Hannah’s Birth Story
Not knowing what to expect with labour, I was quite nervous about the labour and delivery part of pregnancy!
We attended the free parent education classes at Airedale Hospital (including a tour of the labour ward) and attended Leah’s active birth class for some supplementary information and support. All of these made me feel more comfortable and knowledgeable on what to expect.
Growth scans were showing me to be having a large baby, with a potential induction – something I wanted to avoid. However, a day before my final growth scan, my waters broke before any contractions and I was booked in a day later for a potential induction prior to the 24 hour limit due to infection risk. I was experiencing mild period pain feelings, but the midwife advised that I wouldn’t be able to hold a conversation comfortably with stronger contractions.
At the hospital the next morning after some monitoring, the doctors surprisingly allowed me an extra 24-48 hours before they would strongly suggest induction. We were advised to go home and get the oxytocin flowing!
We went home, watched Shrek 1 and 2, went for a nice walk and did some of the birth ball positions and rebozo techniques learnt in Leah’s active birth class. By 10pm that night I was experiencing stronger contractions close enough to head to the hospital. I was really set on a water birth, however both birthing suites went into use on my journey to the hospital, but they phoned me to let me know to see if I wanted to go to a different hospital which had an available pool. We were really grateful that they communicated this to us to let us make the decision rather than turn up and be disappointed.
I worked my way through paracetamol & codeine, gas & air and the diamorphine injection. This really relaxed me and I was actually falling asleep between contractions! When I felt the need to push at 10cm I used the different positions learnt to allow gravity to help delivery. However, the baby’s heart rate started to drop and my contractions started to slow down, therefore a doctor came in to begin preparation for an episiotomy (something I really didn’t want) and forceps. When I stated I didn’t want this, the doctors allowed me a bit more time before reassessing, which resulted in me needing the assistance.
Following that, I felt the last part of labour went super quickly, and before I knew it I had a baby on my chest! I was then losing quite a lot of blood, but this was sorted professionally and quickly. Although it sounds so cliche, you do truly forget the “pain”, and I understand completely why people choose to have multiple children!
By attending Leah’s class I felt I was able to ask questions to the doctors, and felt comfortable stating what I wanted to avoid, which worked in my favour as the medical professionals let me have more time when requested. As my husband attended also, he was able to fully support me and take on board what he had learnt as well to ensure that we had a positive experience!
