Birth story - Alexandra and baby Arlo

*Trigger warning* - Talk of pain an contractions and not negative to me.

My October due date came and went and I was getting so anxious for delivery. My team of midwives allowed me to have three stretch and sweeps (I had one every two days) and the third time was the charm. It hurt so badly I could hardly walk to the car afterwards.

When I began having shooting pains I thought it was still just from the stretch and sweep so I tried to ignore them the best I could. After three hours it finally dawned on me that maybe these were contractions. They felt nothing like what anyone told me a contraction would feel like. Everyone described them to me as a tightening across my belly. But I was experiencing shooting pains that I felt were going straight up my cervix. I got on the Freya app and low and behold I was already in established labour. I called the delivery suite and they told me since it was my first, and had just started, to give it some more time and take paracetamol. They said it would probably stop and start again in a few hours. But it didn’t, the contractions kept coming and I called back 2 hours later and they said to come in.

I was hoping to deliver in the midwife led birthing suite as I wanted a straightforward delivery and hoped to have a water birth. But once we got there my baby’s heart rate was low and they decided he needed constant monitoring. We moved to the delivery suite but the midwives helped me set the mood I wanted. They turned the lights low, had fairy lights lit around the room, and set up my aromatherapy. I planned on listening to music but my contractions were so painful all I wanted was the hypnobirthing tracks on the Freya app. The labour progressed very quickly. When I entered the room I was at 5cm and just an hour later was at 8cm. I was doubting my ability to do it myself and started using gas and air to help me breathe through each contraction. I’m not even sure the gas and air delivered any medication to me but I was so grateful if helped me control my breathing with the app.

Just a few hours later I was at 10cm already and ready to push. I had planned on doing a variety of pushing positions but my hips were in such pain that I was reliant entirely on the peanut ball and my husband pushing my hip down to relieve some pain. I ended up delivering on my back with my legs up which is what I always said I would NEVER do but my hips were in such pain pushing any other way. I begged for an epidural just so I wouldn’t have to feel the pain in my hips anymore but it was far too late for that. Just over an hour of pushing later and my baby boy had arrived. I was so thankful not to need any other medical intervention and my delivery was helped by the two amazing midwives that were my biggest cheerleaders. After every push I said “I can’t do it!” and they assured me that I could!

My sweet husband took a video of the whole delivery and then put the phone down to cut the cord. We did immediate skin to skin and attempted breastfeeding. I ended up with a second degree tear and a laceration on my labia that required a few stitches. It was such a positive birth experience and I just couldn’t believe I had done it!

As a side note, my husband and I had moved to England from abroad when I was 23 weeks pregnant. It was difficult managing a new health system and during the current restrictions it was hard to feel prepared for my labour and delivery without the usual classes being offered. It was also so difficult without a support system in the hospital besides my husband. All of our family lives overseas and it was hard knowing my mom wouldn’t be there with me. I was so thankful to find PBC and I used their hypnobirthing resources and the Freya app to help me feel more mentally prepared for my delivery.