Birth story - Lucy and baby Theodore

*Trigger warning* - reduced movements, contractions (not a negative for me), second degree tear & issues with placenta delivery.

Pregnancy/background

I was incredibly lucky throughout my whole pregnancy, I had slight nausea and food aversions up until around 13/14 weeks, after that they came and went occasionally. I weight trained in the gym up until the week I gave birth and spent a lot of time keeping active especially out on walks.

I went in for monitoring at 32 and 37 weeks due to reduced movements, on both occasions everything was fine. I had an anterior placenta which apparently may have been cushioning movements after a position change by baby. Due to the 2 occasions I was sent for a growth scan at 37 weeks where again everything looked good, baby was measuring at 6lb 9oz and predicted to be around 7lb 8oz at 40 weeks.

I had my 40 week midwife appointment slightly late at 40+4 due to my midwife being on holiday. I'd been getting lots of Braxton Hicks from around 32 weeks and apart from some being slightly more intense and more often, I wasn't getting any major signs of labour, just a bit more pelvic pressure. Throughout pregnancy I had said if baby hadn't arrive by my 40 week appointment I would decline a sweep when offered at this point, but would consider one at my 41 week appointment (as long as all was ok with baby and me).

Due to my late 40 week appointment, my 41 week was booked for only 2 days later at 40+6. It seemed silly to then accept a sweep with 2 days difference, however an induction had been booked for 41+5 and if I declined a sweep again my only other opportunity would be the day before the induction, so I used my BRAIN and accepted at 40+6. I was really really keen to avoid induction if possible.

My midwife did the sweep on the Thursday at 40+6, she said my cervix was favorable and was able to feel all around baby's head. Until he started to move his hands over his head and she could feel his fingers! The next morning I lost part of my plug and that evening had a show. On Saturday at 41+1 I felt different, I didn't want to get too excited but the Braxton Hicks throughout the day became stronger period like cramps and lower down than before, I just felt like something was happening and thought it could be the start! I went for a walk in the afternoon with my mum and then bounced on my ball, lit a candle and tried to relax in the evening watching a film with my husband before going to bed.

Birth

I woke up at 00.47 and realised I was having some tightenings quite low down and in my back, they weren't anything too painful and passed quickly so I tried to get back to sleep not thinking much of it. 6 minutes later I got another, then 12 minutes, 5 minutes, 7 minutes and 4. I woke my husband to let him know I was getting up and heading into the living room to see how I felt and start timing on my app. I told him to go back to sleep and that I'd wake him if anything progressed or if I felt I needed him.

Throughout pregnancy I had this idea that I'd love to labour at home as long as possible, maybe put a film on, eat some snacks and light some candles. It got as far as lighting a candle because I found myself wanting to just concentrate on the tightenings and I think I was still in disbelief and questioning that I was even in labour. The only position I felt comfortable in was on my knees and leaning over the sofa with my hips swaying. At this point I was getting contractions every 4 to 5 minutes which were all lasting between 45 and 70 seconds.

I called the unit at 01.53, the midwife told me to give it an hour and a half to 2 hours and to wait until 1 contraction every 3 minutes lasting 60 to 90 seconds. She also said to take a bath and try and get some more sleep. I lay on the sofa to see if I would be able to drift off but after one contraction I couldn't get up quick enough, I was so uncomfortable and went back to being upright and leaning over the sofa.

Very quickly the app said I was in established labour. I woke my husband to let him know I'd called the unit and felt at this point I just needed him there with me. I was breathing through the contractions but they were starting to intensify and coming every 3 to 5 minutes. After an hour and a half my husband called again and they said we could start making way in. We live an hour and 20 minutes from the hospital so although I was keen to stay at home as long as possible, with how close the contractions were getting we decided to make a move.

The car journey wasn't horrendous, I kept timing contractions, concentrated on up breathing and listened to a playlist I'd made with a lot of mine and my husbands wedding songs that we both loved.

We arrived around 5.30 and got settled in. The lovely midwife on the night shift did all my obs and I found leaning over a bean bag was the only comfy position through the contractions. After my obs were done the midwife was happy with how I was progressing from the strength and time of contractions, I wasn't examined at this point, they were going to wait for the day shift to start first.

The night shift midwife came back to see me the next day and we had a chat, she said she thought I'd was about 4cm at that point when she went home and still had a way to go.

At around 7.30 a midwife from the day shift came to see us and complete some more obs. We were then left to labour until about 10.00 on our own in the room. I still hadn't been examined at this point. My husband buzzed and asked for a TENS machine to try and help especially as I was getting so much of the contractions in my lower back. I had been on my knees leaning over swaying, up breathing since I first got out of bed (apart from the car journey) so I think this position was also taking it's toll slightly on me physically.

The midwife came into the room and I was trying to keep my concentration on breathing and being in the zone, I'm not sure what the conversation was around the TENS machine but I know she mentioned to my husband about maybe still being in the early stages and things seemed to have slowed a little. She said I could try the pool at that point but I knew I didn't want to get in too soon. She started to run it and I got in at around 1100. As soon as I got in the water I felt instant relief and even my husband commented on this.

My contractions kept coming, but not as frequent, so I was worried everything had slowed down. At this point I felt more in the room again and a bit more aware of what was going on. A short time later during a contraction I felt my waters go, so my husband buzzed for the midwife to pop back. She monitored the baby and everything was fine. She then went out the room again. About 10 minutes later I had a contraction that felt completely different to anything so far, I could feel baby pushing down and my body just wanted to take over. I couldn't believe the power and force I could feel from this contraction. At this point my husband was running round the room having forgotten where the buzzer was to get the midwife back again. I started to concentrate on my down breathing at this point and tried to focus myself again as I felt a little wave of panic.

She came in very calmly and I still think she was under the impression we had quite a while to go. She waited for another contraction to see if she could see the top of his head and this took 2 more.

I felt like I was having a first almost wave of contraction, before a second one came and each time the second wave was the one my body wanted to push on. A few surges later and his head was born.

I was in the second stage of labour for 42 minutes in total. I am blaming the raspberry leaf tea that I had drunk from 37 weeks for the quick delivery! My midwife was incredible supporting me through, especially when I was using down breathing. She had read my birth plan and I really had very little intervention from the start.

Once I was out the pool the midwife told me I had a 2nd degree tear and a graze. The tear required stitching after the placenta had been delivered. I opted for a physiological delivery however, after 45 minutes and 2 attempts at delivering, it didn't want to come. I agreed to the injection to help it along, after 30 minutes this was unsuccessful so I had a 2nd injection in the other leg. After another 30 minutes the midwife told me she was getting the doctor to come and have a chat with me. She arrived with a consent form in hand and said the plan was a spinal block and removal in theatre! The doctor wanted to try herself before I signed it, which luckily worked with minimal blood loss.

We stayed overnight in the same room we birthed in, as baby boy was very sleepy and wouldn't wake easily for feeds. The rooms on the midwife lead unit didn't feel like a hospital at all and had a double bed allowing my husband to stay too. They were so busy and understaffed so we didn't get discharged until 17.30 the next day, but it was lovely being in a little newborn bubble just the 3 of us.