A Speedy Delivery

Karin Hobbs was eating an egg and bacon breakfast one minute, and having a baby the next... This is the story of her speedy second child birth.

A Speedy Delivery...

Having had a two day labour with my first baby, I was extremely laid back when I went into labour with my second. It started at 6am and after dozing until 8 o’clock I had an egg and bacon breakfast followed by a leisurely bath.

It didn’t even occur to me to time the contractions and I found it really easy to manage the discomfort. At around 10am my husband pointed out that contractions were really coming quite quickly. It was only then, when we timed them at five minutes apart, that it hit home that I was really quite far gone and it might be a quick labour.

I’d had the Bstrep infection while pregnant and knew that I had to fit in two lots of antibiotics by drip during labour. Still, I’d been sent home from hospital during my first labour and was desperate not to have the same thing happen again, so I really didn’t want to go in. But my husband insisted.

By the time we got to hospital it was midday. I was already nine centimetres dilated which I just couldn’t believe. They rigged me up to the drip and got the first lot on antibiotics in. I was really lucky to be able to use a pool, as with my first child, and I also had gas and air.

We were still assuming it would take ages and were questioning the midwife as to when her shift ended and who would be taking over. She hinted that we didn’t need to worry because the baby would be out by then, but I have to say I still didn’t believe it. But just an hour or so later I suddenly got a massive urge to push. That was the only time I lost it a little. It was a bit scary as the pushing urge was so powerful, it felt like the baby was going to pop out that second. I was convinced it was going to drop into the water. At the same time, the midwife was trying to get me out of the pool, telling me that I couldn’t actually have the baby in there because of the Bstrep infection. News to me, as I’d checked this before and been told it was no problem. But I could hardly move let alone clamber out of a pool, so there I stayed.

I calmed down and the midwife compromised by letting some of the water out of the pool, to deliver the baby on top of the water. I’d given up with the gas and air as it didn’t make any difference to the pushing pain, but all in all I found it very easy to manage.

I felt quite detached from it, as if I was looking down on myself. It felt like a huge powerful force surging through me, which I just gave in to, rather than the struggle and effort of my first labour. My husband was so relaxed he was laughing and joking with the midwife. I didn’t find that very funny at the time, but I can appreciate his relief at how easy it was. Pushing took about 20 minutes and my son was born above the water, still in his sack, my waters never having broken, at 2pm. I had no tears. He was 9lbs 4oz, exactly the same as my daughter.
Because I hadn’t had the second lot of antibiotics during labour, I had to stay in hospital for two days so they could monitor him. Everything was fine and we were soon home back into the swing of things. A day after giving birth I remember thinking that I could have done it all again right then. It was a very easy birth!

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