Just Another Birth Story

We are so fortunate to have one of the best hospitals in the country on our door step, Frimley Park – well known for having one of the finest new maternity suites around – rumour has it there is even mood lighting above the luxury birthing pools! So that is exactly where I intended to welcome our latest addition to the family. However, this was not to be my birth story…

Officially a week over due, I had been experiencing some discomfort for a few days, but it never really seemed to get going. Looking back now, I actually think this discomfort was in fact the early stages of labour. I was already aware that the baby couldn’t physically be positioned any lower in my pelvis which was great, it meant that its journey was shorter so in theory would be quicker!

Well, at 12.34am on Sat 4th April, I woke in bed to a reasonably strong contraction and thought ‘Oooh. this might actually be it.’ I checked the clock so I could work out from the next one the distance between them, it was about 4 minutes so I text Paul who was probably playing his PS4 downstairs without a care in the world to say “I think this is it!” He came rushing up in a panic and before I could finish my sentence my waters broke in bed! Ewwwwwwww!!!! Blind panic hit us both as my waters hadn’t broken on the other 2 labours until minutes before the babies were born…

I got straight into the bathroom to reduce any ‘mess’ and waited for the waters to pass. In the mean time Paul was phoning around to get a Grandparent their asap to watch the girls! I got dressed quickly and we went downstairs to wait for Paul’s mum to arrive before heading to the hospital, another contraction hit and this time, I felt the urge to push… THIS WAS NOT HAPPENING!!! Paul called the midwives at the hospital and explained there really wasn’t much time, they advised he call 999 and that a midwife was on her way.

Paul called the emergency services and then relayed the conversation telling me I needed to take off my trousers. shit. just. got. real. I was having this baby at home!!! So I managed to make it back up the stairs and into the bathroom. It was starting to hurt a lot at this point so without hesitation I stripped down to my bra and got into the most comfortable position possible. This was on all fours with my face basically in the bin, one arm wrapped around the toilet with the other clutching onto the side of the bath. Hideous. But the bathroom is tiny and options were limited! The pushing stage was well and truly upon me and there was no sign of any paramedics or a midwife, all I had was me and the reassuring words of Paul on the phone to emergency services…

“What? You want me to put my hands up there?”

“Are you serious?”

“Ahhh mate. I can’t do that.”

“O my god. Really?”

“No there is something coming out. O my god.”

“O Jesus it’s dripping, there’s blood and all sorts of stuff coming out. Oh god.”

“Yeah I think it’s a head. O my god.”

“You need to hurry up.”

“Seriously where the fuck are you.”

“O my god. Yeah theres loads coming out. O my god.” 

This went on for what felt like a life time.

Finally the paramedics arrived with about 2 minutes to spare before the baby was born at 1.15!

My body went into total shock and I immediately got the shakes. I needed to get in the bath, but of course the placenta hadn’t been delivered yet and the midwife was still not there! So it was a combined effort to get me, the chord and the baby into the bath where I could relax a little bit. Then came the placenta. Gross. At this point the midwife arrived and took away all the nasties I didn’t want to see because honestly, the bathroom looked like a murder scene and I can’t ever imagine relaxing in that bath again.

There was one very big reason I never wanted a home birth – and that was the mess. I am totally neurotic about our beautiful home that I have put heart and soul into decorating and furnishing. I am more than aware of how ridiculous it is to own a rug I don’t let people walk on, or a sofa only adults are allowed to sit on and especially to own tea towels that are ‘for show’ only. So it’s no surprise that even amidst the total trauma of this unexpected delivery, I couldn’t help notice the dirty shoes of the paramedics on my cream carpet, I couldn’t believe it when the midwife grabbed my White Company dressing gown to wrap around me and when she suggested ‘stitching me up’ on my 400TC Egyptian Cotton bedlinen it just about tipped me over the edge. Still, we got on with it. It just meant more work for Paul the next morning.

The labour was pretty horrific, as all labours are – but at least it was quick. It was the 72 hours afterwards that I really suffered, the ‘afterpains’ could only be compared to the later stages of labour, the agony was unbearable and the combination of paracetamol and ibuprofen barely touched the sides.  I was totally bed bound for the first 36 hours. Apparently I am blessed with an efficient uterus that did 5 days worth of work returning to it’s original spot in just 6 hours. Ouchie. Thankfully, on day 6 the pains have almost gone. It’s just severe boob engorgement to deal with now that actually prevents me closing my arms properly as I have boob coming out of my armpit. Niiiiiice. I will be pleased when this week is over and my body settles down!

Anyway, that was that. That was the birth story of my new baby! Who might I just add was worth every horrible minute of it! She is an absolute delight! We didn’t have a name already planned, we assumed that when we found out if she was a boy or a girl a name would just come to us – well it didn’t. It has taken 5 days of endless searching but finally we have agreed on a name we both love.

Anastasia Grace Jacobs

Definition: Anastasia’s meaning relates to resurrection, making it an apt choice for an Easter or spring baby.

She has fitted perfectly into our family!

And Scarlett and Savannah couldn’t love her more…