My positive labor, birth and recovery story | hypnobirth | Hannah Maggs 

I think it's so lovely that you were told not to push - I was researching births throughout history a couple weeks ago, and it wasn't actually until doctors took over from midwives, that women were told to push/lie down/get heavily sedated during birth! The female body is so amazing and capable of taking care of birth all on its own :) (by which I don't at all mean that there should be no assistance during births because it's different from person to person, but I do feel that it'd be good to look at birthing as a gentle transition instead of the rip that it's made out to be! And I actually got a bit teary eyed when you mentioned what a lovely experience it was, I'm so so so happy for you Hannah!

I’m not even pregnant and I want this experience!! How amazing is a woman’s body! Never know about the pushing thing. Much love to you Hannah x

I’m due in 3 weeks this was so comforting to watch ❤️

A gentle birth?! This is more of what I wanna hear!!

As a woman in her early 20’s with no kids yet, videos like this are so comforting because they alleviate all of the fears that come with wanting to eventually have kids. Congrats to you and your family on the new addition ❤️

I often watch these videos, and squirm throughout while they totally confirm why I don’t want kids. This was actually really sweet, and I’m so happy you finally got your happy ending, Hannah.

I tap into the blessing of a positive birth experience and I'll be back to share my POSITIVE story soon.

I can see that you are so much more mellow and living in the moment with your babies .... You are glowing and you look so well xox

You and Rufus are both IMPOSSIBLY precious. 😍 Xoxo, Caylie

You’re a breath of fresh air! Happy your experience was so positive and you weren’t afraid to say so. I feel like the majority of birth stories on you tube these days are woman complaining about how hard it is and so on. I was in labor for 33 hours and ended up with a c-section in the end. But it was truly a miracle to see what I had created so none of that mattered in the end. Baby Roo is beautiful! Xo

I'm not even pregnant but this was such a lovely video to watch. Shoutout to you for spreading such a postive message about birth! Rufus is gorgeous, congratulations!

the baby breathing sounds mixed in with your voice are very calming x

I did a homebirth for my last baby and it was the most amazing experience. My midwives were the sweetest people and I even laughed at one point while giving birth. We did straight skin to skin...all of the hippy things you can think of, we did it.

I am 22 and this is everything to me, I always knew I wanted children but birth... even the stories about my own birth scared me so so much! Everything you see about birth anywhere just seems so unnatural, like out of a sci fi movie. But this Hannah, makes me so calm and I just know that I can do this in the future. You are glowing and you are a goddess!

I wish you would’ve blabbed on longer! I’ve been desperately trying to read and listen to hypnobirthing. I’m due in 40 days! Anything helps and I want a birth like yours! My last one I try not to think about so I can stay positive. For the second stage of labor what helped you the most? What helped you through the contractions and what did you do to get in the right frame of mind and again and stop panicking. Was is the positive reenforcement from your teacher? The positive words and breathing? PLEASE HELP!

I've never been pregnant myself but this was so positive to hear and I will definitely follow your tips if I ever get pregnant!! Well done Hannah, you are such a wonderful mummy

I'm 31 weeks pregnant and have been learning about hypnobirthing. All I want from my first birthing experience is for it to be calm. If I could just have a slice of your experience I would be over the moon! Congratulations Hannah, you look amazing! Xx

Thank you so much for this video!! Currently 32 weeks, and need videos like this. This kind of positive reflection around birth and labour needs to be spoken about a lot more in our society.

So refreshing to hear a positive story. The NHS doesn't want me to have a home birth as I was induced last time (ending in c-section) and I'm in my 40s now. I'm feeling worried that I won't go into labour naturally again and will end up with an intervention-filled unsatisfying birth. I don't want to manifest it, but I feel like I might.

its so good to hear that you've had a positive experience :) i feel no one ever talks about a positive birth. i'm glad you & Rufus are happy and healthy 🙏🏻

How are Greyson and Rufus bonding? x

YOU ARE INCREDIBLE. I am really trying to convince myself to have a natural birth with no medication. My husband and I will be working for a baby this coming January. I fear pain, been through enough of it but I want to release that fear. Thank you for posting this video. I feel more confident. I will be looking into a hypnobirthing teacher. Love to you and your babies!!

I am normally terrified of labour that is one of the main reasons why I am postponing the decision of properly starting the family but every time I watch it I calm down, your happiness when you see Rufus first time makes me teary and I am getting more ready to have our baby. Thank you for that.

What a great story. I think everyone needs to share this with anyone they know is worried about labor and delivery.

This is so encouraging. I’m due next month and I need to hear as many natural positive birthing stories as possible.

