When I found out that I was pregnant I was delighted to become a mummy, but instantly nervous about the birth. With being someone who is very squeamish and who has had a lifelong phobia of needles, I initially tried to push the thought of labour to the back of my mind. Once we had our 12 week scan things started to feel more real and as my bump grew, I knew I need to prepare myself, whilst avoiding people's horror stories!
I started listening to hypnobirthing audio books and looking into class options. A friend suggested EGG classes after following Elle's page and I instantly fell in love with her warm personality through her stories and positive messaging. We signed up to the classes and I was delighted to receive a little welcome pack with: positive affirmation cards, candles, information packs for mum, dad and course content notes etc because I knew we were in safe hands.
The course was great for us because it gave us the facts in a positive way. It made me feel more calm and confident about the labour and excited to meet my baby. I enjoyed learning more about the tools to aid labour: like birthing positions and techniques to help me to relax plus stay focused. I also developed a better understanding of pain control, our options and our choices. I particularly liked the language prompts to speak to medical staff (BRAIN) rather than getting swept along with their time frames. My husband felt that he gained a clearer understanding of the whole process and clarity on some common preconceptions of labour (I.e. birthing on back, screaming in pain, gushing waters.)
Prior to the course I had been concerned about the lack of control during labour and that medical staff would push us to stick to certain time frames, in terms of a sweep, induction and so on. However, throughout the pregnancy and labour I felt that the midwives informed us of our options and that we were very much in control. I discussed the option of a sweep/ induction but chose to wait a little longer.
In terms of the birth plan, I spent my whole pregnancy visualising a water birth in the Nest at Warrington hospital. (This room looks like a spa and much less medical than the rooms on the labour ward) On Monday I began to feel unwell like I had an unsettled tummy, so spent the day trying to relax and get comfortable. After a while, I started to time this sensation using the Freya app and wondered if I was in labour. We eventually went into hospital at 1:30am because I was concerned about reduced fetal movement and wanted to get checked over. The staff were lovely, reassured me that our baby was ok and that I was actually already 6cm dilated!
They recommend that we would be best to stay on the labour ward, so that they could continue to monitor us. They made the room really relaxing for us by turning the lights off and using candles. I enjoyed rolling about on a birthing ball and leaning over the bed during surges. I sprayed my room spray that I had used during pregnancy at night and focused on my hypnobirthing track and breathing using the Freya app. It was all very calm and I felt very safe.
As the labour progressed, I opted for gas and air and a little later pethidine as I started to tire. At 8am I was 9 1/2 cm and starting to get the urge to push. We were excited to meet our baby, but the surges started to die off and I became tired, even snoozing between contractions. They asked the registrar to take a look and it was decided that I would have an episiotomy and forceps. Being so tired, I was grateful for the intervention. After another few good pushes they decided that a suction cup would be enough to help us to meet our baby. The head came out, but the shoulders became stuck and the baby started to poo. They pressed the emergency assistance button and the room filled with people on standby. A consultant helped to deliver the baby within 2 minutes and we welcomed our gorgeous baby boy into the world at 12:26pm! Throughout this a midwife spoke calmly to me and although I knew things had become more serious, I was unaware of how hairy things looked for my husband's perspective.
We were delighted with our care and everyone commented how calm we had remained throughout it all. We look back on my labour with positive vibes and total gratitude to the midwives and Elle for preparing us for every eventuality. I honestly think our experience would have been very different if we hadn't of educated ourselves beforehand. Thank you for all of your support and guidance.
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