Birth story - Becky and baby Huey

I hope this gives others hope in these current times that homebirths are still achievable given service constraints & shortages as I sure did feel the anxiety around this throughout my pregnancy.

Leading up to the birth-

I'd been having period pains, back aches, lightening crotch for weeks & he was super low down, so the weight was intense below in my pelvis. With all this & him being engaged from early on, I was convinced he would arrived early.

Fast forward to 41+1 and the little Man was still tucked inside. Mum came to the rescue to help my anxiety regarding his birthday & we did everything possible with clary sage on the day before his birth. Room defuser, foot massage & all the acupuncture points to induce labour, as i wanted to induce things naturally. We also watched gone finishing in the evening, as this programme always grounds me as being busy with a toddler 2nd time round relaxation is much more difficult to get I found.

Birthday-

I had mild surges most of the evening before which I managed to sleep through as I was convinced at this point we'd be waiting a little longer, these carried onto the following day and we managed a family walk in the woods & a trip to the supermarket to get some lunch & treats in. My surges were much lower down this time round & they felt totally manageable so I carried on with my daily business.

You've got to laugh because on route back from the supermarket where we live the farmer was taking the cows to the field, so around 30+ cows & 2 x farmers asking how I was & whether our little boy had arrived yet, whilst I'm sat in the back of the car mid surge " I think he's coming soon" I said whilst thinking please don't things ramp up whilst we're trapped amongst so many cows- this did make us laugh though .

After eating lunch surges started to come in real fast, so i decided to time them, it all still felt totally manageable, as I swayed through them & used the wave comb at this point. I actually was surprised at how much I was enjoying this stage as my 1st birth I laboured for a long time in the pool & this felt more restricting for me. Walking around & being active was much more suitable for me. We tidied up after lunch & I thought best to call the Midwives to hear their thoughts.

She listened to a few surges I was having, timing them & said she would be with us within 30 mins due to the timings of things, I remember thinking that's quick surely there's more time & still being in denial that I was labouring, as I expected things to slow down like they'd done for weeks prior to this. Oh, how I was wrong.

She arrived @ 1.30pm & observed me, this felt amazing as I was SO worried homebirths would be suspended. She advised that she didn't think an VE would be helpful as she could see baby would be born soon/today from my movements & breathe alone.

My mum arrived at this point as she was looking after our little boy & this is when things became much more chatty & distracting at home for me. It was then that my mum told me how she was shocked I was in established labour also, as I was fully clothed at this point, talking after surges passed & swaying on the door frame. It felt so lovely how our little boy was around for most of the labour too, he wasn't phased at all & just carried on playing with his toys. It felt special to have him so close for the majority of the birth .

I remember becoming quite irritable here as my mum chatted away to the midwife & I requested that I wanted some quiet time, I was still unsure if I wanted our 3 year old around as I was managing well, however my mum left @ 2.15pm to give me that space/quiet I longed for.

It was quite surreal waving our little boy off thinking when he came back his brother would be here for him to meet. I gave him a big cuddle & heard the midwife saying to my mum "not long at all" I trusted her completely as I still hadn't been examined however she was advising me that she could tell as my swaying/movements were becoming more open to support babies arrival- it's bloody amazing how the body works & how midwifes know from looking at you alone without any internal observations of your progress. She also said my swaying movement would continue to soothe baby once he was here & I do this now when he's unsettled at night, it works a treat .

My mum & toddler left & here's where things changed super quickly, surges became more intense, i still managed to sway through them & used the wave comb at these points.

The pool was also filled, however I had no intention of getting in it as I knew this would slow things down like it did my 1st birth & I liked having more movement on land, feeling more in control.

As soon as my mum & little boy left I had my wobble " can i do this?" still in denial that this could be transition. Then I remember saying to the midwife, I think I need a wee/poo as he was so far down & this was causing massive pressure. She advised I could go upstairs to try however I explained if I went upstairs I didn't think I would make it down & she reminded me that it wasn't a poo or wee I needed that it was my baby getting closer to meeting us super soon.

I then turned to grab my midwifes hands & lowered myself onto the birth ball, leaning over it was a massive relief & this is when I believed we were on our way to meeting our baby boy soon. The moment I lowered myself on the floor things ramped up.

I remember swearing lots at this point & I struggled to gain my downward breathing, like my upward breathing used up until now.

So I made raspberries with my lips, like blowing underwater & ohmmmmmd as I knew this would keep my 'floppy lips, floppy fanny' thanks to the Naked Doula.

I also remember my husband ensuring I was in KICO position, moving my legs out at points. We only had 1 x midwife with us at this point however the 2nd one arrived 5 minutes before he was born.

The midwifes were quite chatty & excited at this point, which did distract me however I put my focus back into the ohmmmming & blowing him out with my lips action & held tightly onto my midwife& husbands hands.

I felt the pressure continue & heard the midwife say it looked like he would be born in his sac, explaining that she could break them however that she didn't see the point as it was happening fast & he would be here soon. None of this phased me as I trusted her completely & I trusted my body that it knew what to do even given the fact he would be born in his sac. I felt lots of pressure as I didn't get that relief from my waters going but I knew this would pass after he was born so kept going to the finish line I kept thinking.

Again this was the most intense part but I remember thinking " I'm doing this & I can do this" and I used the Mantra, ‘I am safe, well & healthy.’ This just helped those doubts when they crept in.

My husband cheering me on telling me how well I was doing was also lovely & helped lots, with a cold flannel on my neck which was lovely.

Moments later baby slipped out, still in his sac, @ 3pm after the midwife arriving @ 1.30pm. The Midwifes were so excited at this as apparently it's super rare for them to witness an En Caul birth and super lucky.

They broke his waters & then passed him to me under my legs cord still attached.

I'll never forget this moment- it happened in slow motion & It was absolutely amazing!

I said yes to the injection for the placenta mainly because I just wanted to relax now & take it all in, this came out instantly & we had delayed cord clamping, husband cut the cord & we both got that glorious skin to skin.

Baby Huey also latched for 2 long feeds & when I was checked, to my surprise, there were no tears or stitches needed.

Our little boy arrived home 1 x hour later to meet his brother just amazing! I still can't believe how blessed we are to have experienced a 2nd homebirth, let alone to have such a positive experience. Given the NHS difficulties with shortages etc I was so so anxious that a homebirth would be off the cards. I shared this with my hospital trust well into early pregnancy and I have to say although they couldn't guarantee a homebirth for me, they were SO supportive every step in helping me to keep positive & hopeful.

I kept in contact with the head of midwifery who would give me staffing updates & an insight into other homebirths in the area around the time I was due. This helped to give me hope & some element of control as I knew how important that Oxytocin was and wanted that stress response gone.

I feel so blessed to have had such a service, however I'm aware that if I hadn’t spoken openly around my concerns & anxieties that this could have been a different story.

To anyone worrying about the same, I hope this offers some much needed hope .

I felt so calm & at ease throughout even given the speed of things & really felt my midwife who I hadn't met until this day was in tune with me, leaving me to do my thing, observing and trusting in what my body was doing. Having a birth plan certainly helped, as she explained she’s read my notes at the hospital & straight away she slotted into how I wanted things to be without being asked. Reading peoples positive birth stories in the build up to my birth really helped too especially given my anxieties in going "over " and the worries over homebirths being suspended.

Thank you, the Positive Birth Company, 2 cherished & positive homebirth stories with memories which will last a lifetime and all down to you for helping me to become educated & empowered in my birth preferences & wishes throughout, I can't thank you enough!