So glad you had this amazing, positive experience. Thankyou for sharing! I am 33 weeks pregnant. Planning home birth and the more and more I hear about the unnecessary pushing and ejection mechanism the more I trust my body

I never usually comment on your videos despite loving watching how you, Stef and your family view the world, but I felt really moved to with this video. You seem so happy, glowing, peaceful and content. That it is just so so lovely to see when I’ve been watching your journey all this time. Thank you so much for sharing.

I loved my birth! I had a water birth in hospital, I was thinking of a home birth but decided when it came to it I went into a birthing unit, I was really lucky that they were short staffed so I ended up with a home birth midwife, so she let me “get on with it” and said my body would let me know when I needed to push etc. I was so relaxed I didn’t have any pain relief, which I am shocked at as I can be quite a wuss. If we have more I think I will have a home birth, it also means my partner can be with me rather than taking care of our son. I’m glad your birth was exactly how you wanted it, you all seem super chilled and content x

This is so beautiful. You are absolutely glowing as you speak about the night you met little Rufus. Congratulations to your sweet family. xx

Im 25 weeks pregnant and really want to do a home birth - this video made me cry and makes me even more confident of my decision ! You are lovely mum - thanks for spreading the positive word!

I’m so happy for you! I am currently 38 weeks pregnant so I love positive birth stories!! 💕💕

I can't tell you how much I appreciate this positive story. I am 30 weeks pregnant and am making a concerted effort to surround myself with positive birth stories so this is music to my ears. Congratulations!x

this is so encouraging! i am currently 11 weeks pregnant and hearing birth stories like this is so helpful. you seem like you are in such a good, calm headspace. i'm very happy for you!

I think it´s amazing that you were told not to push, that alone is so so different than what goes down in hospital. With my kids (3), I pushed for about an hour each, because I was at 10cm and that´s what I was told that I had to do...Now I wonder what it feels like to just wait, relax and let your body do it´s thing in it´s own time. Does that make it hurt less? I´d love to hear more about the difference between the two! It must be so much better for baby! Not that I´m going to go ahead and have another baby just to find out (lol), but yeah, I kinda feel like we miss out when it comes to hopital births, because everyone is on a schedule and they just want you to hurry up and make room for the next patient you know? Anyhoo, so glad everything went to smoothely and that you got your dream birth! You and Roo look absoultely precious just sitting there

Ive never heard of the no pushing thing, but it makes total sense! You put me back on to the idea of having kids with this, thank you. I will definitely be looking into hypnobirth. Roo is just the sweetest. Congratulations Hannah! ❤

Thankyou for sharing Hannah, I'm 6 months pregnant with first baby and it's so nice to hear positive birth stories ❤️

Thank you for this video! I am pregnant with my fourth and am just immersing myself in positive birth stories. I felt the same way about my last two deliveries. They were amazing. I loved them, the whole experience was just awesome.

I am due in 4 weeks and this was EVERYTHING I needed to hear as I head into my labor - thank you for sharing! < 3

Being nearly 31 weeks pregnant, it is so nice to hear that your labour and delivery was exactly as you hoped and a positive experience xx

This was totally my experience with my first just about a year ago. Everyone thought I was crazy for having a home birth and a water birth but just because something is different doesn't make it wrong. In fact, it went just as we wanted like you were saying. We were so blessed and I would do it again! You've convinced me to encapsulate my placenta next time around. Thank you for putting a positive birth story out for all to see and be encouraged by. Our bodies are incredible!

"YEA I AM A GODDESS!!" haha I love it.

Hi Hanna Thank you for sharing such a positive story. I am 30 weeks pregnant with my first baby and I hope to have a completely natural birth. I am trying out some hypnobirth techniques and I look forward to a positive experience bringing my little girl to this world.

im 4 months pregnant and although ive got medical complications which will likely make labour not quite as simple, this made me feel so emotional and excited about everything:) x

Hi Hannah! Thank you so much for sharing your experience, it truly showed how giving birth is a magical experience. As someone who gets panicky really easily this video means the world since I always thought birth was this monster experience you had to suffer through. It made me tear up not going to lie and it made me want to have children even more! Thank you for being so lovely! I’m sending huge love to all of the family! xx

So happy to come across your video. 7 months now and after a difficult birth with my eldest, I'm practicing hypnobirthing techniques ready for number 2. Videos like yours give me faith that things will be better the second time around. Congratulations on your beautiful family x

You are such an inspiration! I am 33 weeks pregnant with my second child and am finally going to have a lovely, positive homebirth experience. I read three books in preparation (The Spirit of Homebirth, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, and The Mongan Method to Hypnobirthing). They've been so enlightening and I'm very excited to give birth this time around. The thought of being able to use my body's natural expulsive reflex to gently breathe the baby down is such a relief! With my first I was loudly coached to forcefully push which was painful and caused stress on my daughter. It also led to other medical interventions.

