A 'magical' water birth using Gas and Air

My darling boy you are now one but I remember the moment you were born fondly. It is something you and I did together in a beautiful calm and relaxed way.

I had been having contractions at night every evening for a month. I had been drinking raspberry leaf tea daily. I felt big and I was ready for you to arrive. I knew you would probably be a week past the NHS due date due to the way my cycle works and I was correct.

Some nights leading up to the night you were born I asked your Daddy to get the snack bag ready again as I was sure you would come that night but then I would fall asleep and the contractions would stop. I was getting impatient so I asked for two sweep and stretches which helped move things along.

On the night you were born I started having contractions about 11pm but I told myself they were just surges but I thought this time I would time the gaps just in case. For the first half an hour I stayed in bed and your Daddy was asleep next to me. Then I got up took my phone to the bathroom and timed the surges and realised that they were only 4 minutes apart. At this point I woke up your Daddy and he called the hospital and I put on my hypnobirthing tapes and breathed into the surges. The hospital said to come in so I did but it took a while for your Grandma to pop over to look after your sister so we eventually arrived at hospital after what seemed like the most bumpy car ride ever at around around 2am.

I kept my tapes on the whole time and got into the zone and I was ready. You were ready too.

Finally we got into the room and it seemed to take the midwife ages to read my notes. Just as the surges started to get weaker and not stronger she checked me which is a bit like another sweep and stretch and thank goodness that upped the anti as I was ready for you to arrive and did not want to go home without you in my arms at this point.

I got into the room which was apparently the best and biggest room as I was the only one in the midwife led unit at that time and I had aromatherapy oil in a diffuser and I sat on a birth ball.

One of the midwives put the radio on and your Daddy started casually chatting about work which was really annoying as I couldn’t focus but as the surges were about one minute apart at this point I didn’t have the energy to say anything as I was so focused on my breath and the midwife told me I was now in active labour.

Instinctively your Daddy put my hypnobirthing tapes back on and turned off the radio so I could get in the zone again which helped me to relax again.

At this point the midwife ignored my request to not ask me for pain relief and asked me if I wanted anything so I said yes  (which I knew I would if I was asked hence my initial request) and so I started on gas and air. This time unlike my last birth it helped ease the height of my surges and I was able to use it when I felt a surge come. I needed to drink in between as it made my mouth so dry and daddy helped.

I was in active labour for 40 minutes total. For the last 20 minutes I was able to get in the birth pool as it took so long to fill up and after a couple of minutes my waters broke. The water was warm and it totally helped me to feel buoyant and was lovely and really comfortable.

I lay in the water on my back and breathed you out. Your head came out so easily and then with a big breath and a last surge out you came. The midwife had actually left the room when you were born as she must have thought that I was not in any pain and the birth was a way off and came in just as you came out. The moment you arrived I fell in love with the wonderful little soul I now know you to be. Looking at you and meeting you was amazing. You didn’t cry but I could see you were happy and as calm and relaxed as me looking around and saying hello.

We waited for a while having cuddles in the pool before the midwife said that you had got all the goodness from the delayed cord cutting. The midwife helped your nervous daddy cut your cord and he took you for his cuddle.

I then delivered the placenta with an injection, help from the midwife and a last bit of gas and air. They checked and I had not torn at all and that is because I breathed you out of my own accord at my own pace slowly and calmly. I actually almost slept through the first part.

I said to your Daddy that I could do that again as it was so magical. I felt no pain and the feeling of meeting you and having our first cuddle together looking at you in the birth pool was amazing. 

I’m so happy your mine gorgeous boy. My only regret is that I wish I would have not found out that you were a boy until I met you as I think in that moment it would have been an incredible surprise with all those endorphins and hormones and having said I couldn’t possibly not know when I found out I now think finding out in that moment would have been amazing and I’m now a total advocate for surprise baby’s.

Now your walking on your walker and babbling away but you are just as calm and happy (most of the time) as you were when I first met you. Stay special my gorgeous boy - we love you.