Birth story - Imogen and baby Kit

After completing the digital pack three years ago, and having a positive water birth at my local midwife led unit with my first baby - a chunky baby boy born 11 days 'overdue' - I knew I wanted the same experience again for my next birth.

In the lead up to my due date I listened again to the positive birth affirmations and reminded myself about the different stages and how best to help my labour along. I counteracted my fear with facts and a clear head, and felt ready to go again.

I started experiencing surges in the evening at 40+1. I breathed through them and was pleased when they petered out and allowed me to have a full nights sleep. I had a few days of early labour just like this with my first, so I didn't let myself get stressed about when it may get going.

The next morning I felt a 'pop' in the car as we were dropping my son at nursery. We were headed into hospital anyway for a growth scan, and I had a few surges in the car on the way there. Luckily the hospital scared them away again (I had my heart set on my midwife unit) and the baby was completely fine. A midwife checked and said the 'pop' was likely my plug starting to come away.

Back home they started back up again, and around 2pm I rang my mum as I finally believed that today was the day and she needed to drive the two hours to be there for my son. Because I understood what was happening with my body, I was able to observe the intensity during a contraction and then the complete comfort once it stopped, and calmly breathe through them. I rang my unit and let them know I was in labour, and got into the bath.

I enjoyed relaxing with sporadic surges for around an hour before I did some nipple stimulation to get it going. And wow that worked. My mum arrived and we rang the midwives to say we were coming in NOW!

When we arrived, the birth pool was ready for me, in the same room I had my son in. I felt so comforted and at home in that familiar environment! There was soft lighting and fairy lights already set up, and I was the only labouring woman at the unit. I was 5cm dilated and hopped straight into the pool at 5.30pm.

I was still getting a good rest between surges at that point, and chatting with my midwife and the lovely student midwife who stayed by my side throughout. As time wore on the surges became closer together, with a double peak, which they explained was probably the baby turning into the perfect position to come out. My student midwife soothed me through the very intense surges by asking me to visualise a hot air balloon peaking above the horizon and slowly going down, and I used gas and air. I didn't want to get out to be examined, and I knew i was progressing well so I decided I wouldn't have pethidine this time. To a degree I was able to detatch from the pain and look at it objectively as a means to an end. I repeated affirmations to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to.

I reached a familiar point where it all became too much and the midwife told me it was likely transition. They asked if I was feeling 'pushy' and I said that I was. I was encouraged to go with my body and I managed to push out my baby in around a 15 minute down stage, with my waters going just before I birthed the head, exactly the same as last time! Baby Kit was born at 8.30pm - three hours after I arrived, just as the midwives were handing over to the on call night shift, so four midwives watched his birth (which I was fine with).

We had a cuddle for a few minutes before I lifted him up to see the gender. I then got out to birth the placenta. I enjoyed feeling much more present and with it this time. I wanted toast to settle my stomach and to establish feeding before I had a couple of stitches and some pain relief for the after pains. We were home in our own bed by 1am!

Thank you for teaching me to trust my body, I am so proud of what I achieved.