Birth story - Sian and baby Freya

It all started on Sunday 14th April.

I got into bed at around 11pm and as I turned over in bed my waters broke, I got up waddled to the toilet where there was a bit of a gush so I knew it was definitely my waters. I then rang the hospital and they told me to come in to check it was definitely my waters. When I got to the hospital they confirmed it was my waters and sent me home and said if nothing happened in the next 24hrs they would induce me.

As soon as I got into the car to go home mild period cramps started to happen it was all so manageable that when I got home I tried to sleep as I knew I would need my strength for the birth. I managed to get a couple of hours on and off throughout the night but by 5am Monday morning I woke up my husband to get ready, and also just for some extra support, but still at this point it was all manageable with my up breathing.

My husband attached my tens machine at around 7am and I laboured with the tens and up breathing till around 11.30am when the surges were building and the Freya app told me to go to hospital. I phoned the hospital (but I don’t remember the conversation) and they told me to come in.

In the car I went into some kind of zone as it was pretty uncomfortable being restricted to one place as I had been really mobile at home. When we got to the hospital they examined me and told me the amazing news I was 7cm dilated whoo hoo!!!!

I didn’t need to give them my birth plan they had already read it while I was being examined and said that there was a pool room available for me as I had hoped for. My husband set up all the candles and fairy lights while it was filling up and I got into the pool and it was so relaxing and chilled and I laboured in the pool for the next couple of hours.

At this point I could tell the surges had eased of,f and so could the midwives, so they said I could stay in the pool and hopefully they would come back but that could take a while or I could try getting out. I wanted my baby here so I got out bounced on the birthing ball and 30mins later the surges were back and I started to feel the sensation to push down so I went with my body, still using up breathing at this point with the Freya app, no pain relief just breathing as I had taken my tens machine off.

I wanted to stand up and let gravity help me get my baby out so I held onto a cupboard and went with my body about an hour later her head was out the next surge her body was out the midwife caught her and pushed her up through my legs and onto my chest. It was the best moment of my life I had done it, no pain relief just breathing and going with my body.

I had delayed cord clamping and skin to skin for the next 2hrs which was amazing. I did have a 2nd degree tear which got stitched up whilst I was having skin to skin.

I can’t thank the PBC enough I had all the right tools to know exactly what my body was doing and how to birth my baby in the most positive way possible. The Freya app was incredible so good I named my daughter after it hahaha (jokes)