Yvonne Tan’s Birth Story
Yvonne wanted a natural birth despite having certain pre-existing health conditions. Even three of her doctors strongly suggested a cesarean birth. She never gave up and continued to search for a doctor who was pro-natural birth, and she found one who agreed to monitor her condition and gave her the positive affirmation and support she needed to satisfy a natural birth.
I just have to keep finding someone who aligns with what I want.
When I first received news of my pregnancy, I must admit it was daunting. I was not prepared psychologically or physically to have a baby. My first thought was to associate the entire pregnancy journey and childbirth with pain and suffering. Having dealt with an autoimmune condition for many years, the fear of my child living the same pain as me was immense. I consulted a total of four Gynaecologists who suggested a cesarean option to reduce the risks to mother and child. I was frustrated to think that I was unable to bring my baby to this world in a natural way. Having gone through many doctor’s visits for my condition and suffering from the medicine side effects, I was determined to give the best for my baby. For that reason, I just had to keep looking for someone who felt as strongly as I did about natural birth.
I was sceptical about HypnoBirthing
Through a referral, I met Yen and found out more about pro-natural birth approaches such as HypnoBirthing, one of the best ways to bring a baby to this world safely with little or no intervention. I am a sceptical person at heart. My husband and I, however, went with an open mind and attended Yen’s HypnoBirthing classes diligently. We found the material refreshing and inspiring. It was especially inspiring to hear accounts of beautiful births being made possible by relaxation and self-hypnosis, breathing exercises, rebozo techniques and a host of helpful tips on understanding how we could connect with our mind and body and work towards a natural pain-free birth.
I seek the right people to help me stay at my optimal health
Yen was a most inspiring, authentic and caring coach. My husband and I decided that she would be the perfect doula for us. She showed huge empathy, patience, and reassurance. Yen was there with me throughout this amazing journey, and never for a minute was she upset with 1000 never-ending questions from me as a first time nervous mommy. She was able to direct me to the right people to help me stay at my optimal level. I visited an Ayurvedic doctor as recommended by her, took a healthier diet, had prenatal yoga, and on a daily basis, did my rebozo and prepared myself mentally with nightly meditation tracks from the CD she gave us.
Surprisingly short labour without chemical drugs used
When I approached my critical period of “breathing down” the baby at 39 weeks and 2 days, Yen rushed to my side in the wee hours of the morning. She kept reinforcing the techniques learned in class, continued to encourage me and her advice led to a surprisingly short labour period without interruption or chemical intervention. It was a magical labour, almost perfect, in fact! I owe a great debt to Yen who was there at my side with her constant reassuring voice when our angel Charlotte was born.
Charlotte was able to recognise Yen’s voice even in my tummy with her excited kicks and always happy to see Yen since her arrival on Earth.
Yen is not just any doula, but a superb, dedicated, resourceful and deeply passionate family friend. She became very dear to us. Thanks Yen, you are truly a gift from heaven!