PrincessJasmine
17-06-2008, 05:52 PM
When my DP and I decided to start TTC our second child, we were surprised and happy that we succeeded on our second try (the night my MIL left after her weeks visit!). Straight away, I knew I wanted this birth to be different. I came to Bub Hub in search of information about homebirth and to meet other mums to be. After being told by my GP that I would only be allowed ‘a trial of labour’, I made my decision to go ahead with a homebirth. I quickly found an independent midwife, Andrea and a student midwife from Bub Hub, Liana. Reading other homebirth stories in the months leading up to the birth was helpful in allaying some of my fears and made me more determined to achieve the birth experience I so desperately wanted.
My due date of Thursday 29th of May came and went. Being 4 days early with DD1, I convinced myself I would go early again…wrong! On Friday the Braxton Hicks I’d been having for the last trimester were starting to get painful and much more frequent. I had been drinking raspberry leaf tea from about 34 weeks, which definitely seemed to help as it made the Braxton Hicks more frequent. I was confident my uterus was doing its job in preparing for labour, I was still slightly concerned about the chance of a uterine rupture but knew my chances were good with a nicely toned uterus.
By Saturday afternoon I would say I was definitely having what they call pre-labour, the Braxton Hicks were becoming painful, yet the pains weren’t getting any worse. The contractions were getting down to 10 minutes apart but would go away in the evening when I went to bed. On Sunday afternoon they started again, by 5pm they were around 8 minutes apart, but again they stopped when I went to bed that night. By the time Monday morning came I was getting very frustrated that I was still pregnant, and worried that I’d have to go through a week of pains that were getting me nowhere…
By 6pm Monday night the pains were getting more intense and regularly 10 minutes apart. I had some dinner, still not knowing if it was actual labour finally starting or just another false start, so I wasn’t overly excited. I spend the next few hours trying to get as comfortable as I could. I got DP to drag the spare mattress into the lounge room and watched crappy tv for a few hours. By 10pm it was pretty obvious this was it, so I called Andrea and told her to be ready. I decided I was coping fine at that stage and would call her back in an hour to let her know if I wanted her to come. I jumped in the shower and had at least 5 contractions in there, the water helped ease the pain. I think I stayed in there for about half an hour.
By the time I got out the contractions were stronger and more painful, by then I needed the hot water bottle. DP set up the birth pool and we wheeled in the bassinette and change table. I called Andrea and Liana and told them to come when they were ready. While waiting I layed on the bed with DP next to me watching stuff I really wasn’t into, but in too much pain to care. DD1 had just gone to bed, but got up again not long after Andrea and Liana arrived.
My support team got here around midnight, we just sat around talking while I got on my knees and leant over the exercise ball, or got up and swayed my hips. I had started to feel pressure on my back by this stage so Liana would hold the hot water bottle on my back during contractions. They were painful but still bearable, we decided to fill the birth pool it was pretty hot but I was happy to wait for it to cool down. While I was pregnant I read a really brilliant book on water-birth’s, it suggested waiting until you were at least 5-6cm dilated to get in the pool and that usually babies were born within two hours of getting in (providing you got in at the right time and labour didn’t slow).
I didn’t want labour to slow down, I wanted to wait as long as I could. By 1:30am I was starting to feel sick, sure enough I had a vomit, thankfully Andrea gave me a homeopathic remedy that definitely helped. At that time DP decided it was time for him and DD1 who was still up to go and have a little sleep. That was fine by me since he was all he was doing was watching tv and his poor choice of programming was starting to annoy me. The tv got turned down after he left, and I decided it was time to get in the pool.
At around 2:30am I hopped in the pool, I still hadn’t had a show or any leaking waters. I’d say this was my transition stage. I found the pool helped me relax through the contractions and kept my tummy weightless. They definitely seemed less intense than on land, but they soon started to get really, really painful. I kept breathing deeply through them, but was moaning and groaning by this point. The noise making seemed to help, I threw up another couple of times while in the pool but the remedy made it bearable. I noticed there were some floaties in the pool, this was my plug finally coming away, I think I even got a little excited about it.
I lost sense of time from this point on as the contractions began to come one on top of the other, with barely 30 second breaks between. I was starting to feel the fear and wondering how much longer I could cope with this level of pain. Andrea assured me these were the contractions that would help bring my baby out, she told me to reach down and see if I could feel anything. I placed a finger inside and could feel her head was right there, this gave me the boost I needed. I remember saying that I was scared to push because I didn’t want to rupture, and that I don’t know how to push.
It’s funny now looking back on the silly fears that were popping into my head. You get to that point where you know the rest is up to you, but you can’t help but have these irrational fears. The only position I found comfortable was being on my knees and leaning on the edge of the pool. During a contraction I had this sensation of something popping from down there (TMI, but it felt like a big fanny fart!) I wasn’t sure at the time, but this was my waters breaking. The contractions got really intense from then on, and I felt like I needed to poop. At this point I told Liana that I wanted DP. The contractions were making me push involuntarily at this stage and I just NEEDED DP there, I seriously felt like I couldn’t push without holding his hand.
