Matilda's Story

I'd been showing classic early labour signs for 7 days, but hadn't dared believe that I might go into labour early.  Anyway, on Tuesday evening my backache, which had been steadily geting stronger all day, started getting worse to the point I was really struggling to walk.  Aware that one of the plans for labour was to stay as mobile as possible, I felt a bit panicked by the fact I couldn't walk very well, and due to the fact that the pain was on the right hand side of my back was worried that it might be linked to the ovarian cyst I've got.  I went to LRI where they gave me some painkillers for the backache and advised me to monitor it.

Luckily I got a great night sleep, got outof bed on Wednesday morning at 9am and discovered my waters were breaking.  A trip to the LRI confirmed this, and I spent a very relaxed day having a bath, sleeping, eating and drinking as I knew that it was highly likely that I'd go into labour within 24 hours of this happening.  At 8.00pm in the evening I started to develop bad backache and my mobility was really limited.  The backache had turned quite painful at times, and I started realising that these might be contractions (strangely I had assumed that contractions would be in my stomach, and had therefore discounted the backache as merely early labour pains).

Anyway at 9.00pm I realised that the contractions were coming, and we started to time them...they were lasting a minimum of 40 seconds and coming every 3 minutes.  A call to the LRI confirmed that I should get to hospital, so advised me to carry on as I was and get there when I could. We got to the Kensington Birthing Centre at 11..00pm where they advised I was 5cm dilated and coping well with the pain - I totally zoned out and just breathed through each contraction.  So we were given the Fern room in the birthing centre, where I laid on all fours with a big cushion for support and we put on some music to zone out any other sounds.  A couple of hours later I did start to use gas and air, and the combination on focusing on this, keeping moving and breathing through each contraction I got to 10cm dilated by 4.00am.  Matilda was born at 4.43am and with the help of yoga and a very fantastic midwife, I literally did breathe her out, which means I didn't need any stitches.  Matilda weighed in at a very healthy 8lbs 1oz, and we were back at home by 10.30am that morning as both mum and baby were doing well.

Whilst I didn't need to use the humming and some of the things we'd done in the sessions, I honestly found the yoga to be so helpful and I just kept focusing on breathing through each contraction.  I even heard your voice at times to spur me on!  So thanks Nerissa! 


Kindest Regards & Thanks,

Rachael (& Matilda) x