Birth story - Laura and baby Amorah

Overall I had a relatively straight forward pregnancy. I had pretty extreme sickness for the first 16 weeks which was one of the hardest times I have ever experienced needing to go into hospital several times due to dehydration. But once this went I was a new women. I then had a low lying placenta at 20 weeks which had moved by 32 weeks which I was relieved about, but also it never caused me any worry, If I needed a section to safely have my baby that was the way It would be. I continued to train in the gym, lift weights and run a little as that was what I liked to do, my partner Lloyd is a personal trainer and has completed courses in antenatal fitness, so he was a great guide and support.

I woke with period pains which wasn’t something particularly new, usually I’d go for a wee and they would ease however this time they didn’t. I didn’t think anything of it and went back to sleep till 7am. At 7 I just knew something was different, and I woke Lloyd and said I think something is starting, he asked why and I said about the period pains, I’m sure he thought I was being dramatic and told me to go back to sleep. I lay in bed till 07.45 unable I sleep and uncomfortable, so I got out of bed and went downstairs leaving Lloyd in bed.

I called my mum and sister and told them both I felt it was happening, I was now having a wave of discomfort but extremely manageable. At 08.30 my mum said I should wake Lloyd to get him to sort all my stuff for the hospital and to be organised. So I did. He brought the bags to the door and added all my extra stuff I wanted. After this I knew I needed to eat something, as if the surges got stronger I may not be able to. So I had beans on toast while sat on my birthing ball.

I was timing my surges and they were always rather close together starting around 5 mins and at times 3 in 10 mins. I continued to breathe through the surges, I spent time on my ball, on my knees over a chair and then I got in the bath where I was unable to be on my back, so was in the bath on my hands and knees. This did ease the discomfort briefly but I wasn’t comfortable on my hands and knees so got out. When I got out I sat on the toilet and my mucus plug came away in the tissue. Which Lloyd and I found so fascinating, it was part of the process that kept our baby safe for 9 months. It was literally the biggest bogey I have ever seen.

At this stage I was beginning to struggle a little with the unknown of where I was, it was around 1300, I asked my partner to call the hospital who said to come in and be assessed. My surges were 3 in 10 mins also. The journey to the hospital was uncomfortable as I wanted to be on my hands and knees. We parked and I walked across to the labour unit I kept having surges ever couple of minutes, an ambulance asked if we needed help, as I was bent over breathing through a surge. We eventually made it up to be assessed, a lovely midwife did all my obs and internal examination, I was 2cm I was gutted as felt it had been 7 hours, she did a sweep and said hopefully that would help. We were told to go home which I wanted, and to stop timing the surges as we knew I was in labour, which was the best advise as timing them causes you to focus so much on it. I was asked if I wanted codine which I refused and believed my breathing would get me through.

Once we got home, I said to Lloyd I wanted to put the tens machine on and wanted to put pretty woman on to chill to. I was unable to be in any position other than my hands and knees, so I stacked the pillows up on Lloyds knees and rested on them for the next couple of hours. Focusing on my breathing and increasing the strength of the tens machine every time a contraction would come. Between each contraction it was a very strange feeling, a state of rest almost a nothing, it was a close feeling to being asleep but conscious of your surroundings. I continued doing this till about 18.00 where I said to Lloyd I can’t do it, I need some pain relief. He said, ‘if that’s what you want we will go back to the hospital!’ I agreed to call and go back in.

Once we got there around 18.30 we were taken straight to the birthing room, they examined me on the bed, which I really struggled to stay on my back for. I was 5cm, at this point and I almost begged them to allow me to stay. They told me I was now in active labour, which was music to my ears. My waters were bulging and I could feel the pressure and a couple of mins after examination they went. I told them I thought it was my waters and the student midwife said, ‘oh no it’s just the jelly I have used,’ I repeatedly said it was my waters and the midwife confirmed it was. They asked if I wanted to get in the pool, which I did. They also asked if I wanted gas and air which I said yes to. I tried it and didn’t like the way it made me feel so did not use it again. I wanted to feel fully in control, which the gas and air took away from me. Lloyd removed the tens machine and I waited for the pool to fill. This time is a little blurred.

