Best laid plans...

J got back from Jersey with the book and I started reading it straight away.

Having done the whole birth and labour thing before, 3 times, there are things I know, or think I know, do and don't work for me.
I have always hoped for a waterbirth. I know that being in water is liberating for me, I know that it's support has always helped with period pains and in fact all aches and niggles.
In my first pregnancy I was hampered by my issues with iron, the local unit's cut off for water birth and in fact for the midwife led unit as a whole was a Hb count of 10. I struggled with this. I'm normally anaemic, low iron is what is normal for me, so it being at 9.4 rather than 11.2 was less of a change than for the average person.
I did my research, I ate iron rich foods, I avoided foods which affect absorption, I took 3 different types of iron tablet til I found one that didn't make me sick. It's testament to how well I did that despite not taking the tablets J's poo also went black as a result of the high iron diet we were eating. By hook or by crook I was dragging that iron result up! And at 40 weeks it hit 10.2, my lovely midwife laughed "I don't think we'll test that again" she said "Just in case it drops!"
I had done it, I was on for a water birth at the wonderful midwife led centre 5 minutes from home. I wasn't going to have to go and have a highly medicalised birth at the consultant unit 45 minutes away.

So of course it was a very long slow labour, and at some point they decided that I needed to be checked at the big hospital and I was transferred and ended up with a highly medicalised birth and all manner of stuff I hadn't wanted.
My baby was stuck, and in distress, and all of a sudden he needed to be out very quickly.
And everything happened at once, J was dragged off to scrub up, I was given forms to sign, told they would five a high cavity rotation and delivery with forceps one go, if it didn't work, it would be a crash section.
The epidural stopped working and they said they'd sort it in theatre, J got back as I was rushed into theatre, the room was filled with people - it was a shift change over time so we had 2 of everyone - they gave me a spinal block, to top up the now useless epidural, it didn't work, the paediatrician shouted over my head at the OB-Gyn, "we need this baby out NOW!" I was given a massive dose of diamorphine.
And I watched from somewhere on the ceiling as my baby was delivered, scored one on the apgar scale and was revived.
I had a pph. They discussed transfusion and decide to wait and see.
I was in recovery a long time - on the upside the baby, Sam, scored 10 on the apgar by 10 minutes and was lifting his head to look around by the time he was half an hour old.

I spent 5 days in hospital, the first night at the Consultant hospital and then transferring to the MLU in my home town, where they were wonderful but it took me a long time to recover from the experience.



When I was pregnant with Josiah they said right from the start that while there was no reason to suppose he would get stuck as Sam had done, they'd want me to be consultant led because of the PPH.
I didn't argue, and if I'm honest didn't worry too much about my iron. They wouldn't let me have a waterbirth or a MLU birth anyway so why fight it.
However, unlike the long slow labour with Sam, Josiah was in a hurry.
I suspected things were moving so we called my father in law who was coming up to take care of Sam once he came out of nursery, we went for a walk, had some lunch and at about 4pm, with contractions coming fairly thick and fast we headed to the hospital, where they examined me, told me I wasn't in labour - in fact I was less than 1 centimetre dilated (my midwife had said I was 2cms when she had done a sweep two days earlier) and sent me home.
I cried in the car, how could I know my body so little?
My father in law was there when we got home and we collected Sam from nursery. I asked them to get their own dinner, I didn't want anything, and went upstairs.
I lay down on my bed, J and his dad and Sam had gone into the garden. I heard a pop sound, my waters had broken.
I shouted for J, he was in the garden and didn't hear. I think it was about 5 minutes before he made it to the bathroom, he phoned the hospital, they tried to put me on the phone, I couldn't take it from him.
Unbeknownst to me they asked if he wanted an ambulance, he said no, thinking it would be faster to drive me in. In retrospect this was a bad idea.
The 40 minute drive took us 20, he jumped two red lights. We arrived at the hospital ambulance entrance less than 2 hours after they had sent us home, they came out to meet us, took one look at me and told J he could leave the car there.
They had left a woman they were moving from labour to delivery in the corridor, but she wasn't there long.
He was crowning as they lifted me onto the bed, and was born within 3 minutes, the cord wrapped twice around his neck, less than ten minutes earlier we'd been doing 90 on the M5.
Unlike his brother he score 10 right from the start, and he too was lifting his head to look round within 30 minutes.

My recovery was fast, I could have walked home. Yes it had been stressful, and panicked and so much could have gone wrong, and just typing this has brought tears to my eyes, but I felt great.

So when I was expecting Ben, and my iron was again an issue, despite iron injections and following the same rules I had with Sam around what we did and didn't eat. I kicked up a fuss. I understood what they were saying about how the risk was greater because of my iron count and that this would mean I was safer at the Consultant hospital, BUT I felt this needed to be balanced against the risk of the baby being born on the motorway, surely anywhere, with medical staff on duty, would be better and safer.

All credit to the team they talked through my fears, listened to my concerns and agreed an individual care and action plan especially for me. In labour I would attend the MLU, if I was 7 cms they would keep me with them, if I was more than  but less than 7 they would blue light me to the "Big hospital", with a midwife in attendance.
In the event I was 6 cms. And the ambulance came. Another quick, easy birth, 15 minutes after we got to the  hospital.
Another baby who scored 10 on the apgar scale and was looking around within minutes. Another delivery I could have walked home after.


So when I found out about pregnancy number 4 I was determined that this time I would get my waterbirth. I even started taking iron from day one.
But they don't like waterbirth with twins, ah well, best laid plans and all that - though I haven't entirely given up yet, watch this space!