Charlotte's Birth Story

So, the short version:

Charlotte May was born at home and in water 12 days overdue at 4:20am weighing 9lbs after a very quick 1hour 10mins of labour.  No drugs & no tears, just an all natural, happy experience!

And the (very!) long version:

A few weeks ago I was getting very worried because Baby was overdue and the hospital were starting to get tetchy about induction.  That day I decided that the stress of it was holding things up and I had to do anything I could to relax and help baby come naturally.  So we blew up the birth pool and filled it to have a splash around with Henry as a way of visualising my home waterbirth and reconnecting with the idea that it could still happen!

After that we put the lid on it, still filled and covered it with duvets to stop the cat popping it again!  Thank goodness we did, because at the speed everything happened once it got started I would have never made it into the pool otherwise!
That night I went to bed thinking "It could be tonight!" but in the morning I woke up disappointed that still nothing had happened.  This was 40+10 days.

That day I had a second membrane sweep with the midwife and told her how serious my anxiety about hospital birth was.  I recognise now that it is actually a phobia.  She was amazingly supportive and very encouraging. She told me what to do if the hospital staff started with the bullying ("Do you want your baby to die?" was said to a friend of mine who opted for monitoring) and ended by saying the sweep went very well & she was sure to see me during the night anyway!

I went home feeling so much more positive and even had some mild contractions about and hour after the sweep.  The contractions slowly became more frequent and slightly stronger throughout the evening until I was almost ready to say something to Hubby. But just at that moment he ran into the bathroom and threw up!!

My first thought was Norovirus!! How can I possibly give birth in a house with a sickness bug! I'll have to go to hospital, and Hubby won't be able to come with me!!  And immediately the contractions stopped.

After seeing me in tears, Hubby decided it was better to own up to having eaten a piece of cheese from Henry's leftover lunch after it had been sitting out for 8 hours!  So I went to bed with no sympathy at all for the sick Hubby, but at least I was calmer.  The contractions didn't return though.

Day 40+11 marked the first day of monitoring.  We went to the hospital where the Triage midwife was surprised to see us a day early (on the orders of the consultant) and said "I don't know what they're worrying for, there's no room to book you in for induction for a week anyway! You'd think they'd be pleased."

Monitoring was fine, but tedious. I was strapped up for over an hour, but eventually baby woke up & did some big wriggles and I was free to go.  

I was so grateful to be spared the tough talk from the consultant, who I wouldn't see until 40+14 due to the bank holiday. I felt so much more relaxed that I had 3 more days before I had to face the bullying and now I knew the monitoring itself would be no problem.

So after a long, strange day that involved missing my brother's wedding, Hubby being sick in the car, while driving (!?!) and being peed on by Henry I went to bed exhausted.

At about 3am a mild contraction woke me up.  Then another came pretty quickly after it, this time much stronger. Hubby woke up as I got up to go to the loo & I asked him to get the TENS out.

As I was on the loo the feeling of needing to do a poo wouldn't go away.  I doubted myself as I had 18 hours of contractions before I got to that point with Henry, but contractions were strong, lasting 50s to 1min and only 2.5 to 4 minutes apart!  I told hubby to forget the TENS and go straight for the pool!

In the mean time I phoned the delivery suite and asked for the midwife to be sent.  Contractions held off until the second I put the phone down when a big contraction wave crashed over me, I heard a squeaky pop and the waters sploshed onto the floor, like in the movies!  Thank goodness I was in the lino-floored bathroom!

Called down to Hubby to see if the pool was up to temperature yet before running downstairs to get straight in.  By this point I knew it was coming quickly!  Thankfully the 1st midwife then arrived.

She'd come straight from another homebirth and was a little flustered and went about trying to do her checks, while contractions were strong and very close together.

The next contraction I felt the baby crowning, but didn't believe it! It was all happening so fast, I must be mistaken!
Then with the next one the baby's head was out.  "It's here!" I muttered, which took the midwife by surprise. "Oh yes - I haven't got my gloves on yet!" She said!  But she was there to guide the baby out with the final contraction -- I felt the baby do the shoulder wiggle and there she was!

The cord was short and where I'd been on my knees she was behind me, so I had to lift my leg over her and the cord (kicking the midwife in the head!) to bring her round and onto my chest.  She breastfed beautifully within 10 minutes of her birth and we were relaxing in the pool waiting for the placenta to be delivered when the 2nd midwife arrived.

The labour was 1 hour 10 minutes from the first contraction, the pushing stage is recorded as 5 minutes!  The natural 3rd stage took 45 minutes.

Henry woke up shortly after Charlotte was born and came down to enjoy the cheery atmosphere and meet his new sister, who he hasn't stopped kissing yet!  Once I was out of the pool he joined her for our first tandem breastfeed and lots of cuddles.
I am so glad I got to have my perfect home waterbirth again, and so glad that I planned it in the first place - even if I'd wanted to go to hospital I'd have never made it in time!!

If you made it to the end, thanks for reading and for those of you looking forward to meeting your own babies, I hope you have a story with as happy an ending as mine to tell soon!
xxx