![]() Deb, an experienced midwife whom I trust and know well, reassured me that she thought that I was going to birth quickly. Despite the promising news for the advancement of my labour, the thought of being in early labour and in this much discomfort, brought back agonizing memories of my previous labour. ![]() My cervix was 3cm and fully effaced, and the baby was well-applied and in a good left lateral occipital position. With anticipation and apprehension, I begged for my midwife Deb, and my student midwife Claire, to assess my progress. With this onslaught of labour, I was barely able to revive myself before the next contraction took my breath away. Seeing the impact that my son had on my mind-set, my husband was eager to take me to the hospital, leaving our son in the capable hands of a close friend.īy the time we arrived at the hospital, my contractions were unbearably strong and occurring every minute. My 2-year-old son instinctively sensed the change in my demeanour, becoming increasingly temperamental and demanding of my attention. Further intensifying my bewilderment, the contractions quickly amplified in strength and duration and with it, my breathing changed from deep controlled in and outs’, to a vocal animalistic moaning. Becoming complacent with the development of previous non-eventful labour-pains, I was stunned and overwhelmed that the moment had arrived. Still yet, I downplayed their advancement until they literally took my breath away. Begrudgingly I waited for them to dwindle, however, rather than fizzling out, they surprisingly began magnifying in intensity. ![]() Today, like all the other days previous, my regular pains developed just after noon. However, on the day before my stretch and sweep was planned, this all would change. Being well-informed of the risk I was placing on my unborn child and myself, I made the decision to endeavour towards having a spontaneous labour.įor the remainder of the week, my mind was imprisoned in the succession of anger, resentment, depression, and optimism, as early labour pains emerged and then vanished just as I would begin to get my hopes up. While a growth scan at 36-weeks identified that my baby was of a normal size, which put my mind at ease, the hospital policy did not see it this way, and continued to recommend that I be induced into labour as early at 39 weeks. Due in fact that babies of mothers with this diagnosis can be substantially larger due to the increased influx of sugar, the prognosis of uterine rupture increases. In any case, this delight was short-lived as I was diagnosed with diet-controlled gestational diabetes. Nonetheless, as I proceeded through my pregnancy, I remained optimistic, especially as the morphology scan confirmed that the placenta was on the rear portion of my uterus. ![]() Furthermore, with the rate of post-partum haemorrhage in VBAC’s being two-fold of a normal vaginal delivery, having had a previously large bleed, I am increasingly at risk of it occurring again. While the probability of this occurring is low-risk, due in fact that this pregnancy is IVF, there is a heightened risk that the embryo could implant over, or in close proximity to, the previous caesarean scar. The primary concern identified with VBAC is the uterine scar from the previous caesarean section rupturing during labour. Well before this current pregnancy was conceived, I meticulously examined the risks and benefits of having a vaginal birth after a caesarean section (VBAC). I was not going to let this happen to me again. Consequently, entering into pregnancy this time, I set my intentions towards a desire for the birth I missed out on. Furthermore, I was deeply wounded with disappointment at my body’s inability to birth naturally, especially being a midwife who had seen first-hand how splendid a birth could be. Where I was once filled with vigour and enthusiasm for the experience of labour and birth, I could barely keep my eyes open to take in the anticipated delights of motherhood. Making matters worse, after my bright-eyed baby was born, my uterus laid floppy and deflated, resulting in the loss of a litre and a half of blood. Nonetheless, after enduring a 48-hour crescendo of anti-climactic labour, I found myself in the midst of an emergency caesarean section as my labour failed to progress. So, with my mind set on achieving some degree of tranquillity in labour, versus the cold defeat of a caesarean section, I set my mind on attempting a vaginal breech birth. To begin, at the outset of my first pregnancy, I formulated a divine plan for a peaceful homebirth however, it all changed when I discovered that my baby was in a breech position. Prior to discussing my most recent birth experience, it is important to understand the difficulty I had with the labour and birth of my first-born.
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