8th April 2005 – 5:27am
Luke was born on the 8th of April 2005 at 5:27am. In the room where I birthed Luke, were my amazing husband Gareth, my lovely mum, and two midwives. Me? I felt like I was somewhere else entirely, completely away with the fairies! I was floating high on gas and air and still feeling the effects of the pethidine I’d had earlier in labour.
It’s been 20 years, and although the last bit of bringing Luke into the world still feels a bit hazy, so much of that day and night is crystal clear. It just shows how important it is to have a positive birth experience, because it stays with you forever.
I woke up on the morning of the 7th, 40 weeks and 3 days pregnant. Hand on heart, I had no fear or worry, just pure excitement. I couldn’t wait to find out what a contraction felt like, and more than anything, I was so ready to finally meet our baby boy. I’d always known I wanted to be a mummy, and I think that really helped me approach birth with excitement and an open mind. I felt positive going into it, and now, as a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Hypnobirthing Practitioner, I can fully see why that kind of mindset makes such a difference. Our thoughts, feelings, and emotions are all so closely linked, and a positive outlook can shape the whole birth experience in such a powerful way.
Gareth got ready for work as usual. I had a shower while he was getting dressed, and he made me breakfast. We sat and ate together, then just as he was putting on his shoes, I popped to the downstairs loo and that’s when I had my ‘show’ (my mucus plug came away). I actually let out a scream of excitement and shouted to Gareth, “I’ve had a show!” I was so excited that I’d had a sign something could be happening.
Safe to say, Gareth didn’t go to work that day! We spent the morning pottering around doing little jobs. I had some mild backache, nothing major. By late morning I noticed I was leaking fluid, my waters were trickling, so we phoned the LGI (Leeds General Infirmary). They told us to come in just to check. Once there, I had what I now know was a VE (vaginal examination), which confirmed my waters had gone. We were sent back home and told to return when I was having three contractions every ten minutes or within 24 hours of my waters going for risk of infection.
We had a chilled afternoon. We curled up on the sofa, watched one of my favourite film’s and ate some chocolate, all very relaxed. Around 4pm, my contractions were getting stronger and still sitting right in my back. My mum arrived, and Gareth started making tea around 5ish. I was feeling good and really embracing my contractions, swaying, swinging and rocking whilst holding on to the bottom stair banister, watching a candle burn, completely in the zone and connected to my inner self.
I couldn’t eat my tea (which I was gutted about, as it was my favourite pregnancy meal!) because I had no appetite, and I noticed my contractions were coming more often by then. Once my mum and Gareth had eaten, he rang the hospital. They advised I take some paracetamol and try to get some rest. This was about 7pm.
I carried on swaying and moving through the contractions for another two hours. By 9pm, we decided it was time to go in. There was no way I could’ve slept, my contractions were longer, stronger, and closer together. It just felt like the right time.
From this point, things get a bit fuzzy. I’m not sure if I had another VE – I think I did as I have a memory that I was 5cm dilated when I got there but (it was 20 years ago, after all!). I, do remember having pethidine not long after arriving at the hospital, followed by an epidural around midnight.
Labour slowed down after the epidural for a little while and I was able to get some rest. Gareth and my mum watched a bit of tv, and we had a good laugh at Gareth’s rubbish jokes. Around 2:30am, my contractions started ramping up again, coming one after the other. Due to having the epidural I had been continuously monitored; I could feel pressure but no sensation.
My midwife throughout kept checking the monitor and me and informed me at around 3.45am it was time to start pushing, I was so ready! With lots of gas and air, I pushed for a good hour and a half. They kept saying he was coming down, then going back up. Eventually, another midwife came in and told me if I didn’t give it everything, she’d have to do an episiotomy. That was all the motivation I needed and 15 minutes later, I birthed my beautiful baby boy earthside.
As I said at the start of my story, I felt like I was away with the fairies when Luke was born. When they placed Luke on my chest, I remember thinking I couldn’t breathe under his weight, I was so out of it on gas and air. Gareth cut the cord, the midwife took Luke to be weighed and then Gareth got him dressed. By the time Gareth brought him back to me, I was more with it and able to hold him properly and soak it all in.
It was, and still is, one of the best days of my life. I truly enjoyed giving birth and felt incredibly proud of myself. I didn’t do hypnobirthing; I hadn’t even heard of it back then! If I had, I’d have absolutely embraced it.
Would I have done things differently, knowing what I know now? Absolutely. Through my training, working alongside brilliant birth workers, midwives, and of course my incredible clients, I’ve learned so much. But that was my story and for me, it was a positive one.