#21: Georgia’s spontaneous, empowering and instrumental hospital birth
Going with the flow isn’t doing what you’re told: it’s about making the right decisions for you, at the time that’s right for you.
Trigger warnings: please note that this story features discussion of raised heart rates, bleeding during labour, forceps delivery in theatre and episiotomy.
Before we get to birth, let’s start at the beginning. How was your pregnancy?
I had a pretty smooth pregnancy on the whole! I was very lucky in that I had very minor symptoms throughout, although did experiences some of the classic things such as morning sickness in the first trimester and very swollen feet towards the end!
I absolutely loved being pregnant and it felt like such a special time for me. It did come with normal anxieties, especially as I did not have any scans after the 20 week one (as she was growing as expected at the midwife appointments) so I did not get to see my little one again until she was born! Although this was a good thing, it was hard not having more reassurance from scans in the second half of the pregnancy.
I went in to the hospital for reduced movements twice during my pregnancy and they were so helpful and reassuring. The midwives put my mind at ease and I was able to check that my little one was doing okay. My community midwife was amazing and was always able to provide reassurance when I needed it. She was on hand to tell me that any weird symptom I was experiencing that week was a normal part of pregnancy (and there are lots of strange symptoms!). It’s amazing what our bodies can do, and it felt so special growing a little human.
And, before the event, how did you feel about giving birth?
I was definitely part of the “we’ll see what happens on the day crew”. I’m my life I am such a planner, and I knew during my pregnancy that if I tried to plan my birth that I would be disappointed if it did not go the way I had planned it to. I therefore tried to take a step back from planning for once in my life!
As it was my first pregnancy, I also did not know what to expect, so didn’t even know what I wanted! I of course looked into options and what my preferences would be but I was quite happy to go with the flow (for once in my life!). I felt that I wanted minimal pain relief (no epidural) unless I felt I really needed it and knew I wanted to be in the birth centre but that was about it!
I also felt that ignorance was bliss in some ways. Birth is a scary thing and I felt thinking about it too much made me feel anxious so I tried not to. I did read a book on hypnobirthing which I found really useful (although did not finish it as I left it to the last minute and baby came early!) and this helped shift my mindset on birth, and it made me feel a lot less anxious.
Then the big day arrives. How did it feel when you realised your baby was on their way earthside?
It started with a bloody show on the Sunday morning. I tried not to get too excited as I knew this could mean labour was imminent or could be weeks away. I was also anxious about the blood and whether this was normal, so spoke to triage who did not seem concerned.
When I started getting cramps in the evening, I again didn’t want to get too excited in case it wasn’t happening. However as they got progressively worse overnight I knew it was happening. I was shocked as I wasn’t expecting to go into spontaneous labour early (I had heard your first usually is late!).
I didn’t feel as anxious as I thought I would which I was surprised about, and actually felt excited about the journey I was about to go on and to finally meet my baby!
Glossary: due dates are rough estimates but are often treated as gospel. It is often more helpful to work in time frames. A baby is considered full-term and ‘on time’ if they’re born between 37+0 weeks and 41+6 weeks; this is the most common time for babies to arrive, and most arrive after 40 weeks. A post-term baby is born after 42 weeks.
So, how was your birth experience?
The first thing to note is my labour was long and had its complications, however it was the most empowering thing I have ever done and honestly looking back would not change a thing about it.
Although on the surface it was not smooth and was by no means a quick or straightforward birth, I felt all options were explained to me and decisions were mine to make. This made all the difference as I felt happy and confident in my decisions, which has in turn made me feel very positive about my birth story.
It all started on Sunday morning (25th May) when I had a bloody show. It was 10 days before my due date so I didn’t think much of it, nor did I want to get my hopes up. I went about my day as usual. In the evening around 6pm I started getting some period like cramps. Again, I was convinced it was too early so did not want to get my hopes up that labour had started. However, the cramps got worse and worse over night, so after a sleepless night, we called triage in the early ours of the morning (after cancelling the Sainsbury’s order I was due to collect later that day!).
The midwives invited us in to Treliske where I was met with a lovely midwife and a student midwife who completed a cervical check. I was only 1cm dilated at this point, so they explained I could either go home or wait in hospital for things to progress. I decided to go home at this point and to try and relax and rest as much as possible. I bounced on my yoga ball and watched Disney movies all while the pain slowly but surely increased throughout the day.
It got to around 6pm and the contractions were much stronger and closer together, so we again called triage and headed back to the hospital. We felt more hopeful this time and got my partner’s parents to come and collect our dog. Again, they completed a cervical check and much to my disappointment I was still only 1cm dilated. However they did say my cervix was thinner which showed things were progressing. Again they gave me the option to stay in hospital or go home. This time, I decided to stay in hospital and accept some pain relief in the hope I could get some rest. I was taken to Wheal Rose ward and given a pethidine injection. I was told this wouldn’t help with the pain but would help me relax. I was hopeful that this would help me get some well needed sleep, but unfortunately I didn’t find it all that helpful and didn’t manage to sleep.
At around 11pm they checked my cervix again and to my relief I was 5cm dilated and was officially in active labour! They the wheeled me up to the birth centre as this is where I said I wanted to give birth if possible. I was met there by a beautiful room and friendly staff. They ran the birth pool for me straight away and started me on the gas and air, which was very welcome at this point! I got in the birthing pool which was lovely and relaxing. The gas and air didn’t necessarily help me with the pain, but it made me feel so relaxed and calm between contractions which gave me time to breathe and remind myself each contraction was getting me closer to meeting my baby.
