My second birth

We were in the middle of having an extension built and it wasn’t due to be finished until my due date. My daughter’s Moses basket and all of her clothes were still up in the loft as there was so much dust and dirt flying around. As my first baby was ‘overdue’ I figured I had plenty of time to get all of the stuff down and organise things once the extension had been completed.

Funny how life never works how you think it will. I don’t have to tell you that she wasn’t overdue, this is real life not a fairy tale, she was in fact early!

She was three weeks early.

I woke up in the morning and went to the toilet to discover that I had had a show. Its ok I told myself a show just means that things are starting to move in that direction, it doesn’t mean she is coming today. Another little voice was saying or she may arrive in the next few hours. Ssshhh. Not listening!

I went to tell my husband.

I still had another 2 weeks at work as I wanted to work right up until my due date as I had with my first baby. The more time I had off before birth meant the less time I would have off after birth. Also, when off on maternity leave last time, I was so mind-numbingly bored just sat waiting at home for his arrival and I had no intention of doing that again.

I was at the point in my pregnancy where if I was off my maternity leave automatically kicked in, which meant if overdue I would have 5 weeks at home twiddling my thumbs. Ahhhhhh!

Luckily, I had a routine midwife appointment that day. So after a discussion with my husband I decided I would go to work as planned and then see what the midwife had to say.

It just so happened that this was the day of the whole school tea party to celebrate the Queen’s longest reign. My job that day, along with a TA, was to make 500 sandwiches and cakes with the children.

The TA is one of my longest and closest school friends so I confided in her that I had had a show and was pretty sure that I was in the early stages of labour.

I didn’t want to tell anyone else as two weeks before someone in another school had had a baby in a classroom. My head teacher kept asking if I was sure I wanted to keep working and joked that she didn’t want me giving birth in school.

At 11 O’clock I left sandwich making duty and went off to my midwife appointment. I told her that I had had a show and that I thought I was in the early stages of labour. She asked if it hurt and what I had been doing that morning. When I said that it didn’t hurt and told her about my morning she said she was absolutely sure that I wasn’t in labour.

Really? Hmmm.

I rang my mum and husband on the walk back to work. We all came to the conclusion that if the midwife said I wasn’t in labour then unless I wanted my maternity leave to start now I best go back to work.

So I did.

I continued to make sandwiches and ice cakes. I worked through lunch as we were running out of time. At the party I walked round and round with big trays serving drinks and food to all of the children. I joined in with the dancing and circle games.

As the day progressed I was absolutely certain that I was in labour.

Once the children had gone home I helped to tidy up and went into the hall. All of the children had been sent home with a commemorative medal. The adults received one as well but only if you stayed.

Once I had my medal in my hand, I told everyone that I was in labour and was going home to pack a bag. No one believed me and said yeah alright, see you tomorrow.

I went to pick up my son from the child minders and arranged for my child minder to have my son the next day as I knew I would be busy!

When I got home I found the bits that were easily accessible and packed those. When my husband got home he said that he didn’t think that I was in labour as last time I told him several times before the birth it was the day. This was the first time that I had said that I thought she was on her way. Also the midwife had said she was certain that I wasn’t in labour. He didn’t want to get the bits down from the loft as they would get covered in dust and then we would have to clean it all again.

That night I woke up and felt that familiar trickle. NOOOOOOO. My house isn’t ready, my toddler is sleeping. I refuse to do this now.

I woke up my husband and told him that my waters had broken and that I was going back to sleep as I wasn’t prepared to do this until my toddler was at the childminders!

In the morning I got up, made my son his cooked dinner as usual and packed the rest of his lunch. I woke my son up and dressed him and sent my husband to drop him off at the child minders.

While he was out the builders arrived so I let them in and chatted to them briefly whilst making them a cup of tea and trotted off back upstairs.

When my husband got home he went up into the loft to get her Moses basket, clothes and car seat. The frame of the basket had to be assembled so I sat on the bed listening to my MP3’s willing him to go faster.

Once that was done and her clothes were in my bag we went downstairs with the car seat in hand and informed the builders that we probably wouldn’t see them again that day as we were off to have the baby. They all thought we were joking and said that comparing me to all of their other halves I was definitely not in labour and that it was a false alarm and they would expect to see us back in half an hour.

As soon as I stepped foot in the hospital I felt a lot of downward pressure and said to my husband she’s coming now and unless we are quick I am going to give birth here in the corridor.

Throughout all of this I didn’t experience any pain just sensations that she was coming.

My husband went and informed the midwives of what I had said and added that last time no one believed me and that I was a hypnobirther and if I said the baby was coming then the baby was coming!

I was taken to a disused room/ storage closet! As once again, lots of people were having babies when I was and there was a long queue for the beds in the assessment area. When I was examined I was 3 cm dilated and told that I could stay and good news, I could get on to the Lilac centre this time. Whoopee.

The midwife showed me to my room and asked if I would like her to fill up the pool as it was on my birthing plan. No time for any of that I’m going to get onto the bed and give birth now I replied.

I had a student midwife who was trying to check my baby’s heart rate but was concerned (unbeknown to me) as she couldn’t find a heartbeat. Moments before when I was examined, I was 3cm dilated so in theory baby was still nice and high however, my body is a real body not a text book definition body. In those few minutes that had passed, I had fully dilated and baby was a lot lower than she expected. Baby was exactly where I thought she was, about to come out!

Again throughout all of this process I had been listening to my MP3’s and relaxing. I didn’t feel any pain at all and after a couple of breaths and my husband rubbing my back she was born.

After she was born, I took off my top as I hadn’t had time to undress fully, and she was put on to my chest. At this point I said to my midwife that I was a bit concerned as the placenta hadn’t been as straight forward as I would have liked last time. She got me up onto a birthing stool cradling my daughter. Within about 2 minutes I felt downward pressure and with 2 birth breaths the placenta was out. Again without any pain.

As with my first birth I cuddled my baby in bed for an hour or so, did breast crawl and then I was up and dressed and clock watching for our early release.

The day after she was born we went to Ikea to buy some bits I wanted for her room and life carried on as normal. As with my first birth, there wasn’t any recovery period as I was full of energy and wasn't in any pain. Which was just as well as I had a busy toddler to entertain.

Throughout both of my births my husband was truly awesome. Honestly, I didn’t need the midwives, and all they did both times was catch. My husband was the one doing all of the things I needed him to do at exactly the right time, without me having to say a word. He was so in sync with exactly what was happening it was as if he was reading my mind.

I loved giving birth and I can’t imagine anything else even coming close to topping such an amazing experience.

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