Birth Story

Here goes… my first blog post… and I couldn’t start anywhere other than our birth story as she’s the reason and inspiration for this blog, and so I dedicate this post to you baby.

Honesty spot – I LOVED giving birth.

It all began on a Friday morning, Friday 16th August 2019 - or did it? Based on my understanding of hypnobirthing (more on this in future posts) the release of oxytocin from a little date night at Pizza Express, followed by childish games at the arcades the night before may have triggered my labour, but regardless, at 39 weeks I was ready.

I woke up around 7:30am after an uncomfortable night and with what looked like my ‘show’ in my pyjama bottoms. In hindsight it definitely was, but at the time I was so unsure. I’d been told so many times that you’d just know when labour started and I really didn’t! To be on the safe side I text my best friend (very helpfully also a student midwife), mum and husband with a heads up, but carried on with the day I planned starting with a coffee date with two lovely friends.

After coffee I went to Mothercare (RIP) to get the Isofix base fitted (highly recommend!) for our car seat and joked with the member of staff about getting free vouchers if I actually was in labour… little did I know. After getting into the car (slightly emotional at the sight of the car seat fitted and ready) I felt a strange aching/period pain in my lower abdomen. Again, with the wonders of hindsight I really should have realised I was in labour but I’d run out of foundation that morning so my next stop had to be the Estée Lauder counter at Debenhams! Followed by a quick stop at Sainsburies for some food shopping and a café lunch and I decided to head home, realising that those pains were occurring every 30 minutes or so but very manageable - similar to strong day 1 period pains.

Once at home, around 3:30pm, I advised our builder (more on this later!) that I thought I might be having braxton hicks and as his girlfriend was also expecting he nodded confidently and told me I’d "be fine" and he’d see me Monday. This clearly fuelled my denial so I pottered about putting the shopping away, not thinking to tell my husband I was now having pains every 15-20 minutes. He was playing squash after work and I think subconsciously I realised it might be his last ‘free’ squash game so left him to it.

By the time he did get home at 5:30pm, I was rocking on the birthing ball with regular pains and had the hospital bag by the front door. I can only apologise to my hubby that his Friday night plans changed so quickly! Having watched some of the hypnobirthing videos with me, he cooked me a large bowl of pasta for energy, ran me a bath for relaxation and got the Freya app up and running to time contractions. I rang the labour ward to inform them and after some reassuring questions we agreed I should stay at home as long as possible. 

I had a bath and two paracetamol to manage the quite regular contractions now - at least 2 or 3 every 10 minutes. Hubby was ‘fussing’ as the pain was intensifying but I was in the hypnobirthing zone so sent him to the local co-op for Lucozade sport as I knew I’d be craving it soon. When he asked if he should walk round or drive I think the look I gave him said it all! He drove there and by the time he got back I was ready to go to hospital - although they didn’t think so! Despite me contracting 3 times every 10 minutes for a good while, the party line was still ‘only come in if you want pain relief’. I explained I’d had paracetamol and a bath but didn’t plan on having any other painkillers as such but was hoping for a water birth. Honestly, I felt I wasn’t really listened to as a first time mum but eventually they agreed I could go in to be checked albeit with the understanding that it was likely I could be sent home.

The car journey to hospital was probably the worst part of the whole experience. It disrupted my breathing and focus therefore I felt the contractions much stronger. However on arrival we were taken to a nice quiet room and told a midwife would be in to assess me. This was around 9:30pm and I was again told I probably wouldn’t be far enough along and would get sent home. When the midwife started the internal examination she immediately looked quite shocked and (mid-contraction with her hand still inside!!) looked up and said “Well haven’t you done well... 6, nearly 7cm. You can stay.”

We were taken to the MLU (midwifery led unit) which was on our birth plan where the birthing pool was being prepped and I felt immediate relief when I got in, it was just a giant hot bath. Bliss.  After another hour or so of strong contractions I tried gas and air - at first I really struggled as I couldn’t get it to match my breathing but eventually realised I could use it in down breaths which really helped give me a sort of high in between contractions… that was until my hubby robbed it off me for his go. He took one long drag and nearly fell over - I’ve never laughed so much in pain before feeling a pop and seeing my waters break! It’s a good job I find him funny.

Around 12:30am I felt something change and told the midwife I wanted to push - she’d kept checking babies heartbeat but had kind of left us to it until this point (at our request). She encouraged me to feel below and I realised babies head was very close! I kept pushing with every contraction but honestly felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere. Around 1:00am I felt like giving up - in my tired/high state, I told my husband she’d have to stay where she was and I was very sorry but I’d just keep her inside forever. She had other plans!

The midwife told me she needed to do a physical examination as I’d been pushing for a while and hadn’t been checked in 4 hours. This sounded like the worst idea ever. I hate getting out of the bath at the best of times but felt she was so close! I also couldn’t bear weight on my legs by this point so told the midwife I wasn’t getting out. She and my husband guided me towards the pool steps in a squat position ready to lift me out when I said "She’s coming!" And sure enough… she shot out like a salmon, swimming upstream and just bobbed up to the surface for me to catch! Born at 1:30am on the dot.

I can honestly say (and feel incredibly fortunate to be able to) that the birth was exactly what we wanted. I felt in control and like it was our experience. The pain was so intense but I think my mindset was so predisposed to hypnobirthing that I just knew it would be worth it.

The next hour was magical – skin to skin and breastfeeding, in a haze of new parent headiness, tears and exhaustion. (This was abruptly followed by several stitches for a second degree tear due to my daughter’s giant head and the speed in which she shot into the world!) The story doesn’t stop there of course, but for now that’s all you're getting! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my birth story - look out for future blogs on pregnancy, hypnobirthing, breastfeeding and all things post-partum.

Leave me a comment with suggestions of other posts you’d like to see and any similarities with your own birth story - I love hearing them!!