Friday 30 November 2012

Ella

                                                                           
                                                                               

                                                                               


Cloudea, Ella's second daughter was born quickly and easily, at home in her bedroom. Here Ella tells us her good birth story....


My contractions started on Monday morning, coming on quite intensely just as they did with my first daughter.  However,  I knew it wasn't established labour, as once my toddler woke up things slowed down and  I had the latent phase everyone talks about.

I spent the day doing all the things that you’re supposed to do to pass the  time... I had a bath, went for walks, I even baked a cake!  And then I went to bed.

Between midnight and 1am I had some strong contractions and then suddenly, a very big one that made me scramble on to all fours. 

I went to the bathroom and soon I was standing over the bath, gripping on to the edge with a relentless cycle of intense contractions.  

My partner was trying to time them, but since it was hard to tell when they were starting or finishing, she called the hospital.  A midwife said she'd be with us in half an hour.

I really wanted to get to our bedroom, where we’d set up a nest.  Like last time, the contractions came on quite violently and suddenly, and I was struggling to find something to hold on to – in both the physical and psychological sense.  But once I managed to get to the bedroom,  I was able to shut everything else out and focus on my breathing.  Now I was anchored. 

The midwife arrived at 2.15am and wanted to examine me and listen to the baby’s heart beat.  I was kneeling on the floor with my elbows on the bed, and she asked me to lean back on the floor.  Every time I tried to move the contractions became more violent, but I eventually managed to sit on the bed, and when the midwife found I was already 8cm, she went to the gas and air, which I'd asked for.

I was able to get back into my kneeling position and the midwife could check the baby’s heartbeat without disturbing me.  In my birth plan, I had said that I would prefer to stay in my zone, and asked that any communication be done through my partner.  I carried on riding out my contractions using my breathing and the gas and air when they were really strong, and then my partner whispered in my ear .

“The midwife is worried that the baby is getting tired, so you need to push on the next contraction”.  I sat up and said “What?!”  I couldn’t believe it was time. 

I remember reaching down and feeling the top of her head and feeling incredibly excited – so spurred on to push her out. The midwives guided her down but left her between my knees, for me to pick up.  It was so amazing and exciting reaching down for my beautiful baby.  I held her to my chest and she grabbed on to me with both hands and I thought I’M IN LOVE!

It only  took a couple of pushes and she was here, born at 3.30am!  A two hour labour! 

The midwives helped me to get comfortable, went and made me a cup of tea and then left me, my partner and our baby.  It was amazing – the middle of the night, all was still and peaceful and we were able to enjoy the first magical moments with our new daughter, in the comfort and privacy of our own bedroom. 

I thought my first daughter's birth, also at home, was amazing and I really hoped to be able to give me second daughter as good an arrival. Her birth was even better... it's not often that you hear words like 'peaceful' and 'exciting' in birth stories, but that is exactly how we describe this birth. I almost wanted to push her our again!


How I love Ella's nest. She couldn't have highlighted the most basic need of labouring women better. A private place, with utter peace and quiet to retreat to. And as soon as she got it,  now that she felt 'anchored' as she put it, her body could do it's thing. There was nothing for labour to snag on, no disturbance to derail it's flow....right on cue, with her body's needs met....the labour powered off and her baby came.  Honour the physiology, help the hormones flow, and birth can be simple. 

Thursday 8 November 2012

Melissa

     


                                                                       

Melissa's son Oliver was born at home, on September 19th.  She chose to give birth alone, with her husband and a doula to support her. 


During my second pregnancy, I opted for minimum contact with maternity services and began to consider freebirth. What appealed about the idea was the freedom and control it gave back to women and birth. I could imagine nothing more peaceful than allowing birth to take over with no interference. The more I thought about having midwives present, the more I felt it would be detrimental to my birthing experience.

I don't have a personal issue with midwives or hospitals. I think they do an amazing job under great pressure. But I don't believe that all women automatically need care in such a systematic way.  Our bodies are designed to give birth, it is a normal physical function and if the woman is healthy and the pregnancy low-risk, it's my belief that birth does not belong in a medical setting or need over-seeing by medical experts. I believe in a woman's ability to birth successfully provided she is surrounded by the right, supportive environment that she was able to make an informed decision about.  

As my pregnancy progressed and I gained more knowledge I knew I wanted to give birth alone. I did not have a specific due date as I had no ultrasound. I knew I was due sometime late September. 

On the morning of the 18th I woke up having mild contractions but by lunchtime they stopped. At 5pm I had a show and contractions started picking up again. They were very intense coming every 20 minutes or so. At 8.00pm my partner, David and I settled our daughter, Sofia,  into bed. During this time the contractions became closer together but remained erratic. I ran a bath but began to feel extremely dizzy and sick. I was feeling afraid of the pain and so decided to contact our doula, Tina. 

I followed my bodies cues and feeling the need to be on all fours I knelt on on the floor, resting against the bed, face down in the duvet. I used David's hand and leg to help me through contractions, pushing and squeezing while he held our daughter asleep on his other side. 

Time seemed to passed slowly and I didn't realise just how fast things were progressing.  I was gradually feeling as though I was losing the ability to speak and all  I could think about was water. It was now approximately 11.30 and David suggested I try the bath again.  As I tried to get up, I leaned back from all fours and the pain was intense. With David's help and a lot of concentration, I eventually made it into the bath. As soon as the water touched my skin, I felt instant relief. As I lowered myself down the water transformed the sensations. The contractions just came and went and I was completely still, silent and intently focused. 

When Tina arrived, David went to help her with the pool leaving me alone in the bath. I thought about the idea of getting up, walking down the stairs and getting into the pool and it seemed like an impossible task. Then quite suddenly I heard a loud pop and a small gush of red came from between my legs followed by a stinging sensation. I laid back as I felt my body in complete control. A familiar sensation overtook me as I instinctively seemed to seize up and bear down. I let out a loud noise that I couldn't hold back. Tina came straight up to the bathroom and sat by my side holding my hand. We both knew my baby would be here soon. I still felt afraid and holding her hand helped me feel strong. 

As I began to push my baby out I reached down to touch him. I felt the unmistakable feeling of his soft scalp and hair. With every push I could feel his whole body.  It felt as though my body was moulding  itself around his, easing him into the outside world. I felt excitement as his head appeared. I could feel our baby moving under water, half way between my body and the outside world. I began pushing again, his shoulders moved out and again a short pause before the rest of his body finally emerged in the water. I immediately lifted him up and put him to my chest. The rush of emotions and pure relief was incredible. 

I remained in the bath for around an hour and a half, chatting with Tina and eating toast.  I delivered the placenta in the toilet, then cut Oliver's cord. I rinsed and checked the placenta, keeping it to one side as I planned to encapsulate it myself.

I am now beginning to process this experience and place it's meaning  within the context of  my life. It feels like a true achievement,  I have experienced something really special, a moment of absolute clarity, control and freedom in a world that frequently limits our choices and confines us within very narrow margins. It has been a journey that has opened my eyes to new perspectives about life and birth.