Heads up, very long and detailed!

39+5.

It had been a regular day - living with in laws after returning from working in Japan. I’d spent most days looking for jobs online ready to start in the September. Michael working on his online business. We had been going for a walk everyday (about 4000 steps) but that week for some reason didn’t. Then 2 days before did a 6000 step walk. Nothing else was unusual about that day or the days in the run up.

Most evenings we would go to bed early (around 8/9pm) and read for a while then sleep, but that night we stayed up til about 11 watching Netflix, ending halfway through a stand up comedian we hadn’t watched before (Greg Davies) we really enjoyed it but got pretty tired. I’d been having Braxton Hicks contractions on and off since the first trimester. They’d gone for most of the second trimester and come back stronger in the third. That night while lying in bed watching the show I’d had very light BHs but so light didnt think anything of them.

We were both very restless when we tried to sleep and between 11-12 both silently tossed and turned (probably the light from the tv messing up our sleep signals) finally in the dark Michael said we should try and read for a bit and see if that helps. So I got up to turn the light on and pass him his glasses.

At almost midnight in the short time it took to stand up and grab his glasses I felt a huge wet warm flood in my pajama bottoms. It was so heavy it felt like I’d wet myself, but it was so sudden I knew it can’t have been that because wee would be a gradual stream, but it was a gush. Michael was trying to tell me I’d passed him the wrong glasses or something but I interrupted him “I’ve wet myself or my waters broke or my mucus plug has gone I have to go” and ran to the toilet.

My pyjamas were navy blue so I couldn’t easily see the colour but wiped with tissue and there were small flecks of blood and it was mucusy. So thought mucus plug? BUT the quantity was insane. I managed to wee in the toilet which confirmed to me it hadn’t been urine.

Waddled back to the bedroom to Michael looking very confused and suddenly awake. Another smaller gush and ran back to the toilet before I could answer his questions. Back in the bedroom and more light gushing. We were now wide awake and whisper-giggling like idiots from how surreal it was. We had to try and be quite so we didnt wake Michaels extended family who were also staying over. I desperately wanted this to be the real thing but kept telling myself not to get my hopes up as I was 2 days early and knew most first borns are late.

I decided to go and call the hospital at 00:30. I was expecting them to tell me to call back much later on when I was having contractions, but after I mentioned I had tested positive for strep B the midwife said I should go straight in because there’s a high risk of infection to the baby if I don’t give birth quick enough after my waters breaking and that I’ll probably need to be induced to make sure it’s not too long.

I was totally unaware of this, I knew because of strep B I would need to be given antibiotics in hospital but nothing about being induced.

For being induced I’d need to be monitored so I couldn’t have a waterbirth like I wanted.

I told Michael, who went to go and wake his parents and tell them we’d be heading to the hospital. I started scrambling things together to take. I had a hospital bag ready for the baby but hadn’t properly considered one for myself. In the rush I started trying to ‘pack’ my husband’s wallet watch and phone, even though he’d just take them on him, my brain was not switched on haha.

Michael’s parents said they’d drive us the 30 mins to the hospital.

We all got in the car and the first song out the radio was like a cartoon chase song, which suited the mood perfectly.

Michaels parents were surprised how upbeat and calm I was, but I was very excited and didn’t have any contractions yet.

The whole journey I frantically googled

Strep B and more details about how it would change my labour and being induced. I wish I’d been told/researched the possibility of if my waters broke first but didn’t think to.

I used the calming and positivity training I’d got from hypnobirthing and quickly adjusted my expectations for the possibility of being induced and not having water birth.

At the hospital they confirmed my waters had broken. I was 1cm dilated. At around 2am the midwife gave me a sweep and I was taken to my labour room. It was quite small and there was a monitor partly blocking the bathroom, but I got cosy as I could.

My midwives introduced themselves and then left us for an hour or so for me to have a bath before giving me the hormones to induce me. After my bath we spent a while talking. I slowly began to feel very small contractions but they felt like short gradual period cramps and I could very easily breath through them, I actually found them quite exciting, I could finally feel what I’d been googling every other time I felt a twinge of pain.

I’d still need to be induced to ensure I gave birth early enough.

We spent a long time talking to the midwives about living in Japan. The contrations slowly got more distracting and I told Michael to talk for me if I suddenly went quiet. I began to wish the midwives would go as I had imagined I’d have quiet personal time with Michael during the early labour.

Around 4am I was started on the hormone drip. I had monitors on my stomach to track Hannah’s heartbeat. I changed position between sitting upright on the bed, sitting on the yoga ball leant over the bed, and sitting up on the bed but facing the wall, holding onto the bed frame. I felt much more restricted by the monitors and the drips in my wrists made it especially difficult to adjust my position. I just made sure to try to sit as upright as possible to let gravity help.

I put on my birth playlist of 80s and 90s pop and dance music to keep me in a good mood, although as contractions built up the music became more of an annoying distraction than positive.

Between 4am - 8am contractions quickly ramped up and Michael and the midwives just totally focused on me. While I was sitting on the ball and leaning across the side of the bed, Michael sat next to me and held my hand. He reminded me to count down the contractions, I roughly got to 30 seconds long each time but can’t remember how far apart they were.

They started to get very uncomfortable and I wanted more support so moved back to sitting on the bed, I kept knocking the monitors on my stomach and midwives had to adjust them.

Michael kept reassuring me I was doing well. I had told him to try and make me laugh when I was in pain, it had worked earlier on but at this point I told him I stop haha. I just had to focus on breathing and waiting for the next contraction. I forgot a lot of my hypnobirthing techniques but knew that I had to keep breathing calmly and not tense up, but it was much more difficult to loosen up. When I wasn’t having a contraction I couldn’t help but brace myself for the next one.

At 8am my midwives shift ended and the new midwives started their shift. They introduced themselves and I could hear them discussing my birth plan and care with the previous midwives but my eyes were shut, I didnt want to waste energy speaking or looking around.

(Continuing in the comments)