Natalia’s Water Birth
I didn’t plan to write about my birth experience, but after going through it, I realised how empowering it was for me as a life experience so I would like to share it with others and have it as a memory. Here it goes…
My pregnancy journey was coming to an end. On the afternoon of Friday 5th of November 2021, I was 40 weeks + 1 day and I had an appointment with my midwife and she offered me membrane sweep to initiate the labour. I was indecisive whether to get the sweep or not as I wanted the birth of my baby to be as natural as possible with the minimum medical induction, but in the end, I accepted to have it. The sweeping felt a bit uncomfortable, but I could cope with it. It was similar to a cervical smear test. After the unpleasant appointment, Micheál and I went for a walk together and had a drink in the pub. A really nice unexpected date.
On the following day, Micheál and I enjoyed a long morning in bed, and after breakfast, I started getting small contractions. It seems the membrane sweep may have worked! The contractions were very mild at the beginning but were getting stronger and more frequent as the day went by. We spent the day at home chilling out (painting a mandala and watching the great British bake off) and went for a walk in the afternoon (we went to the shop and decided to buy a microwave, which Micheál had to walk back home!). After dinner, the contractions were coming quite often, but I could still talk during them, however, due to how often they were coming (one each minute or so), we decided to go to the hospital for a check-up. Micheál was quite nervous at that time and was pushing to go to the hospital instead of staying at home. We called Mendip Birth Centre, which was the place I had selected in my birth plan, and were told to come in.
We arrived at Mendip Birth Centre at 23:45pm and I was offered a check of my cervix, which I accepted. I was 1cm dilated at that point and we were recommended to go back home, so we did.
At home, we put our pyjamas on and went to bed. As the contractions were getting stronger, I asked Micheál to set up the TENS machine and plug them on my back. They didn’t help much at the beginning as the pain was like a period pain in the front of my uterus. Soon enough the pain moved to the back and the TENS machine started to be useful.
The contractions came in and out all night. At the beginning lasting a few seconds with breaks in between, and at the end lasting close to a minute and continuous one after the other. I went to bed in every break between contractions, but with each of them, I instinctively had to stand up and move. I had to increase the intensity of the TENS machine as the contractions were getting stronger. Micheál was very supportive all night and reminded me to use the hypnobirthing techniques for breathing. He kept telling me how good I was doing, which really helped.
At around 06:00am in the morning on Sunday, I wasn’t coping with the contractions anymore and was shouting for an epidural. Even now, two weeks after having given birth, I still remember perfectly the feeling during the peak of a couple of contractions. It felt like a baby was coming out of me, but thinking about it later on, I think this may have been my cervix opening and dilating. We decided it was then time to call Mendip Birth Centre again. Micheál called the hospital and even though they still encouraged us to stay at home because the contractions weren’t regular, we decided to go in as it felt like the right decision for us and our baby.
At this point in time, I wasn’t getting a break between contractions and I could barely walk. I still wonder how Micheál got me dressed (t-shirt on, blanket around and sleepers – best outfit ever!), put me at the back of the car, drove me to the hospital (I travelled to the hospital on all fours), and took me to the delivery room. The walk from the drop off to the delivery suit was a few steps away, but I had to stop several times to hold the contractions. The midwives waved at us from the window of their office as we approached them. We arrived at Mendip Birth Centre around 07:00am.
Once in the hospital, a midwife welcomed us and gave us a room. The delivery room was perfect. It had everything I had dreamt of for the birth of my baby: a birthing pool, a double bed and an en-suite. I was very lucky to be in such a wonderful environment with the lights dimmed, Micheál holding my hand, and an experienced midwife, Amy, together with a student midwife, guiding me through labour. After a check-up, I was told I was 7cm dilated and even though I was still asking for an epidural, the midwife offered to try the options available in the room: gas & air and the birthing pool. I agreed to give it a go.
I found gas & air amazing and helped me to go through the rest of the dilation. I don’t remember much from that time onwards. The few things I remember are: the student midwife massaging my back so gently (she was really good for being on her first day at work!), that I was asked what I wanted to do with the placenta after the birth (I couldn’t answer due to the continuous contractions so Micheál had to answer on my behalf) and that I was told the pool was ready, so I jumped in. The pool was a great relief. It was nice and warm and released the pressure on my back.
Once in the pool, the contractions were very strong. I remember shouting very loudly when the contractions were picking up. Micheál was very stressed of the pain I was going through but he knew the effort was bearable and the best option at that time (and the only one!) was to continue.
Before I realised, my baby was coming out. The feeling I will never forget is when the head of my baby was coming down the birth canal with the contraction, but going in again in-between the contractions. This movement was repeated back and forth a few times until the head of my baby finally crowned. My baby was half way into the world! I bet it was weird for Micheál to see that scene. The midwives found it amusing that the baby was blowing kisses at them, whilst still on her way out.
After one long push, my baby was fully out of me and I was able to hold her with my arms and bring her out of the water, still attached to me by the umbilical cord. This was 10:09am and it was the most beautiful scene I can picture within my whole life: meeting my baby for the very first time and seeing her face. Micheál, myself and our baby: a family of three forever.
Once I was back from this magical moment, I got out of the water and carried my baby to the bed. There, my baby and I were positioned skin to skin and as soon as she was in contact with my breast, she started latching. How does she know how to breastfeed? She has just been born! This was the most connecting experience with my baby: she was in my arms, still connected to the placenta inside me through the umbilical cord and at the same time latched to my breast.
The midwife clamped the umbilical cord after it had stopped pulsating and all the blood had passed from the placenta to my baby, then Micheál cut the umbilical cord.
When my baby was feeding, I could feel more contractions coming for the delivery of the placenta. My placenta came out naturally after a few pushes. Once it was out, I felt a big relief. The labour was over and I could rest with my baby beside me.
After a few minutes of resting, the midwife checked my vagina for tears. I had a second degree tear, so I needed stitches. Micheál was asked to hold our baby while I was getting the stitches, but he was so tired after such an event that he felt asleep while holding our baby. Once the stitches were done, I had time to rest with Micheál and our baby. I still had enough adrenaline on me to keep me awake, but Micheál and the baby felt asleep on my side.
My whole body was sore: my throat was dry from the gas & air and the shouting, and my neck and back were tight due to the tension. However, no pain could take away the feeling of happiness I had at that time.
The midwife told us that we could go home once the baby was checked six hours after the birth. The six hours went by quickly and after making sure our baby had all fingers and toes, we packed our bags and went home, just in time for dinner. What an exhausting and amazing experience that was, which will stay with me for the rest of my life. Now, a new adventure begins: the adventure of parenthood.
