As a woman your birthing experience becomes a life long survival guide whether thatās for another expecting parent or for ourselves as personal growth for the next little one.
No matter what way we go through and experience birth it can be, well in my opinion it is traumatic..
It is trauma, for 9 months our bodies prepare us to get through no matter how long it takes. It may not be what we wanted, expected or something we ever want to do again. But it is our story, life lesson and someone elseās survival guideš«¶š¼š«š..
Whenever youāre feeling doubtful please remind yourself, you are stronger than you thinkš
Let me get into why Iāve decided to share my experience. When I was pregnant I never looked into the different possibilities of childbirth, different therapies or outcomes etc. I just went in open minded as thatās the only way I felt my calmest, and being calm is very very important! I was open to any help, outcome and possibility all throughout my pregnancy and during my birth.
So a few weeks leading up to my babyās due date I was sick and wasnāt at my best health wise but we carry on. I was having growth scans throughout my pregnancy and for those who may not have heard or had these itās to check the size and health of your baby from weeks 30 of the pregnancy and you usually have around 3 scans in the weeks following. Not everyone has these so donāt be alarmed if you do or donāt there are all different circumstances as to why you may have them.
So I had my growth scan at 37 weeks pregnant and the next day I was called in to be induced due to my baby being estimated 9lb 11oz. I wanted to try for a vaginal birth so they started me off with the pessary as it was recommended otherwise I would have struggled to give birth if I went over my due date. I was in labour for 4 days in total I was put on the hormone drip to encourage dilation and contractions. This however didnāt work for me neither did the pessary and simply my baby wasnāt ready. To be honest she probably would have stayed in there for 12 months haha!
I had plenty of support and encouragement from staff they couldnāt have done enough but my body tried and tried but in the end I couldnāt carry on I was contracting for 4 days solidly back to back and I begged for the epidural after gas and air just wasnāt helping in the end but it failed too and only lasted 2 hours (the best nap Iāve ever had).
In the end I was in that much pain I donāt even think I was on this planet I was dilating every 6 hours i only managed to get to 3cm. Oh and fun fact for those who didnāt already know youāre not technically in labour until youāre 4cm dilated š I was feeling so sick unbeknownst to me during this I had sepsis and this on top of labour was making things worse.
I had the constant support of my mother and boyfriend (I am so grateful for them) and they kept me going! In the end after days of this I begged for an emergency c-section. I just remember signing the papers and being taken to theatre. As my epidural failed I ended up with a local anaesthetic in my back and let me tell you itās an amazing feeling not to feel your legs for a while the tingling is funny!
They filmed the whole c-section for us which took me days after to pluck up the courage to watch and it is fascinating. How can our bodies do this?!
I just knew I was nearly there I almost had my baby in my arms those moments when you hear that first cry there are no words to describe the feeling. Alls I can remember is feeling the relief and wanting to sleep haha. My pain and torment was over my baby was safe and in the world. She weighed 9lb 13 an 1/2 oz. Yes she was chunky.
I didnāt get that skin to skin moment I wanted but I got my baby safely. When she was first born I was too sick to hold her and she had to be taken away and checked due to me having sepsis luckily she was healthy and well.
On the other hand I was sicker than I actually felt I ended up recovering in a high dependency unit after my c-section with one to one care for 2 days luckily and treated with antibiotics to get me back to normal.
I was bed bound for 2 days just due to being so sick and physically exhausted but I had my baby by my side and I was on the road to recovery. Day 3 I was showered and was slowly getting back on my feet and getting myself better to be allowed home. I was eventually taken off all the IV drips and given oral medicine so I could be moved from the high dependency to a normal ward.
I remember that was the first night alone with my baby. I was so proud of myself for feeding her and looking after her independently as I hadnāt been able to do so before this night. It was the best time of my life and I finally got my skin to skin and felt like her mother for the very first time.
The nurses asked me the day after the birth if I would go through it all again and to be honest I would do it all again.
Personally, no matter the pain, or the trauma it caused me I would do it all again because it is so worth it. You get the most amazing gift at the end and as time goes on it just becomes your survival story and every challenging moment ahead I now always remind myself of if I can get through that and to the other side I can do anything life throws at me. Because I survived, I survived for my baby and I will continue to do so for as long as I can.
So thatās it thatās the quick version of my very first birthing story. I hope the next one is a little bit brighter but I wouldnāt change it for the world as itās mine, Iāll own it and it gave me my baby.
So for those expecting or have their birth immanent alls I would say is be open minded, make whatever surrounding youāre in as calm and comfortable as can be and have it your way as this is all about YOU! But most importantly breathe and think of the end result youāre nearly there and youāll have your babyā¤ļø
You can do it Momma! Weāre with you all the way! šŖš»
Being Mummy and Me 