Elliott's birth continued...

 

When I fell pregnant with my son in 2012, it wasn't even a question that I wouldn't hypnobirth again. I looked forward to the practice, although practiced less as we had a toddler and also moved home at 37 weeks pregnant. But I was confident that I knew what to do.

 

This time the gestational diabetes wasn't an issue (although I was monitored throughout my pregnancy). So, at 40 weeks + 4 days, having spend the day at a soft play with Imogen, when I stood up to make the tea, while spreading butter on a crumpet I thought "oh, hm, I think that may have been a surge." I wasn't sure that it was definitely labour, so sent my husband off to travel to work for the week in London, however, an hour later (once he'd got to Portsmouth) I told him he'd better come home as this probably was it!

 

We timed my surges (lasting a minute and about three minutes apart) throughout Downton Abbey, then we went for a walk around the block to really get things going, before coming home for some sleep. At 3am I awoke and thought we'd better go to the hospital (after the medical concerns before, I wanted to make sure that this baby was born in the hospital in case there were any unidentified diabetes issues!). However, when we got there, i was told I was only 1cm dilated(!) at nine hours in. Few more hours in the hospital, and I was 2cm! So we went home again at 9am. But I was really unsure when the best time to go back in would be. My surges were much more regular and powerful by 9am, so back we went! I was in active labour! I was 6cm dilated at 10am, and could get into the pool.

 

I was only in the pool for 40 minutes before I was fully dilated and started to breathe my baby down. The midwife hadn't even been back to check me or the pool temperature before this started! I'm entirely convinced that she didn't believe that I was in labour due to my chatting through my surges and joviality throughout. She was stunned when she came in to find me on my knees and the baby almost crowning!

 

I had about three or four firm surges before I felt the baby move down. On one surge it moved. The next, my waters broke. One more, and the head was born, then a final breath and out popped my son, Elliott. Weighing 7lb 10 1/2oz, he was (not surprisingly) calm, attentive, alert and perfectly pink. I delivered my placenta naturally too and his cord was left to completely drain before it was clamped and cut.

 

Not once during my (much shorter labour this time) did I feel the slightest need for intervention. I could have quite happily done the whole thing again the next day, and am only annoyed that although we'd kept a film of my labour, it all happended so quickly in the end that Elliott's birth itself wasn't recorded.

 

I may do it all again just to experinece birth again...