Birth story - Rachel and baby

My baby is 8 months old tomorrow and I have thought that I wouldn’t bother writing this as it has been so long. However, I had such a positive birth story I still want to share it in the hope that it can help someone else in the way that reading all the amazing stories helped me!
So here goes...

I started having contractions after going to bed the Friday night, just a bit of discomfort really but then I realised they were coming periodically and therefore must be contractions. I got a little bit excited but stayed in bed (husband was asleep) as wanted to get as much rest as possible and they completely died down after a couple of hours. The next day, I was having mild contractions but spent the day cleaning and tidying whilst my husband finished off some DIY and putting some curtains up in our recently decorated living room! I had my labour all planned out after doing the course and reading people’s birth stories: I planned to watch my favourite tv shows, look at my wedding photos and video, honeymoon photos, had a playlist of my favourite music to listen to, all to get the oxytocin flowing but actually did none of that in the end! Part of my plan was to go for a walk as I knew that would help get things moving, so after waiting all day for my husband to finish the jobs he was doing, we headed out on a beautiful summer evening at about 6pm. Well this really got things going and contractions were coming every 5 minutes or so.

By 7.30 I thought it would be a good idea to go home and try to eat something. We stopped at the local supermarket on the way home as my husband decided he needed more snacks (which he never got to eat!) for the hospital bag, I stayed in the car and by this point I was having to start breathing through contractions, but I felt amazing and really in control! Once we got home, I got into the bath while my husband made some food, the bath was amazing but things were ramping up and by the time I got out (with a lot of difficulty, I could barely manage to eat any of the food.

Things get a bit blurred after that as I completely zoned out. My husband put the TENS machine on which was an absolute godsend and I went to the toilet where my waters broke. I then decided to sit on my birth ball on the landing outside the bathroom as I really couldn’t move any further and asked my husband to phone the labour line as contractions were coming every 3 minutes lasting 30s or more. This must have been at about 10.30pm and after speaking to me (I could talk to them easily and calmly other than stopping to breath through contractions) they said we should wait until the contractions were lasting 60 seconds!!! I was sure at this point that I was ready to go in but had to trust what they were telling me and my husband took them saying 60 seconds very literally (I don’t think my contractions ever got to lasting that long but became almost back to back) and despite me asking for him to call them back he kept saying “no the contractions aren’t lasting 60 seconds yet” 🤦‍♀️. If I wasn’t so calm and in the zone I think I could have strangled him, but he was very aware of how worried I was of getting to the birth centre and being sent home again, so he was trying to do what was best! I eventually convinced him to call back at midnight and they said we could go in to our local midwife led birth unit.

We got to the birth centre at 00.45, the car journey was difficult, I’m not going to lie and my husband drove over a speed bump which he didn’t see at 30mph and I’m pretty sure the baby almost came out 😂, but I just continued to breath and keep my eyes closed. I arrived clinging onto my husband, barely able to walk and was taken into an assessment room where the midwife was sat down with notes and started asking me questions and all I could say was “I need to push” to which she replied “oh do you dear”, I definitely don’t think she believed me but she said well let’s go down to the delivery room to examine you and start running the pool.

She insisted I lay down to be examined which I really, really struggled to do and in hindsight I should have objected more but surprise, surprise “this baby is ready to be born, you need to start pushing now”, I couldn’t quite believe it, I had made it to this point with just the TENS machine and my breathing, I was elated. I was desperate to get into the pool but as they had only just started filling it this wasn’t an option and she was urging me to push and get the baby out. I was laid on my side on a bed and I just knew there was no way the baby was coming out that way but I wasn’t able to say anything other than “I want to get in the pool” which I just said repeatedly.

Well they let me get in the pool at 1:30 when it was only just half full and my little boy was born at 1:39. I hadn’t had time to even consider any pain relief. We stayed in the pool for a while, had delayed cord clamping, but the placenta wasn’t coming so had to get out to deliver that. She asked if I wanted to try gas and air whilst she examined and stitched me but only got a few inhales as turned out I didn’t need any stitches which again I couldn’t quite believe!

It was the most amazing and unbelievable experience of my life, I have never felt so in control and empowered, it was incredible. I did however feel quite let down by the midwife team, I believe I should have gone in when we first called and despite telling them we are hypnobirthing they obviously thought we had a while to go, I really feel there needs to be a better understanding by midwives that women who are hypnobirthing may actually be a lot further along than they think. If my husband had got his way and we had stayed at home until the contractions were 60s each, the baby would have been born at home or in the car and that is a scary prospect! Certainly next time I won’t listen to anyone and will go in when I know it’s time!