Positive Hospital Birth

THE BIRTH OF OLIVER

Throughout my pregnancy I was classed as low risk, so I had visualised and planned a natural birth in the birthing centre and was planning a water birth without any interventions. 

Fast forward to 41 weeks, having been unwell with COVID a few weeks earlier and having had a few episodes of reduced movement, I found myself discussing the possibility of an induction with my midwife. At this stage, I had had a couple of failed membrane sweeps, was 2cm dilated but wasn’t progressing further. We decided we would let the midwife book our induction for 41 + 5 weeks (the Saturday) which would involve breaking my waters and being placed on the oxytocin drip. This would usually mean birthing on the labour ward and continual monitoring, so I was advised my movement during labour would be restricted. I had wanted to remain upright and mobile, so this was difficult to hear. 

At this point I panicked and had a huge confidence crash. I contacted Hannah and explained my worries. Hannah helped me compile a list of questions to ask the midwife prior to the induction and reinforced the positive messages from the course. 

After talking through these questions with the midwife and using the BRAIN model, I felt MUCH calmer and confident again that although the birth may not be as originally visualised, I could still remain in control of the birth and it would still be a positive experience. 

On the Thursday night, we locked ourselves in the lounge, lit candles and fairy lights, laid out photos and watched our favourite TV programme whilst having lots of cuddles to start boosting my oxytocin levels again. We had my favourite tea and got an early night. I woke up at 3am on the Friday with an uncomfortable feeling in my lower back and pelvis, so took myself back to the lounge to sit on my birthing ball and watch more TV. At 7.30am we went for a walk around the field behind our house, and the feelings started to become more intense. I didn’t realise this was the start of labour as the sensation was nothing like contractions had been explained as. I thought baby had just dropped further and was pressing on my bladder! I called Triage to check in and they agreed that based on what they could hear I may be in early labour. However, as I hadn’t felt baby moving all night, they called me in for monitoring. 

By the time we got to Triage, I was having difficulty sitting for long periods. I managed to get through the 30 minutes of monitoring and baby was fine but given my history they decided to bring forward my induction and I couldn’t go home. However, labour ward was extremely busy so I was told they would look for a bed for me and I would have to wait until the evening to begin the induction. 

We were left waiting to be moved from Triage, and in that time, I stood up from the bed and felt a trickle of waters – after being examined by the midwives they confirmed my waters had broken. They therefore couldn’t examine me further to see if I had dilated further and would continue with the induction plan. 

At around lunchtime I was moved to a postnatal ward to wait for a bed to become available on labour ward. They put me in the end bay with a window so I could “people watch” – given it was the middle of the day, the bay was brightly lit which was exactly the opposite of what I wanted! There was only a bed and chair available in the bay, and as the midwives wanted to continually monitor baby, they asked me to stay laid on the bed. I requested that all curtains were closed and refused to lay down to try and keep building oxytocin. I stayed stood, leant against the wall/Liam and wiggled around to get through the sensations. I hadn’t brought my hypnobirthing bag, so Liam drove home to collect this and when he came back, although there wasn’t anywhere to put candles etc we had my photos and affirmation cards to look at. I also listened to my hypnobirthing tracks and used breathing and visualisation through each surge. As I was calm and able to hold a conversation, the midwives continued throughout the day to tell me I wasn’t yet in active labour. I was offered a couple of paracetamols on the postnatal ward, as they weren’t able to give anything stronger there, so focused solely on using my hypnobirthing tools. 

As I wouldn’t lay down for monitoring and there were no wireless monitors available, a midwife had to stay with me to hold the monitor on my belly. Around tea time I started to really tire and told Liam that I needed an epidural when I got to labour ward because I couldn’t get through birth if I wasn’t even in active labour at that time – looking back now this was transitioning, but as I was still being told I wasn’t in labour neither of us knew that! 

Shortly after, I had the urge to push and sternly told the midwife that I needed someone to examine me as I was quite certain I was going to give birth where I was. Finally, the doctor was called and after examining me quickly disappeared. When she came back, I was told I was 9cm dilated and they had arranged for me to be rushed to the labour ward. Liam had a mad scramble to collect all of our belongings and then managed to get me sat down long enough to be wheeled round (after a few choice words!!). 

As soon as we got to the labour ward and gave the midwife my birthing plan, she dimmed the lights and took a step back to give us privacy. We didn’t have time to set the room up, but I did insist that Liam covered the clock on the wall up so I couldn’t focus on the time! I still needed monitoring and with the use of the BRAIN technique they used foetal monitoring given my wish to be mobile. We went ahead with this; I was given gas and air and I stayed mobile and either leaned over the bed or leant against Liam to get through surges. After a short time, I started pushing using breathing techniques again but after around 45 minutes of pushing, baby’s heart rate started to drop so the doctor was called to examine me and discovered the cord was around baby’s neck. As they needed me to deliver quickly, I agreed to an episiotomy so at that point I was helped onto the bed and also accepted guided pushing. Thankfully at 20:08 baby arrived with no complications and we were handed a perfect baby boy, Oliver Arthur, weighing 8lb11oz. I had initially opted to deliver my placenta naturally but given the risks from the episiotomy I agreed to the injection and the placenta was delivered quickly.  

Labour wasn’t remotely like we had planned, but even without candles, a dark room and water I was able to use the tools I had learnt on the hypnobirthing course to have a positive birth – the fact the midwives wouldn’t believe I was in labour until I was ready to deliver because of how calm I was able to stay is proof of how powerful the breathing, visualisation and positive affirmations really are! If you keep telling yourself your body is designed to give birth and you trust it to do so, it does happen! 

Ayesha and Liam – Wakefield - 2021