For context I had been having Braxton Hicks since I was 37 weeks pregnant so here I was 3 weeks later thinking nothing much of it. The day before we had all been out the whole day walking around London and finishing the day with about 20,000 steps walked...
13 March
3:00 am
When I woke up at 3am during the night I felt my Braxton Hicks while lying on bed for the first time. They usually disappeared when I got into bed. But this time they felt a bit more lower down with a cramping sensation. I lied there for about 40 minutes while cuddling with James but they didn't stop. So I thought I'd get out of bed and change position since that usually made the tightenings go away. I got on my birth ball and bounced away as I read my book.
3:30am
I noticed they continued and that it was getting tougher to read when my uterus tightened. So I timed them and noted that they were 5 minutes apart. I decided to call my doula Angie who was an hour away in Surrey to see what all of this meant. She said she would come up because it sounded like things were moving along. I still wasn't convinced that they were contractions since they were tightenings just like Braxton Hicks but just with a bit more pressure. Matt and James were fast asleep in bed and it was so nice they could sleep through my early labour.
5:00am
My doula Angie arrived. By now I was having contractions every 3 to 4 minutes. Angie filled up the birth pool and stayed near me to remind me to breathe and get me snacks and drinks. I was having a nice time actually with the contractions. I would lean on the stairs to the loft and as the tightenings made their way up the uterus I imagined I was pulling a load up a hill. But not alone...
I imagined two other women with me. I have two ancestors that came to my mind. Sarah Jane Kendall. She was born in Higham, England and then married George Holiday and migrated to Utah in 1852. She was called as a midwife by President Brigham Young back in 1856 and assisted hundreds of births and sometimes even bringing her daughters along. And my other ancestor Mary Elizabeth White. She also was born here in Lancashire, England and migrated with her husband, 2 daughters and her little 1.5 year old James to América in 1850. She, at the time of boarding the ship to America, was in her first trimester of pregnancy. Then there was a measles outbreak on the ship. Her son James caught it and died on their route to Missouri was buried alongside the bank. Then as she entered her 3rd trimester of pregnancy as she walked with her family from Missouri to Utah (about 1,300 miles). She went into labour just hours from entering the Salt Lake Valley (where the settlement was). She and her husband and family stopped in Echo Canyon and she gave birth to her 3rd daughter. After a few days they joined the other pioneers in Salt Lake. Mary died when she was 40 years old. She died giving birth and was buried with her baby named George that passed away too. They were with me.
I was imagining doing a women's pull up a hill every time I felt the tightenings (contractions) come. Just after 6am we called my homebirth midwife (which is a free service here in England). She spoke to me on the phone. She said she could come around if I'd like or they could wait. But as we continued the call she realised my contractions were 2 mins apart.
7:00am
My two midwives showed up quickly after the call. They assessed the baby's heartbeat and my blood pressure. No vaginal examination was needed (I didn't get one throughout it all!) since it was clear that I was in active labour. Everything was going well. My contractions now felt more powerful and I was making more noise and deeper breathes to get through them. (The boys still sleeping in the bedroom). The power of the contractions brought me to my knees. Which really connected me with my Saviour and the suffering He went through in Gethsemane. I spoke to the baby as each contraction came and told me that I would bring him home into my arms.
8:00am
I couldn't really manage how frequent the contractions were. Before, I would get a rest where I went back to talking and acting myself but now they were not going away. I went into the pool to get some relief. It was amazing to get into the birth pool! It's almost as if the contractions had stopped. I loved it so much.
At this point, James and Matt had woken up and were in the room with me. We had some ice lollies together. But within 20 minutes the contractions started to get much more powerful. I was making loud groans. The pressure felt so strong and I needed more relief. I begged for them to get the gas and air out.
8:30am
I was on the edge of the cliff. When they brought in the gas and air (this is a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide gas that you can breathe in through a mouthpiece). It was heaven-sent relief. It doesn't take away the pain but it takes the edge off a bit and it was nice to have something to sink my teeth into. It felt unbearable as I was going through transition and baby was descending. I wanted to get up and run away. I breathed in so much gas and air to stop myself from stopping what my body was doing on it's on. I read in one of my birth books that once a woman enters the last stage of labour that even if she is unconscious the uterus will push out the baby. I held on to that thought in this challenging moment. I let my body take over and I mentally stepped aside. No one.ever told me when or how to push. My body just did when it needed to. My breathing was connected to my uterus and I drew breathe in as my body asked either deep or shallow. I vocalised loudly in a way I have never heard before.
