Birth Story
Birth Story
I had always secretly had 1st October in mind as a good day to have a baby, so I was a tiny bit peeved when Thursday passed with no stronger indication of imminent labour than very strong Braxton-Hicks contractions. I felt a bit better the next morning when I woke up around 4.45 with a sore throat, blocked nose and series of sneezing fits, and thought that it might be a good thing that I didn't also have a new baby to look after. By the time that civilised people who don't have to go to the loo every 45 minutes or look after a toddler get up, I was starting to think that maybe the cold was going to be combined with babycare anyway as I was getting some familiar-feeling backache and cramps, so I warned Spencer to be ready to leave work if I called. I had arranged to take T to play at a friend's house that morning, and she was very excited about going, so I arranged with the lovely A that she could still go and play while I stayed at home frantically washing the dishes and inflating the birth pool. I had a routine midwife's appoinment arranged for 12.30 that day anyway, so I called Chris, my midwife, to let her know that I was in early labour with contractions every 10 minutes, and had had a show and to be prepared to deliver a baby rather than just check my pee and blood pressure. I spent the rest of the morning tidying up and shopping for snacks until around half eleven when I decided that the contractions were getting stronger and closer together and that I should probably get Spence to come home. I had some cheese on toast to get some calories into me while I still felt like eating and got back to the birth-pool inflating.
Spencer arrived at 12, and started filling the birth pool while I arranged care for T for the rest of the day. By half twelve I thought I'd try the TENS machine as the contractions were starting to need to be breathed through rather than just ignored, and seemed to be coming quite close together, although we weren't counting. I faffed around with trying to attach electrodes while preparing a birthing area, and managed to get tangled up in the wires several times. Chris showed up a bit after one o'clock, just as I was starting to wonder where she was. It was lovely to see her, but shortly after she arrived, my contractions slowed down and became a lot less intense. Fleur arrived to pick up the car seat so that she could look after T for the rest of the day.I waited a while to see if the contractions would pick up, and Chris offered to go out for a while, but I wanted her around, and decided to go upstairs by myself to see if that would bring my contractions back. I was feeling very sleepy in between contractions, so I thought that even if they didn't start up again, I might get a nap, which would also be good. I drew the bedroom curtains and lay down for a rest, and this was surprisingly effective as the contractions got stronger straight away and after a few minutes my waters broke and and I went into a crazy hormone-fuelled birthing frenzy that was to last me through the rest of labour.
I went downstairs, flinging off my wet clothes and putting on a dressing gown. I think I told Spence to clean the bathroom at this point. I then had several very strong contractions and told him to come back again. Chris was hiding where she could keep an eye on me, but I couldn't see her. I started complaining that it hurt far more than last time, and she reminded me that every labour is different, which was reassuring and at this point the small part of my mind that was capable of rational thought realised that I was only hurting so much because the labour was going very quickly. Chris suggested I try the birth pool, but instead I ran to the loo and shut myself in. I remembered wanting to do the same thing when T was born, so when I also started feeling sick and shaky, needing to do a poo, and making low moans that sounded like a cow mooing, I figured that I was just in transition and that it was time to get into the pool quickly before the baby was born. The pool was also pretty appealing because as soon as I started feeling the urge to push, I realised that continence was not going to be possible and that I would be peeing and pooing unconrollably until the baby came out, and if I was in water, I would just be able to ignore this.
I flung off the clothes that I was still wearing (I found my bra behind the fridge a week later), ripped off the TENS machine and flung myself into the pool. The water felt cool, and really, really good. I knelt down and leaned forward over the edge of the pool, holding on to Spence and biting my arm. In the water I was able to relax the muscles that I wasn't using for pushing. Chris was once again standing where I couldn't see her, although I was vagely aware of her scooping the poo out of the pool. When T was born I found pushing by far the hardest part of labour - I had to do it consciously, and while the pushing contractions didn't hurt, the pushing itselfwas very uncomfortable as I could feel T's head grinding against my bones.This time, I didn't really do anything - my body started pushing the baby and I just had to let it do its thing. It felt quite fierce and overwhelming, and I wasn't able to do anything apart from make the mooing noise and let the baby come out. Having pushed for 2 hours with T, I was surprised when after a few minutes I felt a head. I also got to experience crowning for the first time - T was born with a single push, and I think I was already numb from all the pushing, so I didn't feel the "ring of fire" This time, I did, and complained that it hurt. Chris came out of hiding at this point to remind me what to do, and I reached down to feel the baby's head and to rub all around which eased the pain a lot. The water of the pool also felt good - I suspect it would all have been a lot more painful on dry land. The baby's head was born with the next contraction. It was quite unnerving to wait for a couple of minutes for the next push for the rest of the baby to come out - I was glad that I'd watched videos of waterbirths so I knew that this was OK. Baby C was born with the next push (at twenty past two), and I scooped him up and staggered into a sitting position. I held and cuddled him for a while, but I found it hard keeping him underwater enough to stay warm without accidentally dunking him in, so I got out of the pool once I felt able to stand up, and went into a cosy nest of pillows and duvets in the living room.