You seem so chill, calm and relaxed and that makes me so happy! I could have listen to this for ages x

My Mum said the exact same about having my sister at hospital then me at home, she said it was worlds better! congrats x

Placenta encapsulation is the way to go! I had my son a week before you and they helped so much! Congrats, he’s so sweet!

Thank you for sharing your beautiful birth experience!!! We need more positive birth stories to be shared :-) I'm 40 weeks pregnant, having a home birth. I was feeling so emotional just now, and feeling stressed about getting towards 42 weeks and having pressure put on me to be induced. Loved watching this, totally calmed me down, smiling from ear to ear. Rufus is absolutely gorgeous. Congratulations! Well done xxxxx

I had two wonderful home births, and am so thankful that I was able to have my births how I wanted them. We are done having kids, but I am a little sad that I won't get to have that experience again. People think I'm crazy, but giving birth can be such an amazing experience. Happy you got to have the experience you wanted.

Thank you so much for making this video! I'm 29 weeks pregnant and i have my first appointment with my hypnobirthing instructor next week, I am also hoping for a water birth. Everyone always tells me about how horrific labour is and its hard to find to somone who has a positive birthing story! Rufus is beautiful! 😍

"God I wanted him so bad it was a small price to pay" I cry. What a beautiful thing to say & hear / you are such a grateful mommy and it makes me realize to hug my 11month old a little tighter and instead of getting overwhelmed and rushing the days (I have a 2 year old as well) both boys and I do love it /its so refreshing to see all this positivity..it is amazing this time around its like you are really enjoying the sleepless nights and like you said don't mind the marks because you know whats really important , so lovely to see ♡♡ bless!

Wow, didn't realise this was such an old video but today is actually my due date and I'm focusing more on watching positive births as I have been doing hypnobirthing and focusing on having a positive birth 😀 😊

Can you do a more indepth video on Hypnobirthing? Maybe even include your hypnobirthing teacher in it? Thanks

You don’t sound crazy! Giving birth is an amazing experience especially when it’s positive. Thank you for saying about not pushing. Just what I needed to hear and was trying to find out about.

That's absolutely amazing! Good for you for making this video . It's so important for people to know all the different experiences women can have giving birth. I'm doing IVF in January and really hoping this is our time. We've been trying for two years. This video made me so happy for you Hannah! You are a goddess for certain! 😊

You don't sound crazy at all. Thank you for sharing this 🙏🏽✨. I'm a couple of weeks away from my due date (ftm) and deeply appreciate positive birth stories. I grew up hearing only positive things from my mother and grandmother so it was a bit of a shock to hear all the traumatic stories.

As someone who hasn’t had a baby *yet* this was SO lovely to hear. Thank you so much for sharing and I’m so happy you had a wonderful birth experience.

You are giving off such radiance! Contagious happiness. So glad for your little family.

Thank you so much for sharing your positive story! And specially the part about not "actively" pushing - that your body did that on her own! Amazing! I´m 32 weeks pregnant now with baby#2 and preparing/wishing for a natural vbac!

Thank you for this positive video, all anyone wants to tell me are negative things and when I say I don’t want an epidural all they do is say “yeah you’re saying that now” instead of encouraging me

Thank you for sharing your positive birth story! ✨

Love this so much! You look so happy and calm xx By the way something is wrong with the sound, It comes only through one headphone, I thought my headphones are the problem but it works fine when I play something else. I didn't mind it though, just a heads up!

I remember watching grayson’s birth video and then this one when you first posted them. Now rewatching as I’m 24 weeks with my first baby, planning a home birth and so looking forward to meeting her. ❤️

Most birthing videos make me afraid but this one made me so excited to go through the birthing process some day!

Hannah I also sound to people like a proper nutter! I absolutely loved it and didn’t had to push. My body was just doing its job what has been created for! Glad I’m not alone who loves labour xx You are legend xx

i’m 40 wks 1 day and i’m so so excited to have my home birth with the midwife we chose! thank you for sharing!!

You look so happy! My baby will be 4 months old next monday, and I still cry some happy tears every other day 😍 Congratulations and enjoy little Rufus!

