Our little boy, Oscar, is now almost 3 months old, so I thought it was about time I shared my birth story! I was undecided whether or not to share this at first, but I remember reading a really lovely birth story during pregnancy that really helped me. All you see on TV and in films when it comes to labour is a lot of pain and screaming, so to know it could be calm and empowering was so great to see.
I’ll start by saying that when I found out I was pregnant, I was absolutely terrified about the idea of giving birth. In fact I wasn’t looking forward to pregnancy in general. However, after having a great labour experience, I’ve managed to shake a lot of fears of mine.
Going in to pregnancy, I had a pretty bad needle phobia (cue me sobbing dramatically at my 12 week appointment when I had to have a blood test). I was also very scared of feeling any sort of pain, so you can understand my worries! I decided to do an online Hypno-birthing course called The Bump To Baby Chapter, and after only a couple of sessions I could already feel my mindset changing. After the first blood test I became much more relaxed about tests and jabs, and I started to actually look forward to labour. I got myself in the mindset of ‘what will be, will be’. So long as he was delivered safely, I didn’t really mind how it happened. The only things I said I wanted to steer clear of were an epidural and forceps/ventouse, but I knew if we needed to have them, I would.
Read: I’m Having A Baby! Half Way There…
Read: A Pregnancy Update – Full Term
So then it was just a waiting game! I did my course, I read Hypno-birthing books and mentally prepared myself. Along came the due date (I’d convinced myself he’s arrive early) and still no sign. The days felt SO incredibly long and I was so scared to leave the house incase anything happened, so I lived life on the sofa. By the time I was 6 days overdue, Dan suggested we should head out for the day to take my mind off things. So off we went in to town, had a lovely brunch and did a spot of shopping. When we got home I had a well deserved nap, and woke with aches and pains that were similar to menstrual cramps.
Lo and behold, the day I stop stressing about labour starting, is the day it begins! We quickly established that the cramps I was experiencing were the first contractions. They were roughly every 10 minutes, lasting about 30 seconds, so not frequent or long enough to go in to hospital just yet. We waited it out, had some dinner (though I couldn’t stomach much), I had a warm bath and attempted to go to bed. Things then started to ramp up a little and the contractions were now much more frequent (It had been around 7 hours now!) so I called the Birth Centre. Their advise was to get back in the bath, relax and see how things were in an hour, so that’s what I did! Whilst the contractions were closer together, they were still only around 30-40 seconds long, and they won’t admit you until they’re at least 50-60 seconds long and happen 3 times in 10 minutes.
After an hour in the bath, I was still in a lot of pain so called back and was advised to come in for examination. We were seen in triage by a lovely midwife who told us I was only 2cm dilated, so would need to go home and wait it out some more. I experienced some sickness whilst we were there, so we were allowed to stay for a few hours whilst an anti-sickness jab kicked in and I was able to eat something and take painkillers. We headed home at around 4am, 12 hours after the contractions began!
After little to no sleep and more sickness, we returned 5 hours later as I was unable to keep any food or drink down, and obviously needed my energy! We were sent home again a couple of hours later once they were happy I’d managed to eat something, but couldn’t examine me any further as I’d be at risk of infection with it not been too long since the last check-up.
By this point I was getting really frustrated. I was in a lot of pain, the painkillers weren’t making a great deal of difference, and I’d been contracting for a long time. Still, we headed back home and somehow I managed to wait it out and get through the contractions for another 24 hours!! Just typing this now and remembering the whole thing has me wondering how I coped!
At last, on the afternoon of the 28th October, I was allowed to stay in! The contractions had got SO intense by this point and Dan could see I was struggling. I felt a lot of the pain in my lower back, which was not pleasant! I was examined and found to be at least 4cm which meant active labour (6cm or more) would start any time, although apparently I was coming across as extremely calm so had I not pushed to be examined I would have been sent home again!
Since my pregnancy had been complication-free and I was classed as ‘low risk’, we were given a private room in the Birth Centre with a birthing pool and private bathroom. Luckily Dan was allowed to stay with me in our room, something I was so grateful for as the rules around visitors and labour during the pandemic were ever-changing.