DP held my hand and I began to push our baby out, the noises I was making were getting louder and louder. I seriously thought I was screaming, at least it felt like I was. I was starting to get really anxious to get the baby out, I kept thinking about how relieved I was going to feel once it was all over. I managed to get her head visible after about 5 contractions, Andrea told me that the next part would be the babies head crowning and that it may go in and out a couple of times before she fully crowns. She went on to tell me that once the head was out she’ll tell me to pant so that I can open enough to get her shoulders through. Well… my body had a mind of its own and I pushed her completely out with one big push! I quickly reached down and picked her up as she floated to the bottom of the pool. There’s a great photo which captures the look of utter relief on my face.
After only 40 minutes of pushing Aurora Elizabeth was born at 4:35am Tuesday 3rd of June. The placenta slipped out 5 minutes later while I was still in the pool. I had a small tear and a couple of grazes (the first few days going to the loo was really painful) but I was up to going to the shops the next day. I haven’t had much sleep since she was born, but apart from a couple of teary days and nights I’m feeling ok. Breastfeeding is really hard, but we’re slowly getting there. After having two completely different births, a hospital birth that ended in a c-section and a completely natural homebirth, I know which method I prefer. I really had the perfect birth, the experience was everything I hoped and wanted it to be.
One thing I’ve learnt is that being informed about birth is essential; there were so many things I wish I knew the first time around. To those of you, who are planning a VBAC, stick to your guns! Be informed of all the choices available to you, and don’t let anyone scare you into having a birth you don’t want. It is possible to have a completely normal vaginal birth after a previous c-section!! Having a natural birth I noticed a big difference in how calm and responsive this baby was compared to my first. My milk came in on the second day with no major issues with feeding; I have a happy healthy baby who only cries when she’s hungry. Homebirths are also great for dads; it’s much less stressful for them as they are also in their home environment. Honestly, I can’t promote homebirth enough!
Birth Stats
Head circumference:34cm
Length:48cm
Weight:3.39kg (7lb8oz)
Apgars:9/10
Pushing Stage
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff81/catalytic63/IMAG0128.jpg
Head Crowning
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff81/catalytic63/IMAG0131.jpg
Utter Relief
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff81/catalytic63/IMAG0134.jpg
Just Born
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff81/catalytic63/justborn.jpg
All Dry
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff81/catalytic63/IMAG0142.jpg
First cuddle with daddy (Daddy wouldn't cuddle until the afterbirth was cleaned off!)
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff81/catalytic63/IMAG0143.jpg
Her first outfit
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff81/catalytic63/IMAG0160.jpg
Cuddles with big sister
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff81/catalytic63/IMAG0156.jpg
My due date of Thursday 29th of May came and went. Being 4 days early with DD1, I convinced myself I would go early again…wrong! On Friday the Braxton Hicks I’d been having for the last trimester were starting to get painful and much more frequent. I had been drinking raspberry leaf tea from about 34 weeks, which definitely seemed to help as it made the Braxton Hicks more frequent. I was confident my uterus was doing its job in preparing for labour, I was still slightly concerned about the chance of a uterine rupture but knew my chances were good with a nicely toned uterus.
By Saturday afternoon I would say I was definitely having what they call pre-labour, the Braxton Hicks were becoming painful, yet the pains weren’t getting any worse. The contractions were getting down to 10 minutes apart but would go away in the evening when I went to bed. On Sunday afternoon they started again, by 5pm they were around 8 minutes apart, but again they stopped when I went to bed that night. By the time Monday morning came I was getting very frustrated that I was still pregnant, and worried that I’d have to go through a week of pains that were getting me nowhere…
By 6pm Monday night the pains were getting more intense and regularly 10 minutes apart. I had some dinner, still not knowing if it was actual labour finally starting or just another false start, so I wasn’t overly excited. I spend the next few hours trying to get as comfortable as I could. I got DP to drag the spare mattress into the lounge room and watched crappy tv for a few hours. By 10pm it was pretty obvious this was it, so I called Andrea and told her to be ready. I decided I was coping fine at that stage and would call her back in an hour to let her know if I wanted her to come. I jumped in the shower and had at least 5 contractions in there, the water helped ease the pain. I think I stayed in there for about half an hour.
By the time I got out the contractions were stronger and more painful, by then I needed the hot water bottle. DP set up the birth pool and we wheeled in the bassinette and change table. I called Andrea and Liana and told them to come when they were ready. While waiting I layed on the bed with DP next to me watching stuff I really wasn’t into, but in too much pain to care. DD1 had just gone to bed, but got up again not long after Andrea and Liana arrived.
