30. Jun
Nellie’s birth story:
I first heard about Calmbirth in early 2019 when I completed my Pre-Natal Yoga Teacher Training I wasn’t pregnant at the time, we had been trying for some time so and it had started to cause some anxiety for me. I came home from the training shared how amazing the Calmbirth sounded and that it was something I desperately wanted to do once we fell pregnant. Once we did fall pregnant I started looking at where we could attend a Calmbirth course.
Chris and I attended Calmbirth back in March, I was 30 weeks pregnant and COVID-19 was just hitting headlines, we attended the last face to face course before C19 lockdown started and we are so grateful for the time we spent with Cherie over the two days.
I had a good understanding of Calmbirth and was pretty clear about how I wanted my journey to unfold, as little intervention as possible, woman centred, empowered, water-birth. My husband on the other hand had no idea what he was in for over the two days and attended the course with an open mind, by the end of the two days his birth toolbox was filled and he felt ready to support me with the birth I wanted but also support me if that birth wasn’t possible.
At 41 weeks after three stretch and sweeps I went into hospital for monitoring, baby was fine and we discussed how long we wanted to go before an induction was on the cards, I was already three centimetres and favourable so no ripening would be required if I wanted to have my waters broken. It wasn’t my first choice, I really wanted to go into labour at home and spend the first hours in the comfort of my home but, I just had this feeling that wasn’t going to be the case for me. So, I agreed to have my waters broken on the Wednesday morning (41+3) when my midwife was back on shift. We went into the hospital early in the morning and I was ready game face on, my waters were broken at 7.30am and the discussion about starting syntocinon, doctors were keen to start straight away indicating that it was unlikely I would go into labour myself as a first time mum… I wanted time to try, they gave me a few hours and so, Chris and I walked 4km up and down the hospital corridors. By 10.30am I was in active labour, I spend time doing yoga, on the birth ball and doing an insane amount of lunges!
At around 1pm I got into the bath and it was probably a bit early, it was a relief but I overheated very quickly and only lasted about half an hour before getting out to be checked. At this stage contractions were coming on very strong and I desperately felt the urge to push, my husband was amazing at helping me count my breaths in each contraction only missing two the whole labour. I was only 8cm and it was at this point that I started to feel like I was entering transition the waves were constant, rolling quickly from one to another.
At 2.30pm I got back in the bath and again I had a strong urge to push, and at this point I think I did start to push. Our baby was posterior so the pushing stage was long and slow, so many times I whispered to my husband that I couldn’t go any longer and every time he got me through the next push. After nearly two and a half hours I saw my babies head enter the water, and not long after her body, with the help of the midwife I reached down and caught my baby bringing her to my chest, the cord was wrapped around her neck and the midwife quickly untangled her. It was probably 10 minutes before she had her first little cry, she just lay on my chest peaceful. With three midwives in the room and both my husband and I were convinced we were having a little boy we kept saying how much of a beautiful little boy she was was and it wasn’t until the midwife suggested we take a look that we discovered we had a beautiful baby girl and at that point we were both completely besotted, there are no words to describe just how in love were both were when our girl entered the world.
We had a physiological third stage and a lotus birth for few minutes before the water got a bit cool for both baby and me. My husband took our little girl and held her while i got out of the bath and cut the cord (about 45 mins post birth).
Nellie May Fahey was born at 4.45pm on June 10, 2020 weighing 4.045kg and 52cm. I am so grateful to calmbirth for providing both my husband and I the tools to have an empowered birth. We birthed without fear without any pain relief and with a whole lot of love and support in the room, a beautiful way for Nellie to enter the world!
Sophie xx