The Eco Midwife

Shared with permission from the Lovely Natalie, Bob and Lola. Congratulations on your beautiful baby and incredible birth!

I had an incredible birth that I’m so proud to share, it was the amazing natural hypnobirth I longed for and it began the evening of Friday 06.12.19. She arrived on the evening of Sunday 08.12.19 @6.40pm. I had my mum and my husband by my sides and it was perfect, long but pretty damn perfect.

I left work 5 weeks prior my due date, I was right about her being a girl and I just had a feeling she was going to be early too… I was not right about that.
I’d hinched the house as much as I could in preparation for her the first two weeks I was off so now I started to focus on relaxing and getting into a positive frame of mind.

I bathed listening to hypnobirthing tracks, I napped listening to positive birth affirmations, I walked, danced, bounced, drank raspberry leaf tea, ate spicy food, took primrose oil capsules, did the deed, you know pretty much any old wives tale there is out there I tried, but nothing was working. So I let it be and tried not to stress, I was desperate after already being alone for 5 weeks but had to keep the right frame of mind and rest up.

I Had a midwife appointment on my due date 26.11.19, she offered me a sweep and even though I had already opted for as little intervention as possible I couldn’t see any harm in getting things started. It didn’t work. In fact I had 5 sweeps in the next couple of weeks that didn’t work. I was pretty sore by this point but still desperate to meet my girl so on the Thursday night 05.12.19 we had one final go at a hot curry, I was booked in for my 6th sweep on the Friday but wasn’t sure I could manage, especially knowing I was going to have to birth already being sore!
Well nothing happened that night so off we went first thing Friday morning for my last attempt at a sweep. She said I was 2cm which was progress from my first sweep with my cervix still closed 🤞 I was booked in for an induction on the Sunday so in order for my natural birth I realllyy needed this to get her going.
Well who knows if the curry kicked in a little late, if the sweep had an effect or if it was our lunch time walk, but by 1pm Friday afternoon I Was contracting in morrisons doing our food shop. I had three concerned looks by shoppers and my husband telling me I was milking it as I didn’t know if it was braxton hicks or the real thing. 😂

Come 7pm the contractions were 5 minutes apart and strong enough to put me off my food 😲 we called the birthing centre knowing they would close in an hour and they invited us in. I called up my mum and said it was time, we got our bags and off we went. My midwife measured me, I was 4cm! The look I gave my husband was a right picture, man telling me I was milking it! 😂 We decided as I was still managing well and not in active labour yet we would head home and call them to open up if I needed.
By midnight I decided I needed to go back and get checked out again , if I’d dilated 2cm in 6 hours I was sure I’d be 5cm at least by now being another 5 hours along. It took over an hour for the birthing centre to open up and I was freaking out thinking I would have her in the car at this rate, well I didn’t and we got There at 1am to get checked over. Still 4cm! 🙈 My midwife suggested I go home where I was comfortable and to try and get some sleep, they would stay the night at the centre now so they could call me in to get checked again at 3.30am. Well I managed maybe an hours sleep before the contractions were 3 minutes apart. They called and we went back in. Still 4cm, we stayed now though.

Come 8am Saturday morning the contractions had pretty much stopped, from one every 3-5 minutes to maybe 3 an hour 😭 I was still 4cm. Gutted. They sent me home to maybe walk but mostly rest… Time Was running out before my induction so we walked.

The walk worked and boyyyy did I know it! This was the real thing! 7pm Saturday 07.12.19 and since 1pm the contractions had been creeping in slowly but surely. They were strong. I was only on paracetamol and trying every possible position to get comfortable, my husband drew me a bath and told me to remeber the affirmations and take deep breaths, I was in it for maybe only 10 minutes, enough was enough, time flys when you’re in labour and it was 9pm. I was in tears, no way could I wait an hour for the birthing centre to open so we called the hospital (not really what I wanted but I needed to be looked at).
We headed to Bath, an uncomfortable 30 minute car journey, for me the hospital wasn’t a touch on our planned birth centre. It was busy, boiling hot, no water on the side, no where for my birth partners to sit. I wanted to leave but I was 5cm! Active Labour! Midnight came and they offered me pain relief… Nothing else! Clearly hadn’t read my birth plan!
Although I knew induction was off the cards now I cried to my mum, I really didn’t want to stay there, it was unfamiliar and the midwives were so stretched! My mum suggest they call the birth centre to open up and I take oromorph to get me there in the car! The midwives eyes lit up as did mine, perfect! One less mother for them to attend and I could have the birth I wanted! By The time she monitored me 30 minutes after I was given the drug the centre was open and I Was let go.