After a quick covid test, we were left to ourselves. We dimmed the lights, put Friends on our iPad and concentrated on getting through the contractions. We were checked up on regularly, and at around 10pm I decided I was ready to get in the pool. If you have the option of using a pool, I would highly recommend it! The instant I got in the water, my pain reduced drastically and I felt calm and in control of the contractions. Our lovely midwife checked the baby’s heart rate regularly with a doppler and chatted to us throughout. I was in there for a while before I requested Gas & Air when the contractions took another step up. By this point I completely lost track of time, but somewhere along the line I had to get out to be examined again, and was told I’d reached 9cm, so very nearly there!
The rest from this point onwards is a huge blur. The Gas & Air has left my memory VERY hazy and there are big gaps in my memory of the next few hours. I know I had Dan by my side, spraying my face with water and making sure I was drinking water and lucozade to stay hydrated. I know I was watching Friends because I remember shouting at Ross! (“For God’s sake Ross! Nobody cares!”). And I know that the midwife left the room at around 4 – 4.30am because I told Dan to get her back, I needed to push.
And so around an hour and a half of pushing later, at 5.50am on Thursday the 29th of October, Oscar was born! The only things I can remember from 4.30am onwards, are snippets of being leant forwards over the side of the pool, using the Gas & Air whilst pushing, then being told to look down as Oscar floated to the top of the pool. Such a surreal moment that I won’t forget, and one I’m so glad I can remember! Whilst this was such an incredible moment though, things did unfortunately take a little turn for the worse.
Oscar was born with the cord wrapped tightly round his neck, (something I didn’t even know until afterwards as the midwives had quickly untangled him behind me) and this meant he wasn’t responding. I had to blow on his face to try and get him to take his first breath, as babies born in the water can apparently be a little docile, but he still didn’t respond. His heart rate was perfect, but he wasn’t breathing properly, so was rushed away for a form of resuscitation. He was only away from us for around 20 minutes, but it honestly felt like hours and was a very scary thing to go through, but the team were incredible and knew exactly what to do.
In the time that Oscar was out of the room, I was given an injection to help deliver the placenta, and the midwives helped me out of the pool and on to the bed. Unfortunately the placenta didn’t want to make an appearance, so without going in to too much detail, it was manually removed by a specialist. This was probably the most unpleasant part of labour, but I think that’s more to do with the fact that the Gas & Air was starting to wear off, and I was feeling anxious about Oscar,
I couldn’t enjoy the skin-to-skin time we had hoped to have, or the Delayed Cord Clamping since he had to be taken from the room. When he was returned to us though, awake and alert and looking healthy, it was such a huge relief! We learned however that he had meconium in this end of the cord, which left him at risk of infection. He then had to be taken away again (but this time Dan could go with him) to have a cannula fitted in his arm so that he could have a course of antibiotics to fight any possible infection that could occur.
Whilst he was out of the room this time round, I was able to get up and showered, get in to some fresh pyjamas and eat some breakfast. (It’s true what they say about the toast after giving birth! It tastes incredible!). I was also checked over for any tearing, and was so happy to find out that I only had a slight graze and didn’t require any stitches – hurrah! I would have been allowed to leave later that day, however Oscar’s antibiotics had to be administered in hospital, so we had to move on to the ward.
We stayed in hospital for 5 long days, which I won’t lie, took its toll on me mentally. I now know that I was struggling with what is known as the ‘baby blues’ thanks to the wild changes in hormones. The midwives and doctors were incredible though (thank the lord for the NHS) and looked after us so well. Dan was allowed to visit us between 10am and 6pm each day and he was a huge help in keeping my spirits up.
We were finally discharged just before midnight on Monday the 2nd of November, and able to take our little boy home.
So that’s my birth story! My labour was honestly incredible. I’ll admit that I struggled with the contractions at home, but from the moment I was admitted, dare I say, I actually found myself almost enjoying it?! I felt like superwoman, and I barely remember feeling any pain (probably because I was high on Gas & Air!) and I’m just so incredibly proud of myself.
I owe my calmness to Hypno-birthing, to the amazing staff that looked after us and to Dan for being the most supportive birth partner I could have asked for. I just wish the moments that followed birth had been better, for Oscar’s sake, but all that mattered was that he was well. Fast forward 3 months and we have a strong, gorgeous, happy little boy who makes my heart feel so full.
He was worth every moment of those long months, all the sickness, every single contraction, and all the pre and post-natal tears. I never knew I could feel so overwhelmed with happiness and love for my little family. I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot more of our little man around these parts now!
C
x
What a beautifully written birthing story! So glad Oscar is doing well and I can’t wait to meet him – well done Claire xx
Thank you Sarah! Hopefully you’ll get to meet him soon! x