Birth story - Alysha and baby Noah

**Trigger warning** : Mention of prior stillbirth and the word contractions. Also two years late!

I was induced using Foley catheter due to prior stillbirth (due to knot in umbilical cord). I had a bit of a crazy birth, though it went very well. I didn’t even get registered at hospital before you were born, so missed getting IV for antibiotics for Group B Strep.

I was induced Friday night, so had a Foley catheter put in. Contractions started at midnight, and I was assuming it would take a while and my last opportunity to be solo for a while so I took a bath while watching ‘Call the Midwife.’ At 1am my contractions were coming pretty consistently about two or three minutes apart. I was surprised they were picking up so soon since last time I was induced I needed an IV to get things moving. I went to bed and tried to sleep.

At 3 I called hospital with strong contractions and they said there was no chance I was far enough along and to not come in unless the Foley falls out or it becomes unbearable. At some point I started tracking them using the app. My contractions were now one minute long coming every two minutes.

At 4:30 things really kicked up. I could lay down for a minute at a time but had to be hands and knees. I could no longer rest since surges were stronger.

By six am I couldn’t contract without standing, leaning on something and humming. I knew if we didn’t leave soon I wouldn’t be able to get in the car. I got Dad up and both of us were confused why contractions were so strong since I was told my “body was not ready” since the Foley had not fallen out. When I called earlier was told I couldn’t be more that 2 or 3 cm. I finally convinced Dad to take me in.

It was difficult sitting in the car and I braced myself and pushed myself up off the seat every few minutes. We arrived around 6:45. The staff could tell from my expressions I was in labour, and took me to triage. We had the nurse Nicole who was present for your brothers birth. The nurse was so confused, as to why I seemed in the second stage of labour when I “couldn’t be dilated because the catheter would have come out”. She left the room. I was standing up and got super hot. She came in and out a few times, and kept trying to take out the Foley. They checked your heart and all was well.

Dad called Grannie and told her things were picking up. The nurse came back in the room and saw I was really feeling it. I was consistently on my hands and knees on the bed now, she suggested taking a morphine pill. She was about to go get it for me I told her I felt like I had to push (poop). She had me lay down again (which was very difficult) and tried pulling the catheter out for the forth time. Instantly it came out and my water shot all over her, dripping down her side. It turns out the Foley was stuck with your head holding it in place! You were crowning. No time now for pain relief, so a natural birth it would be.

The nurse wheeled the bed out to the labour ward running the whole way. She yelled for some other nurses to follow. When we arrived in the birthing room they made me transfer to a new bed, I was not impressed! They kept asking me to move but the urge to push was strong so it took a few minutes. You came out in a few strong pushes. I actually resisted the urge to push (as much as I could) to check that a nurse had arrived behind me to catch you!

All the nurses there said they’d never heard of a babies head holding the Foley in before. I wonder if you would have come sooner if not blocked in there. It was an exciting morning for all involved.