Well done. You had the right people around you. That is definitely the key. Unfortunately my full labour was the opposite. Sigh. I’m glad you can tell people this story and point them in a positive direction. Xx

So refreshing to hear a positive birth story! I also did hypnobirthing and found it helped so much to keep me calm. Glad it went so well and little too is so cute x

Im 27 weeks and getting so excited for the birth of my little boy and thank you so much for this birth story because not a lot of people share their story unless its bad and dramatic so thank you for this 💕

Thank you for being so honest about your experience and the reality of giving birth. As someone in the TTC stage its nice to here a positive but real account of giving birth. I also feel in a lot of situations birth is made an unnecessarily stressful moment when it can be a natural and relaxed process

Such a beautiful birth story!! I'm so happy for you. Women are so powerful. You look amazing and Rufus looks so sweet! You seem like a changed person and so chill. This would be a great video to show pregnant friends!! Your a warrior!!

The sound is so messed up on this! :( so happy you have posted tho. All the audio comes out of the right speaker on head phones.

Hi Hannah! Thank you for a lovely video🌻 As a 20 year old woman who has always wanted a family, giving birth has always been so scary to me, but after hearing your story it sounds a little magical. Thanks for all your videos and family vlogs. All the best to you and your lovely family🌸

What a lovely story! I had my son in hospital and I didnt push either, 4-5 super strong contractions and out he came, no damage either, I too would do it all again! Hes now 13...cherish every moment!

This gives me some hope that when I hopefully have a baby in the future it doesn't have to be a horrific experience! Rufus is so cute x

With my first they had me push for 3 hours it was awful. This time I want to do things more natural and relaxed so hearing your story is so comforting!!

I was watching this video when I didn't even want to have children, I watched it before my first one was born, and watching it again now

I had my little boy at home with Independent Midwives and it was incredible ... Definitely recommend. X

I love how happy and content you are!! So happy you got what you wanted so much ❤

I love this video so much! Feels like just what I needed to hear at 38 weeks!

I want to know more about the moment you found out he was a boy, who checked? And also what was Grayson's response when he first met Rufus?

Thank you for sharing your story! I'm pregnant with my first so it's very nice to see a positive story after stumbling across some horrific ones.

Congrats on your new baby! I’m 5 months pregnant and it’s nice to hear such a positive birth story. You really make me want to look into hypnobirthing x

Rufus baby soo cute didn't want the video to end

This was so lovely to watch, you could really tell just how much of a positive experience it was for you! Incredible about the not pushing thing, bodies are wonderful things!

Thank you so much! This is beautiful! I'm 34 weeks with my first and practicing Hypnobirthing, and I so appreciate such an amazing, positive story.

Lovely video, you have such an aura of bliss around you Hannah. It's so lovely to see, and I'm so glad to see it for the sake of other young mums who may be scared by the RU-vid horror stories. You're an inspiration and a great role model.💕

Thank you so much for posting this! I am currently pregnant with my first baby and have been looking into Hypno birthing since I found out I was expecting and it's the route I'm sure I want to go down. Thank you for sharing your positive experience... it's making me really look forward to birth!! Congratulations on the arrival of baby Roo xx

oh and the cute little baby sounds just melted my heart!!!!

Everyone,including me, always recommend home birth after doing it! It’s an amazing experience. Especially the hours after, being snug at home ❤️

Gorgeous. What an amazing birth story and believe me, as a second time mum planning a home birth... This IS EXACTLY WHAT I NEED. Thank you for sharing your experience, such a great positive voice in a normally quite scary world of birthing.

Such a lovely positive video. So nice to hear the good parts of labour, rather than the more horrible bits! Thank you x

The pushing thing is totally incredible and makes perfect sense. I remember my first birth - in a hospital with an epidural- the doctor screaming at me to push harder or I would have to have a c section. Yuck. I’m so excited to have this baby naturally!!

Congratatuons on the birth of your baby! Thank you for sharing this positive message of homebirth. I was told I was "so brave" after having my third baby at home in the water (my first two children were born at the hospital). I found that remark hard to respond to but settled on saying that it was not bravery that enabled me to give birth at home, but my husband's and my sense of self-responsability. I went on to have my fourth child at home, but she came so fast that we didn't make it into the pool. I also experienced her birth without pushing. She was 10 pounds 14 oz and 24 inches long at birth and I had no tearing.

It's so lovely to see you look so happy, you waited so long for your family and it's so nice to see it finally come together💕Rufus is beautiful, congratulations😍

Thank you so much for your positive story! I am having my first baby in January 2018 and all I ever hear is horror stories. This made me feel so much better and actually excited :)

I loved hearing your experience, I’ve heard soo many horror stories.You have really helped ease my fears!!! ❤️❤️