Birth story - Sammi and baby Luca

*Trigger warning* - Use of the word contraction

This is my second positive birth story to share to the group, the first being my daughters birth story in 2019. I found the course and this group invaluable during both of these pregnancies and am so grateful to the PBC for making my births so wonderful! After searching the group a million times for post-due date birth experiences, I knew I had to post mine when the time eventually came! So here is an example of a positive waterbirth at home-it was absolutely magic!

As with my daughter who was born at 40+5, my due date came and went. At first, I was able to stay really positive and reminded myself each day that my baby would come when my baby was ready. However, as each day passed, I became more eager to meet my baby and more frustrated to still be pregnant, especially once I went over my first due date….(the myth of second babies coming sooner was definitely wrong in my case!) I kept myself busy by trying all the tricks; raspberry leaf tea, a good walk every day, bouncing on my birth ball, lots of clary sage and plenty of oxytocin-filled warm baths, funny TV, massages, chocolate etc. From around 40 weeks, I had a lot of Braxton hicks, period pain, lower back pain and had started to lose some ‘show.’ I had all the signs baby was coming, but things were taking a while. As this was a pregnancy following a loss as well as a planned home birth, I felt even more ready to meet my baby and I did accept a couple of sweeps to try and prevent a complete hospital induction. I had a long latent phase just like I did with my first pregnancy, as I had a few occasions where contractions started and lasted a few hours but then stopped.

At my midwife appointment at 41+2, I was exhausted, emotional and very anxious about having an induced hospital birth as opposed to the waterbirth at home I had planned. I reluctantly agreed to be booked and briefed for an induction for 41+5 and had a sweep, at which point I was told again that my Bradford score was 7, I was 3-4cm and everything was in prime position to go! My midwives had commented that if my waters were to go, it would be highly likely that baby’s head will immediately press onto the cervix and I would rapidly dilate…well, this is exactly what happened!

The next day at 41+3, I emailed the company I had hired my birth pool from and explained the situation (I ordered from barefoot pools and they sent the most wonderful reply about baby coming when baby was ready and told me to take my time returning the pool and not to worry etc) and I started to prepare myself for an induction that Thursday, including organising childcare for my daughter. I went for a lie down upstairs and was chatting to my husband about having a bath instead of going for another walk. As I got up from the bed I felt a ‘pop’ alongside a very strong contraction and warm water beginning to trickle-my waters had actually gone! This was at 3pm. I called my mum (also a midwife) who said she was on her way and I called my homebirth team who told me to have a bath and see how things progress. However 10 minutes later my mum called me back to check on me and heard me have several contractions over the phone. She urged me to call my homebirth team straight back and request a midwife to be sent out. My husband helped me do this and they said they were planning to send a midwife out for a welfare check anyway as my waters had gone and would be with me shortly.

It became clear very quickly that I was definitely in established labour. My husband bounced between filling the pool and getting the birth space ready and holding my hand in the bath. The periods without him felt like forever as I had not had much time to build up my oxytocin and the contractions were very intense and every 1-2 minutes. I had the Freya app on to keep me company and tried to focus on listening to the music and affirmations.

My mum soon joined me in the bathroom at 15:51, called my sister to ask her to pick up my daughter from nursery and take her to her house for the night and my Dad who was with her helped my husband fill the pool, set up my essential oil diffuser and turn on the fairy lights. At 15:55 my lovely midwife arrived who got a brief handover from my mum, got some things ready and read my birth plan. Things continued to move quickly but I was reassured several times that the pool was nearly ready. At some point I lay back in the bath and my contractions seemed to stop for a few minutes. I remember thinking ‘am I having a rest and be thankful stage?’ Sure enough the contractions then continued but I could feel I was in the ‘down stage’ of labour. I could feel the pressure in my lower back but could also feel myself holding back as I knew I wanted to birth baby in the pool and didn’t feel I had the space I needed in the bath. My mum and midwife told me that after the next contraction, they were getting me up and we were getting me down the stairs and in the pool, which is exactly what we did (as my poor nervous Dad went to the kitchen to wait for news!)

I got in the pool at 16:21 and felt such a huge wave of relief to be in warmer water and in a much bigger space. My husband was just finishing putting up the fairy lights and I could feel the real pushing beginning. I held my husbands hands and was reminded by him and my midwife to use my down breathing. My sister arrived to collect my daughters car seat and my husband went outside to help, but was quickly called back in as baby started to make his entrance! My midwife was incredible and reminded me to slowly breathe him out. I felt so in control and reached down to touch his head, which is a feeling I will never forget! I continued to breathe and baby’s head was delivered at 16:38. One final push and at 16:39 our beautiful boy was here. I reached down into the water and lifted him up to my chest, exclaiming ‘I did it!! He’s here!!’ as he let out his first cry.

My Dad heard this from the kitchen next door and once I was covered with a towel, he joined us in the living room.

We got out of the water and baby soon showed signs of wanting to feed so we had our first breastfeed on the sofa and enjoyed some skin to skin. My mum cut the cord once it had stopped pulsating and after around 30 minutes (with some standing to help gravity along) I delivered the placenta. I had a ‘graze’ which I was advised would heal better and faster with some stitches and so had some gas and air whilst that was done (first time trying it and wow it was amazing! Highly recommend!) I then had a shower in my own bathroom, got into fresh pjs, fed baby whilst the pool was emptied and was on the sofa having a Chinese takeaway by around 20:30 with my living room back to normal-phenomenal.

I feel so lucky to have had the most incredible homebirth experience and I would absolutely encourage everyone to consider birthing at home if they feel their personal situation/risk allows! Seeing my home address on our baby’s birth certificate feels so very special. I couldn’t have done it without my wonderful husband and supportive parents-what an experience! Good luck to everyone here waiting to have their babies and I hope this story is helpful!!