Sara’s Story

As I write, my six month-old son, Tom, is biting his teething ring on my lap. His three year-old brother, Ollie, is playing with his three little pigs. Already they are showing signs of being great friends and exhibit a lot of the same traits, but their births couldn’t have been more different.

In September 2001 I gave birth to my first son by caesarean section. I had planned a natural home birth and had enjoyed a textbook pregnancy, so was reluctant to accept defeat when the hospital induced me on the 13th day over the 40-week deadline!

I had gone into labour quickly after the gel was inserted and was coping well with the low level, but frequent pain. As it was night time I paced the ward feeling in control, but somewhat alone. In the morning, after a long bath, I was feeling calm, until a rather impersonal and heavy-handed midwife examined me! She proclaimed loudly that I was 9cm dilated and told a colleague to “Get this woman into the delivery suite, now!” I certainly didn’t feel like I was just about to drop and disliked being told to sit in a wheel chair, as I was much more comfortable standing. At this point my husband arrived (as he had been restricted to visiting hours!) and I couldn’t help thinking how easy it all had been as I told him that it would not be long now. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong!

On arrival at the delivery suite I was placed on a bed with enough room around it for two midwives, my husband and my mum, who had arrived unexpectedly and uninvited! I remember them all looking at me waiting for something to happen and feeling like I was disappointing them when it turned out I was really only 7cm dilated, where I stayed for the nex 12 hours! There was talk of caesarean but my husband was under strict instruction that this was not an option! After breaking my waters, placing me on a drip, giving me an epidural and catheter, they managed to get me up to 10cms. By this time my baby was showing signs of distress and blood samples were taken from his head in utero to assess how desperate the situation was. After an hour of pushing I was transferred to theatre for a ventouse delivery, but the cap slipped off his head and he had to be pushed back up the birth canal for a caesarean section to be performed.

I was left reeling. Not only had everything been so completely different from how I had planned, but also my baby couldn’t be with me because he had had difficulty breathing and had been transferred to the Special Care Baby Unit. Despite asking several times to visit him during those first few hours, I was not deemed well enough to do so. Meanwhile my son had three fits and it was feared he had suffered brain damage.

Thankfully, everything turned out fine. Ollie was out of SCBU by the third day and has had no further problems. However I was left with mixed emotions. I was happy to have a happy healthy child, but deeply upset at the trauma we all had suffered in the process. I was also grateful to the medical team who saved his life, but felt that if it wasn’t for their interference in the first place it may not have been needed at all.

Ollie turned out to be a bright, happy child and we very much wanted him to have a brother or a sister. Naturally I was apprehensive about what kind of birth to expect second time around, so went to see my doctor before getting pregnant. He was very negative, saying I would have to go straight into hospital at the first contraction, be attached to monitors and would have a high chance of a repeat operation. I left in tears and began to research what alternative support there was for people like me. I considered a doula (a paid birth assistant) but couldn’t afford it. Then I heard about the Albany Practise. I spoke to lots of people who had had blissful experiences of childbirth with them, some of whom had had difficult first births and caesareans. So as soon as I saw that blue line on my pregnancy test I phoned them up and put my name on their waiting list!

One of the first things I asked them was about home births. I hadn’t given up on my dream of a natural delivery on my own territory and they assured me that it was not only possible but actually advisable if I was to give myself the best protection against a repeat caesarean.

The support both my husband, Sveta, and I received right from the start was noticeably different from that which I had previously experienced. Being assigned two midwives who took the time to visit our home, ask what I wanted from this birth and get to know us as a family made me feel much more confident. The antenatal groups at Peckham Pulse also gave the invaluable opportunity to familiarise myself with the birth process and link up with other new and expectant mothers.

