Birth story - Natalie and baby Ella

So pleased and proud to be able to share my positive birth story with you all. My first birth in 2015 was not a positive experience, I was induced due to high bp which took 5 days, meconium in waters and a back to back labour ended in emergency cesarean, so this time round I was determined to avoid all that and the long recovery afterwards.

At 28 weeks I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes which after a group B strep diagnosis at 14 weeks just made me think that I was destined never to have a positive birth as I knew I would be induced early and have to have cannula, continuous monitoring etc. It was then that I discovered the digital pack and watching it all, particularly the cycle of fear videos I could see exactly where things had taken a negative turn in my last labour and I became determined to do it differently this time.

I agreed to an induction at 39 weeks using the cook balloon, this was booked for Friday 7th however the ward was so busy it was put back several times and I didn’t go into hospital until 6pm on the 8th. The balloon was inserted at 9pm and although uncomfortable I remained calm and used up breathing to ensure I stayed relaxed. I managed a bit of sleep overnight and prepared for the balloon to be removed at 9am. I was really disheartened when the midwife removed it and said there was no change to my cervix; I was still 1cm. She inserted the prostin pessary and said the Dr would give me 6 hours for labour to start and my waters be broken and if it didn’t, it would be a c-section. I had a wobble at this point but my husband talked me down and I tried to relax on the bed as I was monitored for 30 mins. Whilst I was on the bed I started to get a few niggling surges but they didn’t feel like the surges I’d experienced in my last labour, these were feelings of pressure and very much in my hips and back. My monitoring finished and I went to have a shower and get dressed as my husband and I were going to have a walk around the hospital to get things moving. We set off about 11ish and walked through the hospital to the coffee shop, as I was walking I kept having to stop every 3 minutes to breathe through the surges, my husband started to say that we should go back to the ward but I was determined to keep moving as didn’t really think things could have got moving this quickly and the surges were just a result of the pessary being inserted and would die off again. We had a coffee and I kept having to stand up for the surges as the feeling of pressure was unbearable when sat down. At 12 my husband insisted we go back to the ward as my surges were a minute on, minute off. I’m not really sure how we made it back to the delivery suite but we did and my midwife observed a few surges where I leant over the bed and breathed through them. She thought it was a good idea to examine me and I agreed as I needed to know what was happening, the surges were getting very intense and I would have been very disheartened if there had been no progress! Upon examination (which was still in the observation room) the midwife said ‘you’re 4cm dilated with membranes bulging, get your stuff let’s go have a baby!’ I was so thrilled to hear this as wasn’t really sure how I was going to cope with the intensity of the surges if I was still at 1cm.

We quickly got into a delivery suite where the midwife broke my waters and popped a clip on babies head so she could monitor me whilst I moved about although, to be honest, I was comfortable sat on the bed in a slight recline using the gas and air to breathe through the surges which were pretty manageable once the pressure of my waters had gone. I sat chatting and singing along to my playlist and was pretty relaxed and finding the whole experience so different to my last! After 40 minutes I said I was going to go to the loo and try to move about a bit, getting upright changed the game completely and within a few steps my surges had gone from manageable to needing the support of my husband and midwife to coach me through them, I had a few more in the bathroom before making it back to the bed to have the clip reattached (I remained standing up) but asked for diamorphine, then changed my mind and said I needed an epidural. At this point my midwife said she wanted to re-examine me and quickly got excited and said there was a tiny rim of cervix left, breathe through the next few surges then we could start pushing! It was literally an hour since my waters had been broken and I was in shock! I’d clearly been in transition but not recognised it, fortunately my midwife had! The next few surges came very quickly and I did struggle to cope with the intense presssure I felt upon pushing, it took a few pushes to get the technique right and the Dr had to be called as baby’s heart rate was dropping with each surge. I had 2 midwives and the Dr in who were all amazing coaching me with what to do, at this point I said I couldn’t do it and they would have to do something to get her out but my husband reminded me how much I had wanted this and it was within reaching distance. I took a breath to refocus and went for it, especially as the Dr had had a stern word whilst preparing forceps and the episiotomy tray! With this I focussed on my pushes, the midwife shouted for the Dr to take over as she hadn’t got her gloves on and Ella’s head came out quickly followed by the rest of her. She was bought straight up onto my chest and I was in complete shock that she was there, I just couldn’t believe how quickly everything had happened.

We had a lovely hour together as a family with the placenta being delivered easily, I was even more pleased to be told I didn’t need any stitches! I had some lovely skin to skin with Ella and some tea and toast which, after limiting my carbs for 11 weeks due to the diabetes, was the best toast ever!

I am genuinely so thankful to the PBC for the digital pack, I know if I hadn’t been so clued up and focussed, my birth wouldn’t have been as positive and I may even have opted for an elective section to avoid the experience of last time.