I felt something begin to come as I felt fire down below. I let my body take over. A few pushes came and went as I felt the head slide in and out unfolding the gateway. Then I felt a massive object down below and my body wouldn't stop pushing until I could feel the relief of my baby's head out. Apparently my waters were still intact which meant the size of what was coming out was the baby's head with a helmet of his water sac. My waters broke as his head emerged. With the next push his body was out.
8:51am
He was lifted into my arms and and I placed him on my chest. George Albert Stobbs was calmly in my arms. He looked at me as I rubbed in the vernix that was on his skin. He was so peaceful and quiet. He was here. He soon showed desire to feed so I latched him on to my breast and he fed wonderfully as we waited for the placenta to be birthed naturally.
James had been there to see the birth of his little brother. Angie held him up so he could see everything as Matt was holding my hand through it all. He was so amazed and excited as he saw the baby be born. He was excited to come over to me and greet his little brother. James soon went to get his teddies to show his brother. James seemed to be so connected in the moment.
9:29am
There still wasn't sign of the placenta coming and the midwives asked me to change position to see if it would encourage my uterus. After James was born I haemorrhaged so bad that I was taken to theatre and put under (read about my first birth here). So the midwives were on high alert to make sure my blood loss was minimal and the placenta birthed well. I kissed George as I leaned on the pool and the stood up and birthed the placenta. It was annoying to have to birth more than just the baby. But I am so grateful for the amazing job my placenta did over the past 9 months of keeping George happy and growing. It's amazing how it looks like there is a tree of veins on it. It literally was a tree of life for the baby.
I hopped into the shower after getting out of the pool. It was lovely washing and drying off the birth. Matt and James enjoyed having some cuddles as I showered. When I came back they cut the cord now that it was nice and white meaning George had received all the blood back from the placenta.
10:20am
The midwives got out of the way and let me settle a bit as they waited downstairs for the next checks. I got to breastfeed a bit more and enjoy a bit of breakfast in bed since it was still morning. It was an incredible feeling having showered and gotten into my own bed just an hour after birth. It was so peaceful and I felt so strong. Matt said it felt so surreal that right after the birth he was just playing with James and the new baby at home.
11:00am
I called the midwives up and they did their last checks which was for me. They checked for tears and it turned out I only had a small glaze that will heal up on its own. The last birth I had two tears and so many stitches with pushing out a 5 pound baby. And this time with an 8 pound baby I was able to avoid damage! That shows how listening to your body and being connected with it during the last stage can work wonders. Bless my amazing midwives! They had been so empowering throughout the whole process. I am grateful for the free service given in this country. They let me know they would be back tomorrow and during the week to see how things were going.
11:30am
We said goodbye to the midwives and then turned on a family film to enjoy together. Angie was busy packing away the birth room, washing towels and cleaning the house. She is such an angel! Honestly, it freed up my mind to know that everything was being done and put back to normal. She came in when I needed to breastfeed and supported me and fed me. We had lunch as we had our family films on.
6:00pm
We all went downstairs for some dinner. It had been almost 10 hours since the birth and we were all having dinner together. I felt strong and able to move very well! I could see the wonderful fruits of having a home birth already. It was in the peace and strength I felt. George had only cried when they weighed him and then only breathed out peace since. My body was strong and already recovering. I felt so happy that I endured a natural birth (which was so so so hard...) to then have what I have now. Peace.
The Miracle of a Doula
One of the reasons I feel so much strength is because of the support and love of my doula Angie. She was there during my pregnancy to get to know me better and build a beautiful relationship with James. She was my voice of reason during labour to know what was going on and when things were happening. She took amazing photographs that I will forever treasure. She cleaned and fed me. She was by my side for every breastfeeding session through the tears and worries. I was able to sleep as she held George at night when I needed the rest. She helped me every time I needed to go to the toilet so I could heal better. She was James's best playmate and ran around with him. The house had order and everything was washed and put away so all I had to concentrate on was recovering and baby. She stayed until breastfeeding was established well. I love her so much for her service and heart. Having a good doula is one of the best things for a beautiful birth experience. You can see some of Angie's amazing work on her Facebook Page Breastmilk and Biscuits or instagram .
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