Birth story - Kimberley and baby boy

*Trigger warning* – Pre-term labour, premature birth, mention of contractions (not negative to me), mention of previous miscarriage, short cervix.

I had been immersed in the world of natural birth and wanting no medical intervention, since my partner and I found out we were pregnant last April. Sadly we miscarried early and I muted these accounts until I was ready. For this pregnancy I knew I wanted a home water birth and we put all focus into this plan. Unfortunately, our little one had other plans!

Pregnancy

I had a very easy start to pregnancy, though was riddled with anxiety over all the small changes because of our previous experience. However, this time around I did have nausea which was a comfort. We made it to the 12 week scan and I started feeling more excited. I was placed on Consultant led care due to having PCOS and LLETZ to remove pre-cancerous cells 4 years ago. Due to having LLETZ, I was sent for cervical length scans at 18 weeks, which showed me to have a short cervix at 21mm. I was given progesterone pessaries to use twice a day for the remainder of my pregnancy. My follow up scans showed that my cervix length had increased slightly and so I started to relax and kept my mantra in my head of “my cervix is closed and will stay closed until at least 39 weeks.”

The build up

On Sunday 5th June, my husband and I were home after a lovely weekend in the Peak District with our friends. Over the weekend I felt my baby’s movements had slowed a little, so I was getting ready to call the midwife the next day. That evening I also started getting period like cramps in my lower abdomen which would come and go. By the morning, these had continued, so I rang up and was told to come to triage at Kings Mill Hospital, Nottingham, where we were registered. I was told to bring my overnight bag in case I needed to stay, which sent me into a total panic considering I was 29 +3.

Upon arrival at the hospital, I had to wait in triage myself whilst my husband waited in the waiting area outside. I was hooked up to monitors and baby was fine, I then was waiting for a doctor to come look at my cervix. When the doctor came, she inserted a speculum and then said she couldn’t see my cervix as there was a lot of discharge in the way (at this point I already knew in the back of my head that my cramps were contractions and that this was likely my mucus plug). The doctor asked if I could wait until the registrar was free to clean the discharge away so that he could look at my cervix, I agreed if I could leave to be with my husband whilst we waited, which she said I could. During this wait, the “cramps” were coming more frequently and getting stronger, I used the Freya app to time them so that I could provide evidence of what I thought was happening.

When the registrar looked at my cervix I was told what I already knew (though still burst into tears), I was in labour and my cervix was 3cm dilated.

From here the staff went into action stations, I was given the first of 2 steroid injections to help baby’s lungs, I was put into a room on the labour ward and my husband was finally able to be with me, I was hooked up to 2 different drips, one of magnesium sulphate which helped baby’s brain and atoziban to slow my labour, I was also given antibiotics every 4 hours for the first few days to prevent any infections for me or baby, and hooked up to CTG monitoring for baby. I was told that this was all to give baby the best chance and to give as long as possible for the steroids to work, but that ultimately I would deliver my baby this week.

I was bed bound, except from trips to the bathroom for 3 days, by the Tuesday night I begged to lie on my left hand side as I was so uncomfortable, as soon as I did this the contractions slowed significantly. I did however on the Wednesday accept the offer of paracetamol and codeine as my hips were so painful from how uncomfortable the beds were!

I tried to have as many things as possible that I could control to make the birth environment more relaxing – we had my pregnancy playlist playing, my ThisWorks Deep Sleep spray, low lighting.

Labour

- Monday; 3cm dilated, given steroid injection 1 at 3.30pm, hooked up to monitoring and all the drips.

- Monday night; surges still quite frequent despite being hooked up to the drip. Steroid injection 2 given at 3.30am.

- Tuesday; 5cm dilated, contractions were getting stronger until I lay on my left hand side, used up breathing during any contractions, slept when I could.

- Tuesday night; contractions were much further apart, hips were killing from the bed.

- Wednesday; vaginal exam in the morning using a speculum again, fully dilated and doctor could feel the waters membrane. 2pm they took me off the atoziban drip to let nature take its course. Baby’s heartrate had dropped a bit so given fluids. Contractions started getting stronger; continued to use up breathing and moaned a bit if it was particularly strong. Started feeling some urges to push, thought I felt my waters go – turns out I was just weeing A LOT.

- By Wednesday night the contractions started slowing a bit again, though I was still getting the urge to push.

- I had a few moments when I was alone with my husband and mum where I had a little bit of a cry that I wasn’t getting the birth I had wanted, nor was I able to be in a position that I knew was better for labour. Whilst not lying completely on my back, I was reclined in a seated position. However, when I used my BRAIN, I knew this was the best and safest option for baby.

-The doctor did a quick ultrasound to check baby was still in favourable position, which they were, but he also noticed my bladder was still quite full and that it was making it difficult for baby to continue down when I was pushing. He asked if he could do a VE to check if my waters had broke later, and at the same time, if I consented, would put an in and out catheter to get rid of the urine. However, the doctor said my waters were still in tact, but that he could feel baby’s head there too so asked if I wanted him to break my waters as baby was fighting against this membrane when I was pushing.

Again, I used BRAIN and consented to this as I was already in established labour and wanted my baby safe.

-After this things ramped up quickly! My husband says it was about 20 minutes later that I gave birth, I honestly couldn’t have told you! The room did get very busy though – the doctor, and 2 midwives there for me as well as my husband and my mum and then a team of NICU doctors and nurses by the incubator at the back of the room for baby.

-I continued to just use breathing through the contractions and pushing, until I was reminded I had the option of gas and air, which I eventually took, but was very careful to use it as instructed.

-I had the infamous moment during transition when I cried and said I couldn’t do it! The midwife then told me I was really close to meeting my baby and that I had to internalise my energy as I was wasting it on being loud instead of pushing my baby out.

-From this moment, it’s all a bit of a blur, I remember giving 3 really big pushes and then this tiny little person (a boy!) was between my legs giving the loudest cries! I birthed my son at 1.25am on Thursday 9th June, he had made it to 29 +6 (just!). I cried, my husband cried, mum cried. It was incredible. Luckily because he was doing so well we were able to have 2-3 mins of delayed cord clamping before he was then taken to be looked over by the NICU team.

-I was given the injection for management of delivering my placenta, afterwards the midwife checked me over, I had a graze and second degree tear which I didn’t require stitches for.

My husband tells me it was the most incredible thing he’s ever witnessed and that he is in awe of me and what I did. I wish I could remember more of it but the shock of the whole week means its all a bit fuzzy! However I do feel really positive about my birth, whilst it wasn’t what I imagined, going into labour as early as I did meant my priorities had to change. I am so grateful to all the hypnobirthing tools that we learned, and for my husband’s strength and what an incredible birth partner he was.

Our little boy remains on NICU, but is doing incredibly well. We’re so proud of him and can’t wait to get him home with us.