Birth story - Josie and baby Milo

*Trigger warning* - mention of tear in previous birth, strep B positive, contractions, amniotomy, postpartum blood loss.

Previous Birth

For my first birth I had a hospital midwife-unit led birth and while I still feel it was positive, there were more interventions than I wanted leading to a difficult newborn stage. And it was during the pandemic - I had serious isolation and depression. So I was determined to have another go at it with even better results (and I did!!).

Pregnancy

I’m not blessed with easy pregnancies but they are at least low-risk. Like my first I experienced severe morning sickness and pelvic girdle pain most of the pregnancy. Getting on nausea meds early helped me survive. Running after my toddler this time around kept me busy and away from severe PPD / anxiety.

Early Labor

(12/13) woke up around 6:30 AM to a contraction, knowing it wasn’t just Braxton Hicks, and started timing using the Freya app. Noticed more mucus plug coming away (I never saw bloody show though). These were fairly low intensity but not much time in between. They ramped up quickly as I bounced on my ball and listened to the app for breathing. I made sure to eat and drink lots of liquids.

9:45 AM - after sorting out childcare for our toddler we headed in to the birthing center with our doula and midwife team. They wanted me in early to get the penicillin drip for Group B Strep, which I didn’t mind because it meant I could spend more time laboring in the spa-like birthing center.

10:55 AM - was checked and confirmed to be at 5 cm. This was my first check all pregnancy. IV inserted into hand (after 3 tries, I have tricky veins) and first penicillin drip started.

This birth I wanted all the important women in my life there, so I had my mom, two sisters and sister in law in the room with me. They arrived about this time. Their positive, upbeat energy was super helpful for me personally during active labor!

Active Labor

This time around I was able to truly use my BRAIN and also the glorious pool. I intermittently labored on the toilet as well to open up my pelvis and relax those muscles. My doula and husband massaged me and spoke affirmations the entire time and I only doubted I could do this once or twice during transition and the pushing stage.

3:37 PM - checked again, 7 cm. Spent this time bouncing on the ball and on the toilet.

5:30 PM - Dilation was still at 7 cm, so using my BRAIN we decided to give the pool another try. It was a beautiful rest period.

6:05 PM - But I was getting impatient and tired so we used BRAIN again to choose to rupture the amniotic sack which still hadn’t broken. Things ramped up quickly after. I spent most of transition standing over the bed or in the tub. When my body started bearing down I used down breathing (mooing) but was also told not to push before my body was ready (a problem I’d had with my first birth that resulted in an extra long transition period due to irritated cervix). So I listened to my body and was able to breathe steadily through transition and then pushing. It took 46 minutes from the time waters broke to baby’s delivery.

The feeling of the ring of fire was a different sort of pain to the immense pressure of bearing down, but it actually excited me because I knew baby was almost here! I was able to push him out fully on my own, reach down, scoop him up with one hand, flip him over and put him on my chest. His first cries were the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. It was just like all the other amazing water birth catches I had read about! We had delayed chord clamping in the tub then on the bed. It turns out my baby was a big one and somehow I still didn’t tear. I think the pool and listening to my body helped with that.

Birthing the Placenta / postpartum complications

I want to share this last part because although it was a bit scary, I think it’s important to read about potential situations. I was given Pitocin to help birth the placenta and the fundal massages were not fun. But necessary. My 9 and a half pound baby had left a cavity in my uterus that resulted in blood clots pooling there, and my bladder prevented them from getting removed by the massages. So when I got up to pee the first time I almost passed out in the bathroom! This wasn’t terrible for me, as my midwife team knew exactly how to handle it with all the appropriate drugs on hand. I spent some time with my husband on the floor of the bathroom until my bleeding was stabilized and was given several bags of fluids. I felt much better and climbed into bed for juice, a snack and a nap. I had lost a decent amount of blood, however my blood count before birth was well above normal so my body was actually capable of withstanding this incident! Amazing what our bodies and minds can do. We still went home around 2 AM after my fluids had finished and were able to spend that first night home.

This was the natural birth I had dreamed about with my first. I don’t see the bleeding at the end in a negative light as it allowed me to rest even more after the birth, and never felt like an emergency thanks to my wonderful Midwife team (even though I was told later if the drugs hadn’t worked I would’ve been transferred to hospital).

I can’t thank the PBC enough for giving me the tools to trust my mind and body.