I was woken up at 1am by yet more niggles (had been having them off and on for days,) but these seemed to be more frequent contractions than before.
I got up and went to have a bath to see if I could ease them away so that I could get back to sleep and I took 2 paracetamol tablets to help. I ran the bath, got in, put on Ian’s Ipod and listened to my HypnoBirthing recording. I had a lovely float about and chilled out immensely, so got out of the bath, ready to go back to bed, and dropped Ian's Ipod Video into the bath! Swore a lot, woke up Ian who dreamily told me not to worry and to stick it in the airing cupboard. Phew.
After this I got back into bed and realised the niggly contractions were still coming every 10 to 15 minutes, so I decided to try my TENS to help me get back to sleep properly, as by now I was very tired and not up for labouring without some snoozing!
Ian got up, popped my TENS on and went back to sleep. I snuggled under the duvet and immediately tuned my other Ipod back on to some HypnoBirthing music and started to drift off. The TENS was disturbing me, so I switched it off and went back to sleep.
As I drifted from 3am till 7am I still found myself noticing the 'niggles' coming every 10 to 15 minutes, so by 7am I decided to get up properly and get some breakfast eaten while I still had the chance, thinking labour could kick in anytime soon.
Everyone was still asleep, so I ate some cereal alone but felt like things could start up anytime soon, so I went upstairs, woke Ian with a cuppa and told him what the situation was and did he think it was a good idea to see if we could find some childcare today/this morning? We decided to text a friend to see what they were up to and they said they would be delighted to help as they were taking their daughter to see some farm animals today, so they would call round at 9.15am.
In the back of my mind I thought, “hmmm, by 9.15 I could have had the baby going on my past labour history but nevermind….”
Ian got up and breakfasted and dressed. All the while I was drifting from my birthing ball to the loo and back again, listening to all sorts of HypnoBirthing tracks and keeping nice and relaxed. I noticed a show at about 9am, which made me feel that finally at last things *might* be happening, even though the surges were still only coming 10 to 15 minutes apart! Nothing much had changed since 1am and I was beginning to wonder why, since this was a totally unique experience for me. (Samuel was 6 hours from first twinge to birth and Harriet was 3 hours from twinge to birth.) Here I was, 8 hours worth of twinges and niggles coming quite regularly, requiring some relaxation to take my mind off them, and still no closer to the birth.
At 9.15 Harriet came for a cuddle and said goodbye. I waved her off feeling very emotional, as I knew it would be the last time she would see me without the baby.
Ian came back into the room at 10am to see how I was progressing. I said the 'pressure' felt stronger but was nothing significant. In the back of my mind I thought “we'll have this baby by 12 noon.”
I moved into the nursery where I found my rocking chair extremely comfortable. Rocking back and forth, listening to some inspirational HypnoBirthing words on my 'perfect birth,' and thinking back to a calm birth I had witnessed a few weeks earlier. I found myself totally relaxed, and actually smiling through each surge/contraction.
Ian came in to move the Moses basket so that he could sit next to me, but I asked him to move it back. I had found that staring into it and 'seeing' our baby in it was really motivating. I gazed all around our baby's room and smiled thinking how wonderful it will be when she's here. I just felt the need to think about lots of positive things to keep me focused on relaxing.
Ian then dragged a beanbag into the room just to sit with me. He brought in some snacks, apple pieces and nuts and orange juice and I grazed on these in between the surges, which we decided to time at this point. We found them to be anything from 5 to 7 minutes apart. Feeling strangely confused at the irregularity and lack of real progress (as I saw it), we discussed when we might call the midwives. The dilemma was that if we called them too early, they would stick around if I was in established labour, and I would find their presence annoying. If we called them too late, I would dread the VE (if required) as it would distract me from my HypnoBirthing and put me into an uncomfortable position.
At 12pm, and still no baby, I was still rocking in my chair feeling very calm and relaxed and thought maybe this baby was OP (Occiput Posterior = back to back) and could use some walking about and jigging into action! I wandered into our bedroom and floated about, leant over the ball but felt distinctly uncomfortable there. I decided almost straight away to get back on to my rocking chair, where I felt more relaxed and in control. Back in the chair, I told Ian that I was becoming bored of the slow progress and we should get a midwife round to check what was happening. I was in two minds, either I was barely 2 to 3cm dilated, hence me feeling so comfortable and relaxed, OR the HypnoBirthing was working miracles and I was practically fully dilated and barely noticing it. The latter was far more preferable!!
I phoned the labour ward and heard a very familiar voice on the other end of the line. She was my old student midwife coordinator, and she instantly recognised my name and started to chat. Doing my HypnoBirthing meant that I really didn't want to chat, just concentrate, so I hurried her along and got her to arrange for a midwife to pop over to check me out a.s.a.p.
