We share our birth story with you
It was 2.30 am morning and I was sleeping like a baby, only to be woken by the feeling of gushing water drenching my dress and bed sheets. Water broke! I felt almost all the water inside me was out.
I was shocked and bewildered even though I knew it was about to happen anytime. But I didn’t expect a movie like moment of “My water broke!!!!!!!”
Got up, woke up hubby, asked to change the bed sheets and sat down and asked him to sit with me for a moment because I was scared in that moment.
I know water breaking (clear water) is not an emergency moment and I can go to hospital within 24 hours and monitoring the baby’s movements is enough. I had read all evidence based information available in NHS and also had discussed with my ob-gyn at 36 weeks.
60 percent of women give birth within 24 hours after water breakage. Though my waters broke no sign of surges (contractions)
So waited till 9 am and went to hospital to make sure things are fine. Midwife and a duty doctor checked the fetal heart rate and told everything looked fine and I should wait for surges to come.
They asked if I want to get admitted or go back home. My doctor called at the same time and asked me, how I feel? I told I am good and hence would choose to go home, she said ok. I chose to go back as I knew I still had time to get pain. So came home and walked a bit and slept for two hours or so.
Asked my hubby to get pineapples and had it. After sometime asked him to do massages which we learnt in hypnobirthing classes and my surges started around 3 pm. It gradually increased and I knew my labor has started and will soon see my little one but again the surges reduced.
Again my husband came to my rescue, he did slight massages and it worked. I love his spicy curry so asked him to make one and had a good lunch. Walked in my corridor and the surges increased and by 9pm, it was 4:1:1 (The surges came in for 1’minute within 4 mins gap for almost 1’hour) Called my doctor and she told,”Good! You can go to the hospital!”
The hospital is 40 mins away and it was a fun ride. In between my surges, we were joking on what to do, if we deliver our baby in the car. Actually, we had seen some Youtube videos on how people had delivered in car just a day before. We reached hospital by 9.30pm and straightaway went to labor ward.
There was a lovely midwife in her 50’s who welcomed us with a warm smile. I told I have done hypnobirthing course and would want the hypnobirthing room. There is only one hypnobirthing birthing room in the hospital. Luckily, there was nobody at that time and we got the room. Basically, in hypnobirthing room we have the “water-birthing” facility and the set up is so warm and cozy with dim lights, glittering roof, purple colored walls, music player etc. It is a very beautiful place to birth.
As we reached the room the fetal heart rate was monitored by the midwife and duty doctor and everything was perfect. She advised to walk around and do birthing ball exercises. The duty doctor arrived again at around 10.30 pm and she checked the dilation and asked if I wanted to know how much was I dilated, I told no and she respected my wish. Basically, why I refused to know the dilation is because I didn’t want to get discouraged if my dilation was less. I had mentioned about the same in my birthing plan and was happy she respected it. She just informed you still have some time to get into the pool because I can enter the water birthing pool only if I had dilated 7 cm. So I knew I am yet to reach 7cm. She also told, “I know you already know but still if you decide to get any pain medication(epidural), you can’t give water birth.” I smiled and told a Yes!
So both midwife and Doctor left the room leaving only myself and hubby. It was Friday night, so the hospital was totally calm as Fridays are day off for most hospital staffs. We took a stroll around the hospital, cafe area and then came back to room and did the ball exercises, cow and cat exercise, etc.
He massaged me whenever I had surges and he also made sure I was hydrated and kept giving me water and dates. I also had dark chocolates. Around 1 am my surges were strong and knew it was time, my midwife came and checked and told I am fully dilated and it’s time to enter the pool, she filled in the pool and the duty doctor arrived. I remember an intense surge and I was on all fours at that time in the pool and that was the first time I roared like a Lioness. Yes! I never made any sound throughout my labor because I was so focused on the outcome and the hypnobirthing techniques helped me a lot.
After that surge my hubby told try to keep calm and focus on the baby. Then I decided to change position and sat down and my surges were so intense and I knew my baby was coming. At that point, another midwife came in and she told to push only when surges came in and I knew it was time to push. My mind was so focused and nobody instructed when to push from then. I did it at my pace and pushed, when my baby’s head was coming out, I could totally feel, what was THE RING OF FIRE. I was able to FEEL everything happening inside of me and I understood how my body was working. In the next push my baby’s head was out and also my doctor arrived and she joked, “I have come at the right time!”
