Positive Birth Story: Induction and Coping with a change of plan
Tuesday 29th March 2022
I couldn’t sleep well all night, got up 6am, went downstairs and my waters broke. It felt like it was Christmas morning, I was so excited to meet my baby and genuinely excited to give birth. I’m quite a worrier so expected to feel nervous, but the nerves never came.
I rang the hospital, they said to come in so I showered, we packed the car and made our way there.
When we got to the hospital they checked my urine, blood pressure etc. They confirmed my waters had gone, my blood pressure was high so they wanted to monitor that for a while. Checked it now and again and continued to be high. Monitored baby’s heartbeat and all was okay. Gave me tablets for blood pressure to try and lower it. My ideal birth plan had been to be able to go home at this point and let labour progress naturally, but as my blood pressure wasn’t going down they told me they wanted to keep me in to monitor it.
“I was disappointed I’d have to stay in, and a big change to a plan like this in other aspects of my life would have made me feel quite stressed and out of control. But I still felt very in control. Practising hypnobirthing during my pregnancy allowed me to feel knowledgeable on what was best for me and baby, and helped me feel able to make decisions I felt comfortable with.”
I wasn’t moved over to ward 21 until around 4pm and had arrived in hospital around 8am. Despite the long wait of hanging around, I felt really calm and relaxed and excited, hoping labour would start soon. When they moved me to the ward I got comfy on my bed, had dinner, cracked open my puzzle book and text some family and friends updates. I changed into pjs and really enjoyed the evening! Sounds bizarre but I felt totally relaxed, I trusted my body to know what to do and felt I’d prepared enough by practising hypnobirthing throughout my pregnancy to relax now it was finally happening.
Leah laying on a hospital bed during induction, eyes closed, relaxed, with a monitor around baby bump
Wednesday 30th March
Nurse/midwife came in around 6.30am, informed me I’d be induced as labour hadn’t started naturally. We discussed the options of induction and I’d previously discussed with a different nurse/midwife that if I wasn’t comfortable with being induced that this was my decision to make. After confirming I was happy for induction to take place, we discussed the options as there are a few different types of induction. It was decided I would have the gel inserted for 6 hours, and if this didn’t bring on labour I would be put on the hormone drip this evening.
I’d had a moment during the night, around 2am, I knew I only had until around 6am to go into labour naturally before they would discuss induction with me, and I started to feel really overwhelmed and angry. I was wondering why my body hadn’t gone into labour naturally and started worrying about being induced, focussing on the horror stories I’d heard people say about how painful inductions are.
But when it came to it and I knew I’d need to be induced, I had accepted this was a the safest option for me and baby and felt really relaxed about it. I’m not relaxed about anything generally 😂 so I definitely surprised myself, and everyone I know, with how calm I was throughout my labour and birth
The doctor and midwives came round around 9.30-10. Said I’d be given the gel to induce me and checked in 6 hours. Either way if it works or not I’ll be going to the labour ward this evening and josh can come with me when I go no matter what stage of labour I’m in which made me so relieved. I’d previously planned on giving birth in the birth centre but as I was being induced I now needed to give birth on the labour ward. I asked if possible could I still use the pool for pain relief and hopefully a water birth. Again, the doctor and midwives were incredible at discussing all my options and ultimately concluded that I would be able to use the pool if it was available but there is only one on the labour ward so they couldn’t promise anything.
The gel was given at approx 12pm - like a sweep, checked my cervix and then shot gel up like a tampon applicator. Not painful. Josh arrived 3ish - brought snacks. I remember being emotional before he came as I was really hoping the gel would work by 6pm and it hadn’t yet. I felt completely normal and remembered starting to feel quite impatient. We went for a walk and ended up watching Lingo in the neonatal parents room. I started having mild back pain, like period ache.
Visiting finished at 5 but josh was able to stay as we’d be going over to the labour ward soon. Approx 6.45pm midwives came to see me, said they wouldn’t examine me and instead I’d be going straight to labour ward and would be examined there. Monitored baby again - all good. Approx 8pm Bev my lovely midwife came to introduce herself and take us over to the labour ward. Exciting!!
In the labour ward we had our own room - no birth pool which I was disappointed about but that didn’t last long as I reminded myself I was still in control of how I feel, and I felt so excited to meet my baby! The room was lovely and calm, dimly lit and I was so excited. Now and again someone would come in and put the big lights on and I remember knocking them back off twice - protecting my environment and having a dimly lit calm room meant I could remain calm and in control and I wasn’t giving that up for anything!
