Hello, my name is Emma Daniels and I already have one of my birth stories posted here - see Caiden's story. I'd just like to tell my story of my fourth baby (second homebirth).
I was pregnant with my fourth child and having previously had a homebirth with my third baby, Caiden, I was keen to repeat the experience. Everything was going superbly well and so my midwife agreed a homebirth was a good choice. However, due to already having 3 children - one of whom has disabilities and gets tube fed through his stomach at night - we were worried no one would be able to take care of them if labour happened at night. No one else was trained to use our first son's feeding pump and so we decided that if labour happened during the day we'd send the children to my mother-in-law but if it happened at night when our son was likely to be on his pump we'd have to get a babysitter and go to the local birth centre unit. Giving birth with the other children at home was not an option as we shared our room with our youngest child.
At 39 weeks I woke up at 4.45am with my first contraction. They instantly became regular at 15 minutes apart. I got up and pottered around for a bit before deciding at 8am that my husband, Steven, should take our three other children to his parents' home 15 miles away. It was a school day so I knew the roads would be busy and so I thought leaving as early as possible would be better.
My mum came around straight from her night shift as a mental health nurse and stayed with me till the midwife came. The midwives, Julie and Anne, assessed me and put me at 4-5cms at 9am. I started taking gas and air shortly afterwards. Steven arrived home and my mum left to get some sleep. Everything was very clam and relaxed and my friend, jemma, turned up to support me. It was so calm in the house and then a student midwife, Amanda, arrived. We served the midwives coffee and biscuits and we even put on the Comic relief video 'Islands in the Stream' with Tom Jones and Nessa and Bryn from the 'Gavin and Stacey' series. We were all in bits laughing and it helped me through my contractions.
Midwife Julie commented on how my bowels felt full when she examined me so she encouraged me to eat some fibre, drink some tea and have a warm bath to see if I could go to the loo as she felt the baby's head would descend better if my bowels were emptied. I had a bath at 1pm and as I got out my waters broke and began leaking. I was examined and found to be only 7cms dilated. The midwives thought I'd be further along as the contractions were very strong and coming thick and fast. My bowels had still not emptied and I was in a lot of pain.
By 4pm I could tell the midwives were starting to feel a bit anxious. They were encouraging me to push but I just didn't feel ready. I gave it a go and nothing happened - It just tired me out even more. I was examined again and the midwife discovered that my cervix still had a 'lip' left over the baby's head and the head hadn't dropped down sufficiently. By this point I was in tremendous pain and seriously thinking that I would be rushed to hospital for a caesarean. We knew the baby was big but I was starting to think the baby was too big!
At around 5.30pm I ran to the toilet to see if I could go but to no avail. I raced back to my bed to get the gas and air and felt the baby's head drop down. I was in a lot of pain at this point and was saying that I couldn't do it anymore and everyone was encouraging me to go for it. I flipped onto all fours and immediately felt the baby's head crowning. I was told to slow down but I couldn't and just pushed with all my might.
After just 3 pushes my baby slid into the hands of the student midwife, Amanda. I looked down and could only see a little pair of legs between my legs. 'What is it?' I asked because all I could see was a cord in between the baby's legs. I already have a daughter, Shaye aged 6 and two sons, Ethan 4 and Caiden now 2, and was convinced this baby would also be a boy. Steven looked down and immediately said 'It's a girl, we have a daughter'.
My mum was again by the door watching things from afar and burst into tears at this news. Baby Scarlett was born on 17th March 2009 at 5.50pm weighing 9lb 3oz! My heaviest baby. Unfortunately, from my strong pushing, I sustained a second degree tear which needed stitching at hospital but we came home again that night.
I will never, ever regret my home births - they were amazing. It was so relaxing to be in my own home and I felt more in control. I thought my 4th baby would be quick but Scarlett was actually my second longest labour which surprised me as I always thought births got quicker each time - which just goes to show that no one can predict how it will all go. I'd still recommend a home birth to anyone who is able to have one - it makes it feel all the more natural to me.
Siblings at a home birth - what to do with your older children? Should they be present?
Grand Multiparas - mothers of 4, 5 or more - how does it affect your labour?
Big babies and homebirth
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