I remember laughing for it and when the next surge came in, I pushed out my little girl out to this beautiful world and she straightaway came to my chest. You should have seen the excitement on my face and voice! My hubby was so relieved and squeezed my shoulders with so much pride. He believed in me and stood as a pillar on whatever I decided in this pregnancy journey and this was a teamwork and it worked out beautifully. She was out at 1.40 am 🥰The medical team waited for the cord to turn white and then my hubby with the help of midwife cut my cord. After cord clamping the baby was put on my husband’s bare chest for skin-skin, the team wanted to check me and as I had asked for the natural placenta release, they waited for sometime and asked to push out the placenta and it smoothly came out. I had a slight tear and they put around 2 to 3 stitches which healed in a week time.
I joked to the doctor saying if birthing was so beautiful I may even have 4 kids and she told oh sure, we will have the next birth with you the next year 📷
They gave us the golden hour with the baby, I breastfed her and my hubby told he would never forget the moments on how the baby came out and how resilient I was. The pediatrician came and checked the baby and told,”She is a perfect baby!”
I was given cheese sandwich and was shifted to the room. I thanked my midwife and doctors because they respected all my wishes. I gave a beautiful natural birth with almost no interventions. I am proud of myself because I educated myself so much and prepared for this birth.
It wasn’t luck but sheer patience and focus and preparation. I believed in my body and I knew I will achieve a beautiful birth because with my first one there were so many interventions which affected my postpartum period badly. With my second one, I feel empowered.
When you have a perfect medical team and midwives support, natural birthing is easily achievable. I had a healthy pregnancy and hence I believed I will have a beautiful birth and prepared both my body and mind to achieve it.
What if things weren’t on my side and if I had to go for C-section? I would have happily accepted that as well because c-section is God’s gift when it is a NEED and I had no worries on accepting it. Being in a safe environment where your choices are respected and you’re informed on what’s happening to your body, then you would know, whatever the team decides it is for your best.
It is sad in many cases the mothers are not treated properly and their consents are not taken into account like Chavi mittal’s case.
I just want to say birthing is beautiful. Every hospital should have a setup where midwives are a part of the ob-gyn team. In India we have a misconception that birthing is scary among many new moms but birthing can be beautiful. Also hypnobirthing techniques are the missing link which should be taught to every new mom for a calm birth. The ob-gyn and hospital team should treat the birthing woman with respect and should respect her wishes. When skin to skin and delayed cord clamping has been considered beneficial to the baby, it should be done to the babies. Though moms birth the dads should stand like a pillar with the mommy. I don’t think there is anything beautiful a man can witness than his wife giving birthing to a new life. Thanks for reading my story.
"The joy of new life must be the vision of motherhood," (from "Childbirth Without Fear: The Principles and Practice of Natural Childbirth" by Grantly Dick-Read, Ina May Gaskin)
My few cents: 1. Pregnancy is not a disease 2. Educate yourself 3. Ask for help 4. My partner is pregnant too, so he should support me and we should work as a team 5. Hypnobirthing can keep one calm 6. I didn’t announce my pregnancy in social media coz I know many well wishers or people who care for me may bombard with love but would get advices too which weren’t needed. The less the people know, the better to keep your peace. 7. I searched for a good medical team and believed in them. 8. I tried my best to keep myself active and happy throughout pregnancy 9. I read evidence based birthing books which helped me to reach my dream birth.
I would like to thank my Doctor Nirmala and the duty doc for supporting my wishes, midwives Mehbooba and Sheleena
Thanks to Al zahra hospital Dubai. Only very few hospitals in Dubai respect a mommas wishes and I am thankful I found this one.
Thanks to my hypnobirthing instructor Ana Piera from The Dancing Birth Thanks to Haritha Arun whom I took online Lamaze classes from. Thanks to my photographer Valentine Woronoff Thanks to my family who loved and wished me throughout the journey. Last but not least, I owe all my love to first one Bala Nilavan and my hubby Balaji who pampered me with all love and positivity.
Disclaimer: The decisions taken in my story are informed and were under medical guidance. I had a healthy pregnancy with no complications. Additionally, every body is different and every birth is unique, so requesting everyone to take informed decisions under the guidance of your care provider and not try anything by yourself.