I snuggled him for ages and waited to deliver the placenta. Chris hid in the conservatory again. I waited some more and eventually started feeling contractions again. I still didn't feel the slightest urge to deliver the placenta. The baby had latched on at that point, so after a while I picked up the baby and stood up to see if that would help. Still no placenta. Chris reappeared, gave me a few suggestions and lef tme to it again. Just over an hour after C was born, I decided that I would try siting on the loo, and this worked and the placenta came out. Chris clamped the cord and Spence cut it. I had planned on using embroidery thread to tie the cord, but hadn't got round to making a cord tie, so Chris made me one and tied the cord with it. I lay on the sofa eating chocolate biscuits while Chris examined the placenta, checked me for tears (none! hurrah!) and did midwife stuff.
After a while, she left, and I lay on the sofa phoning people to tell them the news. I had an alarming moment where I bled quite a bit, but I felt OK, so after discussing it with Kim (my second midwife) decided that I was fine, and not to worry. Fleur dropped T back home at around half five, and practically keeled over from the oxytocin in the room. T got to meet her new baby brother and admire him a bit before going to bed. Spencer and I ordered pizza and drank champagne while deciding on a name. Then we went to bed, where I stayed for the next five days as I was determined to have a proper "lying in" and get lots of rest. I don't think I stopped smiling for a week. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have had such a wonderful experience. A lot of it was down to good luck, but I also think that the fantastic and sensitive support from Chris and Kim were what made things go so well. So yay for the fabulous birth and thank you very much to Spencer, Chris, Kim, Angela, Fleur and everyone who sent me good wishes..
If you don't want to read behind the cut, I had a lovely baby boy five weeks ago today, at home in the birth pool. Around 2 and a half hours for first stage (but only the last 20 minutes hurt) 12 minutes of pushing and just over an hour for the 3rd stage. He has spiky dark hair and is as lovely as his big sister. He weighed 3.5 kg.
I had always secretly had 1st October in mind as a good day to have a baby, so I was a tiny bit peeved when Thursday passed with no stronger indication of imminent labour than very strong Braxton-Hicks contractions. I felt a bit better the next morning when I woke up around 4.45 with a sore throat, blocked nose and series of sneezing fits, and thought that it might be a good thing that I didn't also have a new baby to look after. By the time that civilised people who don't have to go to the loo every 45 minutes or look after a toddler get up, I was starting to think that maybe the cold was going to be combined with babycare anyway as I was getting some familiar-feeling backache and cramps, so I warned Spencer to be ready to leave work if I called. I had arranged to take T to play at a friend's house that morning, and she was very excited about going, so I arranged with the lovely A that she could still go and play while I stayed at home frantically washing the dishes and inflating the birth pool. I had a routine midwife's appoinment arranged for 12.30 that day anyway, so I called Chris, my midwife, to let her know that I was in early labour with contractions every 10 minutes, and had had a show and to be prepared to deliver a baby rather than just check my pee and blood pressure. I spent the rest of the morning tidying up and shopping for snacks until around half eleven when I decided that the contractions were getting stronger and closer together and that I should probably get Spence to come home. I had some cheese on toast to get some calories into me while I still felt like eating and got back to the birth-pool inflating.
Spencer arrived at 12, and started filling the birth pool while I arranged care for T for the rest of the day. By half twelve I thought I'd try the TENS machine as the contractions were starting to need to be breathed through rather than just ignored, and seemed to be coming quite close together, although we weren't counting. I faffed around with trying to attach electrodes while preparing a birthing area, and managed to get tangled up in the wires several times. Chris showed up a bit after one o'clock, just as I was starting to wonder where she was. It was lovely to see her, but shortly after she arrived, my contractions slowed down and became a lot less intense. Fleur arrived to pick up the car seat so that she could look after T for the rest of the day.I waited a while to see if the contractions would pick up, and Chris offered to go out for a while, but I wanted her around, and decided to go upstairs by myself to see if that would bring my contractions back. I was feeling very sleepy in between contractions, so I thought that even if they didn't start up again, I might get a nap, which would also be good. I drew the bedroom curtains and lay down for a rest, and this was surprisingly effective as the contractions got stronger straight away and after a few minutes my waters broke and and I went into a crazy hormone-fuelled birthing frenzy that was to last me through the rest of labour.
