Charlie's Birth Story

I've read a lot of these on other blogs, I've talked to other Mums and heard theirs and although at the time I felt otherwise, I was incredibly lucky to have a quick, straightforward birth. So here's our story.

A month before Charlie was born we went to an intensive NCT antenatal class. Here we learnt that first times Mums had on average 12 - 18 hours of labour. We were told when the first contractions happened we should relax, have a meal, a glass of wine, a bath and do housework until they were strong enough to contact the hospital. We were having our baby at Chelsea and Westminster hospital, even though Lewisham was closer now that we'd moved house, I had had all my scans and checks at C&W and they said it was fine to stay with them for the birth. This meant the hospital was six miles away instead of one, which doesn't sound like a lot but driving through busy London traffic was a worry. However we had 12 hours at least so we'd just go a little early and wait out the contractions in the car.

On my due date I was ready to pop and so excited that the baby would be on his way, but it passed with no sign of labour. We'd had a 'show' a couple of weeks before so had had a trial hospital drive in the evening and it only took us 45 mins. So the due date came and went and I started doing all the old wives tales to tempt the baby out, curry, pineapple, sex, walks, but nothing seemed to work. In that bizarre week I felt tied to the house, I didn't want to go too far in case something happened, Tom took me to vote in the general election, we waddled the few hundred yards there and back, and I had short 20 min walks in Crystal Palace Park, right outside our new flat. Mostly though I stayed inside, sitting in the nursery, washing and folding baby clothes and reading my book.

Charlie finally decided to make an entrance a week after my due date, two days before I was booked for an induction. That Friday night I went to bed around 9pm and was asleep by 10pm at the latest. Tom came to bed later but didn't wake me. I woke at 3.30am with what felt like contractions, they were more intense then the Braxton Hicks I'd been experiencing in the prior weeks and I immediately knew that this was it, I was finally in labour. I told Tom that I was having contractions but to go back to sleep. I got up, went to the loo and turned on the laptop to check the online signs of labour page on NetMums and also to have a look at Facebook. The contractions were quite sporadic, some were 10 mins apart, others were a lot closer, so I called the hospital. They said to take a couple of paracetamol, have a bath and call again when the contractions were 'knee breakingly painful'. I thought about having a bath but was so uncomfy that I opted for a shower. I wanted to be clean but sitting in a bath didn't feel right. Halfway through Tom knocked on the door to ask if I was alright, he could hear me crying out - my quiet whimpers were louder then I thought! I finished up, pulled on the maternity combats and top I'd been wearing the day before and got Tom to attach the TENS machine. I thought I was being a bit of a wuss, but only an hour and a half after they had started the contractions felt knee breaking to me, so I called the hospital again. They were unconvinced that I would be dilated enough but said to come in. We got in the car and drove to the hospital. The roads were almost empty and we made in it 35 mins. At 5.30am we parked up and waddled to the labour ward. I was convinced they would check me and send us home again, so was the midwife. She took us to a room and said she'd just check to see how far along I was. She checked and gave me a funny look, I was fully dilated and had to start pushing. There was no time to change into my prepared birthing top, no time to think about visualisation or music or any of the things we'd been taught at NCT, but most importantly no time for any type of pain relief! I had planned to have an epidural or at the very least gas and air but it was too late.

The next couple of hours I don't really remember that well, there was a lot of pain, a lot of pushing, a lot of encouragement from the midwife. I had thought I'd have Tom holding my hand, massaging etc. but when it came down to it I didn't want him anywhere near me! I could only concentrate on delivering the baby and poor Tom just got to sit in the corner, bounce a birthing ball and listen to my screams. Towards the end I was allowed gas and air which took the edge off a little and at 7.21am, just 1 hour 51 mins since I arrived at the hospital and 3 hours 51 mins since labour first began, Charles Henry was born. I was still pushing when the midwife put him on my stomach, and that moment, that split second of there being no baby and then suddenly being there was magical, something I will never forget. He cried a little to let us know he was here and fine and then started feeding whilst I delivered the afterbirth. Tom had a cuddle whilst I was checked over. They decided I needed to go into surgery to stitch up a tear, it was only 1st degree but very long and even though the midwife had used local anesthetic, I could feel everything. So I got my epidural in the end, I had a mini spinal tap which numbed me from the waist down. Charlie came with me as I was wheeled into the surgery and Tom phoned the new Grandparents and Uncles and Aunts. Afterwards we went to a recovery ward and had a beautiful few hours with just us and Charlie. He had cuddles with both of us, had a sleep and another feed. A nurse came and showed us how to put on a nappy and we got him dressed in his first outfit, a little short sleeved vest and hat.

Once I could use my legs again we walked to the maternity ward. I'm strep B positive and the birth had happened so quickly that they couldn't give me antibiotics, so instead we had to stay in for 3 days so Charlie could have a course of antibiotics just in case. Tom stayed with us until night time and then it was just baby and me. Those first days at the hospital were so strange. I wanted to be at home with my newborn, but actually I learnt so much from the nurses that it was probably the best place to be. We had visits from Tom's parents and brother and our best friends from uni and then 3 days later got to take Charlie home. Nerve wracking, painful but overall so special, I will never forget how our little man joined our family.