Home Waterbirth First Time Mum
After completing the birth-ed course, Sarah gave birth to her first baby at almost 42 weeks, at home in the pool after navigating conversations around Induction and Hospital Birth. Here is her wonderful story:
I knew from the very start of my pregnancy that I wanted to give birth at home. I wanted to be in my own space, with control over my environment and a limited amount of people around me. Luckily I had been brought up without hearing too many horror stories about birth and the women in my family spoke frankly, but positively, about the experience of giving birth. I believe that our mindset towards birth has a huge impact on how we cope and experience it, so other than a little bit of nervous anticipation in my final few weeks, I was excited to give birth. I took the Birth-ed online course during my second trimester and it really helped me to feel prepared for all eventualities.
My due date came and went, I was offered induction and declined, waiting for things to happen in their own time. As I approached 10 days over my due date, with no sign of impending labour, I reluctantly agreed to an induction at 14 days overdue. I was feeling a little sad at not having the home waterbirth I had envisaged, but was also just keen to meet my baby at this point. Around 7pm at 41 + 6 I began to feel an aching pressure in my back. Over the evening this ache started to come in waves, becoming increasingly stronger. At around midnight I went to bed, still not believing that this was the start of labour. Once in bed I realised that I wouldn’t be getting any sleep! Laying down made everything feel so much more intense and around 1am I started to time my contractions at around 6 mins apart. I called triage to let them know and after I had finished the call my partner went to prepare the lounge and inflate the birth pool - I was so excited and relieved at this point, my body had begun labour spontaneously and I was finally able to have the chance of birthing my baby at home!
I had been managing contractions with a hot water bottle and inhaling lavender from a muslin cloth, and as the intensity progressed I started to use my TENS machine. I spent the next 5-6 hours with eyes closed, sat on the edge of my bed, standing to lean forwards with each contraction - trying to move from rest to rest but not being able to lay down or sleep at all. From around 7am things really began to ramp up a notch and the contractions were taking all of my focus to breathe through, I couldn’t talk during them and was now vocalising my exhales with some soft low sounds. I started to shake uncontrollably, vomited, and felt incredibly hot. Looking back, I think this was my transition phase, and a little doubt started to creep in. Thankfully my midwife arrived soon after this and revealed that I was 6-7cm dilated. I was elated to hear this and it gave me the push I needed to keep going. I started on the gas and air alongside my TENS machine, and once the second midwife had arrived I made my way through to our lounge to get into the birth pool - and as I walked into the room it hit me that I was going to meet my baby soon!
To be honest I struggled with the change in pain relief as I removed the TENS machine and got into the birth pool. I was still using the gas and air to manage but was finding it hard to coordinate my ‘in for 4, our for more’ up breathing with using the gas and air, and once I lost control of my breathing I started to tense and resist the contractions, and as a result they became much harder to cope with. My midwife gently suggested just using my breath for the next few contractions and once I did this I started to drift into a trance like state, rocking backwards and forwards in the pool holding onto my partners hands. Time lost all relevance here, and after a while I felt an increasing pressure and could feel my body bearing down at the end of each contraction. It was the strangest feeling, totally out of my control. I never really ‘pushed’ but just joined in with what my body was already doing. My waters finally broke and shortly after this the head crowned and was born. After a minute or so I had another contraction and with a twist and release my beautiful baby girl Xanthe was born into the water at 1.36pm. I scooped her up and held her to my chest, and we stayed in the pool for some skin to skin with our new daughter. My midwife checked me over and to my amazement I had birthed my 9lb baby with no tears - I felt like a (very tired) superwoman!
I found my birthing experience to be a hugely positive and empowering one, and it has made me feel so passionate about homebirth. I loved reading birth stories when I was pregnant so I hope perhaps this inspires someone to consider the possibility of a homebirth themselves.