Sebastian’s homebirth – Cecily
Sebastian Daniel Peter, born at 8.45, 15th Dec 07.
I woke at 2.30am on Saturday morning, with contractions. I had been having them on and off for about 3 weeks, but those ones were just gearing up for the big day, these ones felt more like the real thing.
So I got up and posted on various forums that this was it, I was starting!
I cleaned and tidied as much as I could, and prepared the birth room. I bounced on my ball for a bit, and watched some TV, and paced the room a LOT through the contractions until I could vacuum without bothering the neighbours lol. It’s amazing how CRAP the TV is at that time in the morning!
So I vacuumed at 6.30am, rang the hospital to let them know what was happening, but that I didn’t expect much to happen for a while. They told me to go in because there was no-one around to come for my home birth. I told them I was nowhere near birthing, although the contractions were painful, and that I could easily wait until 9 to be seen. Anyway, I had no-one to drive me and no-one to support me AND look after my son!
After this phone call I went upstairs to wake Michael. I told him this was it and he wasn’t going to work today. And that I would need him to get up when Alastair did to let me concentrate.
I texted my sister and my friend who was due on Christmas day to let them know it was happening, then I rang my mum, and texted my dad to let him know, but that it wouldn’t be for a while and I’d keep him posted.
I rang the hospital again at 8.30am and told them the pain was getting worse, but was I was still able to cope with it, and I didn’t think anything was going to happen for a while. The lady on the end of the phone said there was no-one able to come out and I was putting my baby at risk by not going in. Michael went ballistic when he heard this, bless him. I had my mum, my sister (who had had a homebirth) and my husband all ready to give them whatfor if they stood in our way!
Community Midwife turned up at 9 and I was 3cms dilated and not yet in established labour, but she said it would be today. She said she would be back at lunchtime to check me over, but if anything changes to give her a ring. Luckily, this MW knew how much I wanted my homebirth, and although we hadn’t got on so far, she turned out to be amazing. She said she would rearrange her visits for the afternoon and make sure she had another MW to come too. I was really reassured by her, that I wouldn’t have to go to hospital unless it was an emergency, and we wouldn’t have a fight on our hands getting someone out to see me. So I did what every labouring woman does….I got my mum to drive us to tesco and got some food in!! Well I knew my mum was gonna be over here all day, then at least one midwife, then 2, then my sister, and the kids would need feeding at hers….And I knew nothing was going to happen for a while so I wanted to get out!
I already had the birth pool up, the room ready, my emergency bags packed, there was nothing for me to do but wait.
We wandered around tesco for about an hour, getting snack foods and lucozade. And I think I bought new slippers as well…lol Oh and Michael’s xmas pressies too!
I went home, went to my sister’s (she was only…15 doors down the road) to see Alastair and reassure him that mummy was alright, then went home to wallow in my birth pool eating sausage rolls and watching Shaun of the dead. Laughing during the contractions wasn’t a good plan!
Things went on like this, with various visits from people, until about 4pm, when everything changed. The contractions were much more intense, very painful, and I needed to start using the gas and air. Luckily the MW was on her way! I was rolling around on my ball whilst she sorted out the G&A and then I had some blessed relief!!!
And on we carried until about 7.30, me getting in and out of the birth pool, not able to stay still, in intense pain. I asked for a hospital transferral and a c-section, but they pointed out they’d need to push the baby back in…So I was examined, and told that it was my water’s holding me up. I was only 6cm’s dilated.
I agreed to have my water’s broken, I had them broken with my first because he was being held up by them, and at 9weeks early they needed him out. I had no problems with this.
So the MW broke my waters, there wasn’t an awful lot there! As soon as this happened it all kicked off. It was a blur really, so I will try and be as coherent as possible….
I used a variety of positions to get comfortable, and ended up with Michael in front of me, me hanging onto him kneeling on my left knee, with my right knee bent up and my right foot on the ground…can you see it?? lol I think I needed the gravity to help Seb.
In the end, I laid on the floor with my head propped up on Michael’s knee, grasping his hand and my sister’s, who was sat on the sofa behind me typing updates on-line for me…well not for me, for everyone else! I was really detached from everything and everyone. I was totally centred on what my body was telling me. I was still using the G&A but was totally withdrawn, I do remember the MW saying “Is she conscious??!” which I was, I was just totally focussed. I have no idea how long I spent like this, but it was like nothing I had ever experienced before. I had had a vaginal birth with Alastair, and used just G&A for that, but it felt nothing like this, the total concentration on what my body was doing. As Rhydian belted out his song for the x-factor final, at 8.45 Seb was born. My dad walked in for the moment of truth, after being on call from week 30!
He was passed immediately to me, and looked at me and I swear he knew me! I totally lost the
plot, it had all happened so fast from my waters breaking, and had been so unreal. I was saying over and over “I’ve got a baby, where did he come from?? Is he mine?” for about half an hour. Seb was still attached until the placenta was born unexpectedly onto the MW’s knee whilst he was having his first feed.
I was freezing, despite the heating being on full, so we were covered in towels and just snuggled for a while. Everybody cleared up and then someone got Seb weighed and dressed whilst I had something to eat. He was 7lb 5.5oz.
Seb had a feed and went to sleep, so Michael watched him in the crib whilst my mum helped me have a bath and get into my pyjamas. Then Seb and I went and sat on the sofa having a cuddle whilst I updated on-line people. We went to bed at about 10, exhausted but still buzzing. He fed once in the night and we slept really well.
In the morning, Alastair met his new baby brother and was totally in love. We had a lot of visitors, but I spent most of the day on the sofa feeding Seb.
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