Myself and my wife were terrified of birth, I’m an ED/Paeds ED Consultant and generally hard as nails but still, both our moms had difficult birth stories for various reasons. My wife Becca is also pregnant (26 weeks). The Positive Birth Company face-to-face weekend course and online courses properly sorted out our perspectives and made labour so special for me and something to look forward to for us both. I also teach yoga and found so many similarities with the breathing/meditation side I was like a duck to water, getting my hypnobirthing game on!
I was induced as an out-patient at 40 weeks. The pessary/gels worked in terms of regular (4 in 10 minutes) surges. I walked 8K per day during out-patient & in-patient induction, the non IV part. I properly got into a meditative & relaxed zone. When they used prostin gels (I needed two) they advise you to be an inpatient on the induction ward. My birth partner wasn’t allowed there apart from visiting hours. To help, I had noise cancelling headphones, fairy lights, relax spray and just zoned out. Sadly, one or two patients were in the adrenaline – pain cycle for sure, but I closed my eyes, played affirmations & my music and focused on letting go, chilling out completely.
My waters broke on their own on the induction ward and then I waited for a bed on labour ward (should have been max 6 hours but it was longer). I occupied my time with meditation, music and going for very long walks with Becca in the parks/around the lake near to the hospital. I had been warned long waits for induction (4-5 days after specified date), which is why I opted to be induced at 40 weeks (as per NICE guidance)….. I used my BRAIN when making this choice but it’s certainly not right for everyone! There were other factors to do with my history which played a part in my decision making.
On the labour ward I was so pleased to see my wife & to know she could stay with me. She set up the room how I wanted and I ate some dinner she brought me. Then they started the syntocin drip. I used music and the Freya app and breathed through surges. After 2 hours I added a tens machine intermittently, after6 hours I added IV paracetamol. Unfortunately I just did not dilate, I got to 1cm only.
At this point I was so deflated by the news and tired. I asked for remifentanyl PCA which was in my birth preferences. This allowed me to sleep, another six hours past. Exam showed just 1-2cm dilated. Here we had to make a decision, I was either to have section or another 10 hours on the drip. I had been on maximum dose, I was tiring and didn’t want Jonah or me to get an infection as my waters were broke for a long time at this point. Nor did I want him to have to stay for IV antibiotics which can happen when membrane rupture is prolonged. Also I had been warned that because of a previous loop excision procedure on my cervix, there’s a chance it would not dilate due to possible scarring. Thus, I opted for the section.
