Birth story - Laura and baby boy

Even before I’d found the positive birth company, I knew I wanted my labour to be as calm and quiet as possible. I’d done a little bit of research online into ways to help with labour and the words that stuck out the most were, calm and quiet. And then I found the Positive Birth Company! I’d had such a calm and easy pregnancy, I wasn’t surprised when due date came and went, he was obviously very comfy in there! Everyone kept telling me things to do to try and induce my labour, but I didn’t, I knew he’d be here when he was ready! 

A few days after my due date (25th of august) passed I started to lose my plug, but still no sign of baby, but I stayed calm and carried on as normal, knowing he’d be here when he was meant to be. On the 29th of august at about 1am, I woke with pains and got up to go to the toilet, which is when I had my ‘show’. For the next two days my pains were on and off, with no pattern at all, and still no sign of baby. 

I went to bed at around 11pm on Saturday night, and was again woken at around 01.30 am, with much stronger pains this time. I was back and forth to the loo every half an hour or so, thinking I needed to wee, but couldn’t. Around 5 am I got into the bath, which really helped ease the pain and relax me even more. At around 6 am I called the hospital, but my contractions were roughly 5 minutes apart and so I couldn’t go in just yet, so I got back into bed and managed to sleep for a couple of hours. 

At around 8am I woke in stronger pain and went downstairs to make a cup of tea and took some paracetamol. I got on the ball and breathed through my contractions whilst timing them, and they were getting stronger and faster. At around 9am my boyfriend called the hospital, who said I could carry on at home if I was comfy, or I could go in, by now I was ready to go in. Even if I was to be sent home, I just wanted to at least be checked over, after nearly 3 days of on off contractions, I just wanted to make sure baby was ok. 

We arrived at 11.45 and were taken to a suite with a pool which I’d requested as I really wanted a water birth. At 1pm I was checked and I was 4cm dilated and was so relieved I wasn’t going home! Shortly after being checked, my waters broke whilst I was bouncing on the ball. I breathed through my contractions for another few hours until around 3.30, the pain was getting strong and I asked for some gas and air. At just after 5pm the pool was finally full, my midwife closed the curtains and put on some low lighting, and as soon as I got into the water I felt instantly relaxed.

It wasn’t long before I was ‘mooing’ and could feel baby bearing down, and between surges kept telling everyone he was coming (as if they didn’t already know!!). Unfortunately I had to get out of the pool as the midwife needed to monitor baby’s heart rate and was really struggling to do so in the pool. She knew how much I enjoyed being in the water and so she let me have a few more surges in there before I had to get out (I think she knew this baby wasn’t waiting much longer), and I got up onto the bed and leant over the back of it on my knees. 

Within less than ten minutes I was pushing, and after exactly 15 minutes of pushing, at 8 minutes past 6 on Sunday evening, my baby boy was born and I felt absolutely amazing! When people ask me how my labour was and I tell them I loved it, they look at me like I’m a weirdo! But I’d do it all again tomorrow!❤️