An hour later, and still rocking in my chair feeling nice and relaxed, barely making a noise, Ian said that the surges appeared to be coming 2 minutes apart now. The only way he could time them was by asking me to pop a finger into the air when they came, as apart from that indication, I was silent and barely moving at all, apart from constantly rocking back and forth.
In my head I was somewhere else entirely. I was thinking of our baby, picturing us holding her, feeling like I could almost smell her. When the surges came I was imagining blowing up a big red balloon for Hattie and I could see her face smiling with excitement as she waited for the balloon. It was extremely powerful to see my stomach as a balloon and to breathe through the surges. The most powerful thing of all though was to never allow the word 'pain' to enter into it. I instantly recognised the surges as 'pressure,' and only pressure, and nothing more. I could feel the tightness as they got more intense but I quickly used the slow breathing to get on top of them and 'relieve' the tightness and pressure. As the intensity increased the balloon imagery stopped being appropriate and instead I just dealt with relieving the pressure with my breathing. I also made damn sure I was smiling all the time! Ian said I looked like some 'hippy on acid' as I sat with my eyes shut, smiling and rocking my head slowly from side to side with my hair falling all over my face. When I opened my eyes on a few occasions, I could see him smiling at me and mouthing, “you’re doing SO well!” Occasionally I could have a little joke with him about getting bored of the HypnoBirthing music, or being desperate for a wee but not wanting to leave my chair!
Finally at 1pm-ish the midwives arrived. Ian dashed downstairs and straight away told them I no longer wanted a VE as things had progressed. I was having surges every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, and by now I wasn't opening my eyes much, just smiling and rocking silently. Ian had thrust my birth plan into the midwives hands, and they immediately read it and from the start they totally respected my plan and stayed out of my room, only popping silently in first to wave hello, and then to check the baby's heartbeat and my BP once.
I could hear Ian whispering to them, and everything felt very friendly as Ian kept coming back in, smiling and stroking my arm. For the first time I felt like I needed him there with me. He wasn't an annoyance like it had felt during my other labours. He added to the calm atmosphere and even kissed me on the cheek a couple of times, as he stroked my face and it didn't feel as if he was interfering.
A short while later, one midwife came in to check the baby's heartbeat again, and I paused my Ipod to say “I can feel pressure now in my bottom,” which I knew was a good sign. Delighted to hear this, the midwife commented that we could assume that I was now fully dilated, as apparently I had started to make a low groaning noise, whereas previously I had been silent.
Two or three surges later, I felt the pressure very strongly and had to grab the arms of the chair to lift myself slightly off the seat. I decided to relocate to my bedroom in order to give birth! I unplugged my Ipod (for the first time in 7 hours) and, grabbing my inco sheet underneath me, (incase my waters went in the hallway,) I walked to the bedroom, closely followed by the midwife and Ian.
Ian had already prepared the floor with towels and sheets and my ball was placed in the middle for me to lean on. I got down on my knees, and just as I did I felt an almighty surge that made me grunt and moan very loudly!! I could tell my body was trying desperately to break my waters as the pressure in my bottom was IMMENSE! Ian knelt down in front of me and grabbed my hands, and with the next two surges I tried with all my might to break my waters as I could feel the head just sat there! I told the midwives that the head was there, and one midwife asked if I wanted her to just watch and be hands-off (as per my birth plan,) or to guard the perineum? She was great. I asked her if she would just check that I was not pushing too hard and risking a bad tear, as I was feeling the pressure in my bottom so strongly now that I knew I could easily just shoot the baby out!
Two surges later and the babies’ head descended, and at 3.03pm out she came - all in one (wrapped in the caul again, just like Hattie. I have very tough membranes apparently!). The midwife let her gently fall into a towel and then passed her under me so that I could scoop her up.
As I went to pick her up, I found that she would only reach as far as my tummy, as her cord was incredibly short. I commented on this and decided to leave her lying between my knees, whilst I dried her with the towel and stroked her face. The huge bonus of this was that it meant she received more blood from the placenta, and the immediate effect of this was that my placenta just dropped out 4 minutes later! With the placenta removed, the midwives handed me the cord clip and scissors, and I clamped and Ian cut the cord. We finally were able to scoop her up into our arms for our very first cuddle.
She stared into my eyes EXACTLY how I imagined she would during my HypnoBirthing. Ian and I looked at each other and were delighted. I actually was completely and utterly stunned as I had managed the whole labour so calmly and textbook like. Ian said at one point he wanted to film me, because he thought it would be good to show to my future clients!
Everything went to plan, and the icing on the cake was that I didn't need any stitches at all. The midwives were fantastic and left the baby, Ian and I to sit and bond for over an hour whilst they drank tea and ate the cakes Ian had given them.
Martha had her first feed and just gazed up at me the whole time. She has been fantastic ever since.