I went downstairs, flinging off my wet clothes and putting on a dressing gown. I think I told Spence to clean the bathroom at this point. I then had several very strong contractions and told him to come back again. Chris was hiding where she could keep an eye on me, but I couldn't see her. I started complaining that it hurt far more than last time, and she reminded me that every labour is different, which was reassuring and at this point the small part of my mind that was capable of rational thought realised that I was only hurting so much because the labour was going very quickly. Chris suggested I try the birth pool, but instead I ran to the loo and shut myself in. I remembered wanting to do the same thing when T was born, so when I also started feeling sick and shaky, needing to do a poo, and making low moans that sounded like a cow mooing, I figured that I was just in transition and that it was time to get into the pool quickly before the baby was born. The pool was also pretty appealing because as soon as I started feeling the urge to push, I realised that continence was not going to be possible and that I would be peeing and pooing unconrollably until the baby came out, and if I was in water, I would just be able to ignore this.
I flung off the clothes that I was still wearing (I found my bra behind the fridge a week later), ripped off the TENS machine and flung myself into the pool. The water felt cool, and really, really good. I knelt down and leaned forward over the edge of the pool, holding on to Spence and biting my arm. In the water I was able to relax the muscles that I wasn't using for pushing. Chris was once again standing where I couldn't see her, although I was vagely aware of her scooping the poo out of the pool. When T was born I found pushing by far the hardest part of labour - I had to do it consciously, and while the pushing contractions didn't hurt, the pushing itselfwas very uncomfortable as I could feel T's head grinding against my bones.This time, I didn't really do anything - my body started pushing the baby and I just had to let it do its thing. It felt quite fierce and overwhelming, and I wasn't able to do anything apart from make the mooing noise and let the baby come out. Having pushed for 2 hours with T, I was surprised when after a few minutes I felt a head. I also got to experience crowning for the first time - T was born with a single push, and I think I was already numb from all the pushing, so I didn't feel the "ring of fire" This time, I did, and complained that it hurt. Chris came out of hiding at this point to remind me what to do, and I reached down to feel the baby's head and to rub all around which eased the pain a lot. The water of the pool also felt good - I suspect it would all have been a lot more painful on dry land. The baby's head was born with the next contraction. It was quite unnerving to wait for a couple of minutes for the next push for the rest of the baby to come out - I was glad that I'd watched videos of waterbirths so I knew that this was OK. Baby C was born with the next push (at twenty past two), and I scooped him up and staggered into a sitting position. I held and cuddled him for a while, but I found it hard keeping him underwater enough to stay warm without accidentally dunking him in, so I got out of the pool once I felt able to stand up, and went into a cosy nest of pillows and duvets in the living room.
I snuggled him for ages and waited to deliver the placenta. Chris hid in the conservatory again. I waited some more and eventually started feeling contractions again. I still didn't feel the slightest urge to deliver the placenta. The baby had latched on at that point, so after a while I picked up the baby and stood up to see if that would help. Still no placenta. Chris reappeared, gave me a few suggestions and lef tme to it again. Just over an hour after C was born, I decided that I would try siting on the loo, and this worked and the placenta came out. Chris clamped the cord and Spence cut it. I had planned on using embroidery thread to tie the cord, but hadn't got round to making a cord tie, so Chris made me one and tied the cord with it. I lay on the sofa eating chocolate biscuits while Chris examined the placenta, checked me for tears (none! hurrah!) and did midwife stuff.
After a while, she left, and I lay on the sofa phoning people to tell them the news. I had an alarming moment where I bled quite a bit, but I felt OK, so after discussing it with Kim (my second midwife) decided that I was fine, and not to worry. Fleur dropped T back home at around half five, and practically keeled over from the oxytocin in the room. T got to meet her new baby brother and admire him a bit before going to bed. Spencer and I ordered pizza and drank champagne while deciding on a name. Then we went to bed, where I stayed for the next five days as I was determined to have a proper "lying in" and get lots of rest. I don't think I stopped smiling for a week. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have had such a wonderful experience. A lot of it was down to good luck, but I also think that the fantastic and sensitive support from Chris and Kim were what made things go so well. So yay for the fabulous birth and thank you very much to Spencer, Chris, Kim, Angela, Fleur and everyone who sent me good wishes..
If you don't want to read behind the cut, I had a lovely baby boy five weeks ago today, at home in the birth pool. Around 2 and a half hours for first stage (but only the last 20 minutes hurt) 12 minutes of pushing and just over an hour for the 3rd stage. He has spiky dark hair and is as lovely as his big sister. He weighed 3.5 kg.