# VBAC homebirth of Theia Wren 22/03/2020 lockdown baby



## GemmaG

It’s been 4 months and I feel ready to share the birth story of my beautiful girl.

Planned home birth VBAC

3hrs 45 mins labour

7lb 6 oz - 36.5cm head and 53cm long

40+6- 22nd March 2020.

Last homebirth in my country before they were all cancelled due to lockdown


My first pregnancy was an IVF pregnancy that resulted in Boy/Girl twins who were born by elective Caesarian at 37+5 due to twin girl being breech. I can honestly say it was such a positive experience and I look back at it with such joy. Although I always had a longing to give birth I’m not sure what that is but it’s something that I had niggling away at me. But due to having IVF I made my peace with that fact I wouldn’t ever do it. We had decided we wouldn’t have anymore children after the twins as I didn’t want to go through IVF again so to say that we were shocked to discover we were expecting again naturally almost 6 years later is an understatement.


Unfortunately we lost that pregnancy at 8 weeks on the 10th June 2019. But by some miracle I got pregnant again straight away and found out on the 7th July 2019.

Lead up to Birth

I had my last consultant appointment at 40+3 and I decided to agree to book my induction in for 41+4 weeks if I didn’t start on my own. I had felt okay with this as covid 19 was ramping up and I wanted to feel in control if it happened as it is something I didn’t ever want. He offered a sweep and I accepted in the hopes I was dilated enough that should an induction happen I would be dilated far enough to have my waters broken and avoid drugs. I was 1cm and stretchy approx 0.5cm long and he was confident my membranes could be ruptured if needed be but gave me a really thorough sweep and said he hoped I could have my home birth before they all got cancelled as they were expecting it soon. Turns out I was the last one before lockdown on the 23rd March!


I had really sporadic BH contractions off and on over the next 3 days (prodomal) and on Saturday 21st I had a gush of fluid. I contacted my midwives who told me to attend the hospital to get checked, thankfully it wasn’t my waters and when checked I was still 1cm but fully effaced and was sent home.

That evening I had a clary sage massage and lost my plug around 8pm. I had very mild contractions still short and very far apart so it never did it cross my mind it was anything other than Braxton hicks (prodomal labour). My sister was at my house all day helping me get ready as she was going to be my second birth partner and I told her if it was labour starting I would be a long way off and sent her home about 9:25pm. With so many days of mild pains I honestly really thought it was nothing.

Literally within about 10 minutes of her leaving I had my first this is it contraction that made me stop and I needed to lean over my kitchen counter to breathe through it but it was still manageable. It took me by surprise though and it didn’t feel like I imagined it didn’t build up it was just bam in your face.

I started timing on my contraction app and they were coming every 5 minutes. I contacted my sister around 10:40pm as I was starting to need to focus. My app told me I was in established labour as my contractions moved very quickly to 2-3 minutes apart. All of a sudden I was down on my hands and knees breathing through every one and when my sister arrived at 11pm she told my husband to ring the midwives and to start filling the pool. My midwife wasn’t too sure when they rang as it had only been over an hour since my first this is it contraction but heard me in the background and decided to come out.

She arrived around 11:30pm and asked to examine me which I agreed to. I was 3cm dilated but she made the decision to contact the second midwife as she thought it would be fast. The second midwife arrived just after 12am and I was in the full throes can barely remember her arriving. I got completely lost in myself sometime after she arrived and it is all a bit of a blur, my contractions were so strong and had no build up. I do remember hanging over the back of my chair and rising to my very tip toes with each surge. They were so so powerful and my second midwife worked with me calling it my labour dance and we moved and breathed together but I really needed help focusing at this point and even asked to go to the hospital for drugs- obviously had hit transition. My midwives tried to keep me calm but I asked for a check as I felt I was at my limit. She agreed and checked me. I was 8-9cm and instantly my waters exploded all over her and my sofa I didn’t know until afterwards but my sister said the midwife pointed and was watching my purple line and knew I wasn’t far away.

I got into the pool again finally sometime around 12:45/1am going by my notes. I remember the water was lovely and warm but I really struggled having so much space strangely but was given gas and air to help through the transition stage. Because of her position (asynclitic presentation was discovered later on) I had searing pain in my right hip and struggled coping with it on top of my contractions I still remember the pain of that vividly it was horrendous but my second midwife on call was amazing she was so gentle and rubbed frankincense into my back and my husband coaxed me on by saying how proud he was. I then had a longer stretch between contractions and felt a shift in my body. I didn’t push just breathed but could feel babies head just sitting there. I think her head had been visible for a while but I was out of it and didn’t notice. Baby then had two decelerations that took a little while to recover but my midwives calmly asked me to try a different position out the pool and said we would need to actively push.

Flipping then they took the gas and air away jeez the noises that came out of me were something else, so much so the next day my neighbour asked if everything was okay as her teenage daughters heard the dog howling

After a complete freak out I sat on my cub birthing stool and leaned back against my husband and started to push but she didn’t move. I don’t think I was pushing hard enough out of fear to be honest. The ring of fire :shock: flipping hell!!!! Baby then had another decel and the midwife said babies hand was up at her head and she was crowning sideways so it explained all the increased pain. They asked if they could do an episiotomy as she needed to come a little quicker and said I would struggle to push her out. I agreed and she injected me with a local anaesthetic but as soon as I saw the episiotomy scissors I had an almighty rush of strength out of sheer panic and pushed babies head out working against the midwife and her head came flying out like with her arm up like superwoman and then I felt her turn and her body came out straight after with one push, she was born at 2:27am. I delivered the placenta within a couple of minutes think they gave me an injection but I couldnt feel it and had some lovely skin to skin with her and cuddles with my husband. My midwife went and got my mum who was upstairs with my children and they all came blurry eyed into meet her. I unfortunately had a second degree perineum and labial tears verging on third degree that needed stitches but I had no clue, never felt a thing. I wouldn’t have known if they didn’t tell me and was transferred for suturing at 3am as they thought I’d need a doctor. Thankfully my tears could be fixed without a spinal and we were home in bed with our little baby within the hour.

I felt for so long after her birth that I didn’t do a good enough job stupidly had put to much pressure on myself. I actually found it really overwhelming and much more painful than I could have ever imagined but understanding how quick it was and how her position made it harder has made me feel less crazy about her birth. But we did it and we got through it. She was worth every second x


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## GemmaG

My birth notes


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## Bevziibubble

Congratulations!! :cloud9:


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## Catmumof4

Aww was so lovely to read a new birth story among all this covid stuff!! You did amazing! Congratulations! She's beautiful x


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## Jules8

Congratulations!!! She’s beautiful! You did absolutely amazing! I didn’t give birth at home, but I did have a drug free birth and my husband said some of the noises right at the end were crazy. Lol I think it’s just a maternal thing and well, it’s insanely painful.


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## Rebaby

Congratulations! She's beautiful and it sounds like you did amazingly well :hugs2: 

I mooed like an actual cow in both my labours- not deliberately, that's just the noise that came out of me at the time! :mamafy::shrug::haha:


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## Mummy2Corban

Amazing!


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