Birth story - Rosella and baby Marion

I prepared myself for this birth by reading all your positive birth stories every day since purchasing the PBC course at 33 weeks pregnant and this gave me so much confidence! I’m so glad to be able to share my story with you too!

I didn’t find out I was pregnant until I was already 11 weeks and so my pregnancy seemed really short! I felt really very fatigued during my first trimester (I didn’t realise I was pregnant) and thought I may have had some thyroid issues. I had also just moved cities and assumed the fatigue was due to this as well as general fatigue relating to the year spent in lockdown and Covid. The rest of the pregnancy was uneventful except for some bouts of insomnia and getting a pinched nerve after intensive cleaning during my nesting period which cleared up after seeing an osteo appointment.

I delivered all three of my children naturally and without pain relief and my labours were all quite short and very positive experiences! My first was a 7.5 hr labour, and my second 3.5 hrs and Marion’s 2.41 hrs. My first two labours began with my waters breaking. So I expected the same for my third.

I decided to try hypnobirthing as with my second child‘s birth I felt it was a very intense experience and I felt I made a lot of noise. Due to the intensity and noise of my son’s birth I wanted to have a calm experience with this labour without too much noise. Covid and lockdown, homeschooling, moving etc had tired me out. And I didn’t feel I had the energy for a natural birth. I’m so glad I bought the PBC course!! I had such an amazing experience!

On Wednesday 7 July I woke in the early hours with dull period like pain. It lasted a couple of hours but disappeared during the day once I was up and about. I told my husband to stay home from work as I thought this would be the day, I was alone with the kids, and the hospital was a half hr drive away. Nothing further happened on this day.

On Thursday I had a few inconsequent surges throughout the day but nothing major. I used the day to watch positive birth videos and bounce on the birthing ball.

On Friday again there were some mild surges in the early morning and then nothing and I had the bloody show. Nothing happened again on Friday. I used this time to prepare a positive affirmation wall where I strung up fairy lights with clips and attached positive affirmations to it which I had written out. This was amazing and made me feel so relaxed and happy every time the lights were on and my music was playing. We did this when Marion came home too and woke up to a calm environment every morning.

On Saturday 10 July I was woken by period like pains at 3.50am. I was able to get back to sleep around 4.30am. The pains were not regular. I also felt pain in the vaginal area like when you get your periods.

At 8am I got out of bed and went to the toilet and discovered more bloody show. The bloody show lasted all day. It was bright red and liquid not mucus.

My husband and I decided to go for a long walk and climb some stairs in the evening to try and get the show started. At 5-6.30pm we went for a walk and climbed 10 rounds of 20 stairs in font of the church whilst praying the rosary. This really helped relax me and put me in a mind frame for the birth. Then went and got a chai latte from my favourite café. We had a lovely time just Matt and I. This seemed to get the ball rolling!

At 2am I began having some surges that I had to breath through. I didn’t wake my husband but in between surges managed to dose off. My husband awoke not long after, with my breathing, and noticed that things had progressed. He drew me a bath and I made my way to the bathroom. I then felt the need to go to the toilet (the clear out had begun ). It was about 2.15 and once on the toilet I could not get off. The bath stayed unused. The surges were much closer together but still manageable with the breathing. My husband decided he would go and get the car ready so we could head to the hospital. At this time the surges didn’t feel intense enough to me to warrant getting to the hospital just yet. And I was still expecting my waters to break like my last two labours. But luckily my husband didn’t listen to me. My mother in law replaced him and I hugged her while up breathing through my now very close together surges.

We left for the hospital at 3am arriving at 3.45. The person at the emergency saw me and gave us a wheelchair so Matt could wheel me to the maternity ward. However their directions were so poor and we ended up lost in the empty hospital corridors. I also could no longer sit and manage the surges so we abandoned the wheelchair and returned to the emergency from where they accompanied us to the maternity ward.

Finally, having arrived, I was led to an examination room. I prayed that I was at least at 7cm as I didn’t want to be there too long and just wanted to meet my baby! After the exam, which was not uncomfortable, I was 5.5cm. I must admit I was a little disappointed as I expected that I’d be there a couple of hours. I was happy though that I could continue to the natural birthing room.

Once in the room Matt set up our tea lights and spritzed the room with my room spray. He put on the positive affirmations and meditations and I relaxed and continued my up breathing during the surges. The midwife used the wireless monitor to check baby’s heart rate and I felt so good as I felt like everything was coming together the way I wanted it to. There was question as to whether my waters had broken or not but the midwife let me get in the bath regardless. In France they don’t usually let you labour in water if your waters have broken. I don’t believe I was in the bath too long less than 15 mins when I felt the urge to push. I was asked whether I wanted a VE and I agreed. I asked for it to be done in the bath and she agreed. It was her first VE in the bath and water. In 45 mins I’d gone from 5.5 to 9.5 cm dilated!

I then felt the urge to push. I knew I needed to poop but midwife kept telling me it was the baby! And I kept saying no I need to poop! Of course I knew my body

In France they don’t let you have a water birth so I was told I needed to get out of the bath to deliver the baby. Matt asked them to empty the bath so I could stay in the tub with the shower head on my back which they agreed to but in the end I ended up getting out of the bath. I got up on the bed on my knees holding on to the back of the bed and I began down breathing. I wanted to breathe out my baby at this point but the midwife kept saying “push”. At first I ignored her and continued breathing but then I just felt the urge to push and I began a low sound and pushed. I felt everything, the head descend and crown and then come out, the rotation of the baby and the body sliding out! It was just amazing!! I pushed for less than 10 mins and my beautiful baby girl was born at 4.41am! We’d been at the hospital less than an hour! My placenta followed straight away! I tore slightly and had four stitches at the perineum, 3 on the outside and one inside.

Marion and I had skin to skin for 2 hours and she had her first breastfeed. She also pooped on me during this time! We rang our family and friends and just had a beautiful morning together!

During the two days in hospital (in France they usually keep you for 5 days, and two days is an early release) I used up breathing for many things! Marion had a tongue tie and it was painful to feed so I breathed through it till her tie was cut, I had the whooping cough vaccine and breathed through that as I have a fear of needles! I also have to say that Marion is such a calm baby! She never cried after her birth and not during her stay in hospital. She didn’t even cry when her tongue tie was cut.

And at home, I used up breathing regularly to help me relax during the first two weeks of Marion’s life. It’s been so phenomenal and has helped me so much! I didn’t even experience baby blues this time round whereas with my last two births I had baby blues that lasted two weeks!

I absolutely loved my birth experience! It was calm, comfortable and swift! The techniques I learned served me well after the birth too! Thank you so much Siobhan and PBC for this course! It made all the difference in this trying year for me!