Third-time mum: Charlotte’s Positive Birth Story:
Love reading positive birth stories, you’re in the right place…. This positive birth story is with third-time mum, Charlotte. Charlotte went into labour at 41 weeks and one day and gave birth to a baby boy weighing 9lb 9oz. Following a previous traumatic birth, Charlotte was determined to make her third and final birth a positive one.
Just a little bit of background. I was definitely a person who had all of the negative connotations about birth firmly in my mind. Especially after giving birth to my first child, which I deemed as traumatic at the time. I would even go as for to say I may have had some elements of PTSD afterwards. When I came to have my second, I buried my head in the sand throughout the entire pregnancy. What was a completely normal delivery still felt like such a negative experience because I was terrified and felt out of control. Safe to say, once I found out I was expecting my third I was determined to not do the same and started hypnobirthing really early on.
My Birth Story
I awoke 8 days overdue at 6am to my waters slowly trickling and around an hour afterwards started to get my first contractions which were fairly mild to begin with. At around 07.30-8am, they had picked up in strength a bit. But they were still all over the place in terms of regularity. They began to get stronger but were still irregular. I love how chilled and excited I was throughout this whole stage, rather than anxious and frightened. I rested on my bed through the contractions, used my breathing techniques and was laughing and joking with my husband.
At around 10.30 they had stepped up in intensity. I said to my husband it may be worth ringing my mum to collect the children within the next hour. However at 11am I knew things were beginning to ramp up and asked him to call my mum to come now. The contractions were now strong enough that I couldn’t talk through them and had to really concentrate on my breathing. We also called the stand-alone birth centre I was booked at to tell them we would be on our way soon.
Arriving at the birth centre
We arrived at the birth centre at 12.15pm and the midwife was ready to greet us and was already filling up the pool. Again, although I was really having to work hard at this point to breath through each contraction which were now coming thick and fast, I still felt calm, safe and most importantly in control. I consented to a vaginal examination and I was 7cm, yay! I asked for gas and air whilst the pool filled up. This helped to regulate my breathing as things were becoming very intense quite quickly. I then got into the pool. Although the warm water was soothing, I must admit I did struggle to find a comfortable position. I hadn’t been in the pool long when I felt my body take over and I was bearing down.
Baby’s Arrival
The midwife was so supportive and just told me to go with what my body was telling me to do. The midwife continued to check baby’s heart rate every 15 minutes. She asked me to get out of the pool as she couldn’t pick him up. As I stood up I felt his head, the cord was around his neck but the midwife swiftly removed it. I was able to push his body out still stood in the pool. I was then able to sit back down and the midwife put him back into the water for me to pick him up.
This part was magical.”
He was born at 13.50pm, just an hour and a half after arriving at the birth centre. I had opted to allow the placenta to come on it’s own. But after half an hour of it still not making an appearance. I asked for the injection as I just wanted to deliver it and get comfy on the bed for skin to skin.
I had a small 1st degree tear which didn’t require any stitches- bonus! I still can’t quite believe I got my water birth away from the hospital and can now talk and feel so positively about birth. This course helped immensely and the advice to watch and read as many positive birth stories as possible totally invaluable. This is definitely going to be my last baby and I’m glad my birthing and pregnancy journey ended the way it.
Want to read more? Read about third-time mum Kathryn’s Positive Induction and Water Birth, second-time mum Shontelle’s Positive Birth or first-time mum Emily’s Positive Birth.
Click the link for more information about The Bump to Baby Chapter’s Hypnobirthing and Antenatal Online Course. Know what you can do to stack the odds in your favour for the birth that you want. Videos, checklists, audios & a support group all created by a midwife to get you feeling excited, prepared and confident for birth.
