The birth of Brianna Hailey Scott

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Let me first give you a foundation upon which to read this story. My first Daughter Alana was born 19mths before Brianna by Caesarean Section. She was induced, posterior & deflexed, combined with an active management doctor in a private hospital that supported my doctor’s style of care. This time I wanted things to be different. And so they were.

I worked very hard on the emotional healing part of preparing for this next birth and also on being informed. I became very passionate about birth and hence became a doula in the process. What I wanted was a home birth but with no independent midwife in Townsville it was not an option unless I tried unassisted, however my husband was not comfortable with the idea so I agreed to go to the local public hospital when the time was right.

When asked what my birth plan was the simple answer was that I wanted to stay at home as long as possible and then continue to do everything naturally once I got to the hospital.

About a month before my due date the fluid retention in my feet and legs became painful, although not dangerous. I was worried that putting my feet up, which was the only way to gain relief, would put my baby in a posterior position. It did. I was not going through another posterior labour if I could help it. The day of my EDD our hot water service packed it in and I decided that that was not a good day to give birth. I organised a new one which my husband installed that night, bless him, And we were good to go again although the baby was still OP. The next night I spent considerable hours on hands and knees and standing over the kitchen table rotating my hips and rubbing downwards on my tummy on the same side as my babies back tended to be. I then slept on that side all night. It worked and she moved into a more anterior position. The sacrifice was that my feet were very swollen and painful. The next day I had an appointment with the midwives and all was well she was in a good position and floating in the pelvis, not at all engaged.

At this point I did the weeks grocery shopping and also got some Castor Oil. I concluded that if Bubs was floating I would have to sacrifice my feet to keep her in a good position and I was not confident that I could handle the pain that would cause, especially if she was another two weeks away. It was also clear to me that it would not work if the baby was not ready I was only facing an uncomfortable evening on the toilet for nothing if it didn’t work. So that night we put Alana to bed, had some sex to help ripen the cervix and I took a dose of Castor oil at around 8pm. Then sat down to a plate of silverside with white sauce and all the trimmings that Mum had made. I took another dose at 9:45pm; in hindsight I would not have taken this dose, but never mind. I started getting contractions at 10pm; I had 3 before my waters broke as I lay on my side. I heard a pop sound and felt the pop just above my pelvic bone. Because I did not feel any lose of fluid I thought that maybe it was something else. 3-4 minutes later though I could feel my bowels wanting to empty & that was when I felt the fluid leaking to. As I rushed to the toilet, occupied by my Mum at the time, I thanked God we had polished wooden floors not carpet. I ordered Mum out of the toilet, as I was desperate.

At 10:30pm I had told Trevor what was happening & was calling Honey, my Doula, business partner and friend to tell her too. Apparently she went straight back to sleep feeling confident that I would be just fine. Alana must have woken with all the commotion and was not going back to sleep. I tried to put her back down but was having about 3 contractions in ten minutes at this stage & could not hold her properly. Trevor took over at about 11:30pm and at about 12:30am Honey was called because the contractions were about 4 in ten and I felt I would like her presence. I asked Mum to relieve Trevor and send him to me. Up until then I had been heating my own hot packs and leaning over the birth ball in a mattress on the floor. The back pain was still intense but this time I was having strong contractions in the front too. Trevor started with strong pressure on my hips & back as I rotated my hips in no particular fashion. I chanted, “Just let go” with every outward breath. That really helped keep me focused in what I was doing.

Honey arrived about 1:15am and we had just lit the candles that my friends had given me to remind me that I was not alone and was being thought of. I now needed to be standing & bent over the table. Here though is where time became non-existent. In the next hour I was having 6 in ten, I had thrown up and my legs were shaking, I also remember having a bit of rescue remedy at this point too. At one point the only way I could get through a contractions that sometimes came on top of each other was to bounce on the birth ball with my legs open as far as I could get then and my back very straight. But Lord help Trevor if he stopped the pressure on my back. Honey knew that I thought if I could remember that I was not alone in giving birth at this time that I would feel strengthened I so she reminded me. I started picturing women giving birth in fields and igloos and all over the place and I was strengthened. I was thinking with my Doula brain that I could be in transition but my other brain was saying you cant be it has only been a few hours. Trevor decided it was time to go and asked where my bag was. I told him I had not packed it yet. He got cranky about that and I promptly told him that now was not a good time to get cranky with me I had been planning on using early labour to pack but as I didn’t seem to have had early labour it was not my fault. So he raced around packing the few things we would likely need. Honey called Birth Suite. I told Honey at this point that if I was only 2cm I was having Pethidine. I don’t think she answered me.

