Birth story - Nôno and baby boy

*Trigger warning* - 2nd degree tear

I bought the digital pack in 2019 when pregnant with my first baby, I felt empowered and prepared but my waters broke one night at 39+3 weeks and with no signs of established labour and only 2cm dilated I accepted the drip the next day, I also had an epidural and ventouse as I couldn’t feel any urge to push, still it was far from traumatic and I looked forward for my next birth

Pregnancy

I didn’t realize I was pregnant until 12 weeks! I was still breastfeeding my daughter till she was 17 months and had had no periods since I became pregnant with her!

My only symptom was flutters!! Went for a scan the week after and was told I was just over 13 weeks.

I always measured small so had two growth scans after 36 weeks, all fine and showed a baby around the 50th percentile which was very accurate but stressful

Labour

I was hoping not to deliver on my due date (Christmas Eve) so did nothing to help bring up labour, stayed away from spicy food, no dates, etc

At 39+6 my daughter came home from nursery with a bug so my due date was spent in bed and being sick! I convinced myself that my body would know that with me and my 2 year old poorly it would not be a good time to give birth

Fast forward to 40+4w, The day before I gave birth, I walked 2 miles to my hospital for a regular check, the midwife offered a sweep (which I rejected as I hate smear tests) and when she measured me said “oh baby is still so high up on your ribs” - small disclosure he was born less than 12h after!

I had lunch and cake at my favourite coffee shop, had a nap (unusual for me), went out as a family to our local town center In Blackheath, put my daughter to bed and watched the last episode of a series with my husband and father in law, who was down for the holidays. At around 10pm I felt a twinge, a different type of period cramp, breathed to it. Then another one, I felt this was it but I said nothing to them. As soon as the episode was over I announced I was heading to bed.

Went to the bathroom (the famous clear-out!)

At around 11pm I woke up my husband to say we should do a lateral flow and I’d go to the living room to be able to use the ball.

I laid down on the living room floor with a blanket to doze off and would go on all fours or a deep squat during each surge

At this point I was so sleepy and didn’t even think of using my Tens or the Freya app

12:40am called the birth centre to check they were open (the week before I had a call to say my homebirth was no longer possible as they had suspended the service due to staff shortages)

I explained I had been having some surges but nothing too intense. During the 10min call I had 3 surges (I was not even timing by then ) so the midwife said to me “love do you want to make your way?”

I was a bit reluctant as wanted to avoid being sent back home. But finished packing, woke up my husband, went to my daughters room to see her sleeping and tucked her in

The 5 minute uber drive was fine, I had no coat on and opened the windows, the wind on my face was amazing (in December!)

Got the birth centre, when the midwife opened the door I was having a surge, squatting and pulling from a handle bar on the corridor - my favourite position.

I remember her saying to my husband “good sign” but I felt I still had a long way ahead

Without asking to observe me, they started to fill up the pool, asked me for an urine sample and took my blood pressure

I asked my husband to get me the tens machine, to which the midwife said to him “don’t bother”

I got into the pool and really liked the warmth and how relaxing it was.

I kept a blindfold mask on all the time, we didn’t talk other than me saying “water or lucozade please”, at some point I felt a pop and my waters went, they were clear so the midwife didn’t even blink an eye. After sometime the midwife asked if I was pushing, I wasn’t sure and she asked if she could observe me.

I stepped out of the pool, into the bed and she said I was ready to push! She said no time to get into the water (how mean I said), I asked for gas and air and she said no again “you need to focus”, so after about 3 or 4 pushed down he came out.

I couldn’t believe it, I felt the ring of fire but thought to myself “go through it and it will be over soon”, so he came in one single contraction, not head first and body after, I didn’t feel the famous head going up and down the birth canal, very intense but very quick.

I was checked and stitched up quickly (2nd degree tear), but used gas an air (felt really spaced out)

So that was it, less than 6 hours from the first surge and less than 3 hours from arriving at the birth centre

We were discharged and home in time to wake up my daughter from her nap

My favourite things:

A blindfold mask to keep me in the zone, really can’t rate it enough

Side note: I had a great recovery from my first birth, so a week in after this time round I was shocked to have both constipation and piles, no joke! my advice is drink plenty of water and get a laxative in just in case.