My birth story...

I have told many people my birth story, but I have never written any of it down. Every second is etched into my memory, and although I don't think I will ever forget it, I want to write it down to make sure there's never any chance I can! Also, who doesn't love to read a birth story?!

So i'll start by saying ... I was one of the lucky ones (although, I prefer to use the word blessed!). Luna's birth was a magical, natural, powerful (albeit quick and extremely painful!) experience that was everything I ever wished it to be and more. 

It all started on the 29th of April 2018. I was 39 weeks and 4 days pregnant and I was CONVINCED I was going to go at least a week overdue. I was suffering with really bad SPD and every movement was agonising. I felt so blessed to be growing our daughter inside of me but to say I was ready for her to come out is an understatement! 

I started to leak the tiniest bit of fluid that morning, but I didn't think much of it. A few hours later there was a bit more so I phoned the maternity unit and they invited me in for an examination. At this point I was almost convinced it was my waters... I always say i'm quite in tune with my body and I knew it wasn't just a weak bladder! However, when I went to the hospital and had an examination they said my waters had not gone. I was unconvinced but I wasn't contracting or having any other symptoms so I happily went home to wait and see.

At around 5pm my parents cooked me a roast dinner and I was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. I started to feel a bit more water come out and by the time I got to the toilet there was quite a lot! It wasn't a gush or a flood like you see in the movies but it was very obvious my waters were going... I remember my midwife friend saying as soon as you think you're in labour go for a walk! That always stuck in my head so I told Mike we HAD to go for a walk! We only went up the street and back but by the time I got back to the house I was contracting quite frequently. 

We counted and they were about 30 seconds apart lasting 1-2 minutes... I knew this was quite significant so I called the maternity unit in a bit of a panic thinking I might have her at the house! But I was also worried they wouldn't take me seriously and tell me to stay at home... luckily they invited me in.

When we arrived at the hospital I was taken straight into a room in the birthing centre... the contractions were bearable and I was managing to talk through them. Quite quickly they intensified and the midwife asked if I wanted gas and air... I jumped at the chance! As soon as I started using the gas and air it was an instant relief! I was screaming with the contractions, breathing in the gas and air... and assuring Mike I was fine and actually it wasn't that bad at all this whole "labour" thing! At this point I had an examination and the midwife told me I was 9cm... "9cm?!" I thought!!! I was like... this is so manageable I don't know why everyone complains so much about how painful labour is?!... (i'm actually laughing at myself writing this... oh the naivety!) 

The midwife then said "oh, your actually 4cm" great, I thought!

It was about 8pm at this point and the contractions really turned up a notch... I was no longer laughing on the way down of the gas and air, and I'm pretty sure I said "I can't do this" maybe 300 times!

The midwife ran the birthing pool for me and I walked over and got in. As soon as I was in I didn't like it... I can't really explain why but it felt like the pain was worse and I had nothing to support me! The midwife listened to Luna's heart rate and said it was too high and we needed to go to labour ward. Looking back on this I am disappointed I didn't get to stay on the birthing suite but at the time I really didn't care! The transfer up to labour ward was probably the worst bit of the entire experience... I had to do at least 4 contractions without gas and air and it was genuinely unmanageable but it wasn't like I had a choice.

At this point it all becomes a bit of a blur, my contractions were on top of one another and I wasn't really coping... I asked for an epidural multiple times but luckily my midwife had faith in me and encouraged me to keep going until I was too far dilated to have one! I did have a half dose of diamorphine at some point but i'm not sure when and I don't remember it making any difference to the pain! 

At one point Mike asked if he could go to the toilet to which I said no and he couldn't leave me (poor Mike!) the midwife said... "you really have to let him go to the toilet" so I said ok but told him he had to be back before the next contraction... which meant he had all of 10 seconds! And he managed it somehow! 

I'm unsure of timings at this point but I think at around 12.30am I felt the urge to push so I started pushing... this went on for about two hours... I definitely didn't think she would come out with intervention but then I heard a little cry and heard the midwife say "her head is out!" her head? I thought! Surely babies only cry when they're fully out?! But not Luna... she wanted to make herself known to everyone as soon as possible and knowing her now that doesn't surprise me at all! With two more quick pushes at 2.23am on the 30th of April 2018 our beautiful daughter was born into the world! The midwife passed her up between my legs and I held her for the first time. I looked across at Mike and said "look, I did it!" he looked back at me with tears in his eyes and said, "yes, you did it Whit!"

The next few hours were so surreal... breastfeeding Luna, calling relatives, eating about a loaf of bread in toast and talking about how crazy that experience was! 

When we were back in the birthing suite room, I turned to Mike and said "I hope you don't want anymore children because I am NEVER doing that again!" and then, by about day 3 after she was born I was talking about how I was looking forward to doing it again one day! Motherhood is a strange thing haha. 

Since that day, life has never been the same! And now we have a beautiful, funny, sassy, smiley 9 month old who we couldn't be prouder of. I'm so looking forward to giving her a little brother or sister one day!