The trip in the car was awful, head banging on the door, not being comfortable and Honey jostled around with no place to sit and heaven help her if she stopped the pressure too. Honey reminded me though that I was supposed to be softening and letting go, I don’t know how she new that I had started to tense up but I guess that is the wonderful thing about when your meant to be doing something you just know. So I started to let go again and it really helped with the pain. We got there, in the lobby as I had another contraction Honey said; “If you’re not in transition you can shoot me,” I replied that if I wasn’t, I just might. I between contractions I raced as quickly as possible towards birth suite with Trevor & Honey behind waiting to drop everything the minute I needed pressure. We got to birth suite at 2:50am.

As I found a place to lean for my first contraction in the birth suite I got an urge to push. I stripped of my nightie to next second. The midwife read my birth plan, as I had kept forgetting to take it in with me, and asked if I wanted an internal. I really wanted to know by then so I said yes but that I would not be on the bed long so she had better be quick. I went on one side she did it & then I was off the other side with Trev and Honey racing around to apply the much needed pressure and hot packs. I was then informed that I was fully dilated, baby was at +1 and I could do as I pleased. This was welcome news because all the way to hospital I had been scared that I would get there and be 8cm. I knew that if I was I could not justify drugs but would still have work to do. For that first half hour I gently pushed with the urges and breathed her down. I was standing leaning on the bed and squatting into some of the pushes. I felt like using the birth stool at this point and so it was brought.

Now is when I really started pushing. It was a position that I felt I was familiar with pushing in and it worked for me. I was stretching well, but then about 20minutes after adopting this position the baby started having too long a dip in her heart rate. The midwife told me we needed to get really serious and get this baby out soon. She began to use her fingers to help stretch & make room for the baby as she new I preferred to tear than be cut. It continued & I had to get her out really quick. During this time I felt that I was still in control of when I pushed, how and for how long. That was really important to me. I felt her had as she came on view, when she was crowning and when her head was out. Trevor was still applying pressure to my back and told me later how quiet I was during pushing. As the body came out I reached down and brought her to my chest, I had got my slimy baby, and I had done it. It was 3:50am. Brianna was not yet breathing and the midwife said she wanted to cut the cord and move baby over to get some air. I told her I didn’t want that and asked why it necessary. She told me then that bubs needed a bit of care and I was bleeding heavily and should have the oxytocin shot. Then as per my birth plan try ergometrine if it didn’t work. Trevor had actually thought that I was urinating, as that was the sound that the blood was making. Honey was able to see and tells me later the flow was very fast she was concerned for my safety. So it was done. As I watched Brianna on the table I was injected with one drug then the other as the midwife pushed on my uterus and pulled on the cord. She asked that we stimulate the nipples for some natural oxytocin and so Trevor did one as Honey did the other. I remember looking down and thinking “Well I feel a tad strange, I wonder if Honey minds having to do this. It certainly wasn’t discussed” Then I figured if she had a problem with it she wouldn’t do it. Mind you I was more occupied with watching how Brianna was fairing than thinking about the bleeding. I felt that I was in good hands.

Brianna was fine, they got me hooked up to a cannula and a bag of oxytocin and catheterised me to help with the uterus. I was up on the bed I had my baby in my arms and they told me I had a second-degree tear that needed stiches. So that was done next. Brianna didn’t feed for about 2 hours but that was her choice she was offered it plenty. We spent the next six ours lying naked together sleeping on & off, cuddling always. Both of us bloody and content. I left hospital that evening at 6:30pm and was home in time to put Alana to bed.

So I did it! Painkiller free and in my own way, what an incredible feeling. I can do anything! But what is maybe the most shocking part of this story for me is the relationship that I now have with my husband. Going through this birth together has brought us to a new place in our relationship. He saw me through the hardest and most wonderful thing I have ever done, he was brilliant and he stayed. He saw me do it and thinks I am quite incredible. We didn’t experience this in the same way after Alana was born. It was not such a profound change. This has been one of the biggest blessings for my about this birth.