Zander Abe's entrance to the world - 25-09-08

[SamiH]

I am so proud to be able to write the birth story of my son Zander Abe. The birth was everything I dreamed it to be. I was aiming for a totally natural birth for us.

Wed 24/09/08
Had coffee with some friends from work at 9am. I was having acupuncture at 10am and was joking with them that my waters would break at 11am and I would have my boy by the end of the day. I went to my appointment and my practitioner and I agreed to do a couple of special points with the needles - I was 38w3d. We discussed that the treatment wouldn?t have any effect if bubs wasn't ready anyway.

Went home and went to my second home (the loo!) at around 2.30pm. After a wee I was about to stand up and felt this gushy water and thought to myself - I wet myself and didn't even feel it ? then of course I realized it was my waters breaking!! Rang my doula and hubby and friends who were looking after my other kids - and then my brain froze! I wasn't having contractions but had to check in at the hospital around 5pm for bubs to have some monitoring to make sure he was ok.

Got to hospital and the midwives said unfortunately for me, my waters had broken on the wrong day. The Ob on duty doesn't let women go home after their waters have broken. I was mortified at this and really wanted just to have the CTG and go home. They kept me in birth suite overnight which was fine - apparently the ward was very busy and understaffed so if I went into active labour overnight they wouldn't have staff there to monitor etc. Hubby went home around 9pm for a good night's sleep. Needless to say I didn't sleep much and then had some contractions overnight about 10 minutes apart but come 6.30 they just stopped!!

Thurs 25/09/08
I was panicking that I was going to be discussing synto drip again (DD birth) and started talking to the midwives. Two of them very excitedly came back into my room to tell me another Ob was coming on at 7am and he would let me go home. The registrar came in after a while with anti's and confirmed that not only could I go home, but as long as I came in for daily monitoring they would give me until Saturday arvo and then we would reassess WOOOHOOO. My doula was there and gave me some clary sage to rub on my tummy every hour and of course some acupressure. I went home around 10am.

At home I had a shower, had a big bowl of the best spag bol I have ever cooked (I had cooked it in the slow cooker the day before - what perfect timing!), and then had an hour or so sleep. I got up, wandered around and then my hubby dropped me off at a friends house whilst he did some shopping. Just before we left at around 2.30ish I was having some pains around 5 mins apart, but I could talk through them etc. However at her house at around 3pm the first contraction I couldn't talk through hit. Went home, and they continued. My hubby did the school run and I rang my doula and told her - the one and only weekend she was going to be away all year due to a family wedding, and she was on the road so she called her back-up in (I had already had coffee with her so was comfortable). Everything continued and I asked my DH to ask my doula to come around 5.30pm and our babysitter around 6pm. When she arrived my DH fed the kids dinner whilst I continued to labour kneeling over the top of the swiss ball. The contractions were closer and intensified, my children were rubbing my back and applying heat pack - it was beautiful that they were involved and knew what was going on. My doula took photos of us labouring as a family and has subsequently put all the pics on to a musical slideshow - it is a very valued gift.

At around 7pm I asked my doula through the contractions when should we go ? I had lost all track of time and no idea how close the contractions were and for how long ? she said about 3 minutes ? 45 seconds long, so yeah, we should go!! In-between contractions we got into the car - me facing backwards as there was NO WAY I was going to sit down conventionally! Lucky the trip was only 10 minutes - but the last 500m felt like a lifetime. We arrived around 7.30pm.

Once on ward I met the midwives, one from the night previously so I was thankful for that. My doula whipped out all these wonderful things from her bag of tricks such as electric oil burners, battery operated tealight/candle thingies, baby poster and lovely music. We raised the head of the bed, and I laboured over the back of it. Then the power of suggestion from my doula I should stand as I said I was getting close. At no stage did pain relief enter my mind, so I knew I was in total control and it felt so empowering. My DH and doula gave me water between contractions and mopped my forehead with lovely lavender on the cloth. I felt so totally loved and ready to birth my boy.

After standing I felt the urge, and after only 10 minutes, he was born. It was completely quiet - and I am not a screamer either - the midwife who was going to help DH catch the baby as shocked that when she checked me the head was out already and she only had one glove on!! It was quite funny to be told that afterward. My doula said the only sign she had I was pushing was my grip. She was standing on the opposite side of the bed with a lovely gold embroidered scarf twisted and I was holding onto that and she said to pull the scarf when I needed to push so I was focusing on something else as well. That was her telltale sign.

My darling baby was born at 8.58pm!!! There was a true knot in the cord so I didn't mind it being clamped but they did check with me first. He was beautiful and I felt so proud of my hubby for catching him in what must have been a difficult position! He got the first cuddle and when he cried a bit, my heart just melted and I had to contain myself from whipping him out of my hubby's arms and into mine - but this was his moment too.

The midwives also said they would give me a while to deliver the placenta, even though my birth plan said I was happy to have the needle. On the border of having it 90 minutes later - out came the placenta. I had clotted a bit, but felt really good, and so euphoric that I had done it!

Zander was 8pd 1oz, 10 days early, 35cm head and 53 cms long. He fed straight away. I had 6 stitches, but such is life. He is just beautiful and so loved in our family from his siblings too.

When the midwives changed shifts they came and told me it was such a privilege to be present at his birth and were in awe of how well I did. This really took me by surprise thinking they see this stuff all the time, but they said most people do have some form of help or intervention at some stage during labour/birth these days. I felt very humbled and very proud of my boy to be welcomed into the world this way.

This is our last baby. The midwife asked if we were having any more ? I said no, but my hubby then said - oh you never know!!!! He wasn't sure about this one LOL. I think he was just caught up in the moment too.

Thanks for reading this