Lilia's Birth Story
February 2010
Having had the most amazing natural birth experience at the Birth Centre when giving birth to my son, as soon as I found out I was pregnant again the first people we called were the Birth Centre! The care and support we had received the first time around was beyond amazing and we were hoping that we would again get Carole Goddard as our midwife. Fortunately we were in luck and it was great to receive a call from her after 18 months to tell us that she would be our midwife again – hooray!
I was planning on having the baby at the Birth Centre again but about 2 months before my due date I had a change of mind and decided I wanted a water home birth due to the travelling time to the Birth Centre. My midwives were completely supportive and always reiterated that I could change my mind, even on the day of the birth.
As before, it was great to have my ante-natal appointments at home meaning it was much more relaxed and friendly and we had lovely long chats with cups of tea! It was great that my son got to be there to see it all and to meet the midwife who helped him bring him into the world.
When it got to 2 days past my due date, I had a visit from Carole for my 40 week appointment. I remarked to Carole that the baby was feeling very high under my ribs. Carole did an examination and could not determine 100% what position the baby was in. Carole explained to me that she could do an internal examination to investigate further. I really appreciated the fact that there was no pressure and that she explained fully the risks to me (could bring on labour). I decided to go ahead but again, the baby’s exact position could not be determined.
Carole explained that the only way we could be sure was to have an ultra-sound scan. Again there was no pressure and I was made to feel that the decision was mine. My husband and I decided to go for a scan and were able to be seen that afternoon. We arrived for the scan expecting to be told everything was fine and not to worry however we found out the baby was in a footling breech position – head up with one foot up near its head and the other down in my pelvis and the sonographer said “you will have to have a caesarean.” I was absolutely devastated as I saw my dream of a natural home water birth disappearing.
My husband called Carole to tell her as I was too upset to talk and she said that she would call me later when I got home. I was so upset at the news and panicking as I was not booked into any hospital and was past my due date. When Carole called, we spoke at length and she really helped to calm me down. I loved the fact that she kept telling me I had choices and that I did not have to have a c-section. She even made telephone calls to explore the possibility of ECV and vaginal breech delivery. In the end however, I decided that I was worried about the safety of the baby and would prefer to have an elective c-section. Along with some help from Caroline Flint (thanks Caroline – I will be forever grateful) they managed to get me an appointment with a consultant for the next day.
Carole met us at the hospital before the appointment for coffee and she was brilliant (as always). I was still upset and crying loads. Carole put it to me that I was grieving in a way as the birth I’d been planning on was taken away from me but that whilst I was having a c-section I still had choices and could get some control back. This really helped me come to terms with it and go into the appointment with a happier state of mind.
The consultant was absolutely lovely and I immediately felt at ease. Carole asked questions for me such as could I have my relaxing birth music played (of course), could she attend (she could). The consultant was very impressed with the service provided by Carole and the Birth Centre and had lots of praise for her! It was agreed that I would come in the following morning for a c-section at 8am. I was a bit concerned in case I went into labour that day but the consultant gave me his mobile number and told me to call in case I was at all worried. I went away much happier and went home to pack.
When I got home I had a show but was not too concerned as I knew that labour could still be days away. I busied myself packing and spending time with my son. My mum had come to stay so she could be with my son in the morning and just in case anything happened in the night. I put my son to bed and about 15 minutes later started to feel a bit crampy and peculiar.I called the consultant to tell him and he said to wait and see if anything else happened. I started to pace around the living room and realised that I was in labour. Contractions started very quickly and were 4 minutes apart straight away. I called Carole who reassured me that I knew my body and to call the consultant again and tell him I was coming to the hospital and she would meet us there which I did.
My husband then hurriedly drove us on the 20 minute journey from East to West London. By Wapping my contractions were only 2 minutes apart! When I arrived at the hospital we made our way up to the ward and met my anaesthetist in the lift who had hurried over after a call from the consultant. I was taken to a room where I got into a gown and was hooked up the monitor so they could see how the baby was doing (thankfully fine). Carole texted to make sure I was ok and to say she would be there shortly.
