Giving Birth To A Back To Back Baby | Part One

8pm- I was home alone watching a repeat of The Chase. I had my laptop on my lap, the dog by my side and I thought baby had put pressure on my bladder and made me wee a little bit. Next minute there was a physically popping feeling and a tremendous gush of water. My first thought was actually 'save the laptop!'


My bottom half was soaked. I grabbed my phone and headed to the downstairs toilet where I sat on the loo and stripped off from the waist down. The dog followed me, knowing that something was happening.

My first instinct was to ring my mum but I knew she would panic and come round to the house but Dan and I had discussed wanting the birth to be as private as possible so I phoned him at work. He knew instantly that it was time. He arrived home and I was still sat on the toilet, shocked and not really knowing what to do. I wasn't in any pain so he fetched me some sanitary ware as my waters were still leaking and I phoned the hospital. They wanted to see me at midnight to examine me.

8pm-12am- I had a bath and we did our best to relax. We phoned family to say my waters had broke and to wait for further news. At this point we were more excited than nervous. We did last minute checks of hospital bags and just hung around waiting.

12pm- We got to the hospital and I was examined. The midwife took one look at my bump and said 'that baby looks back to back'. That was the first we'd heard about this and weren't entirely sure of the implications. I was given an internal exam and it was confirmed that my waters had broke and that  I was 1cm dilated. I was given a stretch and sweep in the hope that it would get labour to progress...and it did...

1am- We'd been sent home after the initial exam and told to track my temperature for indications of infection as my waters had gone and labour hadn't yet started. We phoned family to update them, we told them there was no news and to get to bed. It seemed unlikely anything would happen but as I was on the phone to my mum the pain started and it was very intense.

Contractions had been described to me as a pain that ebbs and flows, gradually getting more intense and closer together. My pain wasn't like that. It was instant and intense and did not waiver at all. It was in my back and my bum. Nothing across the front or down below. It was making me vomit. I asked Dan to call the labour ward and they asked to speak to me but I couldn't as I was constantly being sick. They said to go upto the hospital. I was struggling to walk at this point.

My birth plan had stated intermittent monitoring and I wanted to be able to move around the room but that wasn't going to happen. I was laid on the bed (in the laid on my back position i'd wanted to avoid!), strapped to a monitor and I was given an anti-emetic and diamorphine. I was so grateful for the anti-emetic as I was struggling to cope with the constant vomiting. I had wanted to avoid all pain relief but I hadn't planned on baby being back to back and how immensely painful that would make my labour. I was at the point where I needed pain relief and thankfully it was quite effective for me. By 2am I was 3cm dilated and that is the last thing I remember until..

...I was around 8cm. The diamorphine had made me very sleepy and I completely lost all sense of where I was or what was happening. I had conversations with my consultant that I can't even remember having. I consented to an exam and I heard a voice say 'you are 8cm'. I swore. It took me totally by surprise, time had slipped away.....

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Giving Birth To A Back To Back Baby | Part Two

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