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My Birth Story


emergency c section in hospital
My birth story

Home Birth - Birthing Pool

So my ideal birth plan was a home birth with no interventions. But like for many women this didn’t go according to plan.


I started early Labour 3 days before the main event kicked off - and let me tell you every day was like OMG how much longer can this go on for 😅 we had sleepless nights and then during the day the contractions would slow down and pick up again later in the day. I watched all the funny TV, tried to smile as much as I can, walked and walked. I couldn’t seep even though I was so so tired. But overall tried to stay relaxed.


We then got to Monday morning and things got way more intense so we called the midwifes and they came and assessed me and left again, as soon as they left I had contractions every 2 minutes, so they came back after just under 2 hours and stayed with me as I was really regular at this point.


After a few hours we started filling the birthing pool (which then broke our boiler when we got home from hospital) 🤯.


Once I got in the birthing pool it was the most amazing feeling, I loved being in the water and it made me just that more relaxed. However I was then told that there will be no midwifes available to stay during the evening as they are short staffed, this was a huge disappointment to me and James. I tried to use all my Hypnobirthing techniques to stay in control. As the only option for me now was to go into hospital.


birthing pool at home
Home birth - Birthing Pool

Hospital - Water Birth

So we ended driving ourselves to the maternity unit (the most intense drive in James’s life 🤣) and I went straight back into a birthing pool there, I took my candles, snacks, music with me to make it feel as homely as possible. I tried really hard to stay in my trance and kept listening to all my Hypno recordings over and over.


After a few more hours my waters broke (finally) and I ended up wanting to push straight away. I did this for 3 hours with no success before I came out of the water for more examinations, at this stage it started to come apparent that something wasn’t quite right. They did a few more tests and established that I am not dilated enough to continue pushing, however I couldn’t stop pushing either - after many chats I agreed to try take gas and air to see if it helps to slow down or decrease the intensity of labour - this came with no success. They then put me on my side and held my legs to further slow it down but it just caused me more and more pain.

hospital birthing pool
Hospital Water birth

I started getting exhausted as I was going for 4 days now no sleep, no food and haven’t taken any pain meds until this point. I still hadn’t dilated more after few more hours and it started to become more and more painful, I started throwing up every few minutes and the baby was now in distress and had done a poo inside me, so it was very clear to us we needed to get her out asap.


Emergency Caesarean

After 6 hours of constant strong urges to push, they finally started prepping me for an emergency Caesarean. Out of the whole birth story this part was the longest, and with all my heart not wanting this Caesarean, I knew it was right in this moment and just needed to happen so I dug deep and used all my calmness from my Hypnobirthing and pushed though this next part.


I remember it all so vividly - being prepped getting the epidural and trying to find the right veins in my hands, all whilst I had to push as my body just would not slow down - it was just a nightmare. After we finally administered all the meds and got me on the table I felt the first release since is started pushing - I felt like I could breathe again.


As they undergoing the final preps, James was resting in another room as he has been by my side with no rest for days, he was absolutely exhausted, hungry, and to top it all off mentally strained. He had to be there for me watch me scream in pain for hours, undergo several shift changes and keep explaining to all the midwifes my preferences what we have been through and where we at now. Until this day I still don’t know if I could have done that part. I feel like birthing partners also need a massive amount of gratitude, especially when things go wrong and you watching, in our instance your loved one going through so much pain and complications and there is absolutely nothing you can do.


Once I had James by my side it all went go go go, and within minutes I was opened and Arlen was manoeuvred out - it turns out her head was stuck and there was no way I was ever going to be able to push her out of me. Furthermore she had her cord around her neck twice, so this was another complication.


Baby Has Arrived

As they got her out there was no noise - I remember this as James and I held our breaths - all midwifes and doctors all rushed around and tried to get Arlen to breath, due to the meconium in her lungs that had to be removed and the cord they had to help her along the way. This was truly the most awful time ever. Until I heard her little cry - I completely broke down and just cried with her. James was allowed to cut her cord in the end and saw her before me, something I really wanted him to do. He also made the mistake and looked the wrong way and saw me in a way that will probably never leave his mind ever again 😅.


After they cleaned her up and done more tests I finally got to see her as well as she was placed on my chest - the moment I truly became a mum. 💕 I couldn’t believe how perfect she was, it was breathtaking this was a moment I will never forget, it felt like it was just James, myself and Arlen in that room.



C section arrival
Baby arrived!

I wasn’t able to hold her properly at this stage, due to the drugs and adrenaline I was shaking like a leaf on one hell of a stormy day. But she was here with us finally.


So on the 1st November 2022 (41 weeks), our world changed completely and we became parents.


I know this is not the perfect birth story that people want to read - but this is my story, and however many things went wrong and trust me they did - this is just a snapshot of what happened - I think if I go into all the details this would be a short novel 🤣. I still strongly believe I did my best in all the different situations, I took it calmly I stayed in my birthing zone and I tried to make rational decisions all along. I know myself without Hypnobirthing I could have not achieved this at all. No pain meds and just breathing through it all would have not been possible for me, so I am grateful I did the course, all my homework and practice at home.


We ended up having to stay in hospital for 3 days and Arlen had more tests than I want to even remember, bless her. We had lots of arguments with staff, my preferences got ignored and I was pushed into corners at every point but that is another story for another day, something that has actually traumatised me more in the whole process than birth itself! And that says a lot!


James even ended up in hospital himself whilst I was in hospital with Arlen 🤯 the day after the birth, it was just all crazy and he was really unwell for a few weeks when we got back home.


