Birth story - Srilekhinik and baby Alekhya

On a lazy Sunday morning on 25th April I was in my 41st week of gestation my contractions conveniently started after breakfast. I managed to bear them for a few hours until they worsened. My husband called the triage and I was admitted for assessment, but to my dismay I was not in established labour yet so was sent back home. I tried to welcome the contractions using breathing techniques, paracetamol, TENS machine and a hot shower as advised, but the when the waves of the pain reached its peak it surpassed all my efforts by evening. I remembered an affirmation I read a few weeks before ‘every contraction brings you closer to your baby’, but then everything changed.

I crawled into the car agonisingly slowly and complained all the way to go slow as a snail’s pace to the hospital that night. Once admitted, my midwife kindly allowed my husband to stay with me and offered me all kinds of pain relief intermittently, including oral tablets, intra-muscular injections, gas and air and epidural. Most of which I had previously declined in my birth plan but was now desperate to try them all. They all helped me to some degree until the epidural was finally in after four painful attempts and then it completely wiped out my labour pains. I was even able to take a short nap after and woke up to a sunny morning in time for the doctors’ ward rounds.

I did not give consent to assisted delivery due to the risks associated and for personal reasons, so my Obstetric Consultant had advised caesarean, although in hindsight it would have been nice to discuss and finalise this before I went into labour as an elective procedure. You can discuss about the benefits and risks of having an elective birth with your midwife and Obstetrician if you are interested as part of your birth plan beforehand.

Gratefully, I had an uneventful surgery and the moment we heard our baby’s first cry it was music to our ears and we felt complete as a family. All this time not leaving my side my husband was also incredible calming me, reassuring me and coaching me.

Once in the postnatal ward the thought of my husband then returning home due to the COVID restrictions did worry me how I would manage on my own with my baby, but the midwives were caring and supportive. I was in my own personal bubble and it was the best bonding time with my sweetheart with no interruptions.

When we were discharged the day after, all I wanted was my Mum. When she scooped up my princess into her arms we finally shared a special mother to mother moment in person. Since then she supported us in taking care of our little girl, day and night, whenever I wanted to take a break and I could not be more grateful to her. I hope that one day I can be that sort of parent to my little girl, Alekhya.

In retrospect I feel extremely proud of myself to go through the pregnancy and birth despite the COVID lockdown and the scary birth stories. I feel happy to reframe my birth as something positive in the end and thankful for all the support from my husband, parents, friends and midwives. For all the soon-to-be mums, whether in lockdown or not, don’t be afraid of the scary stories and make the best use of all the available resources to help with your decision making to frame your birth positively too.