Birth story - Lauren and baby Frankie

First of all thank you to the PBC, not only for teaching me the importance of relaxation in labour but for all of the knowledge you gave me throughout my pregnancy and labour helping me to make informed choices and understand the process along the way. Thank you to all the women who shared their birth stories before me this was invaluable in building my confidence.

I found my antenatal care provider highly medicalised so the education I received through hypnobirthing via the digital pack and also an a day’s hypnobirthing course I was lucky enough to have provided at my local MLU really helped me avoid medicalising my pregnancy and birth. I had a low risk pregnancy so had to stress on numerous occasions that I did not believe birth needed to be a medical event if all went smoothly, it was a natural process my body was built for. I would not have had the confidence to stress this and make the decisions I did without these hypnobirthing resources.

I had my routine midwife appointment at 40+5 where I declined a sweep, this prompted slight panic from my midwife who kept saying ‘we need to get you moving really’ she tried to get me booked in for a discussion with a doctor at the hospital. I explained if there was nothing wrong with the baby I was going to wait. Her reaction and the constant mention of various interventions played on my mind the next few days. Thank you to the ladies who responded to my note in one of the discussions in the group I needed a confidence boost. I was worried they would take me off midwife led care if I went to 42 weeks and still refused (I didn’t agree with their ‘due date’)

I went for two daily walks and tried to remain relaxed and get the oxytocin flowing but no real signs except some lower back pain here and there. 12th October I woke with cramps which continued very sporadically throughout the day and I tried not to get my hopes up, we had a normal Saturday at the supermarket, had a long walk and I made cookies. By 3pm I thought things wouldn’t be stopping so had a shower to relax. By 5pm I was breathing through surges and started using Freya and TENs machine.

My partner James got me to eat and drink as much as possible at this point and we had a lay down to try and get some sleep for the night ahead. This didn’t last long as laying down was uncomfortable. I actually had to get up from the bed to be sick as the intensity ramped up suddenly. We decided to go to the hospital at 1am, James was trying to find my headphones while I waited by the door at which point I wanted to be sick again! No way I was making it to the bathroom so I scrambled out of the front door and was sick on the driveway on all fours breathing through a surge! Thank goodness it was pitch dark outside!

I accepted examination on arrival was 2cm, but cervix was paper thin and waters bulging so was allowed to stay but remained an outpatient. We were given a room (no pool at this stage) paracetamol and an anti sickness injection. We were left for 4 hours and I’ll admit I was panicking. I was disappointed at 2cm but should not have been focusing on this! (You will see why later) I was examined and no change so they wanted me to go home, I really didn’t want to go back and forth so they offered me a bath which I stayed in for an hour and a half, filed the room with tea lights and sat with James splashing water on my bump and my music on, it was heavenly and got me well back to the green zone.

I had an aromatherapy session booked for Sunday 13th 9:30am to help induce labour so the midwifes agreed I could have this appointment in the MLU birth room I had been in earlier then go home. Walking from the bath to the room my waters broke in the corridor, no Hollywood gush! I walked and bounced to get things moving as they kept mentioning I may have to go home and the fact I was an outpatient still which stopped me from really settling in and fully relaxing. So I walked and bounced to get things more established. I kept slipping in and out of established labour on Freya.

After a short bath at 4cm I needed to get out and wanted to be on the loo. The next surge was very different and I felt a downwards push where loads of water came out. I was then given a birth pool room, gas and air and a dedicated midwife as I was no longer an outpatient our midwife could hear the change in my breathing and the mooing had begun during the peak of my surges, however she was worried I was pushing at 4cm and told me to stop pushing, I promised her and James I wasn’t actively pushing this was my body! What an amazing feeling!

Our lovely midwife was worried and checked baby’s heartbeat between each surge, she soon realised baby was moving down. And soon said in the next surge I’d have baby’s head. Much to James’s shock as he was still under the impression it was too early to push!

This means I went from 4cm to 10cm in under an hour thanks to being more relaxed!

This was massively helped by the fact I was given a room with a pool and was no longer being told to go home every time I saw someone different in our little side room.

After an hour and a half in the pool Frankie was born, I brought her straight to my chest and had fully delayed cord clamping, once James had cut the cord he took her for skin on skin time with him while I got out of the pool and made it to the bed then I took her back to get her to feed. At this point we were an hour on so I had the injection to deliver the placenta which didn’t seem to work fully, the midwife and a doctor had a little tug and pull while I had gas and air and thankfully managed to deliver the placenta. I had a small tear but not vaginally (thanks to perennial massage) it was higher up which I was told is rare but simply happens as the whole area stretches. So I had a few stitches but can honestly say I didn’t notice it happen at the time.

The downward phase was incredible, the power you feel from your body is amazing. It’s true when they say you will just know the change has happened! This was my favourite stage.

I am three weeks on now, my stitches have fully healed and we are loving family life with our precious angel

Thank you again and good luck mamas you have got this!!