A positive vaginal delivery: Joseph’s birth story
I loved everything about being pregnant but I didn’t have any negative side effects. Also it was a long journey to get pregnant which included 6 treatments, our last round of IVF and a miscarriage so the pregnancy was such a blessing for me.
I actually look back at labour and birth with fond memories. I started my contractions four days before the due date at 1am. I didn’t realise they were contractions at first but when they carried on every five minutes for about a minute, I figured this must be it. I decided to let my husband sleep so I got up, downloaded a counting contractions app and started playing my birthing playlist. At 3am I woke Paul up and said I was in labour. At 6am we decided to walk to Homerton hospital. It took an hour and a half (usually 40 minutes). I stopped for every contraction and threw up once along the way but overall it was a pleasant walk! When we got there they said I was only 2 cm dilated so they monitored me for an hour and then sent me home. They said to come back in 4 hours. We took a cab home and then I got in the bath. 4 hours later I felt like I was about to push a baby out so I got out of the bath. As I stood up, another contraction came so I sat on the toilet and POP! My waters exploded everywhere!
We called a cab and went back to the hospital. It was a brutal ride because the contractions were so strong. As soon as we arrived I was taken to a birthing room and they said I was 9 cm dilated. Then it was time for pushing. I pushed and pushed for 4 hours and still he didn’t come out. They decided to give me an episiotomy and ventouse and out he came at 4:59 pm! It turned out his umbilical cord was so short he kept getting sucked back in after every push. We didn’t know the sex so seeing for myself what we were having was what the best surprise. The midwife was amazing and so supportive. She made me believe I could do this, which I did with no pain killers! HPHB did an amazing job preparing me for this day and I used so many resources from the manual we got on the course.
My favourite was the hypnobirthing day and having a group of mums and dads to carry on the journey with. We met every Thursday in John Lewis and was a lifesaver for me.
The first moment I saw the baby I thought - it’s a boy! Relieved! Overjoyed!
We had to stay in the hospital for a week because Joseph had an infection. I really appreciated the help I received while in the hospital. The first few days were exhausting. I had never been so tired in my life. He soaked the bed after every nap and we couldn’t figure out why. Turns out you need to put the willy down in the nappy! Joseph was a natural at breastfeeding so thankfully that wasn’t an issue. I remember feeling like I ran a marathon the day after giving birth. My bum area was so sore from pushing for so long!
Yes I would definitely recommend Happy Parents. Happy Baby to others! The course is so informative! I didn’t have a clue and they prepared us for every aspect of birthing and the early days. I loved meeting the other mums and dads too.
Top Tips
Don’t buy too much. You get gifted a lot plus you end up not using what you thought you needed.
Put the willy down in the nappy for a boy!
Reusable nappies are easier to use than I thought!
You can read lots more Positive Birth Stories here. We have positive birth stories from all types of births, including homebirths, water births, induction of labour, instrumental deliveries and Caesarean section births.
Download our free birth plan template and other resources for your pregnancy here.
Find out more about our antenatal and hypnobirthing classes in London, Essex and online and book your place here.
Access free hypnobirthing relaxations and videos to support you through your pregnancy on our Instagram TV page here.
Watch our free pregnancy and postnatal exercise classes here.
