Sheraden from Kaia Birth kindly invited myself and my partner to join her Birth Classes when I was 34 weeks pregnant. Her incredible classes helped us, beyond measure, for all the unknowns of a first time labour and birth. 

I had my hospital bag essentials packed and ready from 30 weeks as per Elle's instructions!

I had a strong feeling the baby would come a little early, and at 38 weeks it all began.

Period-pain-like contractions started on Saturday night. They eased off on Sunday, we even went for lunch with friends. On Sunday night the contractions ramped up, all day Monday, and again through the night. The contractions were roughly 5 minutes apart but still irregular. We called the midwife and she said to stay home until contractions were 2-3 minutes apart for an hour. I used the TENS machine, deep breathing techniques, warm showers, massage from my partner, the exercise ball and soothing music to get through this early stage of labour.

On Tuesday morning I went to the bathroom and I had bright red bleeding. We called the midwife, she said to come to the hospital. Even though “active labour” wasn’t established, they wanted us to stay for monitoring because of the bleeding. They tested the fluid and found my waters had broken. The bleeding continued but without much other fluid. The midwife asked to check my cervix to try and figure out where the bleeding was coming from. She said there was so much blood they couldn’t actually see my cervix. 

My contractions were progressively getting more painful and closer together. I was going between the shower, TENS machine and the bed for ECG monitoring for hours. I unfortunately wasn’t allowed in the bath because of the bleeding. No water birth for me!

Then we had to move rooms because of an emergency requiring the room we were in. Not that fun packing up and moving whilst having contractions!

The midwives were then concerned baby’s heart rate kept dropping because I was dehydrated so they placed a cannula in my hand and put me on a drip.

My partner accidentally knocked the cannula causing it to become very sore and inflamed. So I was then trying to ice my hand, whilst having contractions, using the TENS and still with the ECG monitors around my belly. There was a lot going on!

Around midnight on Tuesday night the midwife asked to check my cervix again to see where we were.

They found my cervix was “paper thin” but only 2cm dilated. 

My body had been working hard for hours (days) but for some reason it just wasn’t progressing. Again we were moved rooms but assured we could stay put from then on. 

I was in the shower for hours to cope with contractions. I eventually asked for a morphine injection to try and get some rest but it really did nothing for me.

By Wednesday morning, after 4 nights of no sleep, they said we really needed to try to get baby out because waters had broken at least 24 hours earlier and risk of infection could be increasing. 

At that point I decided to have the syntocinon drip to help progress labour. I tried to stay in the shower but the ECG monitors were not working. The midwives offered the “clip” to monitor baby’s heart rate but having learnt about what the clip is during our birth classes, we declined. I came out of the shower and had the epidural because pain was really unbearable by that point. I had the gas and air while the epidural was administered - I found it really effective, even having a hysterical laughing fit at one point - I was completely delirious. But so happy because I knew the pain would soon be gone and we’d be meeting our baby within hours. It was roughly an hour between the moment I requested the epidural and being comfortably tucked up in bed completely pain free. I was finally able to rest. I asked how long the syntocinon drip would take and they said it was quite variable! 

I then dilated from 3cm to 10cm in under 2 hours. 

It was go time! The midwives were worried baby’s heart rate was dropping so needed get the delivery team in. I ended up with 2 obstetricians, 2 midwives, a resuscitation nurse, another nurse and my husband in the room. One of the midwives helped me to know when I was having contractions because I couldn’t feel them. 

They briefly put the vacuum on the baby’s head but then removed it because they decided it wasn’t needed. They had also suggested if I couldn’t push then forceps and episiotomy may be necessary. In my head I said “F*** NO I really don’t want that”, a significant tear (or cut) had been my biggest fear. 

In the end I was only pushing for 15 minutes and Max was born. 

He was put directly on my chest, the placenta was delivered and the obstetrician stitched me up. Everyone left the room and allowed us that first special time alone for skin to skin with Max. 

The labour and birth wasn’t the way I had imagined but I still consider this a positive birth experience. Luckily I only had a 2nd degree tear and I was pain free within 3 weeks. The midwives are real life angels. I couldn’t have done it without them and the also the support and advocacy provided by my partner throughout was incredible. 

Huge appreciation to Kaia Birth for all the insight and knowledge provided during our birth classes https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyeSjhah9Ve/