The midwife stayed with us the whole time and regularly checked on both me and baby. Unfortunately, after about 1 hour in the birthing pool both mine and baby’s heart rates were quite high, likely due to the heat of the water, so they asked me to get out for a bit. I was a little disappointed but ultimately wanted to do what was best for both me and baby. Once I was out of the pool, I had a bit of blood loss. The midwife spoke to me about this and asked if it would be okay to move to the labour ward just in case I needed any medical assistance. I agreed, and although I didn’t get to give birth in the birthing centre as I had hoped, I honestly didn’t mind. I wanted to be in the right place for the right help should I have needed it.
They moved me to another relaxing room on the labour ward in the early hours of the morning. The doctor checked me over and wasn’t concerned. My midwife was lovely and kept giving me apple juice to keep my energy up. At my next check I was fully dilated. I then began to push. I remember that my body just did this so naturally and I knew when it was time to start. I was so tired and I remember asking my midwife how much longer. She told me I could be pushing for up to 2 hours. I remember saying there was no way I could do that but she gave me lots of encouragement.
To my surprise 2 hours flew by, and there was still no sign of baby. The doctor checked me again and said they were happy for me to keep pushing for longer if I felt able to. They explained to me that my baby’s chin was up* rather than neatly tucked down which was making the birth longer and more painful. She said it was absolutely possible to continue if I felt able to but we could look at options for assisted birth if I wanted to. I agreed to push for a bit longer and she agreed to come back in a bit to check on me.
I continued pushing with lots of encouragement from the midwife, the student and my partner. I remember being on my back, knowing this is the worst position I could be in, but feeling too tired to be in any other position. I was always encouraged by the staff to be however I wanted to be, and I chose to be on my back. I felt bad about this decision at the time, but it was the right thing for me given how exhausted I was.
After 3 hours of pushing, and baby sliding back down my birth canal after every push, I was completed exhausted and did not think I could do it. The midwives were so encouraging and kept telling me how close I was, but after so long I was starting to not believe them. It was 7am at this point and it was shift change for all the staff. I remember the new midwife coming in with fresh energy and told me she really thought I could do it. The previous midwife and doctor also came back in on their way home in the hope they would meet baby. This made me feel good and helped for a bit, but my body was just so tired.
I remember at the shift change a student midwife walked in. It was the student midwife who had been at my initial booking appointment. I was so happy to see a familiar place, and it felt so lovely that she saw me both at the start and end of my pregnancy journey. The doctor came to speak to me again, and gave me my options. They encouraged me to make a decision, and I knew at this point I needed help. I agreed to move to theatre and to try an assisted delivery with forceps. They explained to me exactly what this would be like. They said that if this didn’t work, then they would give me a c-section. I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but at this point I was so exhausted I honestly didn’t care. I signed the consent form and they took me to theatre.
Suddenly, it wasn’t just the midwife, student, and my partner in the room but there were lots of people which was a little overwhelming. They all introduced themselves as they tried to put a cannula in (finally got this in after 5 attempts and me accidentally ripping one out). I was honestly so scared of this and was a big reason I didn’t want an epidural, but it was honestly fine! They numbed my hand for it, and I was so tired I didn’t even care at this point. They hooked me up to various machines and drips, and then gave me the spinal block. It was hard to keep still through contractions but somehow I managed it. As soon as the spinal had kicked in I felt like a new woman. The pain had gone!! I started chatting away to the staff and was laughing and joking. I remember hearing Taylor Swift playing on the radio and feeling the calmest I had felt in ages.
I remember seeing them move my legs but I couldn’t feel them, which was the weirdest thing ever! They then told me to push, which i tell you is very hard to do when you can’t feel anything from the waist down. I remember asking my partner if I was doing it as I had no idea! The staff continued to give me lots of encouragement as they helped me give birth to my little girl. Much to my relief the forceps worked. I did not need a c-section and my baby girl Delilah entered the world at 9.36am on 27th May 2025 weighing 7lbs 6oz.
An assisted delivery with forceps and an episiotomy is not something anyone ever plans or necessarily wants, but it was the best thing for me and my baby and I would not change it. I was so scared of cannulas, catheters, and a needle in my back, which is was the main reason I wanted a birth without pain relief to start with, however, these things really weren’t as bad as I thought they would be. I felt so looked after by all the staff and felt able to make my own decisions about my care. The doctor who helped me make the decision to go to theatre even came to visit me on the postnatal ward the next day to check on us and talk to me about how it all went. Giving birth to my beautiful baby girl was honestly the most empowering and amazing experience, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Learning Point: the position your baby is in, and the direction they’re looking, can really affect how smoothly their descent through the birth canal goes. A baby’s head is designed to mould to the birth canal, but it is easier for them to navigate the pelvis when their chin is tucked in and their spine is against your tummy. Doing specific biomechanics exercises, stretches and making sure your own body is free of tension throughout your pregnancy can help baby get into the right position for labour.
Do you remember what you said to your baby when you first met them?
I don’t actually remember the first thing I said! I think I was in shock and exhausted that it all feels a bit of a blur for the first few moments!
Looking back, what was the best part of your birth experience?
Getting to meet my baby finally! But also how much of an empowering experience it was. I cannot put into words how amazing it was!
And on the flip side, if you could, what would you have changed about the way your baby entered the world?
I honestly wouldn’t do anything differently! I had the best experience given the circumstances!
If you could give parents-to-be one piece of advice about preparing for the birth of their baby, what would it be?
An assisted delivery doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Go with the flow and do what is best for you in the moment!
Think about it: Georgia advocated for herself fully throughout her journey - choosing how she prepared for birth, when to stay/go home, making decisions around her pain relief and what medical assistance she received, and when she received it. This sounds easy to do, but with so many options available it can be overwhelming and often people find themselves ‘doing what they’re told’. Knowing what’s best for you starts in your planning and preparation, and requires you to prioritise what matters most to you, and why. This will give you the conviction and strength to make your decisions later,
