Birth Story - Judah Francis Green

So who's ready for all the gory details?! Ok, I'm not really going to go into too much detail, there's not much gory stuff to tell! Also no gooey pictures!

On the 9th February this huge grey box arrived from Water Baby Birthing Pool Hire. Inside was everything I needed for my much dreamed of home water birth. Let me just say how impressed I was with this company! Firstly the offer a range of pools that all cost £90 for five weeks, three weeks before and two weeks after your due date. I love that you can feel free to pick the pool that is right for you without being swayed by the price. The information on the website said they would reserve the pool until you are 36 weeks then they will take your payment and arrange delivery. When the lovely lady who owns the company phoned to arrange this, she was more than happy to keep the pool another week, until I had one more appointment with my midwife to check we could really go ahead with the home birth. When she phoned again after my appointment, she checked whether I was in a good place to give my card details over the phone (I wasn't), was happy to wait for me to phone back with them and arranged the delivery for the pool the next morning. In all of our dealings with Emma we found her kind, considerate and efficient. She even sent a congratulations card after Judah was born!

Once we had the pool we decided to practice inflating it to see how long it would take to inflate. Unfortunately, if you want to practice filling it up you have to buy an extra liner for £25, we didn't do this and I would really recommend doing it! It's good to know how long it will take to fill it, our house has the worst water pressure and we did not anticipate just how long this could take! 

Emma would probably not be best please with what we did get up to with this pool! Noah LOVED it! After this picture was taken it was filled with cushions and duvets for a super cosy story time. It was also a space ship the day before I went into labour!

So onto labour...... I woke up on Monday 18th at about 7am and straight away had some bad back pains. Then again 20 minutes later, and 20 minutes later, and 20 minutes later, and so on! In fact this carried on all day. Not particularly painful, but enough to make me stop what I'm doing, and never getting any more frequent. I wasn't sure what to do, whether to ship Noah out, whether to get Thomas to stay home from work. In the end my mum came and got Noah about 4pm and took him home for a sleepover. I was sure it was going to get going soon.

However, after dinner we went for the longest walk around where we live! The contractions started coming a bit more frequently and I couldn't walk when I was having them, but once we got home the tapered off again. I was beginning to worry that it would all stop and I would have sent Noah off for nothing! We phoned the hospital and the midwife said it just sounded like I wasn't ready yet, that it would probably get going in the middle of the night. So we headed off to bed super early to try and get some sleep in. Thomas did but the contractions were enough to wake me up every time. In the end I was tired and fed up, about half 3 in the morning I decided to try a trick I had read on the internet....tweak my nipples!!! Something I read said to tweak them for an hour and it would get going. Well I knew I was never going to commit to that but a couple of tweaks as a cursory 'try'! Well a couple of tweaks and WOOOSH! Massive contractions every 3 minutes!

I woke Thomas at 4am and phoned the hospital. They phoned the midwife who headed out and got to us around 5am. The midwife at the hospital said to wait until I had been assessed by the midwife to start filling the pool. Should have just gone ahead and started filling it really! The midwife, Cathy, was lovely! She started by watching me, then took some obs and listened to the baby's heartbeat. My contractions were pretty painful, Thomas was rubbing my back which really helped, I was either standing or sitting on my birthing ball. I found standing really took the intensity out of the pains but my legs couldn't handle standing up all the time! When Cathy assessed me she took quite a long time over it. My waters hadn't gone and she said she wanted to be sure she was right as the membranes made it trickier. I was 6cm dilated. She later told me I was so calm between my contractions she didn't believe I could be that far along so spent extra time making sure! She said I was a 'tricky customer' as I was handling it too well and she couldn't tell how I was progressing by watching.

She had called for her second to come, with gas and air, and she arrived not a moment too soon. I was desperate for some pain relief. Thomas had started filling the pool after Cathy examined me, but it was way off being able to get in. A contraction started just as Pippa walked in and I was amazed at how quickly she got that gas to me! That was about 6.30am and my waters still hadn't gone. Cathy said once they went things would progress very quickly. I don't think she anticipated quite how quickly!

I never did make it into that pool! I do still feel I got my money's worth though because at the end I had to stand for my contractions and it was exactly the right height to lean on! Suddenly my waters went with a huge gush! Cathy asked if I wanted to get into a more comfortable position but there was no way I could move as I could feel a head. 3 pushes and he was out! That was literally how quick it was! At 7.50am Judah flew into the world. On all accounts Cathy made an incredible catch! I flopped back into our IKEA Poang chair which someone had covered in a duvet and held my beautiful little boy for the first time!

Unfortunately I had to have stitches again, but that just meant Thomas got a really nice long cuddle whilst I got high on gas and air! As soon as I was sorted and Judah was handed back to me he latched straight on and had a really nice long feed whilst everyone tidied up and filled in paperwork around me!

