{Birth Story} An Aberdeen Midwife Unit Birth
Right, as my baby has now been in the outside world as long as he was inside me I think it’s finally time I posted my birth story!
At a 39 week scan I was told the baby was big, already estimated to be over 8lb and packed off up to see a consultant. Fortunately I saw a lovely lady who listened to my mum’s history of big babies and said if I wasn’t worried she wasn’t. At my midwife appointment she agreed I was measuring a ‘wee bitty big’ but also wasn’t worried as I was feeling fine and all normal. She said she could offer a sweep at 40 weeks but most first time mum’s went over so I declined at that point. I had gone to 40+5 so when I saw her again and decided that by now a sweep was good idea. At the sweep she found I was already 4cm dilated, which was a plus as I had no idea anything was happening! She sent me home saying that although we had booked another appointment she was sure that the next time she saw me I’d have a baby!
I went off to someone’s work retirement do that evening and enjoyed scaring people when they asked when I was due and I told them ‘last week!’. After a fairly early night I woke up at 8am with gentle cramping and sent my husband off to work. It ramped up fairly rapidly and by 11am I called him and told him to cancel his lunchtime meeting! He headed home and was a great support. I was practicing my breathing and he found a funny movie to put on TV to keep me distracted. About lunchtime I called the MLU (Midwife-led Unit) and told them what was happening, they said that they didn’t have anyone else who had asked about the pool, which was good news but that I didn’t sound like I was in established labour. They suggested a walk, a warm bath and to call back when I reached 3 contractions in 10 mins consistently or I couldn’t cope anymore. So, we went for a walk round the neighbourhood, had some food and then I hooked up the TENS, I had a bath (at which point I realised the TENS had been helping when I took it off!). By the time I got out of the bath I felt like something really changed and enough was enough so we called the hospital and said we were coming in! By then it was about 5pm and we headed up to the MLU. I was determinedly trying not to push on the way there and we then had the only stressful time of the whole birth when we couldn’t find the entrance to the Midwife Unit! Ended up outside a closed community midwife ward buzzing fruitlessly until my husband went to the labour ward and found a midwife to direct us!
She showed us straight to the pool room and a midwife popped in to see us. She said that as I sounded like I’d was coping fine they’d wait until the nightshift midwife came on so I didn’t have to be examined by 2 people. We had a bit of discussion about having a cannula put in as I was at risk of a bleed, this was something I knew would happen I’d discussed and read up on it the risks and decided against, my husband had to do some strong advocating for me as the midwife initially insisted this meant I couldn’t use the pool but after a quick check with the senior midwife it was agreed the pool was fine as long as I understood that there would be a delay in treating me if I did bleed badly.
So we were left alone for a while, I leant on the bed and my husband and focused on my breathing and affirmations and my husband got the HypnoBirthing tracks on the sound system and the lavender melts set up. After what felt like an eternity a midwife came in at precisely the moment my waters broke in spectacular fashion! She asked if I was willing to get on the bed for an examination and found I was 6cm.
At this point my heart sank, after 18 hours I’d only progressed 2cm and I was convinced my body wanted to push! They agreed I could try the pool though and got it filled. Pool was amazing, when I got in the relief and relaxation was immediate – although I was pretty keen to get the gas and air on the go too! I think the midwife thought it was a bit early for that but let me have it. She did her measurement on the heartbeat and left us to it. The next time she came in she said I sounded a bit pushy, then when she came back she said ‘ooh, I can see a head’ my response was to complain to my husband ‘I did say it felt different’! She got the 2nd midwife in and on the next surge the baby’s head appeared. At that point she said ‘we really need his body now, on the next one I need you to push’ my husband also joined in encouraging me to push, which I thought was a bit odd as we’d discussed no coached pushing. So I figured I should do as they said and indeed as my babies body appeared with the next surge the midwife deftly hooked the cord away that had been wrapped around his neck! I’m so glad they didn’t tell me why to push!!
The midwife passed him up to me and I held him in the pool until my husband cut the cord. He then went to my husband for skin to skin while I got out and onto the bed and delivered the placenta. I think the midwives appreciated that I actively said that I did want a managed 3rd stage, which they had advised given that I’d refused the cannula, so we were working with them on this.
The midwives were surprised at how calm it all was, my son had his hand up beside his head so I did need some stitches but he was 9lb 6oz and it really went as well as it possibly could have. My husband had more skin to skin while I was stitched and then almost as soon as I had my son back he latched on. We were then left undisturbed for a good hour before I had a shower and he was checked over and dressed.
The midwives were fantastic, brilliant care and the unit was so empty we got to stay in the room together all night and be discharged from it in the morning.
I think some of the midwives will be recommending HypnoBirthing after that experience – mine suggested I put the relaxation track back on for the stitches! Oh and I never did reach the mystical 3 contractions in 10 minutes!
