Birth story - Vicky and baby boy

By the time I discovered the PBC I was well into my final trimester, but I lapped up the YouTube videos and positive birth stories and started reading ‘How To Make Your Birth Better’. I’d worried hypnobirthing might be a bit airy fairy but the way birth was explained seemed like total rational sense, and I found that many of the affirmations really resonated with me. I’d felt great all through my pregnancy (even with some pretty shocking insomnia) and enjoyed seeing a refreshingly positive approach to labour.

At exactly 38w, I woke at just before 1am to my waters breaking. I rang triage and they suggested I come in to get checked over and discuss my options as I wasn’t yet in labour, but would need to be within 24hrs due to the risk of infection. I had a bit of a cry at this point as I didn’t feel at all ready to meet my baby yet; I was still going about life as normal as I’d felt great and was utterly convinced I still had ages to go...I still had 2 days left of work and hadn’t even finished the book! I tried to remember “my baby will come when my baby is ready” and after I’d eventually accepted this was happening I felt calmer and actually quite excited. 

The hospital sent us home about 3am and told us I had until 8pm to get into labour or I’d be looking at an induction. I knew being rested and relaxed would be my best chance of getting things going (and coping when they did) so I got a few hours sleep and then woke at 8am to mild period-like cramps. These increased during the morning and I started timing them on the Freya app. They were every 3-4mins from the beginning, though not too intense and only lasting 20secs or so. I spent the morning getting myself ready and sorting out the baby’s nursery. 

At 12.45pm my husband made us some lunch but when I sat down to eat, my surges really ramped up and I was climbing up the sofa! I put the TENS machine on and after a little while we rang the hospital. I was convinced that as I could hold a conversation they wouldn’t let me go in, but the app was telling me I was in established labour and surges were now lasting 45secs - a minute and were taking my breath away, so they said we could. 

By the time we’d driven in (a 15min journey) and got to triage I was really in the throes of it. The TENS machine and Freya’s counting were the only things keeping me together. I threw up a lot and the midwife struggled to examine me as contractions were so frequent! I opted to use the Birth Centre and the midwives had followed my birth preferences notes and used dim lighting, LED candles and had the pool filling. It looked like a spa! 

While I waited for the pool I got into a forward leaning kneel by hugging a gym block. From this point on it all feels like a bit of a blur as everything was so intense. The TENS machine started irritating me so I moved onto gas and air. I was struggling to use the app to count the surges now (and my poor husband had no idea when one was starting or finishing as I was so ‘in the zone’ and not communicating) but he got my phone hooked up to the speaker system so that the relaxing music and affirmations were playing. I was really struggling with the pain now but tried to focus on the upbreathing. I just kept trying to remember my favourite affirmations; “my surges cannot be stronger than me because they are me” and “giving birth is powerful but so am I”.

When the pool was ready I really felt like I couldn’t even make the short walk over, due to the relentlessness of the surges. I seriously considered asking to be transferred to the labour ward and getting an epidural but felt like I should try and see how I got on in the pool first. I asked for Oramorph to help me with the walk over and while I waited for it to kick in I rested on the floor, trying to conserve some energy. 

I got into the pool at 3.40pm and the warm water felt wonderful. I clung to the side and in the brief moments between surges I just rested my head and almost went into a sleeplike state. Before too long I felt something change and switched to downbreathing. At this point I felt like my body took over and I just tried to be as upright and open as I could, despite feeling at the limits of my pain threshold. I couldn’t really focus on anyone else in the room, but did hear my husband ask the midwife how long she thought it might be as he could see I was struggling. When I heard her say she thought it would be under an hour I knew I was too late for any other drugs or an epidural so just had to focus on breathing my baby out. “My body and my baby know what to do”. 

After just under 30mins of pushing, at 4.38pm, I birthed my baby boy in the water. I picked him up and we had skin on skin. My husband cut the cord (after delayed clamping) and then I got out the pool to deliver the placenta, which I managed naturally with a bit of help from the midwife pulling the cord. I asked to see the placenta afterwards as I was so amazed at my body for growing a new organ to keep my baby alive for 8.5 months! 

Despite the fast, intense labour I managed to get away with just a papercut first degree tear which didn’t require stitches, and the midwife said she thought a lot of that was down to the controlled pushing and calm breathing I’d been able to do. I felt like superwoman and I contribute so much of my strength and attitude to what I learnt from hypnobirthing. I was lucky to have an uncomplicated birth but I felt so much more informed about all the possible outcomes and how I felt about them from the preparation I’d done. Thank you PBC for the role you played in my birth experience and for teaching me skills that will last well beyond the delivery room!