Leo was 9 days late.
Now I know that due dates mean very little and every pregnancy is different but please believe me when I say that I was very done with being pregnant.
I had been having contractions for a couple of weeks on and off, they seemed promising then didn't go anywhere. This, combined with general end of pregnancy worries, aches and pains had left me feeling like this boy simply wasn't going to come of his own accord.
Though we had planned for a home birth, by my fourth stretch and sweep I was feeling pretty disheartened and walking and bouncing on my ball were getting me nowhere.
In some ways we had accepted long ago that this pregnancy, birth and baby were going to be completely different, for lots of reasons, not least that the Leeds hospital set up is very different to the Cambridge one.
So we made a decision that we hadn't had to make with the girls, kissed goodbye to the Homebirth dream, headed into hospital and asked for a little bit of help.
Having had two spontaneous labours I wasn't sure what to expect with an induction, but truthfully we were just so excited at the possiblity of finally meeting our son that we were mainly really positive!
We had a private room at LGI and a lovely midwife explained the procedures to us. She then went ahead and broke my waters. This took a while, which didn't really surprise me. With both girls my waters didn't break until my labour was pretty advanced and this was a completely different starting point! (Time was around 2pm)
Then we were advised to 'mobilise'! So off we trotted, a brief lie down in the sunshine to get the oxytocin flowing, then we climbed up and down a lot of stairs. I was so keen for the contractions to get established that I was motoring my way around leaving Matt in my dust.
 |
| mobilising..... |
I had read a lot about hypnobirthing during this pregnancy and was planning to
carry on with the breathing and visualisations I'd been practicing throughout
the last 6 months or so.
So we pulled the blinds down, put some nice essential oils in my diffuser and made a cosy little birth corner with the ball.
The midwife then checked back in around 4pm and was happy with my progress, I was having some good regular contractions and getting into my zone.
Matt was also really great, he hooked me up to the trusty tens machine (between me and my sis in law it's done six babies now!)
He was reminding me to stay relaxed in my face and shoulder muscles which is a good way to relieve tension and allow the uterus to harness contractions effectively with less pain.
So far so good.
At around 6:00 the midwife was starting to be a bit concerned that I wasn't yet in fully established labour, based on the calm way I was labouring (thanks hypnobirthing!!) And the length of my contractions. She suggested that I try the oxytocin drip which I was pretty keen to avoid!
Matt and I talked about it, and were a bit unsure as we both felt that I actually was in established labour based on our previous experiences. (I don't seem to have very long contractions generally).
But we were happy to move the process along and so consented to being prepped for the drip. This included having a cannula inserted into my hand and a hands free clip inserted onto baby's head to monitor him more closely.
At this point I was experiencing some pretty intense contractions and started with a bit of gas and air which was very effective at bringing me back into my zone.
But amazingly, before I could be hooked up to the drip It became clear that I was ready to push! Nice to have our gut feelings confirmed.
A ward round of doctors appeared briefly and reconfirmed this apparently but by then I was on another planet, just so pleased that this boy was well on his way and that I wouldn't need any more assistance to get him out - I knew what I was doing and was on firm ground from this point.
Even though in a lot of ways the pushing is the hardest part of labour, in that moment I just felt so strong and confident, using my birth ball and rocking on my hands and knees. Hypnobirthing really helped and I was able to control and breathe his head down gently.
They called for a second midwife to come in to help with the delivery and in a serendipitous twist who should come in but my brilliant homebirth midwife! She had happened to be on call, saw my name on the board and was able to assist. So nice for a familiar face to be there, she had performed two of my sweeps and had always made me feel really at ease.
So we pulled the blinds down, put some nice essential oils in my diffuser and made a cosy little birth corner with the ball.
The midwife then checked back in around 4pm and was happy with my progress, I was having some good regular contractions and getting into my zone.
Matt was also really great, he hooked me up to the trusty tens machine (between me and my sis in law it's done six babies now!)
He was reminding me to stay relaxed in my face and shoulder muscles which is a good way to relieve tension and allow the uterus to harness contractions effectively with less pain.
So far so good.
At around 6:00 the midwife was starting to be a bit concerned that I wasn't yet in fully established labour, based on the calm way I was labouring (thanks hypnobirthing!!) And the length of my contractions. She suggested that I try the oxytocin drip which I was pretty keen to avoid!
Matt and I talked about it, and were a bit unsure as we both felt that I actually was in established labour based on our previous experiences. (I don't seem to have very long contractions generally).
But we were happy to move the process along and so consented to being prepped for the drip. This included having a cannula inserted into my hand and a hands free clip inserted onto baby's head to monitor him more closely.
At this point I was experiencing some pretty intense contractions and started with a bit of gas and air which was very effective at bringing me back into my zone.
But amazingly, before I could be hooked up to the drip It became clear that I was ready to push! Nice to have our gut feelings confirmed.
A ward round of doctors appeared briefly and reconfirmed this apparently but by then I was on another planet, just so pleased that this boy was well on his way and that I wouldn't need any more assistance to get him out - I knew what I was doing and was on firm ground from this point.
Even though in a lot of ways the pushing is the hardest part of labour, in that moment I just felt so strong and confident, using my birth ball and rocking on my hands and knees. Hypnobirthing really helped and I was able to control and breathe his head down gently.
They called for a second midwife to come in to help with the delivery and in a serendipitous twist who should come in but my brilliant homebirth midwife! She had happened to be on call, saw my name on the board and was able to assist. So nice for a familiar face to be there, she had performed two of my sweeps and had always made me feel really at ease.
Thus, Leo Isaac David was born just before 8pm after around 5 hours of contractions.
I was so relieved I didn't even notice that the cord was wrapped around his neck so he didn't breathe straight away. Matt said afterwards that it was the longest 30 seconds of his life!
But the midwives quickly righted him and we heard his voice for the first time.
There he was, my son in my arms,
finally.
8lbs 3oz, lots of dark hair, and wonderfully, unequivocally,
worth the wait.
I also have to say, as with the girls, every single healthcare professional we came across during our time in the NHS system was amazing. They all seem to care so deeply and go above and beyond all the time. We are very greatful for that.
