Birth story - Rumaysa and baby boy

I was lucky to have a very straightforward and easy pregnancy. I didn't even get any morning sickness which I am very thankful for. At my 36 week appointment, the midwife said I was measuring small. She referred me for a scan. At the scan, the sonographer said that the size of the baby didn't appear to be an issue but she said the baby was breech. She sent me up to have a chat with a consultant. The consultant gave me three options. She said I could have an ECV to try to turn the baby, I could opt for a planned C-section or I could try to deliver the baby vaginally. Because of lockdown, I knew I would be in the hospital alone after the birth and that I wouldn't have my usual support network available once I went home, so I was really keen to avoid the C-section. I opted for the ECV which she booked in for 37 weeks. I found the ECV quite an uncomfortable procedure and it was unsuccessful. After the procedure, I told the consultant that I would like to try for a vaginal delivery and she supported my decision. She told me that in case things hadn't kicked off by 41 weeks, it might be worth booking in a C-section because I would not be offered an induction. Meanwhile, I did a lot of things at home to try and turn the baby including exercises from the spinning baby website, the hot/cold treatment and I even tried moxibustion.

On the 7th I had a nap in the afternoon. I stirred awake at about 12.30pm and suddenly I felt a gush. My husband, who was working on his laptop, sprang into action. He quickly got some towels and ushered me into the loo.

Because of the breech baby situation, I had been told to contact the hospital as soon as my contractions started or my waters broke. I called the hospital and the lovely lady on the phone said to call back in two hours if my waters were still going. I showered and my husband said he had some errands to run in town, so I decided to join him for the walk. We had a really lovely walk, pausing to giggle every now and then as I felt another gush of water. About an hour after I had called the hospital, the midwife called me back to check in. I told her that my waters were still going so she told me to come into the hospital. We walked back home from town, I cleaned up the kitchen, had a shower, had a snack and then we headed to the hospital at about 3pm.

I was feeling excited but also nervous because I knew that the baby being breech would make matters more complicated. My husband waited in the car whilst I went in to get checked. The midwife confirmed that my waters had broken. I explained that I was breech but I wanted a vaginal delivery. I had to wait for quite a while for a consultant to free up to scan me and have a chat. The consultant confirmed that baby was still breech and she talked me through my options. Usually, because my contractions hadn't started, they would have sent me home to start labouring, but because baby was breech they wanted to keep me in to monitor me. The consultant said we could try for a vaginal birth but if contractions hadn't started naturally by the next morning, it would be best to opt for a C-section. Because baby was breech I would not be offered an induction. At this point my husband had been waiting in the car for about 3 hours and I was gutted that he would have to go home. He dropped my bags off and we said our goodbyes. I was then moved to a side room, whilst I waited for my Covid test results (which later came back negative).

I was really anxious for my contractions to get going, and I sat and bounced on the ball they had given me. I was a bit lonely, but I phoned my parents to keep me company and by this time, I had started feeling mild period pain like pains. These ramped up really quickly and within an hour I was in a lot of pain. I asked for some pain relief and I was given some paracetamol. I tried really hard with the up breathing and to time my contractions on the Freya app, but because I was alone, I found it a bit difficult to keep track. One of the lovely midwives offered to run me a bath so I agreed and it did provide a little bit of relief but I got out quite quickly because it was getting very uncomfortable. After I got dressed I asked the midwife if I could have some more pain relief. She asked if she could examine me and I agreed. As soon as she looked, she gasped. I remember her looking up at me and saying, 'oh my God, there's a foot poking out'. Things went a bit crazy after that. She rang a bell and lots of midwives rushed into the room. One of them put all my stuff onto the bed and they quickly wheeled me down to the delivery suite. At this point, they told me to call my husband and I was so relieved to do so.

Once in the delivery suite, they got me hooked up to the gas and air. Initially I couldn't quite grasp how to use the gas and air, but once I got used to it, I absolutely loved it. My husband arrived and I felt a lot calmer and happier. He advocated for me throughout and kept me calm and laughing. At one point I asked him if he could order me some gas and air from Amazon Prime, much to the amusement of everyone in the room.

There was a lot of coming and going with different consultants coming to have a look at what was going on. Under normal circumstances, I would have resented so many people and so many examinations, but because the baby was breech, I was willing to do anything that would mean I had the best chance of a vaginal delivery. The consultants and midwives were absolutely fantastic. They didn't try to pressure me into having a C-section, which would have made their jobs a lot easier. One of the lovely consultants explained to me that although one of the baby's feet was already out, the other one seemed to be 'lost' up there. She said she could use her hand to try and locate it but it would prove too painful without an epidural. I had wanted to avoid an epidural, but I wanted to avoid a C-section even more so using BRAIN, I agreed to have it. I had a little wobble whilst I was being given the epidural, because I felt a little bit out of control, but with my husband's support, I got over that quickly. The epidural felt like magic and now that the pain seemed to have gone, I could enjoy the experience even more. I couldn't feel the pain of the contractions anymore but I knew I needed to push because every couple of minutes I felt like I had the urge to poo. I made some progress and the baby seemed to be doing okay. I'm not sure about how long I was pushing but at one point my contractions slowed down. Again, the lovely consultant had a chat with me and explained that if my contractions didn't ramp up, for the safety of the baby, they would have to perform the C-section. She said it would be best if they set me up in theatre in case they did have to do the C-section. With the best interests of baby in mind, they wheeled me down to theatre. There seemed to be a lot more people in theatre, but I was beyond the point of caring. The thought of the impending C-section must have spurred my body on because the contractions seem to come to life again. Every time I pushed there seemed to be a team of people cheering me on. The consultant promised me that they would do absolutely everything they could to ensure I had the best chance of delivering vaginally and that was such a relief to hear. Baby's heart beat was being monitored and it was fine so they allowed me to keep going. I had an episiotomy to help the baby out and once the hips and bum were out the top half of the body seemed to slip out much more easily. Pushing the head out was the most weird sensation, like pushing out a bowling ball. I remember someone shouting, 'he's out!' and there was lots of cheering but I couldn't hear any crying. One of the consultants held my hand and told me not to worry and that this was very normal for a breech delivery . The cord had become tangled around his neck and they had to cut it immediately. They rushed him to the side and my husband later told me they were clearing his airways. Hearing his first cry was the biggest relief I could ever feel. They put him on my chest and I just couldn't stop sobbing. It was absolutely the best feeling in the world.

I am so grateful to the lovely medical staff on duty that night. I had so much support and my wishes were respected. Using PBC gave me the confidence to really advocate for myself and to think through my options clearly. My husband really benefited from the course to and has become an advocate for the course. The birth was so far removed from the magical, fairy lights, water birth that I had envisioned, but it was the most empowering and special experience of my life.