Birth story - Kayla and baby Luca

It all started on Tuesday afternoon when I had a bloody show, there was quite a bit of fresh red blood and it worried me especially because in the pregnancy I had developed low blood platelets which left me at risk of loosing too much blood as my blood was not clotting properly. I had to go into the hospital to be checked over. Midwives were unsure it was a show but after being checked over by the doctor it was confirmed all was ok, I could stay in to be monitored for 24 hours or go home and come straight back if any problems so we decided to go home. I was having a few tightenings but i could barely feel most of them they were very weak.

By 11pm I knew it was really happening! My husband went up for an early night and I stayed downstairs managing a bit of sleep on the sofa in front of the television watching comedy shows and a film that I had been saving for this occasion!

By 1am I started timing my surges they were coming every 5 mins lasting between 45 seconds to 1 min. I felt really calm and in control, each time a surge came I stood up and breathed through it either walking around as I did so or holding onto the fireplace and swaying through.

At 2am, even though I was still feeling completely calm and fine, I woke my husband as I didn't want to make the decision on my own that we were okay to carry on as I was without calling the hospital. The contraction app on my phone I was using to time had already told me twice I should be leaving for hospital.

At 3am we called the ward and even then I was still saying I thought i would stay home longer but did they think we should be making our way in as I knew I needed to have a blood test in early labour to check my platelets level and I wasn't sure how long it would take them to get the results. As I put the phone down to the ward I had a couple of really strong surges and realised they actually had been starting to come more frequently sometimes with just a two or three min gap. We packed up a few last minute bits and headed in.

I was still able to stay really calm using the up breathing in the car, and when we arrived as we walked in I stopped a few times holding onto my husband and cuddling into him as the surge came.

We were taken straight into triage and stayed there while they took the blood test, monitored the baby and went through my notes. Nobody suggested an examination I think because I was so calm midwives didn't think I could be that far along. I stayed standing the whole time next to the bed and with each surge cuddled into my husband, sometimes pulling the pockets of his jeans to help me!

I could feel a pressure but neither me, and I suppose, nor the midwives could believe It was time to push, but suddenly with a surge I felt an uncontrollable need to bear down and almost sunk to my knees- having made no noise at all until this point I could hear myself making noise now and the midwife rushed in and examined me- I was 10cm and ready to push!

Until this point I can honestly say I felt so calm, so in control, and the up breathing was all I needed to get me through each surge.

Things got more intense now- I had to walk to the delivery room and I climbed up onto the bed which was really upright so I hung over the top of the bed taking my weight on my knees. The urge to push was uncontrollable, for me there was no way I could have calmly breathed the baby out, so I found this bit really tough. The midwives were asking for just little pushes, I tried but it was difficult not to push with all my might. Around 10 mins later after just a few pushes, he was there- my little Luca all wet and squirming between my legs- it had been so fast I could not believe it! Especially as my first birth lasted nearly 30 hours.

Luca came straight to me and my husband and the midwife helped me take of my clothes so we could both be wrapped together in a towel. I had a second degree tear, but | could cuddle Luca while I had the stitches and my husband stood by me and held my hand. The tear has healed so quickly and after a couple of days I didn't even need painkillers for it anymore.

A couple of hours later Luca latched on completely spontaneously with no problem at all for his first feed.

I felt so proud of myself and still can't believe how quickly I got to meet my little boy! He weighed seven pounds 1 ounce, a head full of black hair, and he was and is perfect.