Birth story - Rachael and baby Torin

I was beginning to feel really frustrated about not going into labour and felt annoyed that I seemed to be heading towards induction. I’d needed to be induced with the drip with my first and wasn’t keen to repeat the experience. On Thursday, when I was 41+3, I had a second sweep. My first sweep on Tuesday had started things off but a bath seemed to put an end to all progress and surges stopped again. I felt positive that Thursdays would work and did a lot of walking on Thursday evening afterwards. Surges were irregular but still there when I went to bed on Thursday night and my plug was coming away. I started using Freya to record them at about 12am and by 2am it was saying I was in established labour. We hung around at home until about 4am before heading into the MLU attached to the local maternity unit. 

When are arrived at the MLU, I was assessed. This was done in the most marvellous of ways which basically had me sat on the birthing ball, leaning over a chair, surging away while the midwife and student read my birth preference (the student had never seen a PBC template and really liked it) and made notes on my surges. After about half an hour, I was brought to the pool room. It felt so wonderful that I didn’t even need to ask for the pool. It was just sorted for me. The room was fairly dark and my husband put on the music he had chosen. It was some sort of spa playlist and disappeared into the background - just as I wanted it to. It was probably 6 or 7am by this point. 

For the next few hours I up breathed through the surges occasionally getting out of the pool to change it up when things seemed to be slowing. I ate a lot of Percy Pigs and toast and sipped lucozade. At some point, I was examined (I asked for this as I wanted to know where we were) and found that, although I was only at 3cm, each time I had a surge it was going to 7cm as my water came down. I also apparently had the stretchiest cervix my midwife had ever felt and I remember feeling oddly proud of this fact. 

I had about an hour out of the pool, lying on a mat on the floor and had power naps between surges. Around this time, I had a massive wobble. I knew that I didn’t want gas and air as I hate how detached it makes me feel and I pass out with it. However at this point, I did ask my husband if I should ask for it. He was amazing and gave me the confidence to carry on without it. I got back in the water and carried on up breathing. 

By around 2 or 3pm I was getting really tired and had run out of Percy pigs. My midwife felt that once my waters broke things would go fast but they just didn’t seem to be breaking. We made the decision to get me out of the pool, do another examination and break my waters. 

Once my waters were broken, it did happen fast. I got back in the water and felt my breathing change automatically. I made the oddest noises and my lips vibrated with every breath. I remembered worrying that the children in the nursery beside the MLU would be confused by it! Fifteen minutes after getting back in the water, Torin was born. It was the most incredible feeling him descend and feeling his body turn once his head was out. It was probably my favourite part which seems odd to say. He shot into the water at speed and apparently he made a really loud bang as he hit the bottom! I brought him up to my chest and insisted the midwife took a photo as I never actually believed I could do it myself and I had. 

We got out of the pool and had a wonderful hour lying on the floor doing skin to skin and having a biology lesson looking at my placenta. It was beautifully relaxed and my midwife Ellie was amazing. Torin’s birth was a restorative and empowering experience thanks to hypnobirthing.