I had my baby girl two years ago now (just) in the Kitchen. She was delivered in a planned home birth, in a birthing pool, using the hypnobirthing technique.
I am pleased to report that she was born painlessly and I would even go as far as to say enjoyably (not many people can say that!) into the world with your very own PP Midwife Anne Richley to catch her!
I'd had a baby boy 23 mths earlier and the birth stories are very different. I was determined that my second birth attempt would be given the best chance to be one which I could control and more importantly, not feel a 'failure' as with my son 'I failed to progress to the second stage' and he was subsequently born in theatre using forceps. So I was absolutely amazed when I had birthed my daughter and enjoyed it! Strangely both my children were born on their due date.
I began feeling some twinges which I just thought were braxton hicks around 11am on Tuesday 4th April 2006. By the time it was time for bed they had increased in strength and frequency but didn't hurt so I went to bed to try and get some sleep in anticipation of the what could possibly lie ahead. I couldn't sleep, I was excited because I knew this was labour! So I went downstairs and got into the birthing pool which had been kept at the ambient 37 degrees for a week already and switched on the little spa lights I had in the pool. My husband couldn't sleep for the thought of missing something, so came downstairs to sit and time the contractions whilst watching a horror movie! The contractions were coming frequently at five mins apart roughly though they had moments of being sporadic. So he decided he wanted to know how far along we were and rang for the on-call midwife.
We continued to do what we had been doing, I listened to calm music and some affirmations, whilst breathing deeply and slowly, much like you do when you are sleeping or sleepy and relaxing to go to sleep, through each contraction. The water really felt gorgeous and I sipped on an ice filled glass of water.
Because we didn't think I was that far along the midwife, Anne Richley took her time in arriving. When she arrived at the door I had my first pushing contraction, Anne observed me and realised I was further along than first thought and began madly fetching her required equipment into the kitchen. I was relaxed and in control. The pushing feeling was brilliant, somehow instinct told me to push using what few muscles I could operate above and at the top of my bump to push my baby down. It was easy and incredibly effective. Two pushes more and Anne caught baby Hayley in her hands, not getting a chance to pull her sleeves up! And still no pain! I stared in utter amazement at my daughter in my arms whilst we waited for the umbilical cord to stop pulsating. Then my husband snipped away. The second on-call midwife arrived and realised she had missed the action but was just in time to weigh baby and check her over.
I delivered the placenta approx. 10 mins later again with no pain. All I could think about was I, yes me, had just delivered a baby into the world and it didn't hurt! AMAZING! I was stunned! What a fantastic time I had had, I wanted more children straight away.
Baby Hayley was perfect and had a top apgar score both times she was checked. I was grand, I hadn't even got a nick (I was dredding tearing after having had an episotomy previously). I was up hoovering the livingroom floor just 3 hours later, I loved everyone coming round to see our new baby which gave me the opportunity to keep saying how brilliant a time I had had! I am sure people must have thought and perhaps still think I am barmy, but I needed to keep saying 'it didn't hurt' to believe it myself!