My husband went to put scrubs on and was met by Carole who did the same. When I got into theatre it was great to have my support team of my husband and Carole. I was nervous about the spinal injection but the anaesthetist was the nicest person ever and really helped me feel at ease. Once the injection took effect, the contractions stopped and I was able to calm down from the mad dash to the hospital it was actually a really nice atmosphere. The whole medical team were lovely and with Carole and my husband there I was even making jokes and wasn’t anxious at all. It felt like the most surreal experience lying there knowing I was about to meet my baby without going through the normal birth experience. Six minutes after the first cut, the baby was out! I asked my husband what it was and he told me “it’s a boy.” Carole then advised my husband to “look again.” Where the curtain was up and the nurses hand was in the way, my husband had missed that the baby was a girl!! Either way we were thrilled. They took her away to be weighed and checked. I told my husband to go and watch and Carole said she would stay with me which was lovely. After a while I told Carole she should go and have a look too as I look on her as a friend and wanted her to share in the joy.
My daughter was brought to me and I was able to have a good look and stroke her whilst they stitched me up. When I was taken to the recovery room, Carole stayed with us and worked alongside the midwives and nurses checking my drip and blood pressure and most importantly helping me get that first skin-to-skin contact and first feed.
When I was taken back to my room, Carole stayed with us as we discussed it all and admired our new daughter. When Carole left, we got some much needed sleep.
The next day we had a visit from our other lovely midwife, Glenis who gave me some of her fantastic homeopathic remedies.
I was able to leave hospital after 3 days and had great support from my midwives on their visits. In the first week I had a medical problem that I was really worried about. Carole came to see me and spent ages with us, helping me with the discomfort and accompanying me to an appointment with my consultant. Again, my consultant could not believe the level of care and service provided by the midwives.
When it came to my 6 week last appointment, I was incredibly sad to say to goodbye to Carole who had been there for me so much and had gone above and beyond expectations to help us. Despite my daughter’s birth turning out completely different to what I had planned, thanks to Carole helping me get that sense of choice back and just by being there with her calm and down to earth approach, what could have been a scary experience is a wonderful memory of the birth of my daughter.
I cannot praise or recommend the Birth Centre enough – you are all fabulous and I will always be grateful for your support.
Kelly Herbert
Having had the most amazing natural birth experience at the Birth Centre when giving birth to my son, as soon as I found out I was pregnant again the first people we called were the Birth Centre! The care and support we had received the first time around was beyond amazing and we were hoping that we would again get Carole Goddard as our midwife. Fortunately we were in luck and it was great to receive a call from her after 18 months to tell us that she would be our midwife again – hooray!
I was planning on having the baby at the Birth Centre again but about 2 months before my due date I had a change of mind and decided I wanted a water home birth due to the travelling time to the Birth Centre. My midwives were completely supportive and always reiterated that I could change my mind, even on the day of the birth.
As before, it was great to have my ante-natal appointments at home meaning it was much more relaxed and friendly and we had lovely long chats with cups of tea! It was great that my son got to be there to see it all and to meet the midwife who helped him bring him into the world.
When it got to 2 days past my due date, I had a visit from Carole for my 40 week appointment. I remarked to Carole that the baby was feeling very high under my ribs. Carole did an examination and could not determine 100% what position the baby was in. Carole explained to me that she could do an internal examination to investigate further. I really appreciated the fact that there was no pressure and that she explained fully the risks to me (could bring on labour). I decided to go ahead but again, the baby’s exact position could not be determined.
Carole explained that the only way we could be sure was to have an ultra-sound scan. Again there was no pressure and I was made to feel that the decision was mine. My husband and I decided to go for a scan and were able to be seen that afternoon. We arrived for the scan expecting to be told everything was fine and not to worry however we found out the baby was in a footling breech position – head up with one foot up near its head and the other down in my pelvis and the sonographer said “you will have to have a caesarean.” I was absolutely devastated as I saw my dream of a natural home water birth disappearing.
My husband called Carole to tell her as I was too upset to talk and she said that she would call me later when I got home. I was so upset at the news and panicking as I was not booked into any hospital and was past my due date. When Carole called, we spoke at length and she really helped to calm me down. I loved the fact that she kept telling me I had choices and that I did not have to have a c-section. She even made telephone calls to explore the possibility of ECV and vaginal breech delivery. In the end however, I decided that I was worried about the safety of the baby and would prefer to have an elective c-section. Along with some help from Caroline Flint (thanks Caroline – I will be forever grateful) they managed to get me an appointment with a consultant for the next day.
