First Baby - Empowered Positive Birth and Beyond

Amanda Shares Baby Dylan’s Birth Story

I cannot recommend the GentleBirth app enough. The book is literally magic! Reading it felt I was being ‘let in ‘ on the secrets of childbirth that no one is told routinely. I felt so empowered with the knowledge in this book I cannot stress how insightful I found it. I’m so thankful I stumbled upon it and gave it the time.

Here is my birth story…..

It was my first baby and I became aware of the gentlebirth app through my insurance plan (Irish Life Health). I casually downloaded the book thinking I’d have a little mindless (haha) flick through it but from the start I was gripped. I found the whole thing fascinating and what it promised was too good to ignore, a gentlebirth due to gaining tools to help create a positive mindset regardless of the outcome, I was in!

On my daily walk I’d listen to the affirmations, drift off to sleep at night listening to the hypnosis and do daily mindfulness sessions. Like I said, the book I drank up and found it so insightful. I loved that it was all research based too and the breastfeeding section was also extremely helpful.

I started working on my positive mindset. I was telling my husband near the end not to worry if I was to give birth quickly at home, just to call an ambulance and cover me and the baby until it arrived, poor Des! In zoom chats with my friends I kept saying “I feel I’m going to go early by a few days”, they looked at me like I was a little crazy because of course I had no way of knowing this but I told myself i would “go “ a few days early and I kept imagining my water breaking at home and feeling excited when this happened! I kept practicing the deep breathing and doing daily yoga. Nearer the time I ate the dates and drank the interesting tea’s. I kept mobile and walked daily. 

I saw my GP the week prior to my delivery date and she said the head wasn't engaged but all appeared well. 

The following night I was getting into bed with my husband and I felt a little restless, it’s hard to describe,  I wasn’t uncomfortable but my body felt very awake. I managed to get comfortable and started to dose off. Next thing I felt what I would describe as a baby ballon pop in my belly, a friend had recently described her waters breaking with this description which made me think, wow has this started?! Otherwise I think I would have thought It was just some gastric gurgling. I waited for a minute and then came a little trickle. I ran to the loo and slowly water began to trickle, it wasn’t dramatic but enough to know this was happening.

I was so in awe and so excited. I took a moment to just take it all in and then woke my husband who was fast asleep.

I wish I could have recorded his sleepy reaction, he just sat looking at me like I was an alien and then it hit home. He jumped up and we hugged both excited and in disbelief it was all starting. We were going to meet our little bundle in the next day or so. It was one week pre my due date, baby was coming early after all. 

I rang the hospital hoping I would be allowed stay at home until I felt I needed to go in but the hospital policy was to be admitted once the water broke incase of infection. So I took my time, had a shower, made something good to eat and in I went. I took a picture on the way out of the door of my husband and me beaming with excitement! I treasure that pic! 

It was still during covid times so I had to say good bye to Des and head into the antenatal ward without him. Again we had lots of hugs (to up the oxytocin and I also quite like my husband) and off I went. I was pure excited, I felt so ready. I wasn’t really having contractions, maybe just a mild cramp. I was admitted and advised to get some rest. It was approx 2.30am when I got my room but I was buzzing.I popped on my gentle birth hypnosis and tried to get some sleep.

I didn’t really sleep and around five am I noticed the cramps were a little more obvious, still i kept telling myself, this was nothing yet, prob just Braxton Hicks. I focused on deep breathing, kept the light dim and put some lavender oil on a cloth napkin and placed it over my nose. By 8 am the cramps were more obvious but I still didn’t fully believe it was really kicking off. A registrar came in to say hi and kindly just said as it was my first that there was a bit of a road ahead as I explained my cramping was more obvious.

I asked for paracetamol and she said no problem but to pace myself as it was very early stages.

