For those interested in the gore:
Birth story:
Thurs - MW appointment showing head free. DIY internal couldn't reach cervix. Had had however quite detailed discussions with senior mw about birth plan and interventions etc.
Woke at 2:30am Fri morning with 'wind' and uncomfortable bowels having had a curry the previous evening.
Woke again at 2:45, then 3:00am. Considered the start of labour but after 30 mins on the loo trying to poo nothing decided to run a bath to ease stomach cramps and, given bottom pressure, to float in on my front (is quite a big bath) just 'in case' it was labour and bottom pressure signifying back to back.
I played with the cx timer on iPad whilst in bath from 3:30am and got minute long cramps between 2.5 and 4 mins appart. Concentrated on breathing during and in between and even managed to doze a bit with head on towel in between them.
At 5:30am I called DH as desperate for change and no longer comfortable. Wanted to try TENS but he needed to sort it. Lay back in bed with TENS but quickly had to get into kneeling position on floor. TENS was wierd. The booster button did massage in a comforting way but also seemed to 'massage up' the contractions into more powerful and intense ones.
At 5:45am, DH called doula, who I asked to come when she was ready but didn't need to run. She came at 6:30 and helped me with some breathing. I was feeling an urge to push but it really didn't feel like any baby was going to come out. It was just after the peak of a contraction for a few seconds. It was strange. I was recommended to walk up and down the stairs but I refused to walk anywhere.
The doula suggested I should make contact with the Mws so DH left a message on a series of answer machines. At 7:00am they called back and asked me when I wanted them. I said in an hour which they replied was good because I would get a new mw from next shift who could then stay with me. 7:15am My mum took the kids out for breakfast and then did the school run.
So, DH started to fill the pool and I felt even stronger pressure in my bottom but never for whole contractions. Sometimes I had to shout at that point and a bit of water came out each time. I did a DIY internal again because I was confused and it felt very strange. I became very coz cervix seemed HUGE and bouncy and touching it brought on urge to wee. So I sat on the loo and instantly my waters 'popped', and when I wiped there was blood. I assume now it was bulging waters I felt. The waters were clear. It was 7:30am
Doula got DH to call mws again to update and request attendance and I went downstairs to wait for pool filling whilst kneeling over the sofa. Meanwhile the pushing and shouting parts of each contraction increased from about a quarter of it to about half of it. I had to breath carefully in between each contraction to stop me being afraid of the next one which the doula helped me with but I was able to kind of doze in between too. I remember thinking that I was pretty fed up now and really can't be bothered with this any more and then wondering if that meant transition.
At 7:55 I knelt in the pool and instantly as the warm water hit me had a massive intense pushing contraction that I had to shout and tense all the way through. DH called mw again and they said they were 5 mins away.
8:00 mw arrived, said hi, I begged her for some gas and air so she went to her car and I never saw her again. 2-3 more contractions.
I wanted to feel what was going on so had a rummage down below but couldn't feel a thing. But the next cx, I knew the head was coming out and instinctively panted. 8:10am the senior mw that I had met the day before and a jnr mw turned up to a pair of eyebrows sticking out of me. As had no gas and air or any drugs I seemed to just breath as I had to which mean a little grunting and a lot of panting. The head came out REALLY slowly and carried on sliding in between contractions.
The mw finally handed me some gas, but I waited until the head was out and had a celebratory suck instead. I sat back for two more quick contractions where the body came out, and then the legs, in front of me. I then picked up the baby and brought him to the surface.
The placenta was delivered within minutes but membranes got a bit tangled so I had to hand baby over to DH whilst I wiggled them a bit. Then DH cut the cord whilst I got out, was made comfortable, given back the gas and air for after pains and then fed the baby for 45 minutes and drank tea whilst Mws and doula wrote notes, tidied up and had a chat.
Had a very small tear that didn't need any stitching.
But.......I'm really glad it's over!