Carole met us at the hospital before the appointment for coffee and she was brilliant (as always). I was still upset and crying loads. Carole put it to me that I was grieving in a way as the birth I’d been planning on was taken away from me but that whilst I was having a c-section I still had choices and could get some control back. This really helped me come to terms with it and go into the appointment with a happier state of mind.
The consultant was absolutely lovely and I immediately felt at ease. Carole asked questions for me such as could I have my relaxing birth music played (of course), could she attend (she could). The consultant was very impressed with the service provided by Carole and the Birth Centre and had lots of praise for her! It was agreed that I would come in the following morning for a c-section at 8am. I was a bit concerned in case I went into labour that day but the consultant gave me his mobile number and told me to call in case I was at all worried. I went away much happier and went home to pack.
When I got home I had a show but was not too concerned as I knew that labour could still be days away. I busied myself packing and spending time with my son. My mum had come to stay so she could be with my son in the morning and just in case anything happened in the night. I put my son to bed and about 15 minutes later started to feel a bit crampy and peculiar.I called the consultant to tell him and he said to wait and see if anything else happened. I started to pace around the living room and realised that I was in labour. Contractions started very quickly and were 4 minutes apart straight away. I called Carole who reassured me that I knew my body and to call the consultant again and tell him I was coming to the hospital and she would meet us there which I did.
My husband then hurriedly drove us on the 20 minute journey from East to West London. By Wapping my contractions were only 2 minutes apart! When I arrived at the hospital we made our way up to the ward and met my anaesthetist in the lift who had hurried over after a call from the consultant. I was taken to a room where I got into a gown and was hooked up the monitor so they could see how the baby was doing (thankfully fine). Carole texted to make sure I was ok and to say she would be there shortly.
My husband went to put scrubs on and was met by Carole who did the same. When I got into theatre it was great to have my support team of my husband and Carole. I was nervous about the spinal injection but the anaesthetist was the nicest person ever and really helped me feel at ease. Once the injection took effect, the contractions stopped and I was able to calm down from the mad dash to the hospital it was actually a really nice atmosphere. The whole medical team were lovely and with Carole and my husband there I was even making jokes and wasn’t anxious at all. It felt like the most surreal experience lying there knowing I was about to meet my baby without going through the normal birth experience. Six minutes after the first cut, the baby was out! I asked my husband what it was and he told me “it’s a boy.” Carole then advised my husband to “look again.” Where the curtain was up and the nurses hand was in the way, my husband had missed that the baby was a girl!! Either way we were thrilled. They took her away to be weighed and checked. I told my husband to go and watch and Carole said she would stay with me which was lovely. After a while I told Carole she should go and have a look too as I look on her as a friend and wanted her to share in the joy.
My daughter was brought to me and I was able to have a good look and stroke her whilst they stitched me up. When I was taken to the recovery room, Carole stayed with us and worked alongside the midwives and nurses checking my drip and blood pressure and most importantly helping me get that first skin-to-skin contact and first feed.
When I was taken back to my room, Carole stayed with us as we discussed it all and admired our new daughter. When Carole left, we got some much needed sleep.
The next day we had a visit from our other lovely midwife, Glenis who gave me some of her fantastic homeopathic remedies.
I was able to leave hospital after 3 days and had great support from my midwives on their visits. In the first week I had a medical problem that I was really worried about. Carole came to see me and spent ages with us, helping me with the discomfort and accompanying me to an appointment with my consultant. Again, my consultant could not believe the level of care and service provided by the midwives.
When it came to my 6 week last appointment, I was incredibly sad to say to goodbye to Carole who had been there for me so much and had gone above and beyond expectations to help us. Despite my daughter’s birth turning out completely different to what I had planned, thanks to Carole helping me get that sense of choice back and just by being there with her calm and down to earth approach, what could have been a scary experience is a wonderful memory of the birth of my daughter.
I cannot praise or recommend the Birth Centre enough – you are all fabulous and I will always be grateful for your support.
Kelly Herbert
