Friday 28th February
Today was my actual due date going by my scans, rather than my dates which I have been using in my diaries. Around 6.30 am I noticed mild pain leading me to think contractions had started. Hubby had already gone to work but I didn’t want to get him home just yet just in case it was a one off. They quickly got a little stronger though so I rang him at 7 am to come home from work as soon as he could. I got on the exercise ball to help a bit with the pain and started timing. They were coming anywhere from 5-10 minutes apart but I rang the labour ward anyway as I was having a home birth. They got in contact with my team of midwives who called me and said to call them when they were more regular.
When hubby got home I got in the bath for a while to ease the pain and he took little man to our neighbours to play with her daughter. After my bath, annoyingly the contractions eased off around lunchtime and I was only having one around every 90 minutes! I was still feeling really tired though so I was just on & off the ball whilst entering competitions to put people off the scent! I went for a nap mid afternoon as I was becoming irritated by now and I knew I would need some energy for later (hopefully). J came home around 4.30 pm, had his tea & a play then went to bed. The contractions were still coming fairly randomly, but closer together again.
I was determined baby wasn’t going to keep me hanging on for as long as J did so I sent hubby to get a hot curry! I must admit I wasn’t really expecting it to work but not long after I finished eating, the contractions started coming on more regular – around every 9 mins – though mild again. We were both tired so we went to bed at 8.30 pm and around 9.30 pm they were getting stronger, so I rang the labour ward again who told me to get in the bath to bring them on even quicker and stronger then ring back. They then started coming pretty regular every 5 minutes and really strong – I could also feel it in my back now so I rang them back around 11.30 pm and they got in touch with the on call midwife who rang me and asked me if I felt like I wanted her yet – oh yes!
Saturday 1st March
Whilst waiting for the midwife the contractions got down to around 4 minutes apart and she arrived not long after 12 am Saturday morning. To my delight it was the same midwife who delivered little man – maybe it was fate! I was having a land birth rather than a water birth so I was just on the bed – I really didn’t want to move anyway! I’d taken 2 paracetamol not long before she arrived as the pain was getting unbearable. She went through what had been happening then examined me and I was 6 cm with bulging waters so she got setting up and bringing her stuff in from the car. She rang her student who wanted to take part in a home birth, and also another midwife. Meanwhile I was feeling the urge to push and I couldn’t help but do it – at this point my last ounce of dignity well and truly left left me, and well, the rest is TMI and the midwife had to clean me up!
The midwife asked if I felt like I needed the gas & air yet which I did, so her & hubby got to setting it up. Whilst they were doing this, around 1.30 am I was still having the urge to push though trying not to, then my waters popped and a couple of minutes later she told me baby’s head was crowning – I didn’t believe her as I barely felt it so I had a feel myself, and there it was (still as strange the second time around). At this point I said to them both I just know it’s a boy. The midwife told me on the next contraction to just do short pushes, and so on the next push baby’s head popped out. I continued pushing with each contraction and at 1.39 am out popped baby – it was all very quick so I didn’t even use the gas & air! I asked hubby what it was and he said a boy – mummy instinct again! So little man #2 was passed to me for skin to skin and we waited for the cord to stop pulsating before hubby cut it, then waited for the placenta.
Unfortunately the student didn’t make it so the midwife called her, and I asked her to say sorry! I was examined to check for tearing and to see if all of the placenta had come away. The midwife thought I had a slight tear but she wanted a second opinion so waited for the second midwife, who arrived not long after. It turned out I hadn’t torn but it was little bit of tissue still in there, so I puffed on the gas & air whilst they got rid of it. I only had slight grazing on my perineum so didn’t require stitches – phew, I was dreading that again!
The midwives left the 3 of us to have some time on our own whilst they went and had a cuppa and brownies which I’d made especially! When they’d finished, one of them helped me to the shower whilst hubby and the second one cleaned up, then I got back into bed. Hubby helped them load their stuff into the car, then they left at 3.30 am and we all went to sleep – J slept through it all in the next room!