Birth story - Phoebe and baby Frank

I just wanted to say how grateful I am to The Positive Birth Company. I read your book at about 20 weeks after my mum (a trainee doula) recommended it to me. It totally got my head in the right mind set for birth and I was looking forward to having a calm, relaxing (hopefully water birth) at a MLU with my mum and partner there to guide me through. Then COVID19 arrived and in my last month of pregnancy I had to get my head around the MLU being closed and the fact my mum couldn’t be at the labour. I felt like my safety net had been pulled from beneath my feet as my mum knew everything I wanted and had so much knowledge and a great energy that I was relying on to get me through.

We decided at this stage to download the digital pack while self isolating so my partner could learn about positive birthing and feel confident in what he needed to do for me.

My contractions started on a Sunday evening at 39 weeks and were constant but never really close enough together until Tuesday afternoon where they ramped up a level. I relied on my Freya app the whole time I was at home, breathing and counting my contractions. By midnight on Tuesday evening the contractions were every 2/3 minutes and feeling really intense so we headed to hospital. My partner had to wait outside while I was checked and told I was only 2cm. They offered me a sweep at this stage and even though I was absolutely exhausted and feeling so disheartened I used my B.R.A.I.N and declined as I was so determined to let my baby come in their own time. We headed home and I attempted to get some sleep but the contractions were every minute or so and I started to wobble. I told my partner that I was going to have to have an epidural as there was no way I could make it another 8cm in this much pain.

He reassured me and reminded me we still had a water birth option and gas and air to use as pain relief. We called my mum and she told me to stop worrying about what was to come and just to focus on breathing through each contraction and concentrate on the ‘now’. I sat on the toilet from 1.30am-5.30am feeling the contractions getting stronger and stronger. I had a tens machine on which helped massively and at this point with every contraction I had to tell myself ‘Women do this everyday’. I didn’t really resonate with this positive affirmation in particular but for some reason it’s all I could think of during each surge. I started to feel the contractions pushing down as they become more and more intense. One surge led to the famous ‘moo-ing’ noise which was uncontrollable and I knew baby was making its way down and that we needed to head back into hospital fast.

We phoned the hospital to tell them we were coming and was informed I wouldn’t be able to have a water birth due to COVID 19 which was never mentioned before but by this stage it didn’t even register with me! A quick car journey (on all fours in the back) and we were back at the hospital just 5 hours later and I was 8cm dilated with bulging waters and babies head was really low.

Once my partner was allowed in and we were moved onto the delivery suite I felt my whole body relax and start to enjoy the process and I knew I was where I needed to be and baby was on their way. I was on all fours on the bed from the moment I got in the room as that was what felt right, our music playlist was on and I didn’t even feel the need to dim the lights as I felt so calm and relaxed. The gas and air was a dream and I even said ‘this is so easy in comparison to the contractions at home’.

An hour and a half of breathing and pushing and I could feel baby slowly making its way down. I didn’t have any more checks on my cervix as I felt so in control of the situation and was telling the midwife what was happening instead of the other way round!? My partner was amazing and encouraging, feeding me lucozade and spraying me with cooling spray. The midwife even commented that he needed to give lessons on being a birth partner! Half an hour of active pushing later and our beautiful baby boy ‘Frank’ was born calmly and slowly into the world.

I am so in awe of my body and of Frank for coming exactly when he was ready and I don’t think I could have done it so confidently without The Positive Birth Company. My partner swears by it and says he would recommend it to anyone. It really gave us the confidence to work as a team and allow my body to give us such an amazing birth experience. So thank you again!