Jo's home birth story with her first baby
"My baby was due on 22nd April and as expected that date came and went with no sign of him! On Friday 24th as I was getting ready for bed, I started to lose my plug and I was so excited!
I thought this was finally some movement and the process started. I tried to focus on lots of oxytocin boosting activities over the weekend, walks with family in the sun, reading in the garden and relaxing baths. We had no movement until I woke up on Tuesday 28th to mild cramps and I thought this is finally it!
I had a growth scan at the hospital that day which was all fine and normal, but they wanted me to stay and speak to a doctor as I was declining induction and wanted to follow the route of a c section if we got to 42 weeks with no movement. I was getting a little frustrated at the hospital as we waited for a few hours with no sign of a doctor, and I really thought if I were at home labour would start to progress and we wouldn’t need the conversation - so I opted to leave and asked that if a conversation was necessary, they could call me to discuss next steps.
I’m so glad we went home, as that evening just after dinner my cramps turned into my first contractions! As we were planning a home birth, we rung the advice line so that I could be on the home birth team’s radar.
By 8.30 I felt I needed to be in the bath and so had a hot bath as I was using my breath techniques through these first contractions.
By 10pm we were certain this was it, so my husband Tom started transforming our dining room into our birthing room - he completely brought the picture in my head to life.
I attempted to get some sleep but was finding the contractions quite intense. I started to use the tens machine but I found the time between contractions quite overstimulating even on the lowest setting.
By 1.45 I had thrown up everything I had eaten and drunk and decided to get back in the bath to help with the contractions. I stayed here for hours and this is where I properly found my zone and found them easier to work through. My husband ended up napping on the bathroom floor while I had my led candles and spa music going along with my birthing comb (which became an extension of me- I would not let it go!). I found that I could only be in one place or position for a few hours without feeling the need to move - so I attempted to sleep again for a few more hours, before getting back in the bath at 7am! At this point I needed to be completely alone and was finding it distracting even hearing my husband preparing things around the house!
By 9am a lovely member of the home birth team came out to do some observations - she told me I needed to focus on trying to eat and hydrate as I had completely lost my appetite. My husband was providing all sorts of food and drinks to try and find something I could stomach. I always thought I would decline a sweep or VE but I found I actually wanted that info in the moment - and I felt so comfortable and relaxed with the midwife in my own bed that I was sure it wouldn’t interrupt me. She did a sweep for me (as I was due to have one the following day) to see if that would help move things along, and told me at 10am that I was 4cm dilated.
I felt like I had contractions more under control at that point and decided to move downstairs and have daylight and see how the day went. Between 10.30 and 5pm that day my contractions slowed down and were quite sporadic so I was able to nap a little. I tried to watch funny films and tv to boost oxytocin but ended up just napping through most of them! I was feeling a little deflated that I didn’t feel I was progressing after what had felt like a long and hard night - as the contractions weren’t getting more frequent or intense.
At 6pm we had midwives back out to check on me for 30 mins, and she recommended I go to bed rather than stay up, as it could ramp up overnight again. She told us that the night shift team would take over and check in on us.
Luckily I did go to bed at that point, as by 9pm that night my contractions had really intensified and I couldn’t sleep through them. I was in bed with lots of pillows behind me, under my bump and between my legs and a hot water bottle on my back and at my pelvis. By this point I needed complete silence and to be on my own as I worked through the contractions. I didn’t think I would, but I was repeating affirmations over and over in my mind while using the birthing comb. By 10pm my husband called the midwives for reassurance and they let him know they were wrapping up at another birth that evening and would call back to check in.
By 1am the contractions had really ramped up, were more frequent and very intense. I started to struggle to breathe through and had full body shakes (I think from adrenaline). My husband called again as at that point we didn’t really realise how long wrapping up and resetting from a birth took! When they were still not available I started to worry that we might not get someone with us in time. I gave myself a bit of a talking to, and stayed in my dark quiet room on my own with no sound - just my trusty comb and hot water bottles. I was desperate to get in the pool but tried to focus on getting through one contraction at a time.
By 2am Tom spoke to the midwives again and they agreed he could start filling the pool as they were on the way. I was on a serious countdown for them to arrive by this point! I really felt like I needed to get in the pool. I couldn’t stay in bed anymore so was sat poker straight on the sofa in the living room in the dark trying to breathe through but I felt so much pressure in my bum and contractions had definitely changed.
At 3am the midwives arrived and did observations on me and the baby until 3.30. They confirmed that they thought I was in established labour - at this point I asked ‘does this mean you’ll stay with me now?!’. I was really hoping this was actually it and they wouldn’t leave! They’ve said yes, they were staying with me and I could finally get in the pool!
By 3.30 I got in the pool and asked pretty quickly for gas and air! I realised all the time I had been practicing my breathing I had been going in through my nose and out through my mouth - so gas and air breathing in through my mouth took some getting used to! It made me feel dizzy and drunk but was great. I was very thirsty so finally started drinking plenty of water. I found in the pool that I needed a cold flannel on my face and a hot flannel on my lower back. My husband was alternating different essential oils for me on flannels based on where I was - the frankincense came out when I said I didn’t think I could do it!
I loved being in the pool, and quotes that my husband noted were me exclaiming how cool this was and how magic this is! I still had my trusty birth comb, until I replaced it with squeezing my husband’s hand so tightly and refusing to let him leave! A far cry from a few hours earlier when I wouldn’t even let him in the room!
By 4.30 my waters broke in the pool, which I had thought was the head as it felt really intense! The head took longer than I expected, but our midwife Pia encouraged and coached me through, slowing me down where needed and telling me when I could feel the head!
And at 5.33 on 30th April he arrived with the head and body coming out in one go which took us by surprise.
I’m so grateful to my husband because I have some amazing photos and videos to look back on of the whole process which I can’t stop rewatching!
As we know though, that’s not the end and we had the placenta to come. I had a short cord and found the whole time the baby was attached really quite uncomfortable as it was pulling at the placenta inside of me. I asked for the injection so we could just get it out as quickly as possible! By this point my cord had gone completely white and I cut the cord. The baby went to my husband for amazing skin to skin while the midwife’s gave me the injection and helped me out of the pool. It worked much quicker than I expected and as I stepped out of the pool the placenta shot out! I was fascinated by it, so later on while on the sofa having skin to skin, the midwife showed me the placenta and talked me through the whole thing - it was fascinating!
I feel really lucky and grateful that the birth went exactly as I pictured and planned, at every step I kept thinking ‘this is when they’ll say I need to go to hospital’ and luckily that didn’t happen (until a few days postpartum where we had a trip to triage with mastitis!).
After two miscarriages at home it felt lovely to have such happy moments and memories happen in the same rooms.
I’m so grateful for my husband and the wonderful home birth team for the care before, during and after our little boys arrival."
Jo took my Antenatal course earlier in the year and I'm so grateful that she shared her wonderful home birth story with her first baby. If you want some specific home birth prep, book onto Home Birth, Unpacked, my three hour intensive workshop on November 8th in Beeston.
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