Isobel's Positive VBAC Story

Isobel finding her power

*Shared with permission*

Contractions started at 3am but I wasn’t sure at first whether these were braxton hicks as I’d been having these on and off for the past week. Just by chance my parents had taken our toddler home with them for a couple of nights to give us a bit of rest. I went into her room and cried! I missed her but knew something must be happening as the emotion hit me from nowhere. I went to pee and there was my mucus plug, it was on!

I went back to bed, as I knew (unlike my first birth) that I didn’t need to alert anyone, I just wanted to rest my body in my home and let the contractions do their magic. Around 5am, my husband woke and I told him baby was coming! He went downstairs to set up our space and I took a shower to relax. I had spent time visualising (powerful tool taken from Carmen Rocha’s classes) throughout my third trimester, during each shower, thinking how I would use this time to relax during early labour, so this really helped me to release any tension and focus on my breathing.

I came downstairs and my husband was filling the pool, he’d made me breakfast and a drink and had my favourite morning tv programme on in the background. The contractions really ramped up now, it was about 6am. I used the sofa to lean on whilst on all fours on the floor. He hooked me up to the tens machine so I could ride each contraction with a bit of relief in my lower back. My husband called my midwife and she informed us that she was on her way. Suddenly my body started to feel like it needed to push! I thought surely not, this is happening fast. But the urge kept coming, so I quickly got into the pool around 7am and this helped me to relax even more, and I was able to surrender even further. My body took over and did the rest. I just needed to focus on my breathing and get into a good comfortable position. Shortly after getting into the pool, my midwife arrived and asked if she could take a look to see what was happening - no vaginal exams, just a mirror and a torch. Baby’s head was crowning! She told me I should be able to feel his hair 🥹 I’d been checking throughout my contractions but hadn’t felt anything until now.

I continued to labour, but baby’s head got a little stuck. Contractions were still coming at a rapid rate but I needed a little help getting him out. I got out of the pool as his head had been halfway out for some time, but things didn’t progress. My midwife did some perineal massage with my consent, to coax him, as my perineum was really tight, and I wanted this over a possible episiotomy. As soon as she started his head popped out and rest of his body followed!

He was born at 8.24am on our living room floor. The second midwife arrived as his head came out! My midwife and my husband, who was basically my second midwife, were absolutely incredible. I can’t describe the high of birthing at home in our safe space, which we’d been nesting in and visualising the birth unfolding in. My midwife was so supportive of my choices and what I wanted to achieve with this birth, as was my husband which was so important and so special.

I declined all the scans which had been booked in by the consultant on my first scan. I also informed the hospital I wasn’t going to be meeting with the consultant again throughout my pregnancy. I went for a 36w scan which was my choice because I wanted to see whether baby was in a good position and whether my placenta was clear of my scar. However I declined meeting with the consultant as they were going to “make a plan if I go past 40w” which was a conversation I wasn’t going to have. I knew he would come when he was ready and he did 💛

Thank you Lucy for all your content and wisdom during our calls, and for providing reassurance when I needed it following some tough conversations. Advocating for the birth you want is so so important, and not rushing baby to come before they are ready! I’m so happy I achieved the birth I set out to, which was very healing after my first 🫶

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