Birth story - Harriet and baby Marta

 I was asleep, I had gone to bed at a normal time after an average day with nothing out of the ordinary, and then woke up covered in what I thought was wee and thought I’d wet myself but couldn’t work out how. I was so tired, walked to the toilet and it was just leaking everywhere so I put the bath on to have a wash, while the bath was on I laid on a towel in bed and just felt strangely sick and shaken! So strange. 

Whilst in the bath I felt another gush of fluid but I couldn’t see over my bump so I sort of ignored that. As I couldn’t tell what came out! 

It was around 1am then and I started getting the odd contraction, probably every 5-6 mins for 30/40 seconds, I was so in denial that anything was happening after being in hospital that day and them saying nothing was going on. And I also had a swab which determined I wasn’t going into labour in the next 14 days. 

I rang hospital to ask for their advice but said I wanted to stay at home, they just said I know what I’m looking out for so if I needed them I should call back with an update in a couple of hours. 

Within 10 or so mins I had a show, and my contractions were 4 in 10. I rang my mom to come over and I started to panic as Edith was born 21 mins after my waters went.

I got to the hospital around 2:30am ish.    

I was 6cm dilated, then at 4:03 she crowned and by 4:04 she was born.  

I needed IV antibiotics for strep b but only managed to get 40 mins worth in before she was born so not the full hour they like. 

I was on all 4s on the bed, I wasn’t allowed the water birth like Edith because she was pre term. So I didn’t see her come out due to my position which was a shame, but she was squashed for a while and her cord compressed in the canal so didn’t have oxygen for a while, I wasn’t aware of this as everybody in the room was super calm. I used gas and air to help me when she was crowning! Using all my breathing I learnt from the online hypnobirthing course previously with Edith in 2019. 

She was purple and not breathing when she was delivered so the cord was cut and all the doctors were in the room waiting for her, I didn’t know this as like I said I was facing the complete opposite way and it was so well controlled and calm. And I’m so grateful for that as I would have worried obviously and there was absolutely no need too. 

Only took the doctors around 30/40 seconds I think to bring her round, they were speaking to me the whole time with the midwives (only seconds but feels like a lifetime) saying ‘here she comes, she’s coming around now’ and then she cried. 

She hasn’t not needed any help with anything since. They took her to the baby unit for around 50 mins and got her drip sorted and things for antibiotics. She’s amazing and chunky and doing fab.

She was born at 36+5 weeks at a whopping 8lb3.5oz.