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Birth Story Series: Sinead

Updated: Mar 24, 2021



My birth stories are both positive. I want to share my labour and delivery experiences for mothers to be. We have an innate ability to give birth.

Embrace it.

That’s easier said than done with all the pressure, pressure from every corner, but I hope my stories shine a light on the more positive aspects, even if things don’t go the way you want .


April 29th 2012 .

Sophie-Mae.

7 lbs 12 oz.

7 pm 28th April that evening had some contractions, felt them get stronger, felt excited, I just knew this was the beginning, I felt it, I had an emotional outburst, started crying because I knew it was happening soon, I was young, 22 and scared too, I knew I was going to meet my daughter, my very first baby soon. It was daunting and exciting just knowing it was beginning.

11 pm that night they got really strong so we phoned the hospital, they said to come up, we arrived at hospital 12 am 29th April. Waiting around for an hour or so in waiting room, my water broke there They checked me. I was only 1 cm dilated but they kept me in the hospital because of my water breaking, they sent my husband home around 2




am, and told him because it was my first baby that I would be in for a long day of laboring the following day. (Little did they know)

At 3 am I was given pethidine injection- it’s a painkiller (which I regret now because 1. It does absolutely nothing for pain relief because little did they know my baby was to be born very soon after that shot and 2. My daughter has a side effect now directly from that shot called nystagmus that affects her eyes (please always make informed decisions).

Anyway at 4 am while tucked up in bed (while trying to sleep through the intense contractions) I felt this huge urge to push, was an intense pressure sensation, so much pressure, I buzzed the nurse - I told her I needed to push, she checked me and I was 8 cm dilated - with hubby 30 min drive away! So instead of panicking, I just allowed things to unfold, I was thinking it’s a good thing I went from 1 cm to 8 cm quickly . A nurse rang my husband for me and she reassured me he was on the way. I kept focusing on being positive - used some affirmations, an example “I am excited that baby is choosing this time to make an entrance, I won’t worry, I’ll allow it to flow, I’ll enjoy this experience.”

A wheel chair was given to me and I was taken to the delivery room. I just trusted my body, and the midwife really worked well with me she kept reminding me to focus on my body as I kept asking her when I felt the urge to push if I should, she was a calming human and I was glad to have been in her presence as that definitely helped as I didn’t have my hubby at that time. My advice is: deep breaths and when the wave of contractions come over you, when it hurts - scream!!

Vent it all out. I asked for gas and air too, that helps with the panic of the intense contraction coming on, helps you ride through it. I knew I didn’t want an epidural but I also knew if I really needed one I would ask, I just kept thinking “this will be over soon and this will be worth the pain. “

Hubby arrived at 4.50 am, I found it most comfortable to stand arms around hubby and arms around midwife while laboring, I would move and walk and when contraction came I would stay in spot and scream through it and breathe through it, 5.40 am real pressure arose and I couldn’t move only stay on the bed, it was the time to really start pushing, I went with my body and the most comfortable position for me was on my knees on the bed, the bed was lifted so I could have my upper body resting over the back of the bed was raised up like hospital beds can be raised up.

Sophie Mae was born at 5.58 am. It burns. It is sore, BUT for a very short time, as soon as her head is out the rest isn’t as painful at all, go with your body, your body will get that baby out, you will have an innate ability to push through the pain .

Giving birth for the first time was the most amazing experience. It feels like something took over my body, a higher power because I felt a sense of being on cloud 9, it’s euphoric. And that moment when you get to hold your baby, something happens to your heart, it explodes with so much happiness. You can do it. You can have a positive story too. Trust your body and trust your baby too, they are coming out to meet you , they know what to do. It’s nature.

We have too much information these days, too many complicated stories surrounding giving birth. We can get caught up in this web of negativity. It’s important to disconnect from negative stories and focus on your own journey.






Second baby.

18th Oct 2016

Sam

8 lbs 9 oz

Second pregnancy, I was excited for labour and delivery. The first experience was just incredible so I was ready, so ready to do this again.

Except it was very different, but still positive all the same.

17th of October 8.30 am I ended up slipping on something on the floor and I fell, luckily I fell against a door and almost slid down it but none the less landed on my bum.

I got a fright but felt ok, felt baby move, I stayed calm. I felt ok. Then 10 minutes after the fall my waters broke!! I knew it was the fall that ruptured my waters, still I remained calm, I wasn’t in any pain, baby was moving as normal, I phoned the hospital they told me to come up, we arrived at the hospital, had to stay there because my water had broken. Nothing was happening, baby was happy moving away, I was trying to induce labour via yoga ball, running up and down stairs in hospital etc, but after 24 hours and with no sign of labour beginning they told me they would have to induce me soon via drip as baby was susceptible to getting an infection if left in any longer. I agreed to being induced as I trusted this was the way it was to be given the circumstance of falling the day prior, and because the fall was an unnatural way of starting things and that this the way it was, so I accepted it. The following day - 18th October I was given the induction drip at 2 pm, felt contractions come on very strong (so different to it happening naturally) with the drip they can get extremely intense and I felt they were more intense so again I asked for gas and air - it does nothing for pain but it really helps calm mind and relax - this was a huge help for me. Felt the urge to push at 4.30 pm, the nurses almost didn’t believe me because it takes some time usually for drip to work but for me it really helped begin and speed up labor. They checked and again like my first pregnancy I was 8 cm dilated and so again a very similar ending to this delivery too. I was brought down to the delivery room around 4.45 pm and Sam was born at 5.15 pm. I felt because of the drip this was definitely more intense giving birth, also Sam was a bigger baby lol, but when you feel that immense pain there is no point hiding from it, embrace it and push and scream if you want to. (I sounded like a lion - this was helping me release the pain through screaming). The only way is through the pain, and you get a beautiful new human afterwards too. Also remember after the baby’s head is out it’s smooth sailing from there .

I hope I can help some mothers to calm their minds regarding labour and giving birth. Trust in a plan that’s bigger than you, you have control yes you do, but also you have to accept to go with the flow of things, don’t try to control it in a way that YOU want , allow it to unfold and embrace the journey in a positive way.

I could have easily changed my tune when I was to get induced (I was against being induced as I wasn’t happy with ‘unnatural’ interventions) but I accepted that I still made those decisions, and I still used my own body to bring my baby into the world.

Sometimes the way you perceive something can shift your focus into it being a positive or negative experience.

In all cases choose the positive perception, even if it’s hard to find - go digging and find it and focus on that! calm is key. Trust is key.

Thanks for listening to my stories .

Sinead, from Ireland.


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