Il try not to make this too long!!!

When I was preparing for my second labor and birth I thought a lot about my first and how that birth had left me feeling scared and very apprehensive about going through it all again, due to interventions, PPH and theatre which lead to trouble bonding with DD. I was determined to make this birth a more positive experience for all involved. Cue BB . I got a lovely student Doula, Sarah, who helped me with visualization, asking the hospital and myself lots of questions and getting my mind into the right place for the drug and intervention free labor and birth I wanted.

After a nice, non eventful pregnancy, 40 weeks came and went, so did 41 weeks. After daily scans a monitoring at the hospital 41+6 days came around. A great midwife at the hospital explained what the docs would be saying at my appointment tomorrow. I wanted to avoid a medical induction so decided to have a sweep to give baby a better chance of arriving before I was ‘forced’ to have a medical induction if baby needed it. I had the sweep at about midday and went home for a walk. Our friends who were going to look after DD while we were having baby came over for dinner and stayed the night. I was having a few tightening and period type pains but wasn’t sure if id go into labour that night.

We went to bed at about 11pm. I was woken at 1am with a contraction. Got up, had some codeine, a peanut butter and jam sandwich and finished packing my labour bag. Timed my contractions, 4 to 6 minutes apart and lasting 35-45 seconds. I went back to bed and managed to sleep till 4am when I was woken by a much more painful contraction! I let DH sleep while i timed my contractions on the computer again (using contraction master). Still pretty irregular, 4/6 minutes apart but lasting about 50 seconds to a minute. I started having to breath and rock my hips through them and was thinking ‘cervix open’ on my in breath and ‘baby down’ on my out breath. I enjoyed laboring on my own, it gave me time to tell myself this was it and get myself mentally ready!

I woke DH at 5am and I jumped in the shower. Our friends who were staying over and DD all got up around 6 am. I went back to timing them while bouncing on my birthing ball, chatting with everyone and having breckfast between them. I decided id ring my Doula and let her know that things would probably be happening this arvo but I had one really strong long contraction! It knocked my concentration so I went to the bed room to get my head together. By the time I got there I was having another one, A few minutes later DH came in and I was having another one. All of a sudden they had jumped to about 2/3 minutes apart and lasting over a minute each time. I knew it was time to head to the hospital so we jumped in the car. The car had been hard last time so I had set up a space where I could be on my hands and knees, which was perfect as they got stronger on the way there. I was breathing and rocking my hips and visualizing my body opening and my baby moving down. And all the time telling myself I could do this!

We arrived at the hospital and rang our doula from outside, she lives an hour away but I was sure she would get there in time. It was 7.15am.We got up to the birth suite with about 6 contractions on the way and upon arrival, having a contraction outside the midwives station they all commented on how good things were looking! I guess they meant I was clearly in established labour! The Midwife we had, Brooke, was amazing and after listening to baby while I was standing up in between contractions and saying everything was fine, we decided I didn’t need an internal, which I didn’t want anyway and I jumped in the shower. I knelt down over a birthing ball while DH used the shower on my back. He kept telling me to keep my shoulders relaxed and my face soft, which is what we had talked about.

My breathing soon turned into a quiet low moan on my out breath and over the hour ampt up to a not so quiet moan. All of a sudden I felt like I wanted to push. I freaked out. After having a cervical tear last time and being rushed to theatre I was convinced I wasn’t fully dilated and if I pushed I would do the same again. I requested an internal. Brooke was amazing, I had to leave the shower and get on the bed but everyone reassured me id be back in the shower for my next contraction. I was in tears standing next to the bed ‘’how can I be ready to push, I haven’t even been through transition yet’’ Brooke looked me in the eye and told me that this was my transition. I was 9 cms dilated. A few more contraction and I really couldn’t stop myself pushing, still freaking out and now trying not to say the F word with each contraction cause I couldn’t stop pushing but was so scared I was going to tear my cervix. Brooke did an internal in the shower and told me I was right to push! The relief was amazing. I got out the shower, and onto my hands and knees over a bean bag that brooke had set up in a corner. It felt like a little nest, it was perfect! I started pushing and just letting my body do most the work, after a short time I could feel the baby moving down through my birth canal, it was incredible and although it hurt, it wasn’t a pain like an injury pain, I could actually feel my pelvis opening and my body stretching. Amazing really. At one point i remember apologising to the midwifes because i was pooing...we have a good laugh about that bit! After about 8 contractions i felt the ‘burning and tearing feeling’ id heard about, (TMI) it actually felt like my clitoris was going to tear. As soon as the head had moved down that pain stopped and I could feel baby crowing. DH was amazing, going between being in my ear, holding my hand telling me I was doing great, to being down the business end welcoming our baby into the world.

She was born at 8:42am. I looked down and brooke passed her up to me. All I could do was cry and say ‘’she has brown hair just like DD1 had said she would’’. Just as im getting my first newborn kisses our doula turned up. i felt bad as she is a student and we were her first birth and she missed the whole thing. but i coulnt have done it without all the hard work she put in before hand and she thinks it was just ment to be sam and i there. I was so happy that i got my wish of a warm slippery baby on my chest seconds after birth, which I didn’t get last time. And I didn’t let go of her for hours. The placenta was born no problems, and no bleeding or tearing. Baby had meconium in the waters so I had to stay in for 24 hours, otherwise we would have been home that day. She was a bit wheezy and had to be suctioned to get the goo out of her nose but it cleared up after a few hours. I relished those hours of fresh new cuddles as id missed all that with DD1. I was in the shower and up looking after my baby. All so different from last time. And it felt great.

Alice Daisy was born 7 hours 42 minutes after the first contraction, 2 hours 12 minutes of established labour. And a pushing stage of about 10 minutes. She was 8lb 12oz…3970g. And so beautiful. Even though it was very fast and intense, I did it, I had my healing birth, it removed the fear of childbirth that both DH and I both had and DH was so happy, that it had all gone smoothly and his girls were fine!!

Thanks for reading!