Birth story - Nikki and baby Everly-Rose

For the past two weekends, I have been admitted to hospital with high blood pressure, it's been getting as high as 158/112 as well as having visual disturbances. Last Sunday, 14th October I was discharged on blood pressure lowering medication: 200mg of Labetalol twice daily. Today is Thursday, 18th October and I'm suffering with a mild headache. I was up all night feeling extra grumpy, uncomfortable, had itchy hands and feet and heartburn that was making me feel nauseas.

I had a growth scan today, you have grown but not much, I'm 37weeks+1 and they estimate you are just under 6lb. After the scan we went to the Day assessment unit, my blood pressure was high again so they asked the Dr to come and see me. As soon as he put his hand on top of mine (much to your Dads surprise) I knew he was admitting me AGAIN!! He was a lovely Dr and understood that I didn't want to be admitted. He said he was working tomorrow morning so would induce me first thing!! I was absolutely over the moon to hear that and knowing that the next time I leave this hospital it would be with you in my arms!! We took some family photos, the last of us being a family of 4!.

It's now 7pm I'm on an empty ward and I'm going to have an early night to build up some strength.

It's 7:30pm, I'm listening to my positive birth affirmations and I've just been told, change of plan, I'm being induced at 8pm tonight!!!! I've just popped to the toilet to do a victory/excitement dance in private!!!

On the induction ward. 9:30pm I had the pessary inserted, a bit sore but I breathed through it. I was already 1cm dilated which was good. Now the waiting game begins.

10:15 surges have started!! I manage to breath through until 4am when I take some paracetamol, hopefully I get some sleep for a bit.

It's 6:45am the surgee are more intense. I'm on a birthing ball, had a morphine drink and have a tens machine on.

It's 11:26am I'm still having surges and the TENS machine is like magic! I've just been to the toilet and lost my mucus plug (like a big blood cot). Been to the toilet again, passed more blood and the pessary!!

Your Dad and I have been on lots of long walks around the hospital to try and get things moving. There's no change! I go to the toilet and even more blood. The TENS machine is no longer being any use so I ask for more diamorphine. I have a wobble, a good cry that everything is too much and i just want to go home.

I have a bath, listen to my positive affirnations and start to feel better.

10:40pm I have an internal, I'm 3cm dilated which means I can have my waters broken! Into a private room we go. We didn't get over to the room until 6am. I had my "waters broke". The next midwifes came on shift and i was told I have 4hrs to see if the surges become more frequent naturally. I kept mobile but, nothing. I used my BRAIN and agreed to have a cannula inserted with a syntocin drip. I had 2 midwifes in the room monitoring me the whole time, I had planned for an empty room but was thankful I was being monitored closely, I felt like I had a team with me and we could do this. There was no change!! The midwife did an internal to see if I was dilated and found that my waters hadn't even broke!! The Dr came around immediately and broke my waters. Within minutes my surges ramped up. They were intense but I breathed through them only using gas if I had too. In between the surges i was zoned into my own little positive world, listening to the affirmations and remembering to relax my shoulders and regain comfort. I had a lot of discomfort in my lower back. I was having surges for about 2hrs when I demanded that I need to get on my back because I needed to push. The midwife said she would assess me but with the next surge the head was already coming out. The next surge, in shock the midwife told me to wait as she wasn't prepared, I listened because I also didn't want to tear. By the third surge I birthed the head and then the body with the next.

Everly-Rose was born at 2:12am on October 20th 2018 weighing a perfect 6lb1oz. Everyone commented how calm and quiet I was. I loved my birth experience and it wouldn't have been like this if I wasn't as well informed or never had my box of mental tools from the hypnobirthing course.