My partner and I did a 5 week hypnobirthing course which was AMAZING and I would highly recommend to anyone (if you are located in the Brisbane region and are looking for a great course, message me so I can refer you to the most amazing teacher) everyone was quite supportive of my VBAC, however at the end they found bub was measuring in the 99th percentile (apparently) many doctors tried to tell me how risky it was to have a VBAC with a “big” baby specially if I went post dates. At 40+2 we had a hospital app with a couple of doctors, 1 dr told me I needed to be induced that day or the next because of the size of bub, the other dr didn’t want to induce me at all but was happy to let me go another 8 days and then book me a cesarean so I left that appointment very confused and very upset. I didn’t let it change what I was taught though, my body grew a baby that I could birth and I worked way too hard to get to induction or a booked cesarean. I made the decision to have a stretch and sweep done by my midwife that day and the next day to give me my best shot at going into labour.
40+3 an hour after my second stretch and sweep I lost my mucus plug and surges were coming but very irregular. The next couple of days surges were all over the place and not too painful. 40+6 I woke up to my waters breaking, surges were still coming and getting stronger. We opted to go into hospital at 9am to jump on the monitor for 20 mins and check that bub was happy, all was good and we went home. Surges got closer and stronger as soon as we left the hospital but I was determined to labour at home for as long as possible. By the time we got home they were 3 minutes apart and lasting a minute but I was still breathing through them and feeling so calm! Jumped in the shower and laboured in there for a while but then decided to head in as I didn’t want to be stuck at home or in the car when they got too intense. Arrived at the hospital at 5pm and my god that walk from the car park was so difficult surging every 2 minutes 😅 had my first examination and I was 4cm, I had my midwife attach the scalp clip while in there as I wanted to be mobile and wanted bubs heart monitored constantly (due to my previous labour, I needed that ease of mind). Jumped straight in the shower on the birth ball and was there the entire time. I had my poster of affirmations in there with me. My poor partner was freezing for hours as he sat outside of the water holding the shower head on my back and squeezing my back through each surge.
After a few hours i no longer could breath through them and I became quite vocal, just listening to my body. I started to feel pressure in my butt and my surges were so close I was not really getting breaks in between, I ended up crouching on the shower floor in agony and this is where I hit the point that I started to not cope and wanted to give up. At this point my midwife got me on the bed to do a second exam and to all of our surprise I was 10cm! I had done it 🤩although bub was still quite high in my pelvis so I had to work at bringing her down. At this point I was VERY vocal, (my throat was sore for days after 😂) on my knees and leaning over the back of the bed, I bared down and let out a yell while breathing all of my air downwards and into my uterus. Instantly she was crowning, I bared down again and her head was out, at this moment my midwife encouraged me to feel her, I reached down and touched the top of her head full of hair for the first time! This gave me so much more motivation to continue to push through to meet my baby girl. I leaned back over the bed and pushed like I’ve never pushed before and she was out.
Our beautiful girl was born at 10:43pm weighing 4.2kg and my god was I proud! No pain relief, no intervention, instant skin to skin for hours, delayed cord clamping, only my midwife in the room throughout the labour and 2 in the room for the birth. The birth of my baby wasn’t a medical event, it was our special birth day! Just a completely polar opposite experience to my first and I am so so glad I did the preparation I did and that I didn’t give up despite the many many “scare tactics” doctors would use. Listen to your body, trust your body, you all have this 💪🏼 we woman are capable of greatness 🤩