Next, a few midwives and eventually a doctor tried to locate a vein in my hand to insert something that was ready for the hormone drip if I needed it. It took a while, this was one of the most painful parts of it all as I clearly have crap veins!
Then the midwife explained she would examine me, she’d pop my waters if only one of the waters had gone and she would ‘stretch’ my cervix if she’s able to.
She examined me, said I was still only 1cm, she stretched me to 2cm and noticed all my waters hadn’t gone so popped the rest of my waters. Uncomfortable but not painful; think I had gas and air for her to pop my waters.
It was approx 10pm by now, me and josh went for a walk downstairs, very eery as there was no one around. Contractions started immediately! I was breathing through them but having hardly any break between them. I remembered if I were at home they say to call the hospital if you have 3 contractions in 10 minutes and I was definitely having more than this at this point. I thought to myself this was happening fast.
Stayed walking around downstairs for maybe 30 mins then went back to labour ward as I was struggling. Bev got me a big yoga ball and I sat and bounced on that and started using gas and air. I don’t remember much about this stage as gas and air was great and really zoned me out. I remember thinking the contractions were intense but that I was managing okay. I could hear the tele in the background (naked attraction was on 🤣) and vaguely tuning in and out of Josh & Bev’s conversations.
Around 2am Bev examined me again. She sounded really shocked, she said I was 8cm! In approx 4 hours I’d gone from around 1cm to 8cm! I remember feeling so relieved and thinking yes I can do this! I hadn’t been struggling until then but I remember being relieved I knew the end was near. She asked if I needed to push and I said I don’t think so.
I remember feeling excited that it was finally happening! I immediately discussed a few key points of my birth plan, said I don’t want to be lying on the bed to give birth, I want to be upright as much as I can. I said I wanted josh to tell me the gender and wanted immediate skin to skin and delayed cord clamping. I was leaning over the bed now and started to feel like I could push so got on the bed on all fours. I felt pushes coming for a while sat like this but was uncomfortable so turned round so I was sat upright but with my legs against things I could push against, and the bottom of the bed below me was moved away so I had gravity on my side and could push down more.
I don’t remember much about the contractions after I started using gas and air but I remember the pushing, I’d take a gulp of gas and air when I felt the contraction coming then push in to my bum. I’d usually manage 3 pushes and then be exhausted. I remember feeling like I couldn’t push any harder and worrying that she wasn’t going to come naturally. Every time another contraction came josh and Bev would be encouraging me to push and saying they could see the head - this felt like it was going on for ages and I remember thinking I didn’t feel any different down there so how could she be nearly out?! I don’t remember feeling pain or the ‘ring of fire’, only the exhaustion of pushing. Josh was giving me water and Lucozade in between contractions and I was squeezing his hand when I was pushing - he showed me the nail marks I’d made on him later - oops. Bev asked another midwife to come in a few times for fresh eyes and she was in the room when I gave birth. Towards the end bev asked the doctor to come in as she wanted to give me a small dose of the hormone drip to make me able to push for longer on my contractions but the doctor said I was so close to the end now it wouldn’t be worth it. Bev coached me through the baby crowning, telling me to push little pushes then stop and I did this until the head was out and again I don’t remember this hurting. And I’m a total wimp! The next big push they lay me right back and I remember shouting ‘just pull it out!’ 🤣
And then she was here! Born at 4.37am on 31/03/2022. Josh told me it was a girl and I don’t remember being surprised. We had immediate skin to skin as she lay on my stomach and then josh cut the cord after a few minutes and I had her on my chest, her big eyes looking up at me! ❤️ I was so so happy!
I vividly remember the next few hours after her birth. Emmie had some cwtches with Josh, we both rang our parents to let them know we’d had a baby girl. I face timed my sister and remember her saying how well I looked 🤣 I really don’t think I did, but I certainly felt it. I felt like an absolute Wonder Woman and kept having moments where I’d think ‘oh I’ve done it! She’s here & she’s perfect and I gave birth to her…and it was amazing!’ I honestly don’t believe my labour & birth would have been such a positive experience without practising hypnobirthing because she skills and knowledge I learnt 100% helped me remain calm and view giving birth as an exciting experience, instead of focusing on pain, the unknown, what could happen etc.
