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Lisa's Story

My first baby, Lawrence, was born after a lengthy induction, where I didn’t dilate more than 2-3cm after 30 hours of “pre-labour”. He was finally discovered to be breech at which point I was shipped in for a caesarean.  At the time I was relieved that Lawrence was born a beautiful healthy boy, but later I felt cheated about missing out on having a natural birth and not having been able to be in control of this incredible experience.  I felt that it was pure luck if someone had the birth experience that they wanted, that it was something in the genes that the mother is powerless to influence. 

When I discovered I was pregnant for the second time I was delighted but knew from the outset I wanted to at least aim for a completely different birth experience. At my check in appointment with the midwife, I was advised that as long as the second baby wasn’t breech again, I had every chance of having a natural delivery. I was already convinced that my labour was more likely to progress well if I stayed at home, because during my first labour I had experienced my contractions speeding up when I went home overnight, and then slowing down when I returned to hospital. Also, I was keen to have a midwife I knew, who would stay with me during labour, as research has shown that one-to-one care decreases the risk of intervention and caesarean births.  

It was after an NCT evening talk and discussion on home-birth that I became convinced that under the guidance of Andrea Dombrowe, a midwife who was confident and experienced in dealing with VBAC (Vaginal Birth after Caesarean) deliveries, I would have the best chance of a natural delivery. The main risk of having a VBAC  is said to be that the scar could split, but after extensive reading I discovered this was a relatively low risk. I felt that the benefit of being continuously watched and monitored by a very experienced midwife, and someone that knew me, whilst being only a couple of minutes away from the hospital, meant that I would be safer at home than being in the hospital on a busy night.  My main concern was that in the less relaxing atmosphere of the hospital the labour would never progress beyond 2cm, and that the time limits imposed on VBAC labours in this environment would lead to an unnecessary second caesarean! 

I prepared for the birth with lots of reading, conquering my inner fears (!) and four sessions of reflexology which is supposed to improve  the chances of a more straight-forward..and wait for it…QUICKER delivery. As I had had a caesarean, I wasn’t allowed to be induced. So, when the baby was a week overdue, I was already overdosing on pineapple curry served with evening oil of primrose and raspberry leaf tea complemented by an acupuncture induction. It worked!  The Braxton Hicks had turned into stomach cramps by the evening and the next day I went to RHS Wisley gardens armed with a TENS machine. After kicking a football around Wisley while gently contracting all day, I decided to go home for a sleep. I had just about managed to do Lawrence's tea when I was relieved to see my husband. He had come home unusually early, even though I had forgotten to tell him about my cramps the previous night. Almost as soon as he put Lawrence to bed, I was finding it harder and harder to move – it had never been so hard to concentrate on Eastenders.  

“Keep yourself busy”, the books say, “make a birthing cake or meal”.  Determined to finish off making Hungarian Goulash, I kept rushing to the loo and “wetting myself”.  At the time I mistakenly thought it was the pressure of the baby’s head, rather than waters breaking. I called Andrea, the midwife, to let her know what was happening. The baby still seemed to be in a back-to-back position, but Andrea talked me through a few special lunge manoeuvres and I managed to turn the baby around. 

The next few hours I managed the pain using a TENS machine and hot water bottle and lots of leaning on my husband.  At around midnight I leant over the bed and fantasised about going to sleep and having an epidural. But suddenly for no apparent reason I felt a burst of energy, and, as I stood up, my contractions increased from every three minutes, to every one or two minutes.  With the contractions increasing in intensity, I called Andrea to ask her to come over. I knew then that I could continue (or at least for the time being).   

As the labour pains got harder to manage, the TENS became less effective, and I decided to jump into the pool (something we had prepared earlier!). In the next hour or so the labour progressed rapidly, and as the pain got more intense and I started to talk about putting the baby back, Andrea commented that I was probably transitional. Knowing this was a good sign I just wanted to get on with it and willed the baby to push down. I remember wondering why people describe birth as an amazing experience, although one of the most magical moments at this time was feeling the baby kicking, low in my stomach, as it wriggled down, and knowing that it was on its way out.  

At around 3.00am Andrea phoned her colleague, Sue, who arrived as I was starting to push.  At this stage my son woke wondering what the matter was with Mummy. My husband told him “not to worry – Mummy’s just having a baby”! Lawrence wouldn’t settle again, so stood at the edge of the pool with his Daddy and watched.  Andrea slowed me down by encouraging me to feel the baby’s head which really helped me control the urge to push before I had sufficiently dilated, so that when the baby finally crowned at 4.20am, after about 8 hours of established labour, I only had one tiny tear that didn’t require any stitching.

Lawrence pointed and said incredulously “look there’s a baby, Daddy”, and though it wasn’t planned that he would attend, it seemed the most natural thing in the world. I had always wondered how people could forget to ask about the sex of the baby, but a few minutes had gone by before Andrea suggested we check.  I had a quick grope under the water, and was a bit surprised when I couldn’t find any “tackle”, since we had been absolutely convinced we were having a boy. It took a few seconds to sink in, that the Thomas I had been willing to come out, was actually a little girl.  Sophie.

I wanted to stand on the roof and tell the world that I had done it – that despite having had a caesarean, I had managed to have a natural birth at home without catastrophic effects.  I felt an almost primeval feeling of power and strength. I was eternally grateful to Andrea for all her help in preparing me and guiding me through labour to achieve this.