Birth story - Emily and baby Rupert

I downloaded the digital pack at 20 weeks pregnant following recommendations from friends. My husband and I loved watching the videos, especially the ‘science’ bit- it is so amazing what a woman’s body can do!
I really enjoyed reading the positive birth stories during my pregnancy so wanted to give something back to the community by sharing mine.

My story isn’t the typical positive birth experience but I view it as wholly positive and the most amazing experience of my life. I felt calm and in control throughout the entire (39 hour!!) labour and this is because of the tools I learnt from the digital pack.

I started contractions at 17.00 on Thursday the 21st of February just as I was finishing packing my hospital bag! These started like a strong period pain in my lower tummy that came and went every 10 minutes. I hadn’t slept at all the night before (Wednesday) due to strong braxton-hicks and Rupert kicking me constantly throughout the night. I gave my husband a call and he started heading back from London where he had been working. I ran a lovely hot bath put my LED candles on and listened to the Freya app. My contractions continued to come and at 19.30 I had my bloody show. When my husband got back about 21.00 my contractions were coming every 5 minutes so we watched some Netflix’s, put my TENs machine on and I bounced on my birthing ball/did some gentle yoga.

At about this time I started vomiting which unfortunately continued throughout my labour. At 03.00am Friday contractions were coming every 3 minutes and FREYA let us know it was time to go to hospital. I found getting in the car to transfer to hospital quite uncomfortable due to the position of the seats but luckily we only live a 5 minute drive away from the hospital.

On arrival at the MLU on the assessment ward I was told I was 3-4cm dilated and had the option to return home for a few hours or stay in and be re-examined in 2 hours. I decided to stay in as I really did not fancy another car journey. During the two hours we walked up and down the hospital staircase and had the midwives run me another bath-pure bliss! I can’t overstate how much relief you get from stepping into the warm water.

On examination I was up to 4cm and allowed to transfer to the delivery room with the birthing pool (room 2!)

I laboured in the pool for 19.5 hours before deciding I would like to try some gas and air. This stuff is brilliant- my husband tells me I said some very wacky things while on it! 🤣

By this point I was still only at 6cms so the midwives asked me if I would like my waters breaking. Using BRAIN we decided that this was the best option to try and speed things up. During the examinations when I had to get out of the pool I ensured that my TENs machine was ready to go straight back on as the surges were much more powerful now. Throughout this I was still being very sick- every mouthful of water I sipped would come straight back up. I had been given four injections of anti-emetics by this point but was beginning to feel weak due to lack of water and food. So much for all the yummy hospital snacks we had packed! I was put on a drip to rehydrate me as ketones had been found in my urine-a sign of severe dehydration.

The Midwife’s suggested giving me some pethidine to allow me to have some sleep and some additional strength for the rest of the labour. I didn’t feel like I needed the pethidine as surges were completely manageable with my breathing and TENs but my husband felt it was a good idea to get some rest as I had been in labour for many hours by this point. After a rest I was examined and again told I was 8cms (I had been at 8cms for 6hours)

At this point the lovely midwive said she felt it was best for me to transfer to consultant lead care to be put on syntocin as I was progressing very slowly and she was worried about my dehydration and the stress a long labour may be having on baby. I wasn’t happy to be transferred as I felt so comfortable and safe on the MLU and I wouldn’t be allowed the water birth I had wanted. However, the midwife said she would stay with me and I felt it was the best decision for me and baby due to how long labour was taking.

I was put on the syntocin drip and advised to have an epidural so that I could get some rest. Again, I didn’t really want an epidural but the anaesthetist said I could control how much drug was administered so had just the initial dose and could still feel all my contractions/move my legs which is what I was most worried about with an epidural.

The consultant came to examine me 4 hours later and I was at 9cms. There was still a small amount of cervix in the way so the consultant asked permission to try and move this so I would be at 10cms. I accepted this as by this point I was absolutely exhausted.

I was in the ‘pushing’ stage for two hours but the baby was moving down only very slowly and his heart was starting to decelerate due to the strength of the contractions. This was a low point for me as I felt I had nothing left to give and was falling asleep/losing consciousness between contractions. The consultant returned and said it was not safe for me to continue to labour anymore and I would have to go to theatre for a c-section. I did not want a c-section so asked the consultant for other options using BRAIN. He agreed that all attempts would be made for an instrumental delivery (if baby was far enough down) and a c-section would be the final resort. I consented to this as things were beginning to get unsafe for me and baby. During my wheelchair transfer to surgery I continued to push down into my bottom- I wanted to get baby as far down as I possibly could to avoid a section.

My epidural was topped up and I was wheeled in to theatre. The consultant was able to deliver baby by episiotomy and ventouse (vacuum cup) as I had managed to push baby down far enough during my transfer.

Unfortunately, the reason for my slow labour (as well as my sickness) was that the umbilical cord was found to be wrapped twice around babies neck. I wasn’t able to have delayed cord clamping or skin to skin as the emergency team of paediatric doctors rushed in and baby was taken straight away to be resuscitated. Luckily Rupert recovered quickly and he did not need to be transferred to the neonatal unit as I had been initially told.

I know that my birth story may seem far from positive. I even had a hospital councillor come to see me on the recovery ward and suggest I have a birth debriefing with the head midwife due to my ‘traumatic birth’. However for me this was the best experience of my life and I feel so blessed that my son and I are happy and healthy (if a little sore!) I really do owe this to the PBC as it gave me the mental strength, positivity and tools to cope with whatever labour may bring. The midwives and doctors all commented on how well I had coped and how calm I was throughout- this is the magic of hypnobirthing!

Thank you Siobhan ❤️