Bryony's Second Birth

I was induced with my first at 42+2 and had a traumatic experience involving a lot of intervention that I didn't want, after her birth I learned a lot about due dates and physiological birth so when I fell pregnant again I knew I didn't want to be induced purely for being 'overdue' again.  As I approached 42 weeks it was definitely a challenge. At 41+4 my midwife came to come up with a plan for me going past 42 weeks again. She was very supportive of my choices which was a huge relief. After she left I went for a long walk and had a bath. I noticed some twinges but didn't think much of it until I went to the toilet after I got out and noticed a 'bloody show'. I knew this was a good sign but tried not to get too excited as I knew it could still be a long wait

I continued to have mild contractions throughout the evening and overnight they were coming around 10-15 minutes apart. I managed to get some rest but they were strong enough to keep waking me up. When my husband got up for work I told him to still go in as they didn't seem to be getting any closer together. I really didn't think I'd be having my baby that day! I woke up around 7.30am and fed my almost 3-year-old, I noticed the contractions felt stronger and were now coming every 3-5 minutes. I decided to call the midwife and she asked if I wanted her to come over but I felt I was coping well and said I'd call back if/when things ramped up. I called my mum and asked her to come over to help me entertain my daughter.

Contractions slowed down a bit at this point so I got on my birth ball and fed my daughter again, soon enough they were back to every 3-5 minutes and were starting to feel more intense. By 10am I started to feel like I couldn't easily talk through the contractions so I told my husband to head home. I was using my yuula birth comb which was an absolute godsend. With every contraction I gripped the comb while repeating affirmations in my head such as "I can do hard things" "I open, I soften" and "my contractions cannot be stronger than me because they are me" while visualising my cervix opening like a flower and doing my best to breathe and relax into each contraction without fighting them.

My husband got home around 10.40am and started setting up the birth pool. I was worried it might be too early! I called the midwife and asked her to come. My mum had taken my daughter to the park so I called her and asked her to take her back to hers. The midwife arrived about 11.30am and I was really having to focus to get through contractions. I had a moment of feeling like I couldn't do it any more and wondered if that meant I was in transition but thought it was too soon for it to be that. The midwife checked me and baby and was happy all was well, around 12pm I told her I was feeling a lot of pressure and felt like I needed to poo so went to sit on the toilet. My body pushed a few times and I felt my waters pop into the toilet.

My husband then said the pool was ready so I got in and felt instant relief. Very quickly my body started pushing again by itself and I knew I was experiencing the foetal ejection reflex which was exciting. I finally realised that I was actually about to meet my baby! Within a few pushes I could feel baby's head was close. A few more pushes and half the head was out, the midwife told me to slow down and do gentle pushes. I could feel the ring of fire and it was so intense at this point but I just focused on my breath. A few more pushes and the head was out, shortly followed by the body at 12.35pm! We didn't know what we were having so I picked him up and checked and realised he was a boy!

I wanted to have a physiological third stage so we waited for my placenta to come on its own which it did within an hour. The midwife checked me and I only had a very slight second degree tear which I could barely feel. Considering how fast he came out and that he weighed just over 4kg I was very happy with that. I needed three stitches and used my comb while they were being done, the midwife commented on how still I was able to sit for them! I honestly couldn't have asked for a better birth. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I still can't believe I did it all without any pain relief except for a comb! It was so vastly different to my first birth and knowing that I trusted my body and my baby is a truly indescribable feeling!