Once I got into the pool I had an instant relief of pressure, which only lasted temporarily but never the less it was something. I continued to have my contractions, holding Lloyds hand at all times and trying to breathe through each one.

Lloyd needed to go get our bags from the car as we didn’t bring them up incase we were going home again. I didn’t want him to leave but also wanted to have our stuff. I said he was only allowed to go if he ran! The midwife sat with me and rubbed my shoulders and held my hand while he was gone. She was so loving and beautiful towards us. When I saw him come back it I felt like I started a transition.

I then had this overwhelming feeling at the end of a contraction to push! It was completely involuntary. The midwife kept looking at me with a mirror under the water and just said to resist the temptation to push, I remember asking why my body was doing this as I couldn’t stop it. I had my head against the bath and would put pressure through my head. My moans had changed, it was like a gritted teeth and a really deep moan. I could feel the head bobbing up and down the birth canal, which was a huge amount of pressure, and I remember asking if the head was visible but they were unable to see it.

I don’t remember how many pushes, but I remember Lloyd asking if baby would come soon, and the midwife saying any moment, are you ready to catch the baby. I remember thinking, ‘a couple more pushes and I will meet my baby.’

I had this huge contraction, and my body pushed, I had changed to down breathing automatically and panted the babies head out. When the head came out it was a burning sensation, but not painful how I imagined. The midwife showed Lloyd and he couldn’t see it at first and then he saw it, which was amazing. The chin was stuck, so I had to do a couple of little pushes without a contraction. Waiting for that next contraction to get the body out felt like an eternity. The contraction came and I pushed the whole body out, it was the biggest relief.

At 20.25 Lloyd caught the baby and brought it up for air and to give her to me. I thought it was a boy due to the umbilical cord being between her legs and the midwife said, ‘I’m not sure, think you may need to look again.’

I sat back at this moment, and held her on my tummy, they let some water out be able to keep her under water but not to pull the cord of the placenta. Holding her in that moment was the most surreal feeling, I had my baby girl in my arms and the father of my baby and the love of my life next to me. Everything was perfect. During this couple of mins Lloyd said, ‘is this Amorah’ and I said, ‘you have said it now so it must be her name.’

We wanted delayed cord clamping, so I waited in the bath until it had stopped pulsating, Lloyd cut the cord. After this, I got the almighty shakes, I couldn’t control my body, it was like I was having a fit and I was freezing cold, I was worried I would drop Amorah. This is the only time I heard Lloyd panic slightly when he shouted the midwife back over to check I was ok, and he said something like stay with me. They drained the bath and put loads of blankets around me. They said it was the adrenaline that had caused it to happen.

As I was having capsules of my placenta made, I had to deliver that on dry clean land. So Amorah was passed to Lloyd for skin to skin, while I got out the bath and went onto the double bed with Lloyd and Amorah.

I wanted to deliver naturally, so I waited for more contractions and within 45 mins I delivered the placenta, all the while enjoying time with my baby girl and Lloyd. This was a real nothing event, not at all difficult or uncomfortable.

Everyone says it’s the most magical first hour and it didn’t disappoint. We both had skin to skin, and just looked at Amorah.

The midwife came to see if I needed stitches, which I did, so she got everything ready and I moved on to a different bed. Lloyd held my hand whilst having skin to skin with Amorah. I used the gas and air for this as I didn’t need to concentrate on anything.

Once I was stitched up, we had tea and toast, which was a dream. We held our baby and just couldn’t believe our baby girl was in our arms and I had done it. We left the hospital around 2pm the following day, and that was the start of our lives with Amorah!

I would do it all over again in a heartbeat and I honestly think the positive birth company has allowed me to have such a strong positive mind which enabled me to have the most amazing birth. Thank you!