The drug kicked in back at the birth Centre, high as a kite the contractions were breezy! Skipping around the birth centre in the nude I was happy as ever (no dignity, didn’t care 😂) my new midwife left me to it, she was a hypnobirth teacher herself so granted my wishes. 2am Sunday morning the oromorph was wearing off, I asked her to fill the birth pool. I really felt like this was it! To my disbelief my husband napped and my mum held my hand 😂… the pool wasn’t helping, I started to panic knowing my only other relief here was gas and air, how was I going to do this?!
It must be 3/4am by now my husband came in and got me to control my breathing again, he played my hypnobirthing tracks to help. I needed gas and air though I couldn’t do it anymore, my breathing had got out of whack, I guess the drugs had thrown me off my feet!
So my husband guided me while I tried gas and Air, I took three breaths on it but hated it! So that’s it I had to stick with paracetamol, I got out the pool, it just wasn’t for me and we went back onto the bed.

Another midwife change over, 8am Sunday morning, I’m still contracting 3-5 minutes apart. I was exhausted but now 7cm! I had this in the bag, sure to meet my girl by lunchtime. The morning flew by, breathing through each contraction taking it one at a time. 1pm again and I was 9cm! The midwife said she would break my waters for me now as she Was sure that was holding little one back… Meconium. Shit. Literally. This was the end of my birthing centre adventure unless I could get her out before the ambulance arrived. They arrived in 10 minutes. Damn.

Off in the ambulance I went, everyone fears the transfer, it was nothing to worry about! The crew were amazing, amazed it had been 2 days, I looked well to them and they were impressed I was just on  paracetamol and declined their gas and air. Deep inside I kept my contractions at bay, don’t ask how but 30 minutes went without one, until I saw my husband at the hospital door, then they came in thick and fast again.
It took a couple of hours to get back under control, a new environment again, I had to be wired up which I HATED and my breathing was out of control, I begged my midwife to stay, she was amazing and I was petrified of having to meet another new midwife. Seeing me panicing and exhausted he granted my wish ♥

It was now 5pm and I was screaming, my husband and mum by my side breathing with me, the contractions came and went, my word they were out of this world powerful making my body flex ways I didn’t know possible but what an experience. During the breaks I was falling asleep, Praying someone take over.
My midwife said she was going to give me the drip, the one they use for induction, she could see I wasn’t going to manage the birth through my exhausted state if she didn’t step in soon. To everyone’s surprise I refused, the contractions were already too close together and too powerful for me… She could see baby was stressed, she insisted if I wasn’t 10cm by now she was giving it to me weather I liked it or not. My husband said yes.

6pm sunday 08.12.19. final check before the drug, I was 10cm! Hallelujah! I could push! No intervention needed and boyyy I pushed like a trooper! Babys heart dropped to 15bpm I HAD to get her out and fast, contraction or not I had to push. I felt no “ring of fire” even with a 2nd degree tear. I still think its incredible the strength women have to push through anything, to do anything they have to do to meet their baby. The room was full of midwives but I kept my head down, after 40 minutes she was here, we heard her cry and my husband fell to the floor. Exhausted himself and after seeing all he had emotions overwhelmed him. I Was just relieved I could relax again for a while. 6.40pm Lola had arrived safe and sound.

I honestly could not have done it without the breathing techniques I’d learned and practiced. 47 hours of reminding myself I was strong enough. 47 hours knowing it would eventually be over taking each contraction at a time. 47 hours and 4 midwives later we Had our baby girl. I’ve never been more thankful for my husband and more proud of what we achieved. Hypnobirthing made it bareable and I would recommend it to anyone!