Positive birth stories

[Walkinthesun]

Hi everyone.

I struggled to conceive for years and was blessed to fall pregnant with a baby girl.
Tomorrow I am 38 weeks pregnant but I am getting anxious about the birth.
This is my second child and I am 34 years old.
I had my first when I was 22 and the birth was all well and straight forward, obviously painful but no interventions or anything.

I have seen random videos come up on social media about conditions (I won't name because TW) that are life threatening during birth. Things I'd never even heard of during my last pregnancy and obviously ignorance is bliss but it has given me anxiety.
I'm alot older now than I was then so part of me wonders if I am going to struggle more during labour and childbirth.

Does anyone have positive birth stories to share with me so I don't keep doomscrolling!
If it's a second birth, then even better!

Wow, 20 minute labour? Did you make it to hospital in time? Was it 20cm from beginning of contractions to delivery of baby?

Was it 20 mins*

I've had 3 wonderful births that have given me 4 children.

The first 2 births were on my local birthing centre which was alongside the hospital labour ward. These two births were very similar. In hospital for 8 hours before babies were born, both born in the birthing pool. Only used gas and air (more in the second labour as it made me sick in the first). I did have a 2nd degree tear in my first, and a 1st degree in my 2nd but neither caused any issues and I declined stitches for the 1st degree. I was able to go home and settle really quickly afterwards and just felt elated that my body had done it. For me, the reward of the vaginal births were clear.

With my 3rd pregnancy, I was carrying twins. Instantly considered high risk. Seeing consultants who were pushing for a cesarean. Constant appointments, scans and checks. It caused a great deal of anxiety. I was signed off work really early (29 weeks). Then, I had to be retested for GD and tested positive for it at 33 weeks. The turning point was speaking with the consultant midwife who fully supported my birth preferences. I realised I held the control in the decision-making, and everyone else's input was just advice. Ended up going into spontaneous labour at 35+1. Got to the hospital, and 25 minutes later, baby A was out. No time for any checks or for them to attach the hideous continuous monitors that I didn't want. There were lots of people in the room faffing around because of how quickly it all happened and because of it being twins. One consultant was trying to push me to accept pitocin right after baby A came out to rush baby Bs birth. He also tried forcing me to have an ECV because baby B was breech. I'm so glad I stood my ground because 18 minutes later, Baby B was born breech. There was no tearing and no complications. The placentas fused together and came out as one. Birth weights were 5lb 8 and 5lb 1. Baby B did get taken to NICU as a precaution as she retained some mucus and they said its common in breech babies. This all happened Christmas eve last year. I missed Christmas day with my other children, but all 3 of us were home boxing day.

Right throughout that 3rd pregnancy I felt like the odds were against me to have another positive experience. I was so wrong. I will say sometimes birth can be unpredictable and out of your control but the majority of the time, control can be maintained in a vaginal delivery so long as interventions are kept at bay. I believe hospitals have become intervention heavy which has caused high rates of birth trauma, emergency cesareans, and a general fear of birth. Always question 'what will happen if I decline for now?'.

Really think about what scenarios you would be most comfortable with. I dislike hospital settings and the thought of being in theatre for a cesarean terrified me and I would have requested GA instead of an epidural. Yes it would have been more risky but the trauma from being in a theatre room was not worth it for me. You have to work out where your comfort zone is and manifest. Keep on mind wild things can happen and some things are an emergency but if handled with sensitivity to your preferences it can still be magical. Congratulations and please keep us updated xx

2 very quicks births here.
Two hours, then one hour. Both in birthing pool.
All the best!

I had my hair blow dried and went shopping before my 40 week check up. Went in and they wouldn’t let me out again. I had my baby the next morning at 8am (took about 30minutes once I started) I was back home by 3pm and my blow dried hair was still looking great🤣 There is a photo of me at home that day and I honestly looked well. (Wish I was like that now) Good luck

My waters went at 5pm exactly, went straight to the hospital and got there at 5.10pm — baby was born at 5.20pm. My hospital notes, which I recently found, said I was in labour for 3 minutes 😂.

Luckily, someone was with me when my waters went otherwise I would have had the baby in the garden!

Hi everyone,
I'm very late to add this, my daughter is now 9 months old!
But I want to share my birth story.

So, I was induced around 6pm on 12th May. They said they would wait 24 hours before examining me to see how things were progressing.
The next morning I was having mild contractions but not enough that they wanted to examine me.
By late morning they were getting worse. I asked for some relief so they took me to another room and ran a warm bath for me. It did help a little but the contractions were coming on so strong. They still wouldn't examine me! They suggested I try taking a walk to get things moving. I got to the door of the ward and I threw up everywhere. I was crying in pain and begged for gas and air. She finally agreed and got it for me. She decided to examine me, even though it hadn't been 24 hours yet, and low and behold, I was 4-5cm dilated. This meant I could be taken into a deliver room. I had wanted a water birth at first but wasn't sure if I was allowed with the induction. They said i could have one. I went into a room with a pool around 1pm on the 13th May. I was 5cm at this point.
I got into the pool and it was relaxing at first but I was in so much pain. The gas and air was no longer helping. I considered getting out to have pethidine but I decided against it.
The midwife kind of left me to it. She didn't examine me again. I let my body just do its thing. Its amazing that you just know when to push.
With my first born, they examined me everytime and told me when to push. It was empowering to just go with the flow.
Anyway, she was born in the water at 3:52pm. And she was also born IN HER SAC. It was amazing. So rare to be born in the sac. It just made her more slippy for my OH to catch! Haha.

But anyway, natural va induction, I will say, the induction was alot more intense and powerful but a woman's body is an incredible thing 🩷

Edited to say - read your update and congratulations!

Belated congratulations, this is amazing!

Thank you both so much 🩷