Birth story - Kelly and baby Sophie

I had the most incredible home birth (born before arrival) with my second baby. It was my second hypnobirth using the PBC, but first time using Freya ❤

I had a mostly positive home birth in 2018. 2 negative bits were a coerced VE/sweep and some stress delivering the placenta. This time, I was determined to have no VEs and a calm, physiological 3rd stage.

I'd had Braxton Hicks throughout my pregnancy but these ramped up last week. I was pretty sure I was in early labour on Saturday evening, but the contractions stopped overnight. I woke up at 5am Monday morning (39+6) to my show. I heard my 2.5yo wake up and go downstairs with my husband. I went down and told my husband that I thought it might be happening, and asked him to text his parents to be an standby for our son. I then decided to get showered and dressed, and had quite intense contractions in the shower. I asked my husband to call his parents and by 6am my son had gone with them and I was sitting on my ball, using the Freya app to time contractions. The app said established labour but I ignored this, and so did my husband. I was genuinely enjoying the contractions at this point and felt totally in control of them, as long as I was breathing. I did have a couple of moments where I wasn't sure what to do with myself. I thought I might need a poo, but couldn't go. I thought I wanted something to eat but then once my husband had got some food, I couldn't bear it being near me. I did also think I might be sick and asked for a bucket, but I wasn't. This must have been transition but neither of us recognised it.

At some point I asked him to fill the pool, and then about 5 minutes later I was desperate to get in. I ended up getting in when it was about 10cm deep as I had an overwhelming urge to be in water. I didn't recognise that I was in the down stage for quite a while, so I continuing up breathing. I had a sudden realisation that the midwives were not going to arrive on time, and said this to my husband. I think this is when he realised that we were in the down stages, and then started counting me through down breathing. This made such a difference to my control and I suddenly allowed my body to push.

I then felt very in control, and had a moment of real closeness to my husband. I remember saying something like "we can do this. Just me and you". I'd been quite vocal throughout the contractions (much more so than last time, but it just felt right this time) and at this point I was definitely mooing 🤣 I don't have much concept of time here and nor does my husband, but it didn't seem long before I could feel her head crowning.

I reached down to feel and did have a little panic about tearing, so supported the head as it was born. This was the most incredible and bizarre sensation, as I felt my daughter be born and then move herself around into a better position for her body to be born. With my son's birth, his whole head and body shot out in one contraction, whereas with this birth I felt much more controlled, or at least my body did. I pushed (although only really with breathing, not actively) the body out with the next contraction and I remember my husband shouting "Kel, she's here!" At the time I thought this was ridiculous, because I obviously knew that. We've discussed it since and he said he has no idea the head had been born and thought we were still quite a way off yet! So the exclamation was more shock than him informing me 🤣

I reached down really calmly to pick her up. It was such a calm feeling, I didn't have any urgency at all, and got myself sat up in the pool (which was now full!) before collecting her. She looked so startled bless her. I offered her my breast and she looked taken aback, curled into my chest and fell asleep! I asked for a flannel to cover her and keep her warm, and asked my husband to take a photo, which which time stamped 7.58am. This is when the midwives arrived!

My husband went to answer the door and the first midwife came in. He told her that baby had just been born and she did seem a little shocked, but not panicked. She was keen to cut the cord as it had stopped pulsing, so my husband cut it. My mum (should have been the second birth partner!) then also arrived and the second midwife shortly afterwards.

During this time, I fed her and naturally delivered the placenta. I didn’t have a pleasant experience delivering my placenta last time, so this was an amazing and really healing experience.

Once the placenta had been delivered, I stood up to get out of the pool. There was a rather large gush of blood at this point, and my mum squealed. The midwives were brilliant though. They calmly explained to my mum that it wasn't a concern (even though in hindsight, I think it was). My husband said that he also panicked when he saw the blood, assuming the worst. But that he looked straight at the midwives and their calmness relaxed him. I'm so grateful to them for that. They did monitor my bleeding closely after this and asked me to sit on a pad so they could keep an eye on it. It was totally fine 😊

I laid in bed with my husband and new daughter for such a long time. My mum cracked on with cleaning up (what a babe!), brought the midwives and I drinks and toast, and the midwives got on with their notes. No one even mentioned taking my daughter, cleaning her or weighing her. It was only when I text round all my close friends and family that I realised we didn't know her weight!

Eventually all of the checks were done, including vitamin K in skin to skin. The midwives checked everything with me before they did it. I will be forever grateful to them, and I've contacted the Trust to say how fabulous they were.

A few hours later my son arrived home to meet his baby sister, and we settled into our new life as a family of 4. ❤