Aoife born 6.12am on 31st May 2007, weighing a whopping 9lbs 5oz.
For the benefit (?) of anyone who cares, the full story is here. I can feel this is a long one...
Aoife (pronounced "Eef-ah", and funnily enough is an acronym for Apple of Over Indulgent Father's Eye ) tried very hard to wait til she was 42 weeks and make Mammy give birth in hospital, but decided to be allowed to be born at home after all.
I took rather a lot of caulophyllum 30 over Tuesday evening and Wednesday day, drank copious amounts of raspberry leaf tea, walked a lot, scoffed half a pineapple, visualised and tried to relax and plead with baby to come before Saturday - my last chance saloon for a home birth. Had also had my third sweep Weds morning where the midwife pronounced cervix was about "half ready".
At 12.50am on Thursday I got a horrendous cramp in my stomach and wondered if I needed to do an enormous fart, becuase that's all that came of similar pains in previous weeks. Had another cramp at around 1.15am and decided to go sit on the loo. Loud volley of farting. Huge disappointment... Yet the cramp came back 15 mins later. Cue me on hands and knees on the bed groaning and feeling sick. DH woke up and asked what was wrong and I said I was probably in labour. Poor man was half asleep and said, "but I'm really tired, I'm going to be useless to you", to which I may have replied something along the lines of "Shut the fark up. You're not helping me."
He pulled himself together sharpish and got a coffee. In the short time it took him to get back with the laptop to play my hypnobirthing tracks I was curled up and having contractions every 3 minutes, lasting about 40 seconds and was no more interested in listening to some bint telling me to relax. (Note to self to listen to the hypnosis stuff straight away next time. It's nigh impossible to reeelllaaaax when you've so little gap between surges.)
By about 2.30 I was thinking it was too early to call midwife, but then I was having the three contractions in 10 mins, lasting 40 seconds, but I was afraid I'd get her out of bed for nothing. Called around 3am and told her what was happening and she said to call back when I felt things were progressing a bit further - pressure etc. DH accidentally redialled a short time later whilst I was heaving over a bucket and wondering how I was going to get to the loo for an emergency evacuation... Eww.. I think she then decided to come over anyway. She arrived around 3.45 and was surprised to find I was already 5cm. This was music to my ears since the contractions were barely two minutes apart.
DH had filled the birth pool and lit candles and made the birth room all lovely for me and was relieved to say the least, to get into the water. I can't speak highly enough of the pain relieving qualities of water. Plus, it slowed the contractions a little and gave me some breathing space.
Despite not being able to get into the hypnobirthing "zone" I had planned to be in, the breathing I'd learned during the course was really amazing and I don't think I would have got through it without them.
By around 5am I had that old, "Do I or don't I need the toilet?" feeling. Got out of the pool and tried - no it was definitely the baby's head coming down! Back in the pool and midwife checked and said I could start pushing whenever I felt ready.
Actually, I correct that. Despite not having met me before, (she was on call), the midwife saw my notes about hypnobirthing and "breathing the baby down", not pushing etc. She even used the hypnobirthing terminology without prompting. She said I could start breathing the baby out when I was ready.
I took my time and from around 5.20 I kept breathing down and visualise the baby coming and my perineum gently stretching, head crowning etc etc and NOT pushing hard.
Midwives (there were two by this stage) were FANTASTIC and didn't try to rush me. As I could feel her head coming out and it was HURTING the midwife calmly said "your baby really wants to be born with the next surge - you can do it." Little did I know that she had seen the cord wrapped twice round the little mite's neck and instead of telling me and panicing me, she calmly helped me and I know I have her to thank for the fact I have no stitches, tearing or even grazing and a perfectly healthy baby.
DH was wonderful throughout. Barely bat an eyelid when I was a viscious cow to him every time he mentioned something to me in the first couple of hours and then settled in to telling me how great I was and how brave I was . He reminded me which breathing techniques to use and said all the right things. He let me get him soaking wet hanging onto him over the side of the pool, nearly break his hands and even bite down on his hand at one point! Poor man. He deserves a medal.
I was on my knees to give birth, leaning on the pool, so as Aoife's head came out, I heard DH choke up and say, "Oh her lovely little face! She looks like she's sleeping." The midwife then told him he could hold her whilst her body was born (again, hats off to midwife for remembering that was in my notes and for not mentioning the cord, or the fact her hand was up towards her face so it was a little harder to get her out.) Then with the next surge I heard all three of them say, "The SIZE of her!" Hehehe. I don't know where I was hiding a baby that big.
I did have a few moments of thinking "Why did I do this, why am I not in hospital hooked up to an epidural?", but it was completely worth it. Every minute of it was worth being in our own home doing things our way.
I asked DH to go up to DD1's room at around 6.45 to tell her all was ok (in case she'd heard me), but she had slept through it all and came down to say hello to her sister.
DH went out to get some fresh air (can't say I blame him after all that!) for 5 minutes and came back with hot croissants and pains au chocolat from the corner shop for the midwives.
I was tucked up in bed with tea, toast and baby by 7.15.
Couldn't ask for a better birth story really. I feel very, very fortunate indeed.