Well That Was Unexpected

- Our Story of Birth-

We welcomed Little Tree into the world on Dec 30th 2011. 

 It seems our young man was in a hurry on all levels, and is also quite enamoured of being unique.  

Just shy of 38 weeks I started experiencing what I thought was Braxton Hicks contractions.  As far as I can tell he'd only actually engaged within the previous 24 hrs.  That of course meant I didn't have any previous experience to relate what I was experiencing back.  As such I assumed Braxton Hicks, it certainly wasn't regular or particularly intense,  so I carried on with my plans of going out to pick up some more nappies etc. and generally got on with my day.    

It wasn't really until about 9 pm that I started considering that maybe what I was experiencing might be sporadic labour.  Even so the idea carried a huge grain of doubt because really, who with a first baby expects them to be early, let alone +2 weeks early.

I had well and truly prepared myself for him being late, and the implications of that, since we were considered High Risk by the medical system.  I sussed out when they were likely to start pushing for induction and my arguments against it. Did you know that 50% of inductions in first time Mums end in C-section?

Believe me when I say that I might have been considered High Risk for birth but my risk for major abdominal surgery was proportionally higher and one that I was willing to fight tooth an nail to avoid unless medically indicated.  Thus I was convinced I still had at least 2 weeks and probably more before I was going to meet my little guy.

As it was A and I  watched a movie together in bed, some time around 11 we decided to sleep.  Around about 9-10 pm I gave A a heads up that although it still could be Braxton Hicks the amount of time this had been going on really suggested sporadic labour.  The experience was still irregular but the was intense enough that I rested but didn't actually sleep.  It was around this point that I really acknowledged to myself that I thought I was on the path to active labour.

It hit somewhere around 12 and things seemed to hit another gear.  After inexpertly timing a few contractions myself, they seemed pretty regular, I woke A up.  I think I mentioned that I was pretty sure this was labour and even if I didn't I suspect my behaviour at that point probably spoke for me as the contractions themselves were pretty intense.

Although I felt a little guilty about waking him up as I really thought there was quite a haul to go, first labour and all, but I felt the need for company and someone to rub my back.  I wandered around the house, rocked on the fit ball for a while, rocked leaning against any flat stable surface when another contraction hit then it all got a bit too much and A suggested the shower as our Calmbirth instructor had mentioned that often helped.  It did.

It was at this point, around 12:30, that I suggested it might be time to give our Doula E a heads up.  We had chosen that we wanted to experience as much of our labour at home as practical so we could control our environment as much as we wished and not to end up on the hospital clock.  She listened to me through a couple of contractions surmised I was still in early labour and fully expected to hear from us again, some time after the sun came up, to move to hospital ... not so much.

As far as I can tell at this point about 5 minutes after hanging up the phone we hit transition.  Of course at the time because I didn't actually turn into a raging mess of anger or self doubt neither of us recognised this fact.  To me, sure labour had gone up another notch but it hadn't really been too bad to that point and I sort of chalked it up to the fact I had to get out of the shower cause the water had run cold, so I just thought things were moving along.

I got Andrew to pull out the camp mat we had used for our Doula massage session earlier that day and I spent some time on all fours with him massaging my lower back and reminding me to breath and relax.  Not too long after that A prompted me to pack a bag since we didn't have one yet... did I mention I wasn't expecting him early.  So between contractions, ie when I wasn't using any flat surface available to rock against, I slowly went around the house finding the things that I had put on the "hospital bag" list earlier that day.  It was just as I was getting toward the end of the list that I realised that only had labour gone up a notch my body was doing something I hadn't actually been fully aware of.. ummmmm pushing.

A quick call back to our Doula where she listened to me through another couple of contractions and decided at this point my body meant business so jumped in her car to drive to our place.

While we were waiting for her to arrive I continued packing the bag.  Moving slowly cause that's what felt right but moving between contractions none the less.  I was sorting through some clothes to make sure I had something to wear when I needed to leave the house, then I felt the need to give a couple of solid pushes which were accompanied by a strong internal sensation of stretching.

Needless to say that felt new enough that I reached down.  Only to feel something.  Based on my knowledge now it would have been the bag of waters and possibly some of the little guys head.  Surprised I told A that he's coming NOW and moved myself onto the camp mat on all fours.

A called the hospital then 000.  Very soon after, when I had been reluctantly coaxed onto my back his head arrived and the waters broke.  A supported his head, whilst juggling the phone to 000, and it was around this point our birth support Doula walked in the front door.

After quickly recovering from her surprise she checked the cord was still pulsing strongly.  Took over prime catching position,  looping a couple of cord loops over his head to protect his airway and we rested for the next contraction.  Soon after the shoulders were wiggled out and the rest of the body delivered.

A moments silence as he took stock and breathed, then quick scream went into the world and up onto my chest he came.

Our boy was here.

Around 30min later the ambulance arrived.  The paramedics helped A cut the cord and after a check over for both the baby and I, the two of us were escorted to Boxhill.  A followed in the car and arrived at our  "labour room" soon after we arrived.  I was checked over a little more thoroughly and it was determined I had come through well and was likely to suffer only minimal inconvenience. 

Soon after the baby and I were moved onto main maternity ward where we stayed for about 5 days.