I had my baby boy very early yesterday morning . This was my first pregnancy, and we thought we?d arranged for a home water birth.
I was due on Saturday 31st Jan, but that date came and went without any signs at all. I actually spent the afternoon in the pub with friends, who were slightly freaked out by the expected baby.
Monday 2nd January I had a show at about 4am, but hadn?t had any Braxton Hicks. Mr Tupperwife and I went for a walk for an hour or so in the snow, taking pictures of the snowmen and joking how we?d need a skiing midwife if I went into labour that day .
We rang the hospital at 8.15pm, and were told that due to the snow they weren?t able to offer homebirths that night at all ; I was happy to go in, since it was obvious that things were moving.
I asked for and got a room with a pool, I was 8cm at around 9.30pm, and in the water by 10pm. The water was a huge relief, and so was the entonox. My waters finally went at 11.30pm, and pretty soon after the urge to push was too great, I ran out of contraction when the head crowned and ended up with a second degree tear.
The baby was born at 12.20am on Tuesday at 7lb 6 oz. He was kicking and shouting so loudly that there was no need to formally do Apgar scoring! Mr Tupperwife took him once the cord was cut; I got out of the pool and had a physiological third stage really quickly. The midwife didn?t even get the chance to leave the room for the injection ?just in case?. By 1am I was stitched up and enjoying skin to skin.
Because we had been booked for a homebirth we were offered a 6 hour discharge, so at 6am we were on the way home .
Even though I ended up in hospital for the birth, it was the birth experience that I wanted. I was told that I should definitely plan a homebirth in future, because it was so quick that I would probably end up delivering at home or before arrival even if I planned to go to hospital. In the meantime, does anyone want an unused Labassine pool?