang Pauline after Googling hypnobirthing and immediately on the phone she made me feel at ease and listened to, which I now know was missing after my first birth,” she explains. “During our first meeting, I told her about my experience; I hadn’t discussed it before this. She gave me a different perspective and gave me so much more information that was necessary to be informed going forward. I chatted to Pauline for nearly four hours and not once felt rushed. She gave me the courage to fight for the birth that I wanted, in a polite and reasonable way.”
Unfortunately, complications arose towards the end of Ciara’s pregnancy. “After being admitted early due to breach position and told I would need a section I was devastated. I sent Pauline a text and she rang me. She re-assured me at a very vulnerable time and said that the hospital was the place for me. I ended up asking to doctors to turn baby and I had my hypnobirth in hospital. The midwives were excellent and using Pauline’s birth plan I got as close to the ideal birth that I could hope for, and my wonderful healthy baby boy was born. Pauline was right about being in hospital as the cord was wrapped twice around his head and we may have run into trouble birthing at home.
“Pauline has a strong presence on social media and opens herself up to women in a very honest and touching way. I’m delighted that Pauline has won this award. Many women hope that their labour will not turn into a medical event or emergency and Pauline supports this but she is equally realistic and supportive if medical help and supervision during labour is necessary. Striking this balance with her holistic approach, in my eyes make Pauline worthy of this wonderful award.”
