Rafe's birth story

Went into labour Thursday at 12.30 am. Thought it was more of the twinges I’d had but started to realise that they were coming more often and not disappearing. Didn’t wake Stu because I was trying to rest as much as possible and wanted him to as well knowing that it could be some time of this going on. By the time his alarm went off at 8am I was sure they were coming regularly enough that I was in early labour as from 6-8am I timed them and they were every 10 mins. During the day they continued and varied in regularity from anywhere between every 3-8 mins. I used the Freya app to time them.

By 1pm I got Stu to put the Tens machine on me so that I could start using it. By the evening we were watching funny films, using massage and candles to build up oxytocin as much as possible. By about 10pm films went off and I was doing a lot of standing and hands around Stu to work through each contraction as they were picking up in intensity. Had a hot water bottle on my lower tummy. Used hynpo breathing and Stu was doing it with me to try to get me into the rhythm of it as they grew stronger. He was timing contractions from this point onwards and I was going up through the Tens machine levels.

By 1am they were coming close to 3 in 10 so we rang MLU and they said they didn’t think I was quite there and to rest at home and call again in an hour. I managed to fall asleep a bit between each contraction but not much. By 4am I knew I wanted to leave for hospital so we rang again and they said to come in as I was now established 3 in 10. I was sniffing clary sage during the car journey to try to sustain contractions and using tens plus hot water bottle. When we got there at 5.30 they examined me and I was 2 cm with waters ‘bulging’. They said they’d give us a couple of hours and we should try to keep contractions up as they’d naturally dropped where we’d moved from home to hospital. We went for a walk round the hospital grounds and my contractions really started to pick up from this point onwards.

By my next examination at 9 I was 9cm and although I’d wanted a water birth I was trNsitioning at this point - needed a poo, wanting to push  and couldn’t do a wee. And as we weren’t in the water room and they didn’t have the right PPE they weren’t going to move us but I really didn’t care because I just wanted to get on the bed on my knees and start pushing. At this point I wEnt on the gas and air and ramped the Tens machine up to the top level. The gas and air wAs incredible and Stu said the change in me with my first contraction on the gas and air was quite funny and he finally had his t shirt and skin back from my claws  From 9-11.21 when he was born I was on my knees on the bed, leaning on the headboard with Stu by my side reassuring me and holding the fan on me. As I’m deaf in one ear he was communicating to me what the midwives were saying and getting me to breath steadily as much as possible on the gas and air. The midwives were amazing at coaching me with when to push and how and they were hands on with down below (which i wanted) to protect as I pushed as much as possible. Being on the gas and air this bit is quite a blur to me but I just remember thinking my body was going primal and moving of its own accord and I didn’t really know what it was doing but to just go with it. After he was born they brought him through to the front and then helped me turn and have skin to skin with him. They did the placenta injection and put a catheter in because of my earlier not being able to pee because he was already so far down and checked me for tears. I was Completely oblivious to all this because I was focused on my baby. Because of my haemophilia condition (which meant I couldn’t have epidurals or spinal taps) I always knew I’d have a managed third stage with the placenta and when it didn’t start to come away with the injection they took us all up to the labour ward so that a consultant could assist. Fortunately I pushed it out with his guidance on gas and air. Then had more to skin and skin and feeding whilst they sewed up my 2nd degree tear - again completely oblivious to this and was enjoying time with my baby on my chest and they’d done numbing injections. Then we were wheeled back onto the MLU and discharged the following evening.

Yes it hurts but the old cliche that once the baby is in your arms you don’t see anything else is really true. The midwives were absolutely incredible and I can’t fault the experience with them.
Thanks so much for everything Cath