I know it will take myself and James still a while to process and compartment everything, but I still love our story and it is not something I will never look at negatively because it gave me my daughter, it made me a mum and it made James and I so much stronger and for that - it is my own little My birth story (only read if you want to)


So my ideal birth plan was a home birth with no interventions. But like for many women this didn’t go according to plan.


I started early Labour 3 days before the main even kicked off - and let me tell you every day was like OMG how much longer can this go on for 😅 we had sleepless nights and then during the day the contractions would slow down and pick up again later in the day. I watched all the funny TV, tried to smile as much as I can, walked and walked. I couldn’t seep even though I was so so tired. But overall tried to stay relaxed.


We then got to Monday morning and things got way more intense so we called the midwifes and they came and assed me and left again, as soon as they left I had contractions every 2 minutes, so they came back after just under 2 hours and stayed with me as I was really regular at this point.


After a few hours we started filling the birthing pool (which then broke our boiler when we got home from hospital) 🤯


Once I got in the birthing pool it was the most amazing feeling, I loved being in the water and it made me just that more relaxed. However I was then told that there will be no midwifes available to stay during the evening as they are short staffed, this was a huge disappointment to me and James. I tried to use all my Hypnobirthing techniques to stay in control. As the only option for me now was to go into hospital.


So we ended driving ourselves to the maternity unit (the most intense drive in James’s life 🤣) and I went straight back into a birthing pool there, I took my candles, snacks, music with me to make it feel as homely as possible. I tried really hard to stay in my trance and kept listening to all my Hypno recordings over and over.


After a few more hours my waters broke (finally) and I ended up wanting to push straight away. I did this for 3 hours with no success before I came out of the water for more examinations, at this stage it stated to come apparent that something wasn’t quite right. They did a few more tests and established that I am not dilated enough to continue pushing, however I couldn’t stop pushing either - after many chats I agreed to try take gas and air to see if it helps to slow down or decrease the intensity of labour - this came with no success. They then put me on my side and held my legs to further slow it down but it just caused me more and more pain.


I started getting exhausted as I was going for 4 days now no sleep, no food and haven’t taken any pain meds until this point. I still hadn’t dilated more after few more hours and it started to become more and more painful, I started throwing up every few minutes and the baby was now in distress and had done a poo inside me, so it was very clear to us we needed to get her out asap.


After 6 hours of constant strong urges to push, they finally started prepping me for an emergency C section. Out of the whole birth story this part was the longest, and with all my heart not wanting this C section I knew it was right in this moment and just needed to happen so I dug deep and used all my calmness from my Hypnobirthing and pushed though this next part.


I remember it all so vividly - being prepped getting the epidural and trying to find the right veins in my hands all whilst I had to push as my body just would not slow down - it was just a nightmare. After we finally administered all the meds and got me on the table I felt the first release since is started pushing - I felt like I could breathe again.


As they undergoing the final preps, James was resting in another room as he has been by my side with no rest for days, he was absolutely exhausted, hungry, and to top it all off mentally strained. He had to be there for me watch me scream in pain for hours, undergo several shift changes and keep explaining to all the midwifes my preferences what we have been through and where we at now. Until this day I still don’t know if I could have done that part. I feel like birthing partners also need a massive amount of gratitude especially when things go wring and you watching in our instance your loved one going through so much pain and complications and there is absolutely nothing you can do.


Once I had James by my side it all went go go go, and within minutes I was opened and Arlen was mannered out - it turns out her head was stuck and there was no way I was ever going to be able to push her out of me. Furthermore she had her cord around her neck twice, so this was another complication.


As they got her out there was no noises - I remember this as James and I held our breaths - all midwifes and doctors all rushed around and tried to get Arlen to breath, due to the meconium in her lungs that had to be removed and the cord they had to help her along the way. This was truly the most awful time ever. Until I heard her little cry - I completely broke down and just cried with her. James was allowed to cut her cord in the end and saw her before me, something I really wanted him to do. He also made the mistake and looked the wrong way and saw me in a way that will probably never leave his mind ever again 😅.


After they cleaned her up and done more tests I finally got to see her as well as she was placed on my chest - the moment I truly became a mum. 💕 I couldn’t believe how perfect she was, it was breathtaking this was a moment I will never forget, it felt like it was just James, myself and Arlen in that room.


I wasn’t able to hold her properly at this stage, due to the drugs and adrenaline I was shaking like a leaf on one hell of a stormy day. But she was here with us finally.


So on the 1st November 2022 (41 weeks), our world changed completely and we became parents.


I know this is not the perfect birth story that people want to read - but this is my story, and however many things went wrong and trust me they did - this is just a snapshot of what happened - I think if I go into all the details this would be a short novel 🤣. I still strongly believe I did my best in all the different situations, I took it calmly I stayed in my birthing zone and I tried to make rational decisions all along. I know myself without Hypnobirthing I could have not achieved this at all. No pain meds and just breathing through it all would have not been possible for me, so I am grateful I did the course, all my homework and practice at home.


We ended up having to stay in hospital for 3 days and Arlen had more tests than I want to even remember, bless her. We had lots of arguments with staff, my preferences got ignored and I was pushed into corners at every point but that is another story for another day, something that has actually traumatised me more in the whole process than birth itself! And that says a lot!


baby c section birth
Hospital Stay

James even ended up in hospital himself whilst I was in hospital with Arlen 🤯 the day after the birth, it was just all crazy and he was really unwell for a few weeks when we got back home.


I know it will take myself and James still a while to process and compartment everything, but I still love our story and it is not something I will ever look at negatively because it gave me my daughter, it made me a mum and it made James and I so much stronger and for that - it is my own little positive birth story.




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