Birth story - Felix

Birth: 22 4 2005

Felix Joseph Charles Spence

Born 15 July 2008 at 20.20

Home Water Birth

Gestation 41 weeks 4 days 
 

I had my first proper contractions on Thursday 10 July which made me think labour was finally happening; contractions kept coming all afternoon but then they stopped in the evening, leaving me frustrated. I felt nothing more for the next few days. I then chose to try and see if a sweep might help things along. I had my first one performed at 41 +1days. Cervix was still firmly closed at that point which seemed to confirm the fact that induction should not be an option until much later as my gestations are longer than 40 weeks (Finlay was born at 42 weeks +2 and Cameron at 40 + 5 – both were induced).

I had some more contractions on the Sunday but they did not last very long. I then had another sweep performed on Monday at 41+3. Virginia my midwife felt that sweep might actually work and she was confident that labour would start within 24 hours. That night I started having regular contractions and they continued until about 4 in the morning. They never got really intense though. One strange thing about Monday is that after several days of feeling miserable and fed up, I woke up feeling really happy and energetic. I had two long walks with my mum. After the second sweep Virginia suggested I took a long walk. On Tuesday morning I woke feeling tired and disappointed the regular contractions of the previous night had stopped. I went back to bed around 10 and at 11.30 I woke up as my waters were braking! They were stained though so I called Virginia to check with her; she explained it was probably meconium in the waters and so she made her way to our house. On arrival she confirmed that there had been meconium in my waters but it was not fresh. She explained that it was most likely caused by the baby’s gut being now mature and him passing his first stools already. She said sometimes fresh meconium can indicate the baby is in distress. She checked FHR and it sounded healthy. She said I had the option to go and be checked out in hospital but she was happy to support me if I chose to wait and see what happens. We decided to wait and see if the contractions started and review our options later on that afternoon. I really did not want to go to hospital as I felt pressure would be put on me to stay in and be induced and also my labour could kick in and I’d be stuck there…

Virginia suggested a long brisk walk again, pounding the pavement so off I went with my mum while she went off to make some phone calls; she decided to stay in the area (she’s based near Ashford) as things could progress quickly. We came back after about half an hour with my mum struggling to keep up with me; on our return she had to go and have a lie down! I stayed active, hung up the clothes in the garden. Tim my husband was working from home so everything was under control. We’d arrange for friends to have the boys until about 6. After coming in from the garden more of my waters came through and the contractions started again, coming more or less every 5 minutes. I called Virginia back, she checked FHR again and it was still nice and healthy. She left me to it again while she went to get some lunch. After she left, the contractions intensified so I started to believe that this could be it! I started having to concentrate through each contractions, Virginia called again to see if things were progressing and by my description of things she decided to come back. Contractions were about 3 mins apart, this was about 5 pm. I kept on walking or resting against my yoga ball, concentrating on my breathing which helped a lot. Being active really helped and until the contractions got really intense at the end I felt it was easy, too easy almost!

Virginia had lent me a birthing pool so in the morning Tim and my mum had set it up in the sitting room. I wasn’t sure up until that point if I’d feel like using it but now it felt like the right thing to do. At 6pm Virginia suggested I get in the pool and that made me feel really relaxed, at first the contractions seemed to slow down but they soon picked up and became more challenging. Being in the water helped me move about more easily and it was like being in my own little cocoon. The boys came back from their friend’s and Tim set about getting them ready for bed. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about having people and especially the children around me but things were so relaxed that I was happy for family life to carry on around me. I felt secluded in the pool as well. The boys would come and say hello from time to time. I was becoming a little noisy at times but they seemed unconcerned by it, Cameron even laughed a lot.

Virginia was also very calm, she encouraged me when needed but kept herself in the background so as not to disturb the process. From time to time she would monitor me using sonic aid, I did not need to move for that. At 19.45 contractions were back to back and that was the hardest bit when I felt this was too much and I couldn’t do it anymore.

Virginia reassured me the baby would be born soon. Just as Virginia asked if I felt an urge to push I started feeling like pushing. I became really noisy at that point but I didn’t care, it helped! Soon I felt the baby’s head crowning then his head was out, there was a brief pause when I could feel him turn and then his body slithered out. Virginia gently pushed his body towards me and I picked him up from under the water. I couldn’t believe he was finally here, all perfect. His skin tone was great, he opened his eyes and let out a cry. Felix was born at 20.20. I stayed in the pool with Felix at my breast until about 9, we’d wrapped him in one of those bed mats to keep him warm. We’d decided on a physiological third stage. We waited for the cord to stop pulsating. When it did at about 9.05 the cord was cut. As the placenta still hadn’t come out, Virginia suggested I got out of the pool which I was happy to do as I started feeling cooler.

I gave Felix to his daddy and went upstairs to the loo. The placenta came out in the toilet, it took a gentle push. It all looked healthy so I jumped in the shower and had a wash. I got dressed again and went back downstairs, kissed the boys good night and put Felix at the breast where he seemed to stay more or less all night! I was on such a high I did not care! 

Now 2 days later I have had another sleepless night but I knew what to expect, it was the same with Finlay and Cameron. Today my milk has come in and feeding him is getting easier as a result.