They didn’t wish to examine me due to risk of infection so I continued to deep breathe, listen to my app and breath in the essential oils. Between 8 and 11, I started to get more cramping and felt I need the loo, I asked for a commode but on trying to stand the cramping was almost over whelming, I felt my tummy was falling down or something, it wasn’t pain but just a very intense feeling. I climbed back into bed not sure how to use the commode. I rang the bell but got a very moody midwife who basically told me it was very early yet and there wasn’t much she could do. I eventually got on the commode, peed and fell back into bed. I rang the bell again and asked if I could get gas and air not knowing you only get that in the labour ward. My midwife was lovely and advised I get my husband to come in as again it was very early and unlikely anything “real” was happening. Perfect said I. Des came in and I just asked him to sit in silence as i focused on my breathing. An electrician also popped in to fix a light above the bed but I kindly but firmly told him no! The midwife again did not want to check me and I was happy to take her advice. This was just the start and I needed to focus to get through. When the midwife came back the sensations were more intense, she again didn’t want to do a check and advised to pop on the tens machine which she did for me, it was game changer and helped distract from the cramping sensations however they were coming more frequently and I asked Des to open up the gentlebirth contraction timer. I was considering getting pethidine even though I had hoped I wouldn’t need it but 20 min later I rang the bell again. I told the midwife the surges were 1-2 min apart now and she wondered out loud should she check me. While standing there I got another surge and she felt they were coming quickly enough to warrant a check even though she was skeptical and advised I could be disappointed. On checking I was 4-5 cm, i was elated! I’m sure the midwife was too as I could now go to the labour ward and get me some gas and air! 

I was delighted I had got this far and even though it was uncomfortable it was totally manageable. On the way to labour ward I looked at the gentlebirth timer and it stated I was in active labour! Pretty accurate! It was about 1pm.

Once in the labour ward I found my position on the ground over a yoga ball and with the gas and air I was in control, the room was quiet and I listened to my gentlebirth app.

At one stage all I could hear was my husband trying to open the tin foil on a sandwich he was trying to eat quietly which made me laugh.

I never asked the time or wanted to know it and just stayed focused. The gentle birth app was a great support. 

 At one point again not sure of the time I felt the sensations of labour had changed. From my reading of the gentle birth book I figured this was possibly a sign I was fully dilated, I told the midwife the sensations had changed but she was sceptical I was fully dilated so said to wait a while and see, again to reduce risk of infection. They did intermittent fetal monitoring and all was well so I went with her advice. By around 5.30pm I sounded like a cow mooing but the sensations were manageable. The gas and air was great. My midwife decided maybe I should be checked and sure enough I was 10cm. I was thrilled, I felt so empowered I had gotten to this stage and had found it  manageable, it took focus, it took gas and air, it took the tens machine and it took a lot of deep breathing with lavender on a cloth napkin but I was there, further pain relief hadn’t entered my mind, I couldn’t believe it! 

In the end my babies head was transverse but they gave my the time I had requested in my birth plan to just let things be. My consultant eventually advised he would manually turn the babies head as he said pushing might not get me anywhere. My consultant insisted on giving me a block which he said only lasted half an hour to do the turn and this point I just wanted to meet my little baba so I agreed. He manually turned Dylan’s head but Dylan quickly turned back to transverse. The team encouraged me to push with each contraction in the hope that Dylan would turn and come to greet us, however in the end my consultant advised suction with an episiotomy, it’s was approx 8.30pm. I really hadn’t wanted either but felt like Dylan was not budging, luckily Dylan’s heart rate stayed stable the whole time.I decided to go with the Docs advice. He told me and Des that we would meet our baby by 9pm, we were so excited. The job was done and sure enough Dylan came to great us at approx 8.58pm. Less than 24hours in labour (21ish if counting) and Dylan was in my arms. 

I would have loved to have delivered Dylan by myself but he was here and I didn’t care. The birth went fantastically well in every other way I had hoped, I am still so delighted with how it all played out. I write this at 36weeks in my second pregnancy. My gentlebirth app is renewed and I’m preparing for baby two, again feeling focused and ready for what lies ahead. I have spoken with my consultant saying if I could change anything from last time it was that the midwives did coached breathing which I went along with and he admitted this can be more a tradition than anything else and I should pop it in my birth for this time, (it was also in my last birth plan but wanting to meet Dylan, by the end I just went with their advice).

Thank you Tracy for this amazing resource I cannot recommend it enough. Mindfulness has also changed my life beyond childbirth and I practice daily even if only for five minutes. I’m a much calmer person since I started this journey. I have learned to stop resisting reality in difficult times and just go with it, breathe and accept that this too shall pass.

This book and app is a precious gift! Thank you x