Birth story - Mum and baby boy

*Trigger warning* - use of the word contractions (not negative to me)

Pregnancy:

I fell pregnant in February 2022, just 4 weeks after coming off the pill! It was planned and we only wanted a short gap between this baby and our daughter (born at 39w in July 2021) but we never expected to be so lucky. This pregnancy was a lot harder though. I had night time reflux in the third trimester and at about 33 weeks was diagnosed with SPD, ending with the last three or so weeks of the pregnancy on crutches.

I was told by every midwife I saw that due to my labour with my daughter being so quick (7 hours from waters breaking to birth), to call them earlier than usual when this one began, and that things would likely be even quicker this time round. From around 37 weeks I had signs he was getting ready to come out and I fully expected not to make it to November - how wrong I was!

Labour:

At 39+6 I woke at 0130hrs to my waters breaking. They continued to go and I had a couple of contractions so at 0300hrs I woke my partner to tell him. We waited an hour before calling my parents who came over to watch our daughter. At 0630hrs, having called the birth centre, we went in for a quick chat and exam. They confirmed it was my waters that had gone but that nothing much else was happening which was a surprise and disappointing. I was booked in for an induction at 2300hrs in case nothing happened in the meantime although I was hopeful. We got back home at 0730hrs, waved my step daughters (who were with us too) off to school and began our day as normally as possible - I even worked from home!

Contractions came and went very sporadically over the course of the morning and early afternoon. I had a warm shower, a bit of a nap and tried to relax and keep happy. At 1430hrs my parents decided to go home and take my daughter with them to theirs. My partner and I settled down to watch feel good TV and low and behold, the contractions began regularly. We used an app to time them and at 1600hrs we called the birth centre again as they reached 2 in 10 mins. The midwife on the phone suggested waiting up to an hour before going in, just to make sure, but if things ramped up before then to head in anyway. She also said that they had a pool room available (which I didn’t get with my daughter). Baby must have heard her and thought he best start making his way!

By 1615hrs we were leaving the house and we arrived at hospital at 1630hrs. In the car I was worried my contractions would stop so I put my headphones on, closed my eyes and listened to Disney music, of all things. As soon as the music to Phil Collins’ “Strangers like me” from Tarzan came on, I had a big contraction! We arrived at hospital & went straight into our own room with the pool. It was spacious, dimly lit, peaceful - just beautiful. As I laid down on my back for obs to be done, contractions once again stopped. Literally when the midwives left us for a bit and I was able to get up and walk around, I had 3 in 10 mins. I spent the remainder of the time stood up, leaning on the end of the bed for each contraction whilst my partner timed them.

Birth:

At 1750hrs I had my first contraction where it felt like I was going to need to push. The midwife had been feeling my bump during it and agreed she could feel a change so she offered to examine me to confirm and then I could get into the now full birthing pool. I accepted and although a little disheartened to find out I was only 5cm dilated, my midwife was super positive and reminded me that it didn’t mean much regarding timings and that he could be here “in half an hour.” I got into the pool and wow, what a relief! It was so soothing. I knelt on the bottom and each time I contracted I closed my eyes, put my head on the side and used my breathing to get through it. I remembered everything I had learnt first time round and I had said to my partner a couple of days previously to remind me to use my breathing. He was next to me, talking to me, reminding me of it all.

I started to feel baby’s head moving down and kept thinking to myself not to rush him out, he will come when he’s ready. This was a mistake I made with my daughter and in my panic to push her out I sustained a second degree tear. This time round I let baby come down and bob back up as much as he needed. After a few contractions, his head came out and just as the widest part was coming out, the contraction stopped. I definitely felt the ring of fire 😂 with the next two contractions his head and then body were out into the pool, little boy being born at 1824hrs, just 30mins after the midwife had said about him being here in half an hour!

With the help of my midwife I gently lifted him out the water, his arms up in the air like he was cheering 🥰 we had immediate skin to skin and I stayed in the water for a short while. I was given the injection for the placenta and I was helped out the pool whilst daddy had cuddles with baby. My blood loss this time round (I had a PPH with my daughter) was 0ml! Literally the water was still clear, I couldn’t believe it. The placenta came a while later and although a bit stubborn to come out, was intact and fine.

I definitely learnt from my first birth and managed to keep calm and put all the practices to work this time. Overall the birth was completely magical and I look back at it now as an extremely special memory. Our family is complete and what a way to end on 💙