#5: Amy’s first-time, unassisted & spontaneous home waterbirth…
Birth often defies expectation, as Amy’s incredible first birth proves: born in the water, at home, before the due date, with no pharmaceutical pain relief, her baby’s arrival is a beautiful example of birth uninterrupted.
Trigger warnings: please note that this birth story discusses a baby with their cord around their neck.
Before we get to birth, let’s start at the beginning. How was your pregnancy?
Good: no sickness at all!
Bad: I was diagnosed with a antibiotic resistant UTI…
Ugly: The piles! Haemorrhoids!
And, before the event, how did you feel about giving birth?
Great: we had a doula* who we did loads of sessions with, including hypnobirthing.
Glossary: a doula is a skilled, trained but totally non-medical birth support. They have been around for millennia, predating medicine and midwives and their popularity is on the rise once again due to the (scientifically proven!) benefits they bring to birth.
Then the big day arrives. How did it feel when you realised your baby was on their way earthside?
To be honest, I barely realised it was happening as I was only 37+2*! We were too busy trying to quickly prep things to think too much!
Think about it: in medical terms, full-term is classed as 37 weeks and in normal circumstances there would be no cause for alarm here. But in the UK, we set our due dates at 40 weeks, and this sticks in most people’s minds as ‘the right’ time. How would you feel if you went into labour at 37+2?
So, how was your birth experience?
My waters started leaking at approx. 7.30am when I was 37+2. I got this checked at hospital by taking in my soaked pads and the midwife was happy to confirm that it was my waters just by looking at them without any examination. Which I was grateful for as I wanted as few interventions and chances for infection etc as possible.
We went home via the supermarket to get snacks and that’s when I started to feel my first tightenings low in my stomach. When we got home the feelings were getting more intense and I had to get on my hands and knees on pillows in the hallway to rock my hips to relieve some of the intensity.
Before I knew it the surges were coming faster and more frequently. I moved to the lounge when my doula arrived and used a TENS machine and the wave comb (💪🏻) to manage the intensity of the surges. Although it was intense I never felt like I couldn’t cope, using my breath to relax and telling myself floppy face floppy fanny!
When I got in the birthing pool everything seemed to slot into place. Immediately everything seemed to progress, and before I knew it my baby was crowning. I kept moaning, mooing and making horse noises through my lips (!) to keep my body relaxed. Those primal noises really seemed to help!
Naturally I went into KICO ( knees in, calves out)* and before I knew it my baby was born. She had the cord around her neck and leg, but I wasn’t stressed at all. I knew as long as she was kept under the water she didn’t need to breathe as she was getting all the oxygen she needed through her cord. The midwife untangled her while I held her, and then she was in my arms.
She was born at 7.20pm, only 12 hours after my waters had broken and about 5 hours after I really started to feel the surges. I birthed the placenta without the injection 40 minutes later after wonderful skin-to-skin.
I am first time mum who only had TENS, the wave comb and the birth pool for pain relief, I forget about gas and air the labour progressed so well! I had two minor grazes and very little blood loss.
I know that trusting my body allowed the best possible outcome and experience for me and my little one. I’m so grateful for all the learning I had done, it empowered me and my husband to trust my body and the way the birth progressed.
I’d do it again in a heartbeat ♥️
Did you know… during pregnancy and labour, positions that keep your knees apart help the top of your pelvis to open, and help your baby to descend and engage with your cervix. But during the second stage of birth, we want the reverse to be true, (knees in, calves out - KIKO) to allow the lower part of the pelvis to open to allow your baby to move through it more easily.
Do you remember what you said to your baby when you first met them?
Just “Hey there!”
Looking back, what was the best part of your birth experience?
The second my body started pushing, it was amazing and completely out of my conscious control!
And on the flip side, if you could, what would you have changed about the way your baby entered the world?
Nothing, honestly it was amazing.
If you could give parents-to-be one piece of advice about preparing for the birth of their baby, what would it be?
Trust yourself, trust your body and be informed about your choices.
