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Mac was born at 8.50am on Mon 08 Sept 08 - all 9lb 11oz of him
01.00 am - went to the loo and realised that I wasn't just weeing as I couldn't control the flow. Put in a pad as I was a bit unsure what was going on. Went back to bed.
03.00 am - woke up and went for another wee and realised I was probably trickling amniotic fluid. Called MW.
03.30 am - MW arrives as do contractions, but very mild ones. VE shows a very posterior cervix with nothing happening.
04.30 am - MW leaves and we agree that I go back to bed and call her about 9am or if things progress.
05.00 am - I'm in bed but can't sleep as the contractions intensify. They are about 5 mins apart and I have to wiggle about and breath through them.
06.00 am - dh puts the TENS machine on me, but the pains are all in my lower abdomen, but he-ho I'll use it as a distraction.
06.30 am - can't stay in bed any longer and move downstairs. I lean over the sofa rocking my hips and realise that the contractions are getting very powerful and very close together. DH starts to prepare downstairs with plastic sheeting etc and calls our MW.
07.00 am - We find out our MW has been called out to another of her ladies about 60 miles away (oh shit emoticon), so in the meantime one of her fellow Independant MW's will come over and check me (she is 30 miles away and has to cross a town in Monday morning traffic.)
07.30 am - DH is stressing about the MW situation, but carries on taking orders from me to prepare the room (grin).
08.00 am - contractions go up another gear and are on top of each other. TENS is doing feck all, as is rocking my hips. I bark at dh to set the pool up.
08.20 am - pool up and filled. I can't wait any longer, so get in (was hesitant as I wanted to be sure that I had dilated over 5cm.) DH calls our MW as still no sign of 2nd MW. Our MW is making her way back to us and 2nd MW is caught in traffic.
As soon as I step into the pool the contractions change (new territory for me as I only got to the 1st stage in my previous labour.) I have an overwhelming need to push and nothing or no one was going to stop me.
I'm aware what this change means and am mindful that there still isn't a MW here, but we both stay calm.
08.40 am - 2nd MW arrives, with dh running out onto the drive and telling her to be quick. She comes in, lays out her resus. kit and starts to check the fh with her sonic aid. I no longer feel like my arse is going to split into two, it moves into my fanjo instead.
08.45 am - I push and feel something has changed, the MW cheerily says 'oh, there's the head! The next contraction will be the shoulders' And sure enough, after what seems an eternity, the next contraction comes and my baby boy slithers out.
08.50 am - The MW catches him and passes him through my legs. WE HAVE DONE IT! My little purple man looks at me, has a little cry, then settles in my arms.
09.00 am - My MW arrives and thinks dh is joking when he says she doesn't need to bring in anything from her car!
09.35 am - Mac and I are out of the pool and the placenta is delivered. Mac roots but is just interested in sleeping - he is very chilled, and I can't quite believe I have just had a baby delivered through my vagina!
11.30 am - MW's have cleaned and tidied up and gone home. The pool has been emptied, cleaned and deflated. I've showered and settled down on the sofa with my little man, with dh sitting next to us. DH and I are grinning at each other like cheshire cats (grin)
big, big, big congratulations on your HWBAC!! and welcome to mac i bet you can't stop grinning.. wonderful birth story , i bet you are all over the moon
Oh wow, what an amazing, beautiful birth story. I'm all weepy - last day at work before maternity leave and they will remember me for sniffing and dabbing my eyes at my desk!!
So pleased for you Moveit. You did a fantastic job. 9lb 11ouches - OMG I had little tiddlers compared to that!!!! Kept asking if anything was moving didn't I?????
Sat here doing the snotty ugly face cry - welcome to our world Mac - well done to all concerned.
callmemighty - my local hospital is about 5 mins away, but tbh that had no part in our decision making as it is so dire.
I'm glad our story inspires people, as it was threads and other peoples stories on MN that helped me keep the faith in me and my ability to do it when I had the odd wobble
i'm crying reading this. wonderful news! i had a very much wanted vbac on sunday and fell just so so happy and emotional about it. how did you get mw to agree to hb and no fetal monitoring?
of the independent midwife, not that you needed her anyway! Congratulations. 