I was very keen not to go so overdue as I felt this would hamper my chances of a home birth, so the day after my due date I started taking homeopathic Collophyllum 30c, on the advice of a homeopath, to induce labour. On the third day over I had a show and very early the next morning was having mild contractions. Both times my labour has started with very mild regular contractions, like a period cramp, and I have felt the need to go to the loo a lot! I spent the rest of the night drifting in and out of sleep and trying not to get too excited. In the morning Sveta got up with Ollie and I warned him that today was the day. By 7:30am I had my midwife’s notes out and was revising when to call them. I held out until 9am before calling and when Zoe told me to carry on until I felt the need for her to be present I burst into tears. I think the relief of going into labour naturally combined with Zoe’s calm support and confidence in my ability to cope made me feel very proud!

We packed Ollie off to a friend’s house at about 10am and by this time my contractions were strong enough for me to have to breathe through them, although they were still very manageable. Interestingly, while Ollie was being collected, my contractions slowed from every 3-4 mins to every 6-7 mins, while I dealt with saying goodbye and giving instructions. Sveta was setting up the birthing pool and at 10:30 I phoned Zoe back and asked her to come round. I spent the contractions standing, mostly, holding onto Sveta for support and bouncing my knees or swaying.

Although it was very comfortable to be in the warm water, it was having the effect of slowing the contractions down so I had to keep getting out and moving around. I found that sitting on the toilet helped as it supported me in a kind of squat. Throughout the labour I was drinking water and eating melon, which was very refreshing. When I felt tired I requested chocolate and camomile tea with honey! I think the sugar boost was just what I need to keep me awake and I would recommend putting chocy in your birth bag!

At one point I was keen to find out how dilated I was so asked Zoe to examine me. It was extremely uncomfortable to lie down and painful to be examined, especially as the contractions were so close together, so we aborted the examination and I was happy to carry on. Soon afterwards my waters broke, in the middle of a contraction and with a whoosh, which was such a great feeling! I was relieved to see that they were clear and this really spurred me on. The contractions were strong and every 3-4 minutes, but still only lasted about a minute each. Sveta was in constant demand. As I felt the wave of the next contraction rising I had to have him to hold onto and he stood solid and silent, which was exactly what I needed.

Soon after 4pm I went into the second stage of labour and was able to get back in the pool, which was such a relief. I felt good but just wanted to get on with it! I noticed what was happening by the sounds I was making – something I learnt to look out for in the antenatal classes. During the first stage I was controlling the pain by groaning, humming and concentrating on trying to keep a steady note, which really helped me focus. Towards the end of this stage my steady notes were involuntarily turning into gruff, throaty growls! Once in the water and beginning to push, all sound (in fact, every ounce of my being) was concentrated downwards and outwards. I was positioned with my arms over the side of the pool with my tummy in the water. At the height of a contraction my whole body would float up to the top of the water and I gritted my teeth until it was over. The contractions were further apart, but what hurt was my baby forcing his way out! At one point Zoe invited me feel inside and I could make out the top of his head, which was bizarre and wonderful! I kept in mind that it was all so very nearly over and we would be able to see and hold him. In retrospect I realise that over the twenty minutes or so that I was pushing, with contractions coming every five or so minutes, it must have only taken about 5 pushes, or five minutes of such intensity to get him out, which isn’t that much to endure. As his head crowned Zoe told me she could see his dark hair waving in the water. And then he was born!

He was a typical water baby in that he didn’t make a sound as he surfaced and took his first breath. I was so pleased. He was perfect. We stayed in the pool, him still attached, for about the first twenty minutes of his life. Then to encourage the after birth to come we cut the cord and I went and sat on the toilet. Tom, as he was now called, was handed to me to feed to stimulate a contraction. All he had to do was sniff my nipple and I was reminded of what a contraction felt like (it’s amazing how quickly you forget!). The placenta came away with one push and then Tom and I could get comfy on the sofa while Claire examined the placenta and showed us all the intricacies of his life support machine of the last nine months!

What I really loved about Tom’s birth was the feeling I got afterwards. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I found it impossible to sleep, nor did I feel tired. All I wanted to do was stare at him, this perfect baby. The best way to describe it is true elation!

Sara