Birth story - Abbi and baby girl

*Trigger Warning* - bleeding at 27 weeks and mention of road traffic accident, sickness, tearing and stitches required. Growth scans.

Pregnancy

I used the PBC for my first pregnancy/birth (story on here from September 2019), and found it really helped me understand the process without scaring me, but informing me.

My pregnancy was fairly straight forward, though this time round I had a lot more sickness right up until week 16. I also found it much harder with a toddler in tow, and not being able to rest as much when needed. Other than that I managed ok, though felt much bigger and heavier than my first pregnancy. I was monitored a little more this time round as my first daughter was small for gestational age, so I had growth scans at 34 and 38 weeks which showed normal growth. At 27 weeks I was involved in a road traffic accident and experienced some bleeding, so was monitored but all was well and the bleeding did not return.

My first labour was quite quick and I gave birth within 3 hours of getting to the hospital, so during midwife appointments I was advised that I would need to get to the hospital quickly or consider a home birth. I had thought a home birth would be a good option, but as we were due to move house, we weren’t certain it was the best.

The thought of having an even quicker labour, or unplanned home birth did make me a little anxious, mainly due to my toddler potentially being around, which I know isn’t a bad thing as birth is amazing and incredibly empowering but I knew I wouldn’t be able to relax and birth with a toddler in the room. So we decided on a hospital birth with a preference of the MLU (though this was a 40 min drive away so we wern’t ever sure if we’d make it there).

My first daughter was born at 41+1 and so I wasn’t expecting an earlier arrival, though was hoping to as we exchanged on our new home and completion date was set for when I would be 41 + 1, so I knew if not earlier then hopefully after the house move would be ideal.

Towards the end of my pregnancy, I found it a little harder to plan our days with our toddler, and felt that we couldn’t always promise what we would be doing in a day, so as to not upset her, but we tried to continue on with as many of the regular activities as possible.

I felt a little emotional during my last week at times wondering if it would be the last time I would do certain things like bedtime, or the nursery drop off.

From around 38+5 I had been getting some uncomfortable braxton hicks, which I didn’t get during my first pregnancy, so each time I wondered if things were starting to happen.

Day of birth: Saturday morning (39+2).

We hadn’t planned anything for our Saturday other than going to the play park and shopping. We were having quite a lazy morning, I even managed a little lie in and was sat playing with my toddler in the living room in our PJs. It felt very chilled for once and we had some nice cuddles on the sofa (probably got the oxytocin flowing) I started to feel some twinges and period like cramping on and off but as I had been having similar feelings for the past few days I didn’t initially think anything of it, but then they started to feel a little more regular. I had a general feeling that things were starting to happen, so got my toddler ready and jumped in the shower.

As I was in the shower I felt a strong surge that made me have to grab the wall and breathe through it.

I got out and said to my husband that I thought things may be starting to happen but wasn’t 100% sure. I continued to get ready and even decided to do my make up properly around 10 minutes later I had another surge and my husband found me leaning over my vanity and breathing through the surges. I suggested to him that we needed to get his mum to collect our daughter. This was around 10:50am.

I still wasn’t timing surges at this point properly, more looking at the clock and seeing they were around 10 minutes apart.

They then quickly escalated and turned into between 5-7 minutes apart, and so we raised the alarm officially to my mother in law.

At this point I was managing ok and still breathing through them, but pacing a little as my priority was getting my daughter out of the house.

My mother in law arrived and got my daughter about 11:30. Things started to slow down after this point, I think due to feeling a bit stressed over organising getting my daughter cared for.

Once my daughter was out of the house. I sat on the sofa with my husband, put on my TENS, had a cup of tea and started watching the taskmaster (comedy programme) My surges were then 17 minutes apart at one point, so I started to doubt things were happening and so got myself some lunch. They came back at around 10 minutes apart and seemed to ramp up when I stood up or walked around. I went upstairs to the toilet around 12:30 and had a couple of back to back surges, and looking at the timings on my Freya app they were now 4 minutes apart. I then decided to phone triage.

I informed the midwife of the timings but that my previous labour was quick so wanted to be assessed if possible. I was advised to come in.

I decided at that point that we would just go to labour ward which is a 5 minute drive away, as was still in denial about being in labour and thought we’d be sent home and may have time to drive to the MLU.

We made it to the hospital just before 1pm. The walk from the car park to labour ward seemed like the longest walk of my life, I had to keep stopping to squat down on the ground during each surge.

We arrived on the ward and I remember seeing the clock say 13:04pm.

We met our midwife, who happened to be the same midwife that delivered our first daughter 3 years earlier We also had a student midwife present also.

I had some more strong and frequent surges whilst waiting to be assessed but managed to breathe through them. I was asked if I consented to an examination and I agreed as wanted to know if I was in labour. I felt by this stage I was.

I was examined and told I was 6cm but could stretch to 7cm easily so officially in labour. I asked if the pool room was available and it wasn’t. The ward was pretty full and they even struggled to find me a birthing ball. My husband connected my music to the Bluetooth speaker and the lights were dimmed / blinds closed.

I was asked to confirm some preferences and we talked about delayed clamping and skin to skin.

I had my tens machine on and managed for a short time to breathe through the surges. I was offered gas and air and had this next to me, which I decided to only use at the during surges. Last time I used it pretty much constantly and felt very out of it.

During surges I managed to chat easily with the midwife and my husband, who was constantly making terrible jokes, and acting the fool as always. At one point I decided that the TENS wasn’t needed as so took it off. My husband then decided to wear it as “his back was sore” he wore it for the rest of my labour and birth and had said “at least your pain will end in a few hours, my back has been sore for weeks” - he got a slap in the head at this point!

Surges then really ramped up and felt back to back, so I was using the gas and air more. I suddenly felt then need to push and my waters broke. I had a few pushes and felt the head crowning but I then had a bit of a wobble saying that I couldn’t do it quite frequently.

My husband, and midwife then just championed me to keep going, and at one point he said think of what Sophia (our eldest daughter) would say “you can do it mummy” this really spurred me on and after another 3 active pushes she was here born at 16:04pm (just 3 hours after walking onto the ward) she was placed on my chest for skin to skin.

My placenta followed quite quickly afterwards naturally.

I had one small tear this time (as opposed to 3 tears last time), and so had this stitched up.

I had some time in the room afterwards, and some amazing tea and toast and a shower.

I was offered to go to the post natal ward afterward but didn’t feel it was needed, so 3 hours after giving birth we were on our way home, in time for bedtime with big sister.