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Daniel's birth was both an immensely euphoric yet horrific experience at the same time but oh so different to my experience with Adam. Adam's birth was a very high tech managed birth-born at 37wks, 12hr labour in hospital, epidural that didn't work fully, fetal distress, syntocinon and ventouse delivery. I wanted for something different this time but knowing I had the pain threshold of a wimp wasn't hopeful. I was clinging onto using the the birthing pool as based on my first birth felt I wouldn't manage just on gas and air. My main concern was my BP. It was fine during the pregnancy but I'm a white-coat hypertensive and knew it was likely to be artificially high in labour.
I'd been contracting on and off since 37wks this time so by the time I was passed my EDD was completely cheesed off and felt like I'd be pregnant forever! I woke at 4am on Thurs with mild contractions, wondered again if this was it but by 7am thought it could be so put on my TENS called the ILs to come over. Just as they arrived 2hrs later the contractions tailed off! H and I took Adam for a walk to the swings, our last trip out as a threesome and things got going again. By 12.30pm the contractions were coming every 2-6mins but I was coping. I rang the hospital who suggested I come in seeing as it was a second baby, saying goodbye to Adam was horrible (for me) though he was having fun with his grandparents. I was dubious whether things were progressing either as with Adam I'd been begging for an epidural at 3cm and this time I was coping with the pain better.
We got to the hospital at 1.45pm and was sent to the Mw-led birthing centre which is in essence 3 nice rooms at the bottom end of the delivery suite! I met the MW Wendy and her student Louise, 4 days short of qualification who were both totally fantastic, very pro-natural childbirth but also very much into listening to my wishes and being my advocates. Unfortunately as I arrived my contractions tailed off and my worst fear, my BP shot up. The mws knew how desperate I was to have natural water birth so instead of sending me to the main delivery suite as protocol said they kept me there, fed us and tried to get me to relax for an hour.
By 3pm the contractions were back, every 2-3mins, stronger but I got through them by counting my breaths. By the time I reached 8 I knew it would have peaked and would have gone in another 8 breaths. My BP was still up and although Wendy agreed it was just white-coat syndrome they said I should really be transferred to the main delivery unit though were happy for me to refuse as long as documented. The pool was out though. As I wasn't in too much pain the other option was to go home and return as a 'fresh' admission to the birthing centre later. At this point we realised I hadn't been examined so thought that might be a good idea before deciding. The examination took ages, I was preparing myself to be told I was just 2cms so was gobsmacked when Wendy said I was a good 6cm !
My only reservation about transferring to the main delivery suite was that I'd lose my lovely mws but they managed to wangle it that both of them came with me so shortly after we trundled 20yds down the corridor. So glad they came with me as the contractions really took off then. They stuck as closely to my birth plan as possible, fended off as much intervention as possible and let me get on with it. When 40 minutes later I said I wanted to push they said go for it, none of this 'lets examine you first' malarkey. When 5 minutes later I demanded an epidural they listened to me and caled the anaesthetist who was unfortunately otherwise 'occupied'. Still not sure now whether that was true or not!
The second stage was not nice, the pain of 'splitting' as the baby came down horrendous and I felt totally out of control. By now the TENS had fallen off, gas and air was useless though the mouthpiece was great for biting on! I've read that the pain was a positive pain but I found it hard to push through as it made it worse. I was begging for an epidural with each contraction even though I knew deep down I didn't want one and wasn't going to get one but somehow ranting about it made me feel better! Then the baby's heartbeat started dropping steeply and things got frantic. My waters hadn't gone and although the mws thought it would be nice for it to be born intact they decided to break them. The registrar came in and started talking about forceps at which point me, my H and both mws all looked horrified and said we wanted ventouse as per birth plan. She looked sliughtly disgruntled at this opposition but agreed. I was put in stirrups and out came the plunger and I thought it was soon going to be over. Suddenly the baby's heartbeat recovered, the pain became 'positive' and I found myself pushing. Next thing the registrar had backed away and Louise was standing there instead. I felt very pissed off that the ventouse wasn't going to end my misery, didn't believe my H when he said the head was nearly out so was totally shocked to feel it being born (didn't really hurt either!) followed by the body a few seconds later. He was passed to me and we found out it was a boy who pinked up and cried immediately. I was able to have a physiological 3rd stage so was lovely. Daniel just lay on me until his cord stopped pulsating 20 mins later and the plcenta came away with little ado 10 minutes after.
So glad too that I'd refused forceps as Daniel was born with his hand over his ear and it could have been crushed . The hand meant I had a nasty 2nd degree tear along my old tear though with the aid of copious amounts of local anaesthetic and gas and air Wendy expertly stitched me up.
Aside from Daniel being born the two most memorable parts were being told I'd got to 6cm just on TENS 'cos I'm a wimp and having a physiological 3rd stage 'cos it's such a hippy thing to do! Physically I felt so much better than after Adam's birth and emotionally felt all blissed out! I still can't believe and feel quite proud that I did it on my own with minimal drugs or intervention though an epidural still seems appealing next time round.