My support team got here around midnight, we just sat around talking while I got on my knees and leant over the exercise ball, or got up and swayed my hips. I had started to feel pressure on my back by this stage so Liana would hold the hot water bottle on my back during contractions. They were painful but still bearable, we decided to fill the birth pool it was pretty hot but I was happy to wait for it to cool down. While I was pregnant I read a really brilliant book on water-birth’s, it suggested waiting until you were at least 5-6cm dilated to get in the pool and that usually babies were born within two hours of getting in (providing you got in at the right time and labour didn’t slow).
I didn’t want labour to slow down, I wanted to wait as long as I could. By 1:30am I was starting to feel sick, sure enough I had a vomit, thankfully Andrea gave me a homeopathic remedy that definitely helped. At that time DP decided it was time for him and DD1 who was still up to go and have a little sleep. That was fine by me since he was all he was doing was watching tv and his poor choice of programming was starting to annoy me. The tv got turned down after he left, and I decided it was time to get in the pool.
At around 2:30am I hopped in the pool, I still hadn’t had a show or any leaking waters. I’d say this was my transition stage. I found the pool helped me relax through the contractions and kept my tummy weightless. They definitely seemed less intense than on land, but they soon started to get really, really painful. I kept breathing deeply through them, but was moaning and groaning by this point. The noise making seemed to help, I threw up another couple of times while in the pool but the remedy made it bearable. I noticed there were some floaties in the pool, this was my plug finally coming away, I think I even got a little excited about it.
I lost sense of time from this point on as the contractions began to come one on top of the other, with barely 30 second breaks between. I was starting to feel the fear and wondering how much longer I could cope with this level of pain. Andrea assured me these were the contractions that would help bring my baby out, she told me to reach down and see if I could feel anything. I placed a finger inside and could feel her head was right there, this gave me the boost I needed. I remember saying that I was scared to push because I didn’t want to rupture, and that I don’t know how to push.
It’s funny now looking back on the silly fears that were popping into my head. You get to that point where you know the rest is up to you, but you can’t help but have these irrational fears. The only position I found comfortable was being on my knees and leaning on the edge of the pool. During a contraction I had this sensation of something popping from down there (TMI, but it felt like a big fanny fart!) I wasn’t sure at the time, but this was my waters breaking. The contractions got really intense from then on, and I felt like I needed to poop. At this point I told Liana that I wanted DP. The contractions were making me push involuntarily at this stage and I just NEEDED DP there, I seriously felt like I couldn’t push without holding his hand.
DP held my hand and I began to push our baby out, the noises I was making were getting louder and louder. I seriously thought I was screaming, at least it felt like I was. I was starting to get really anxious to get the baby out, I kept thinking about how relieved I was going to feel once it was all over. I managed to get her head visible after about 5 contractions, Andrea told me that the next part would be the babies head crowning and that it may go in and out a couple of times before she fully crowns. She went on to tell me that once the head was out she’ll tell me to pant so that I can open enough to get her shoulders through. Well… my body had a mind of its own and I pushed her completely out with one big push! I quickly reached down and picked her up as she floated to the bottom of the pool. There’s a great photo which captures the look of utter relief on my face.
After only 40 minutes of pushing Aurora Elizabeth was born at 4:35am Tuesday 3rd of June. The placenta slipped out 5 minutes later while I was still in the pool. I had a small tear and a couple of grazes (the first few days going to the loo was really painful) but I was up to going to the shops the next day. I haven’t had much sleep since she was born, but apart from a couple of teary days and nights I’m feeling ok. Breastfeeding is really hard, but we’re slowly getting there. After having two completely different births, a hospital birth that ended in a c-section and a completely natural homebirth, I know which method I prefer. I really had the perfect birth, the experience was everything I hoped and wanted it to be.
One thing I’ve learnt is that being informed about birth is essential; there were so many things I wish I knew the first time around. To those of you, who are planning a VBAC, stick to your guns! Be informed of all the choices available to you, and don’t let anyone scare you into having a birth you don’t want. It is possible to have a completely normal vaginal birth after a previous c-section!! Having a natural birth I noticed a big difference in how calm and responsive this baby was compared to my first. My milk came in on the second day with no major issues with feeding; I have a happy healthy baby who only cries when she’s hungry. Homebirths are also great for dads; it’s much less stressful for them as they are also in their home environment. Honestly, I can’t promote homebirth enough!
Birth Stats
Head circumference:34cm
Length:48cm
Weight:3.39kg (7lb8oz)
Apgars:9/10
Pushing Stage
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff81/catalytic63/IMAG0128.jpg
Head Crowning
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff81/catalytic63/IMAG0131.jpg
Utter Relief
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff81/catalytic63/IMAG0134.jpg
Just Born
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff81/catalytic63/justborn.jpg
All Dry
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff81/catalytic63/IMAG0142.jpg
First cuddle with daddy (Daddy wouldn't cuddle until the afterbirth was cleaned off!)
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff81/catalytic63/IMAG0143.jpg
Her first outfit
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff81/catalytic63/IMAG0160.jpg
Cuddles with big sister
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff81/catalytic63/IMAG0156.jpg