After having enjoyed the first week of maternity leave, and at 36+6, the last thing on my mind was our little boy arriving quite so early, but nonetheless when I woke up on that Sunday morning with some questionable leaking I decided it was probably best to call the hospital!
Upon arriving and being checked over it was confirmed that my waters had definitely broken and that baby would be arriving imminently! I decided to wait out the next 24 hours at home so that I could be with my husband and practice everything Hannah had taught us to try and get things going (lots of walks, a nice bath, essential oils!), but unfortunately baby had decided he was still too comfortable and labour wasnt progressing.
On the monday I was admitted to the antenatal ward and whilst I was 1cm dilated the decision was made to have intervention move things along due to the risk of infection from my waters having gone. I was given a pessary to help my cervix dilate and I then spent the next 6 hours on a birth ball to try and get things going even more!
The contractions started to arrive shortly before my 6 hours was up at which point I was moved to the labour ward at around 11pm Monday evening. When I was examined again I was 2cm so I agreed with the team to be given the oxytocin drip. This was again completely different to what we had planned as I had wanted a natural birth and the drip meant continuous monitoring, but I at least knew what to expect and was able to request some of my choices regarding placenta delivery and pain relief which made me feel like I still had some control of the situation!
The drip did make my contractions come hard and fast and after managing 3 hours on just gas and air and breathing techniques, I asked to have an epidural. My contractions still werent regular enough and every time the drip was turned up to increase the contractions, baby's heart rate was dropping significantly.
At one point he moved so much the monitor couldnt pick him up which led to a ultrasound machine being rushed in to find him which was very scary. We agreed with the doctor to have the wire probe attached to his head to ensure we could monitor him properly. This continued for most of the night but surprisingly, despite my irregular contractions, by 7am I was fully dilated.
I started pushing at 8.20am with a lot of coaching and guidance from a fabulous student midwife as I couldnt feel any contractions, and at 8.49am, with the help of an episiotomy, Henry George was born weighing a teeny 5lbs 8oz!
My placenta came out on it's own a couple of minutes after he did! No-one had chance to talk about injections or blood loss!
Overall the experience was the complete opposite to what I had hoped for, but I was armed with all the knowledge for the various interventions that were necessary and I've come away knowing that I had made the best of the situation and I ultimately have a healthy baby boy! I attribute all of that to Hannah completely, and I will be forever grateful for the support she gave both pre and post pregnancy!
If you want to have a positive, informed and calm birth experience, regardless of the path it takes, I am ready and waiting to support you on your journey. I have 2 spaces remaining for new clients in September, so get in touch soon if you due I October/November/December 💖🥰
