As I’m writing this, it’s hard to believe that it’s happened. It’s been over a year since I had Sonny. For those who haven’t read my blog before or don’t know me personally, I had a miscarriage at six weeks which I consider to be my first baby. I knew that much like my miscarriage, I wanted to share my own labour story and some things to know about labour that are worth knowing. As a first-time mum who goes into labour, it’s an unknown world. Much like pregnancy, it’s hard to know exactly what you can expect.
TRIGGER WARNING – Talks about labour in all its detail! Please remember that every labour is different and this post isn’t intended to put anyone off or scare anyone from the thought of labour. What is complicated for one person, might be the complete opposite when it comes to labour. Also if you’re pregnant, please be advised that I’d proceed with caution. I don’t want this to play on your mind or impact your own birth experience.
My labour lasted over 60 hours. I was diagnosed with something called a long latent labour. It meant that I had been in a labour phase that wasn’t active, meaning I was in the period where my cervix dilates from 1cm-10cm for longer than is normal.
Birth Plan
My birth plan was a home birth. I’ve always been fascinated by home birth and the idea of having your child in your own home. For me, I love water whether that’s in a swimming pool, jacuzzi or taking a bath. I thought it would likely make the birth more relaxed and perhaps help aid the surges.
Talking of surges, I used hypnobirthing techniques, which meant how I communicated and breathed was influential to the experience. For example, we took words like pain and contractions and replaced them with less fear-inducing words like intensity and surges. A small change that made a big difference to my mindset and perhaps helped toward get through such a long labour.
I knew my birth plan wasn’t set in stone and I think acknowledging that, meant I was more at ease throughout the events that unfolded during the labour.
The beginning – Start of contractions and home birth
The long latent phase can last anywhere from hours to days. For me, I definitely found those initial contractions a few days before but it kicked in officially on Friday 3rd. I started recording the contractions at 2 am and thus began contractions that were all over the place until the end.
The contractions, I would describe, feel like a wave in that you can sense it coming. It’s definitely like a period pain that you have to breathe through and over time, it intensifies. As I was having a home birth, my ‘pain relief’ was limited to the following:
- Paracetamol
- Tens Machine
- Acupressure Comb
- Gas and Air
For the first several hours things were pretty normal. The contractions were coming but they weren’t coming at a regular time. They were all over the place.
From there, I had a number of call-ins by the home birthing team at various intervals because I truly believed things were progressing as the pain was getting worse. Eventually, we managed to get the birthing pool filled and the midwife confirmed that I had dilated to 4cm. I was absolutely thrilled to be stepping into the birthing pool and it was everything I dreamed of. It was warm, and relaxing and for me, this is where the contractions started getting more intense.
At this point, the gas and air were introduced and I think this is where things got confusing. I was taking too much gas and air which was confusing or distracting my brain from when contractions were beginning and ending. I’d be sucking on this gas and air long after the contraction had finished. It also made me think at several points that the baby was close to being delivered, which was definitely trippy.
The surges ramped up after learning that my baby was back-to-back. The back-to-back pain is certainly not for the faint-hearted and if I ever felt that pain again, I’d know to get the pain meds aka the epidural.
The middle – Epidural and hormonal drip
My experience with the epidural and the hormonal drip were mixed. The epidural was one thing that I refused to think about evening having but the relief it gave me after I had it, was glorious.
However, it did require a little boost to begin with as I could feel the contractions down one part of my body and then they had to pump me with more of it when it came to the c-section.
The hormonal drip is one I’d probably not have again. Unless it was guaranteed to help me dilate further, it was probably the point at which things went wrong. Weirdly, the hormone drip had been turned off at a certain point, which meant that they had to start it from the beginning around halfway through.
I think this combined with the meconium (baby pooped inside of me) and the amount of time spent in labour sent my little one into distress and that resulted in the emergency c-section. Of course, everyone has a different experience when it comes to the medication on offer but I don’t think I’d want the hormonal drip again.
The end – C-section and recovery
The C-section, despite being a major surgery was perhaps the calmest and most serene part of the labour. Everyone was incredibly professional and the atmosphere felt very light-hearted. It’s very normal to have the body shakes when you’re coming off the drugs, which makes for an interesting experience when they want you to hold your baby and you’re shaking like a polaroid picture.
However, the C-section was very unusual in the feeling of it all. It felt like I was being cut open a lot more than it was in reality. It was a tugging sensation but there was no pain and they make sure to test if you can’t feel anything before going in.
I lost quite a bit of blood, so much so that I think they had to put a blood transfusion on standby but it was I think just at the limit of what you can lose. I was blissfully unaware of it all though as I was in newborn heaven. There’s really nothing like seeing your little one come out of you, whether it’s through a c-section or vaginally.
The recovery of a C-section is challenging. You walk and move very slowly because everything is uncomfortable. Taking a shower for the first time was an experience, especially as I couldn’t bend down to pick up the clothes I’d put on the floor to get changed into. Thankfully, I realised in this moment that my feet were surprisingly good at picking up things.
Five things you should know about labour
So what five things should you know about labour? Here are five things you should know from my point of view and what I would have found helpful.
1. Be prepared with a birth plan but don’t expect it to go to plan
I kind of knew that my birth plan was unlikely to go to any plan at all. However, I didn’t quite realise that it would be to the extreme that I went from having what was going to be a home birth to an emergency c-section.
I think it’s very helpful to be prepared with a birth plan and to talk with your partner or birthing partner prior so that they can be an advocate for you when you might not be in the right frame of mind or position to share your thoughts and feelings.
2. Take the drugs if you need them
I don’t really understand why there’s such a stigma that comes with taking drugs when you’re in labour. I had this weird fascination to a do a completely unmedicated birth and the reality is that if you want or need the drugs, take all of them offered. Your body is being put through a hell of a lot of pain and trauma. Any other bodily injury or medical procedure and the drugs would be readily offered.
Of course, you want to do your own research and understand any risks or complications that can come with them. However, I know that if and when I get pregnant next time, I’ll be more open to what drugs are offered.
3. Trust your instincts even if you feel you’re being annoying
I often found throughout my labour that I was asking for the midwife home team to come over too regularly but ultimately this was my first baby and the pains I were feeling were new. I had nothing to compare it to and so the added pressure of being at home and not having someone immediately within the vicinity meant that I was calling them more often.
Trust your instincts when it comes to your labour. When something feels like it’s changed or you need help, call for help and don’t be put off by the thought of it being annoying. That’s what the midwives are there for!
4. Keep yourself and your birthing partner well-fed, watered, and rested
One of the most important things that I would definitely be more mindful of next time, including my husband is that we needed to ensure we were both well-fed, watered and rested. A little harder for me of course but when it came to my husband, he was so prioritised on me that he neglected to eat, drink and rest. As he has certain medical conditions, this meant he crashed and that was a struggle for him to navigate for the first few days of parenthood.
I think it’s important that you’re both getting as much rest as possible, even when it doesn’t feel possible. Just relaxing on a chair or sofa is better than standing up and doing things. Conserve your energy.
5. Don’t try and get your baby dressed in the middle of the night
This was me. So really this last point is a reminder for myself for next time. I had the weird thought that I needed to dress my baby because he was only in a towel while we were in the hospital. I attempted to get some clothes out of the baby bag while still recovering from the C-section. While standing up, as I bent, a splattering of blood came out of me and this wonderful nurse came round, took one look at me and went ‘Get back in that bed, you should be resting’.
Suffice it to say, you should wait until you’re ready to be discharged to change your baby. You don’t need to do it at 3 am in the morning.
Do you have a labour story? Let me know about your experiences in the comments below.
