Birth story - Francesca and baby girl

*Trigger warning* - episiotomy/contraction/unconventional pain management during early labour

I had a my first baby in 2021 and was induced during labour due to “failure to progress” which ended in an epidural and ventouse delivery with a back to back baby.

Because of that first experience I was very keen to make sure this pregnancy my baby was in the optimal position for birth. I had a very smooth pregnancy and spent the final trimester decorating the entire house myself (I’m talking laying carpet on stairs the works ) I don’t get cravings but I tend to get the craziest urge for nesting during pregnancy and actually preferred to go overdue so I could get everything done.

On my due date I saw my midwife at home with my toddler and mentioned I had been having period like cramps on and off and we jokingly said maybe today would be the day as my last daughter was very prompt and came on her due date!

Looking back I now know this was the beginnings of early labour but they were really sporadic and not painful at all so got on with my day with my toddler.

Around 8pm that evening I decided to have a long relaxing calming bath with clary sage oil and lavender put a face mask on and get in the mood…however my toddler had other plans and dumped all her toys in the bath and decided she would join me at this point I popped the Freya app on in the background as these period like cramps were mild but coming every 30mins.

The rest of the evening carried on like this until around 2am they were more intense and every 10-20 mins. They were not too bad but I decided to pop the tens machine on as I heard you get the benefits of it the earlier you start to use it. I went downstairs and was now using the app to take note of contractions they were a minute long but still anything between 10-20 mins apart and I was having to breathe through them.

In my head I was counting down to 8am as a goal as that was when my midwife would be back on duty as our plan was a Homebirth. By 8am the surges were every 10 mins and I was able to breath through them with the help of the tens machine and wooden combs in my hands (they really work guys get some!)

I called my midwife and she told me that since I was coping well I should carry on and give a call back when they were 2 in 10 since this is a second pregnancy. And that’s what we did, I called my mum as she was to be my second birth partner, and I continued to labour standing leaning over the bed. My partner was downstairs with my toddler and I was quite happy being alone, the contractions were getting more intense and were now 2 in 10 but overall still manageable. I thought in my head I’m ready to get things moving along now so took myself off to the bathroom and decided to try something that is a bit controversial but whatever! I was willing to give all things a go, and decided to masturbate as I heard this can kick things into gear. Cue the most awkward orgasm ever but I got there in the end and it did the trick literally within minutes contractions were stronger and closer together.

By around 10:30am my mum had arrived so I decided to call back the midwife as things were getting more intense. She said she would be there in 15 minutes.

11:00 am the midwife is here and takes a look at me and says I’m in established labour but I didn’t believe her and asked to be examined. I was a stretchy 7. All of the sudden I got this intense urge to clean and organise the house for no bloody reason and my midwife had to tell me to focus! Another 15 mins passed and I could hear these weird animalistic noises and realised oh my god it’s me! Honestly, I couldn’t even reinact those noises if I tried. I was alone in the bathroom and the midwife came rushing in as she heard these noises just as my waters broke dramatically.

The feeling of them going was so relieving, contractions stopped for about 5 minutes and all I remember thinking was, gosh this isn’t so bad at all. Then my body just changed and the sensation was telling my body to push down. The second midwife was called and now all of a sudden the bathroom was full with everyone including my toddler popping in and out to see what was going on.

I got the urge to take all my clothes off and stripped down to a bra and was bearing down. My midwife said not long now, I remember not feeling pain as such but more so this is hard work…like the biggest poo of your life kind of hard work. This went on for 2 hours but felt like 5 mins to me and the midwife’s were concerned that she wasn’t out as every time I pushed she would crown and then go back up despite being so low. They mentioned her heart rate kept dipping but would recover so baby was coping fine but they were keeping a close eye. Another 30 mins passed and I just couldn’t push her out so it was decided to move off the bathroom floor into the bedroom to have an episiotomy whilst an ambulance was called to be transferred in. An injection was given to numb the area and the cut was made during the peak of a contraction so you don’t feel it so much. Throughout all this I was still pushing and baby was coming out a little then slipping back in. Then entered three burly paramedic men whilst my legs were up in the air. No amount of encouragement or anything was helping me get her out, and just like that my dream of a homebirth was over and to the hospital it is!

So… I’m still pushing during contractions and I need to somehow get down 2 flights of stairs and I’m still just wearing a bra and was so in the zone I could have quite happily walked out the house in the middle of the day like that! Anyway, as per my birth plan if I needed to transfer my mum would be coming with me and my partner was to stay home with my toddler as she missed my first birth due to covid restrictions. As she cared for my modesty more than I did she frantically called out for someone to get me a dressing gown to throw on and my lovely partner (bless him) decided now was the time to hand over my lovely silk kimono that is SO ridiculously over the top and off I go outside into the back of the ambulance with a silk train flowing behind me and no knickers!

Throughout all this commotion I was incredibly calm and was sort of having an out of body experience and was smiling at the fact that it was like an episode of eastenders! We were at the hospital within 5 minutes and contractions were non stop, we were greated at the reception by the midwife and zoomed up to the ward and within 4 mins I was handed gas & air and a ventouse cup was put on and baby was out, star gazing, which explains why it was so hard for my to get her out. She must have changed position during the last stage as she was always in the optimal position throughout labour.

Overall it was a positive experience I was able to stay calm throughout and honestly as soon as she was out I turned to my mum and said despite it not going to plan I’d have 10 babies, I can’t believe I managed the pain so well this time round with the help of this course.