Birth story - Ella and baby Addie

On the morning of the 7th of November, my partner and I started our day like most others. We made coffee and sat out in the sun, we randomly decided to go get donuts for breakfast and laughed about how good a day we were having. I stood up to get something and a huge gush of water spilt out of me, I thought I had just peed (pregnancy joys), but I soon realised it was different. I called my mid wife and said I think my waters have broken. She asked me to come in so she could confirm.

In good spirits we set off to the hospital, water dripping out of me like a tap. The mid wife confirmed my waters had indeed broken and booked me for an induction in 24 hours. I really did not want an induction and I voiced this. She explained that I could go into natural labour soon and then would not need the induction. My partner and I went home and set up our ‘nest’. We dimmed the lights, lit candles and turned on our salt lamp. I bounced on a fitness ball and we watched Parks and Recreation, resulting in lots of laughter.

The day went on and I didn’t really feel anything. I kept saying maybe I’m having period pains, but I think I was just trying to trick myself into being in labour so I wouldn’t have to have an induction. It got to 7pm and we ordered spicy Nandos, I remember eating it happily still feeling nothing. It got to 8pm and I started feeling something for real now, pains in my back and lower stomach. By 8.30 I felt there was some sort of pattern and we started using the Freya App. By 9pm I was getting through the contractions with the Freya App and my partner reminding me to breathe. The breathing helped me so much, in for 3 out for 6 was my rhythm. The contractions started getting more intense so I put a tens machine on too. Things seemed to be moving really fast so we called the mid wife. She said because I was a first time mum and I probably had a long way to go, to try ride it out at home a bit longer. So I kept going.

At about 10pm we called again, I wanted to be in hospital now, but she said the same thing, reminding me if I wasn’t 4cm dilated they would just send me home. She said to come in if I wanted pain relief though. It wasn’t that I couldn’t handle the contractions- I just felt the baby was ready. I remember hiding in the dark bathroom crouched on the floor and telling my partner I don’t care we are going in now. So we called the midwife and said we were on our way, she again reminded me that I’d have to go home if I wasn’t 4cm. We got to hospital, the car trip is a blur. The walk from the car to the labour ward felt so long.

I was laying on the bed and the midwife was checking how dilated I was and her face dropped. My stomach sunk. I was scared something was wrong. She said ‘oh my god you’re fully dilated’ It was now 11.30pm. I asked for the epidural, but she said it was too late the baby was coming. We moved to a birthing suite and put on a birthing playlist my best friend had made for her own labour. We had a different midwife now and she was so awesome. I kept breathing through the contractions and using a bit of gas and air, however it just made me feel nauseous. I got an overwhelming feeling to push and kept going to the toilet, the midwife laughed and said ‘babe that’s the head, let’s have this baby.’

After an hour of pushing, our baby fell into my partners arms and they passed my little girl up to me - the moments after that really are a blur. Addie joined us at 1am on the 8th of November, following a really positive labour.

I want to remind women to trust your body - you know what’s happening more than anyone else! The midwife told me they just couldn’t believe I was fully dilated because I was just so calm, I owe a lot of this calmness to the Positive Birth Company hypnobirthing!