My waters broke – 10 days early – at around 9.00pm in Paula’s yoga class and I immediately had contractions every minute to two minutes. By 11pm I was 7-8cm dilated and we went to hospital. The midwives thought it would all be done and dusted within a few hours. But things slowed down – he was also back to back, which didn’t help. Arthur was eventually born after a 15-hour labour. I was prepped for a C-section (after ventouse didn’t work) but he was delivered with the assistance of Keillands forceps (BIG forceps). Despite the interventions, the whole experience was really positive. Excellent care from the Women’s Hospital. The worst bit was recovery (3rd degree tear and episiotomy).
This time round a friend who was training to be a midwife asked whether I had heard about the new home birth team. I had never even considered a home birth before. What I did know was that I did not want to be under the same community midwife, who had reduced me to tears twice in my previous pregnancy – she was abrupt and grumpy. So I thought about it, chatted to a friend who had had a home birth, read some stuff online, talked to my husband and decided to go for it. The end result was easily the most amazing and uplifting experience of my life.
While Arthur was 10 days early, this baby decided to make an appearance 9 days late. It turns out I had probably been in a latent phase of labour for a few days. On the Friday I had my fourth (!) sweep and was already 3-4cm dilated (they’re not comfortable, but fine – especially when you have them at home) and I went for an acupuncture session. On the Saturday I was VERY grumpy and emotional (not a great birthday for my husband, I think). I had had a lot of Braxton Hicks throughout the second half of this pregnancy, and by Sunday they were quite intense. I was sitting, rotating on my birth ball when the baby did a huge wriggle and twist and my waters went at 10.15pm. With a second ‘pop’ of waters my contractions started thick and fast – every couple of minutes. The tens machine proved to be excellent again until I got into the water. The midwives from the homebirth team arrived within 30 minutes and the race was on to send Arthur to stay with friends and to get the pool up and filled. Having gone upstairs to the bathroom, I managed to make it downstairs (just!) and the pool was set up just in the nick of time for me to get in. Can’t tell you how good the water was. Although the midwives had sent for the gas and air from the hospital (it gets sent over in a taxi) it didn’t arrive in time – turns out this was actually a good thing, as I felt far more in control and present without it. Hester I H was born in water, 2 hours and 10 minutes after my waters broke. Turns out that I was the first person to hold her, as Lauren (my midwife) didn’t actually touch her during the labour. She was born in the water and ‘swam’ up into my arms, where I was the first to see that she was a girl. She weighed a respectable 8llb 2oz.
We stayed in the water for a while (with a welcome glass of champagne) and then the midwives helped me into the sitting room, where I was comfortably ensconced on the sofa and had the syntocin injection to deliver the placenta, and Lauren gave me local anaesthetic and stitched up my small 2nd degree tear – the gas and air had arrived by this stage, so I used this. Then we all sat around in the sitting room drinking tea and champagne, eating cake and admiring the baby. Afterwards, the midwives helped me upstairs to have a shower and then I went to bed. My midwife Lauren came back to visit me and did all of the post natal checks at home – we saw her most days for the first week. I can’t describe how amazing it was to have that continuity of care – from antenatal, to labour, to postnatal – all with the same fabulous midwife.
Throughout my pregnancy I was aware that things might change and that I might need to go into hospital (and also if that needed to happen during labour, I’d be there within minutes) – that it worked out the way it did was just the most incredible experience. Richard, my husband, also said that the experience for him was markedly different to being in hospital – he felt much more empowered being in his own home. If you haven’t thought about a home birth, then do – particularly if it’s your second pregnancy and you know a bit more what to expect. The new home birth team are ALL totally brilliant and very lovely. I’m almost sorry that I won’t be doing it again.
No comments:
Post a Comment