The Birth Story of Tyrone, shared by his mum Jo
By my 38th week I really was over the pregnancy, funny considering I didn’t find out I was pregnant until 22 weeks. I had awful heartburn and was breathless.
We live in a rural town and my husband’s parents live 5 minutes away and as my two girls are familiar staying with them, it was going to be easier for them to look after the girls when I went into labour.
Thursday 11 October I was booked to see my midwife for a stretch & sweep. The day before I started taking evening primrose oil and I’d been having lots of Braxton Hicks. My midwife was able to stretch my cervix and said I was already 2cm and the monitor showed I was having contractions. She also said this baby was so low as soon as my waters break he’s coming, there will be no time for an epidural. She said if I wasn’t in labour by the morning to take castor oil.
On the drive home I continued to have tightening’s but these eased by late afternoon. I then had the show. My husband went to work that night as usual and I got the kids in bed and went to bed to get some sleep.
I woke around 2am and the first contractions started around ½ hour later. By 3am I started timing 10 minutes apart. I breathed through them – they were lasting about 30 secs. I was texting my husband by now and by 4am wanted him home (it was a 35 minute drive and knew he would need some rest after being up all night working). My husband got home and rubbed my tummy while I concentrated on breathing through the contractions.
By 7am they were coming every 8 minutes. At 8am I woke my husband and said the kids are awake and it was probably time to get them packed off to his mother’s. I got up and moved to the swiss ball, the bouncing gave me a little relief.
At 9am my midwife phoned & I filled her in on what had been happening. She said to get up and about walking up and down the stairs and to come when the contractions are 5 minutes apart. I got up and had a hot shower which really helped and then helped my husband get the kids out the door. I didn’t feel like eating any breakfast and going by my 2 previous labours, was better not to.
My midwife text me at 10am to see how I was doing. I said I’d been moving around and thought the contractions were getting stronger and closer. She asked if I wanted to come over or wait longer. I said I wanted to head over there (it was an hour’s drive at least).
We got our things together and headed to Hamilton at 10.45am. In the car I was having contractions every 6 minutes and was listening to the same Whitney Houston song over and over each time I had a contraction. On the way over my midwife tells me there’s no beds available and another birthing centre was clearing a bed for me. At this point my husband wondered if we were going to have this baby in the carpark!
We arrived at 12pm and after checking me, my midwife told me I was 5cm. I was given gas (I don’t like the taste or feeling spaced out). My midwife filled up the bath and I got in – provided me with some much needed relief. My husband went off to have some lunch – poor guy, I hadn’t even let him get coffee on our way!
I sat in the bath talking to my midwife in between contractions while she timed them. I concentrated on breathing through each one and breathing the gas. They got stronger and more painful. My midwife said when my husband gets back she’ll break my waters and then it wouldn’t be long. Hubby returned and at 2.50pm I got out of the bath and my midwife broke my waters and said I was 7cm. I got back in the bath and not long after something inside me went pop and the pain got much worse. I was sick and then lost it, begging for pain relief and said I couldn’t do it anymore.
As it got to the point I couldn’t handle the contractions and pain any longer I felt the baby moving down and my body took over and pushed. With 2 pushes he slid out not stopping once his head came out. My midwife handed him to my husband who held him on my chest. It took me a moment as I was in shock that I’d had no pain relief and a water birth which I never imagined I could do.
Tyron was born at 2.17pm, weighing 7lbs5oz.
