The final countdown. My baby was on the way.
Childbirth:
Once they dipped me in the warm water of the birthing pool my body just took over. I had gas and air on standby and the midwife showed me how to use it for the final stage, incase the pain became unbearable. From that point onwards the story becomes a bit fuzzy. When I speak of my body taking over, I closed my eyes and I felt my mind take me elsewhere. It can only be described as an outer body experience. With that being said, I dunked my head into the pool, chin to chest and just gave the hardest push I could give. It's funny how your body just knows what to do in the moment. I could faintly hear Michael's voice in my ear telling me to take a deep breath, as I kept holding my breath during each push and was forgetting to inhale again.
After what felt like a few pushes, I felt and heard a big, loud pop which brought me back to planet Earth. Was something wrong? My waters had burst whilst my baby's head was visible. I could hear the midwives discussing what looked like a brown cloud in the water. At this point my baby had done a poo inside of me, something which is considered very dangerous should they swallow their own faeces on the way out. The next thing I knew my body was pulled out of the water. Once you are in a relaxing warm bath and are pulled out - it is very difficult to feel comfortable as in the water you are weightless. I could feel everything at this point and I was stood on 2 feet with my arms wrapped around Michael's neck.
The midwives told Michael to hold on tight and they were shaking me trying to get me to open my eyes and listen carefully.
Martina, it is very important that you now give us two big pushes. Baby needs to come out as soon as possible. He has done a poo inside of you and it can be very dangerous for him - do you understand?'
Can be very dangerous....for him? I can honestly say at this point what happened to me did not matter anymore. With that being said I took the deepest breath I could and squatted myself down into the ground, yelling as I did so.
'We can see his eyes! One more just like that!'
Michael pulled me back up to my feet, whispered 'one more babe', to which I replied 'I can't!' and somehow, with the little energy I had left in me, I did it once more.
I flopped to the ground. I felt empty and faint. Delirious. To add to this - I couldn't hear a sound and was so wiped out, I didn't even have the guts to turn around and see what was happening behind me. Soaking wet and my face buried on Michael's lap, I kept whispering to myself 'I can't believe it. I can't believe it's over. I did it.' Michael was the perfect birthing partner, so patient and quiet, only tapping and rubbing to soothe me if I needed it. He told me to take a look at our little one and after I didn't respond - he reassured me that our son was very much blinking and looking around, not making a sound but was super calm.
All in all my active labour lasted for 6 hours and 40 minutes. 9 hours and 40 if we count it from my first twinge. I know that in my case - I was very lucky being able to stay at home for so long and cope with the pain, something which I feel was only doable due to hypnobirthing. I am the type of person who cries when I have to get an injection - so I am still in disbelief that this birthing experience belonged to me.
I am in awe of women who can manage labour for 12-24 hours. Those women are the real heroes. But the experience was not over yet - we still had to deliver the placenta and I still needed to pluck up the courage and look down. I had requested for an injection to the thigh which speeds up the delivery of the placenta. They lay my son on my chest for skin to skin and as I held him (still looking at the ceiling and trying not to pass out) they asked me for one last push. This push I can only describe as euphoric. The placenta felt like a soothing warm bag of jelly being pulled from inside me, and actually felt as though I had wet myself. I know it's hard to believe - but once the baby is out I felt totally numb down below. I couldn't feel a thing. Michael had told me it looked like a crime scene down there, a lot of blood, water and placenta and as I am squeamish - he told me to not look at the floor.
Instead, I took a look at the teeny tiny human laying on my chest and looking directly at me. There he was. My precious baby boy.
