Well, considering that the last time I wrote here I was around 32 weeks I think the best way to start this post is by talking about my last 2 weeks as a pregnant woman…. a very heavy one I must say.
I had an amazing pregnancy with no complications at all and I strongly believe that Yoga has helped me a lot in keeping calm and positive. I decided to stop working when I was 37 weeks and this was definitely a wise decision. I know some women like to work until the last week and save as many days as possible to be used once they had their babies but I have to say that the last weeks of pregnancy are very important and we need to get some time for ourselves. Relax and focus on what’s going to happen next, decelerate and prepare for the most amazing experience ever: giving birth.
By the time I was 38 weeks I was feeling so heavy that I was glad I didn’t have to get on the tube and go to work. Carolina was engaged already and pressing my sciatic nerve which made it very uncomfortable for me to walk. During my 40 weeks appointment I was offered a “sweep” by my midwife but we both ended up thinking that there was no harm in waiting another week do it so I went back home and had a curry for dinner. (For those who doesn’t know, people say curry and spicy food help getting labour started).
A week later, on the 13th August I went back to my appointment knowing that they were going to do the sweep and praying for it to work because I didn’t want to be induced. The sweep was done in the afternoon and I remember getting home feeling nothing. During dinner I had some light cramps but didn’t think too much about it, went to bed at around 23:00 and suddenly, at around 4:30am I woke up with a “pop” sound and felt that my water had broken! Hurray!!
I decided to call the hospital and they said I could go there and be checked. I never thought I’d be able to stay there but everything started to happen really quickly.
Contractions started on the way to the hospital and were very regular, every 7 minutes and from there they just got stronger and more frequent. When I got to St Mary’s they checked me and my baby’s heartbeat and because I was already 4cm dilated and lived more than 40 minutes away they let me stay there, waiting at the maternity ward until a room at the Birth Centre became free.
It was quite a quick labour (thanks God!) and although very painful indeed, not as bad as I thought. I’ve managed to do it with only breathing (again thanks to my Yoga classes) and the birthing pool, completely forgot to ask for gas and air (shame – I’d like to know how it feels….). The TENS machine irritated me more than helped. I must say that water is an amazing pain reliever, so much so that I had to come out of the pool because I was too relaxed and contractions were slowing down.
In total I had a 5 hours labour and 1h 20min of pushing. The midwives at St Mary’s Birth Centre were amazing and kept me calm and focused on my breathing all the time (I didn’t even tear or needed any stitches!!!!!). My husband was brilliant too and stayed calm and by my side all the time.
It was an unforgettable day for many reasons and I’d do everything again and again and again… It is always hard work to give birth, but immensely satisfying when you can do it yourself!
Do you have a birth story to share? 
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