Birth story - Heidi and baby Hudson

I woke at 5am on my due date to Baby A giving me a big kick and I felt a trickle - my waters had gone and my show followed.

I rang triage and headed to the hospital at 6am - I had my obs done and was monitored for half an hour before being examined. They confirmed my waters had gone with a swab but my cervix was closed. I was given 24 hours to go into spontaneous labour, otherwise, I was to go back in at 8am the following morning for an induction.

Back home I started having period like cramps - I bounced on my birth ball and then baked a cake, before having a sleep in the early afternoon.

On waking, I saw I’d had a heavy bleed, so I called the hospital and they asked me to come back in. I arrived at 4:30pm and was monitored again. I could hear them booking me a bed on the ward whilst I was in a bay, but I said I’d rather go home to give myself the best possible chance to go into spontaneous labour, especially as the results of the print out showed I was only having tightenings (ie not strong enough to be classed as contractions). They thought the bleed was a particularly heavy show and seemed amenable to letting me out. I was examined again and my cervix was 1-2cm dilated, there were unbroken waters bulging (it must have only been a partial breaking of my waters in the morning) and the head was low but when they took the speculum out there were a few blood clots on it so they decided they’d prefer to keep me in for 2 hours to be monitored. I was taken to the ward at 6:30pm and my husband brought me my bags to reception.

On the ward I had my obs, Covid and MRSA tests done. I put my headphones on and slept on the birth ball leaning on a pillow sprayed with my liquid yoga spray between tightenings which seemed to be getting stronger.

At 9pm I went to the loo and saw the pad was clear so knocked on the office and explained to a maternity assistant. They were doing handover and she said a midwife would be round shortly. This is when it all became a bit of a blur!

Back in the bay my waters broke dramatically all over me and the floor. I rang the bell and the assistant came again, saw what had happened and went to get me a gown and cleaning products - it took her 15 minutes to come back and I was drenched! In the meantime my ‘tightenings’ got stronger and I wet myself twice! The assistant got me to sit in a chair and remove my clothes and put on the gown. I asked if the pressure I felt in my bum was normal but she didn’t give an answer.

I started making guttural noises and was hanging onto the end of the bed breathing through the ‘tightenings’ - I was thinking, if this is 3cm dilated, how am I going to do this? I couldn’t even put the TENS machine on by myself or get snacks/some paracetamol out my bag.

Eventually the midwife came to my bay at 10:15pm - she would have heard me as she saw some other women in my bay before me during her round (everyone else was on bed rest). She asked if my waters had broken(!) and if she could examine me - I was fully dilated and ready to deliver!!! I was in total shock and asked her whether I should call my husband! Thankfully he hadn’t gone home during those 6 hours since I’d gone to triage but had hung about in the car/hospital foyer. I was told to pant and hold off pushing which was so so hard. Suddenly there were people around me to move me, I asked to go to the birth centre and I was wheeled there incredibly quickly.

Tim ran from the hospital foyer to the car to get the baby bag then to the birth centre. A midwife was trying to find him in the maternity area as reception hadn’t got authorisation yet for him to come in.

At the birth centre, they were filling up the pool but I was already pushing. I got on the mattresses on my knees leaning on a large pillow. I had two incredible midwives and a student helping me. Tim was feeding me coconut water and water through a straw, holding a fan on me, spraying liquid yoga spray around and he put on Ludovico Einaudi in the background. The lights were dimmed and the atmosphere calm.

At some point I switched to lie on my back with my legs open so the midwives could easily see what was happening as it was quite tight in the birth canal. They monitored Baby A’s heart beat between contractions and showed me what was happening with a mirror as I pushed. Whilst it was a massive workout it wasn’t too painful until Baby A crowned. There came a point where I sensed there was some urgency and was told I had to get Baby A’s head out on the next push as he was getting distressed. A doctor came in to help if needed. I did and he had his cord wrapped round his neck twice so the midwife whipped it off. His body slithered out on the next contraction and the midwives cut the cord straight away and rushed him off to be checked but he was crying as they did so so I knew he was fine - Tim went too and he was quickly brought back in for skin to skin and breastfeeding. That was when we saw he was a boy and it was the most wonderful moment. Tim cut the cord short and we chilled together as a family of 3.

After an hour the placenta hadn’t come away so I had the injection but it still didn’t 2 hours later. I had to try all sorts - pushing, standing up, sitting on a bowl on the loo. I was cannulated to empty my bladder to see if that would help but it didn’t. A doctor came to assist and I had a second injection and she managed to get it out - phew! I did not want to end up in surgery.

I was then checked and had a 2nd degree tear which took them over an hour to stitch up. They numbed the area first though and I held Hudson and chatted throughout to take my mind off it, so it wasn’t too bad.
We were then wheeled to a recovery room, I enjoyed tea and toast and a bath. As the birth centre was quiet they let Tim stay all day. We had so much help, especially with breastfeeding from the midwives and a lactation specialist. Hudson passed all his obs, had his hearing test, etc. We were then discharged at 6pm.

Even though reading this back it all seems a bit dramatic, I can honestly say I had an amazing, positive birth experience and I am indebted to the PBC for that. Anyone who has/is to give birth during Covid birth partner restrictions deserves a badge of honour in my opinion. You can do it!