Birth story - Georgia and baby Clementine

Another midwife having a baby!

Having been privileged to be present at lots of births of lots of beautiful babies, I was both excited and apprehensive as to how pregnancy and birth was going to feel on the other side. I was working as part of a case loading team (looking after women throughout their pregnancy birth and after they’ve had their baby) so I was lucky enough to have two colleagues from my team and great friends looking after me throughout my pregnancy and birth.

I downloaded the digital pack pretty quickly into my pregnancy to keep my mind from straying into a work headspace and stay in a pregnant mother headspace instead! It really helped me to stay focused and positive throughout. When induction was mentioned at 37 weeks because she was small on scans I used my BRAIN and asked for another scan with a more senior sonographer, which was totally normal so I declined any more scans as I was so happy with my movements and I just felt she was the right size for me! She was!

Cut to my amazingly positive birth! I started having regular surges on Mother’s Day at my mums house after a Sunday roast and a sweep and aromatherapy massage with accupressure on Friday (recommend massage, it was amazing). I had been having surges on and off for a week or so but this time they stayed put! I managed to stay at home using the bath and pacing the garden with my TENS and FREYA with my mum through the early stages.

Things ramped up pretty quickly after my second bath and at 8pm I called my midwife and I headed to the MLU having surges every few minutes. They slowed down a bit when I arrived but soon came back again and I had five hours with four surges in ten minutes, in and out of the pool and coping with my TENS but at 6cm I felt this unbelievable pressure with every surge and my waters just would not break even after endless squatting!

So using my BRAIN between surges so I knew it wasn’t the surges talking, I decided having an epidural was the best decision for me and my partner. I walked myself to labour ward (practice what you preach I always encourage women to walk) knowing soon I was going to have a rest and hopefully meet my baby with more energy.

I have to say I loved it!

It was totally what I needed. My midwife broke my waters which she said were super tough and probably wouldn’t have broken on their own and it felt amazing even with an epidural. After they broke it was easier for the midwife to feel her position and we realised she was back to back, so I knew I had a few more hours left and my surges, following the waters breaking, had increased again to between 5-6 in ten minutes not that I felt them! So I really felt that I had made the best decision for me and my body.

Morning came and the second midwife from our team, an amazing colleague and friend, took over. At 10 o’clock I felt my body totally change and felt loads of pressure I had an examination and sure enough I was ready to meet my baby, my original midwife was called and came back from home because she wanted to be there to meet my baby even on zero hours sleep! (She was just there as a friend not a midwife).

At 11 o’clock I reached down and felt her head and loads of hair, and at 11.33 she was in my arms and she was a girl! We really were convinced she was going to be a boy so we were all in shock. I had a physiological third stage and no stitches so I really feel I got everything I could have hoped for.

My midwives were amazing and I couldn’t have done it without them but I also couldn’t have done it without my mum, my birth partner and the positive birth company! Your support team are so important!

Thank you Siobhan Miller, I really think your digital pack provides continuity for women we desperately need in midwifery and sadly can’t always provide, you’re doing a wonderful thing!