Madeline’s Birth Experience

Madeline’s Birth Experience

Hospital: Gilchrist Birthing Unit in Eye, Suffolk

Midwives: Gill Knights & Georgina Sparrow

DOB: 26th March 2005

Weight: 7lbs 15ozs

Length: 52 cms

Sex: Male

First Child

My established labour was 5.5 hours

He was born 2 days before my due date

I had a wonderful, natural birth with TENS machine and some gas & air for about 20 mins

I got to the birthing unit at 8.30am after waking up at 5.30am knowing that I was in labour with period type cramps in lower tummy and back coming every 5 mins. I was examined and told that I was 3cm dilated and that my cervix was very soft and thin (all that visualisation) and she gave me a membrane sweep which I didn’t feel at all.

We went home and I listened to my BirthBody and relaxation CD that you kindly made me whilst on all fours with contractions coming stronger and more frequent. I was sick 3 times and had diarrhoea, which I was pleased that happened at home.

We went back to the birthing unit at about 13.30 with me on all fours in the back seat clutching my tens machine. When I was examined I was already 8cm’s dilated and my waters broke on examination. I got on all fours and had gas & air for the first time as things started to feel a bit strange.

Only shortly after I felt the urge to push so I got up on the bed to be examined as it was all happening quicker than the midwives thought for a first birth. I tried the birthing stool but it was too low down for me and I ended up pushing whilst on the bed, hands thrown behind me grabbing the bed frame with my legs pushed up against the midwives or my partners body’s.

And once I got the hang of the strange sensation of pushing I managed to push him out after an hour. Apparently I was very controlled throughout all this.

Baby was put straight on my chest and we waited until his cord stopped pulsating before it was cut so I could pass on endorphins. I gave birth to my placenta naturally after about 3 or 4 minutes. I held baby for about an hour and tried to breast feed him, I then passed him over to his dad whilst I had a bath. We went home 2 hours after the birth. Baby was very clean when he came out and only had some vernix on his head, he was not cleaned and we left vernix to soak in to moisterise skin

He didn’t breastfeed until he was about 48 hours old as he had a tied tongue, so we used nipple shields.

I didn’t have any problems or pains afterwards apart from mild period type cramps.

I was so pleased with myself that everything went as I had expected/wanted, with no complications. It was all very straight forward & natural and in hindsight quite quick for a first birth. I feel very lucky that I was able to have the birth that I wanted and I had choices where I live. The birthing unit and the midwives were & are absolutely fantastic, I can’t thank them enough.

People who I speak to afterwards are absolutely amazed that I had a straight forward, easy & quick birth and was home so quickly. Comments have been made that I’m the only one they know who has anything positive to say about birth.

It was an amazing experience and I can honestly say that it wasn’t ‘painful’ just uncomfortable sensations that I could cope with as I knew what they meant and where they were leading to. I think my positive frame of mind and visualisations most definitely played the main role in my miracle birth )