Birth before arrival

[Capybaras]

Just wondering if anyone else here had a BBA and if so how you feel about it? Trying to get my head around mine at the moment and interested to hear others experiences.

Birth before arrival of what? Arrival of extended family?

Before you arrived at the hospital?

BBA usually means before arrival of medical staff, so an unplanned and completely unattended home (or side of the road) birth.

Dc was a planned home birth following a straight forward 2 hr labour with dc1.

My waters went at 11.35pm, we called the hospital to let them know, contractions started about 11.45pm during which the midwife called back to speak to me (no chance).
After 3 contractions I got off the bed for DH to put some plastic sheeting down, thought I better just check and reached down - and delivered his head. Another contraction and he was born.
The 999 call post birth on DH's mobile was 11.57pm.

The after birth took much longer, over an hour.

But no complications, a little bit of a tear due to speed - which I hadn't had with dc1.

I needed to talk about it a lot afterwards, processing I guess.

Hope you and baby are well.

Trying to think here...do you mean before arrival to the hospital? Sorry I'm thinking that makes more sense

If so I'm not very helpful I'm sorry...I had a long failed induction. It was traumatic though and if youv had a traumatic birth experience the birth reflections team at your maternity ward can be very helpful.

They will go through all your notes and help you understand why everything happened as it did. Also hopefully help you plan for things to go differently if you choose to have another baby.

Hopefully someone will be along shortly with similat experience to you x

Sorry thought people would know the term - as @CmdrCressidaDuck says birth before arrival of medical staff. My first baby and we ended up delivering on our own before medical help could arrive (planned hospital birth). Have really mixed feelings about this and DH is pretty traumatised from the experiment.

*experience

This has happened to quite a few people on the Birth Trauma Association Facebook page. It's a private group so you can share your experiences freely, or just read others stories and support each other. Might be worth checking it out?

Sorry this happened to you. Wishing you the best in your recovery xxxx

Thank you @ChikiTIKI I'll look them up. Do you know if they provide support for partners too?

Yes @Capybaras lots of partners on there. My husband joined ages before I did. I thought reading others stories wouldn't help me at first but it has.

Not at all the same as having your 1st BBA, but I had my 5th baby (and 4th home birth) before any medical assistance arrived. DH was on the phone to the paramedics relaying their unhelpful suggestions and the midwife was on her way.

Still my favourite of all my births - super-calm, I felt totally in control, she was so chilled when she was born it took her maybe 20 seconds to realise she was out, I think!

Was your labour very quick, OP? (Mine are, once definitely established - looong latent phases).

@ChesterBelloc in a way it was a great birth (the actual birth bit) as I was so relaxed until my waters broke and then I knew I had to push so just went with it. It was the aftermath which I'm struggling with including hospital admission, surgery for me, intensive care for baby and just generally not knowing what was happening.

I assume it can be counted as quick, around 6 hours from first contraction to baby being born. Only 8 minute pushing phase. Bit worried what will happen if we have other babies in the future as to how quickly they'd come!

Oh Capybaras, that aftermath sounds rough and very stressful... tho I would try to focus as much as you can on the actual birth, which sounds like it went smoothly and you knew exactly what to do!

You can definitely ask for a debrief from the hospital, regarding everything that happened to you and baby there, and I'm sure your partner could come with you for that.

6 hours is very quick for a first birth. Future births are likely to be as quick, if not quicker, so if you can sort out the reasons for what happened afterwards, and they can be avoided in future, sounds like you'd be an ideal candidate for another home birth, if you wanted one.

@ChesterBelloc all the midwives/doctors etc we've spoken with have already recommended homebirth for any future babies and I think I'd be too worried about giving birth on the side of the road if we didn't!

That's good to know a debrief can include the follow-up care.