Having a home birth was incredible, once all was done I had a shower in my own shower and got into my own bed (with nice fresh sheets on as I had had plenty of warning). It was just blissful. After the midwives left we got to have a snooze and snuggle with our baby in our own bed, before my parents brought Noah back and peace and quiet was gone forever!

Incidentally, we had no idea what we were going to name this perfect little baby! We eventually managed to get it down to two choices that we both really liked, so we let Noah choose. He's still not 100% sure he's pleased this baby is here to stay, but he does love him very much and is proud he chose his name!

Here I am, covered in boys (in some matching tie dye you may notice, no more white baby grows!). I never imagined I would have all boys, and maybe I wont, but darn it they are something special!

Bx

Project 52 - 8/52

Hooray! It's the big week! I finally have two little people to take pictures of. Judah Francis Green arrived last Tuesday (has it really been a week already?!). Trying to manage two children and get my camera out lots has been a challenge, so my photos are not necessarily the best moments of the week! Yesterday I actually sent Thomas back to the car so I could take some pictures at Canterbury Cathedral. I think I got some good shots of Noah for this week.

So here he is! His nose is just like Noah's but I think that's where the similarity ends. Everyone else thinks they are identical!

On Friday the sun came out! Having been indoors all week I just had to get out! We went down to the Coastal Park in Folkestone. Noah and Thomas always have to go the 'adventure route'! Noah always folds the brim of his wooly hat down, hence the funny peaked look!

I shall write soon about how exactly Judah arrived and all about life with two so far!

Bx

Project 52 - 6+7/52

Somehow I lost a week here! I was sure I was up to date! Never mind. Instead you have a double whammy!

My apologies the last weeks photos are just iPhone photos and you have to click the link to see them!

The first one is of Noah. We are having some real struggles getting his sleeping pattern right at the moment. It disrupts bedtime so much if he has a nap, but if he doesn't sleep we get this!\

http://www.flickr.com/photos/116824065@N05/12572035125/lightbox/

Secondly this is a picture of my bump. Baby has finally turned round so it's no longer back to back (and has hopefully stayed that way) resulting in some funky looking bumps!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beingmummygreen/12572041695/in/set-72157640677384495

For this week I again just have Noah. This photo was taken as part of my first assignment for my photography course. I had to go out and shoot photos entirely using the manual setting. It's been tricky to find a day to go out when it wasn't raining, but today it was beautiful and we headed out to find some puddles to play in! I feel very out of my depth with the photography course. Please feel free to peruse my flickr page to see my submissions for the assignment.

I love this photo of Noah and Thomas. Noah is really getting into holding hands now and quite often comes up to me and slips his little hand in mine. Of course there are many many times we want him to hold our hand to be safe and he wont! He really loved having a good splash in the floods and despite all the waterproofs managed to soak his trousers and socks as well!

Hopefully there will be a new baby to show next week!

Bx

Right now I'm loving.......001

I am an excellent online window shopper. I fill my baskets with things I have no money to buy but would love. I have wish lists on websites that are pages long!

I am also really good at pinterest. I can pin things all day long. I am pretty good at picking out pins that are actually doable (some things are look amazing but realistically you need some special talents to achieve). Actually doing them is something else though!

So I have decided to share with you the things I'm loving right now. I will try to  make this a regular post. Then maybe you can benefit from my 'special talents'!

These boys tees from Vertbudet. It's so hard to find boys tees that don't have really cheesy logos and sayings on them, and these are 3 for £9! Bargain!!

This shirt from Modcloth. Am starting to think about post pregnancy clothes, actually that's a lie, I am obsessed with what I will be able to wear! I am so so very sick of the three tops that still fit me. Then there is the consideration of being able to get my boobs out for feeding this kid! So I am all about button up tops right now!  

This camera strap cover from Etsy. As I have just enrolled in a photography course my camera will be out with me lots more. The current strap that came with the camera is so uncomfortable and this looks amazing and will make it much more comfortable! I am also all about chevrons!

These swaddle blankets from Aiden and Anais. I love the look of a baby all snuggled up in a blanket. It is supposed to be great for helping babies feel secure and safe. I can't say I have tried and tested this method with Noah as the week after he was born it was scorching hot so he was just in a nappy the whole time we didn't wrap him up at all! Obviously this time it's much colder so I want to get involved in swaddling. These look amazing and I have it on good authority that they are really useful way after they need to be swaddled. I would actually have ordered these but I like the pink ones so am waiting to find out what we have!

This sweatshirt by Beau Loves from Archies Boutique. Would dress Noah in this entire collection but can't actually afford one piece!`

This gold striped wall. I have been wanting to do this in our bedroom for ages but the prospect of painting it is quite daunting! Right now though I really have the decorating bug. I don't know if it's nesting or just from watching The Great Interior Design Challenge on BBC 2 but I have ideas for so many of our rooms! 

So that's what I'm into this week. I have a child free day on Tuesday so maybe I'll head out and grab some frog tape and gold paint!

Bx

Home Birth/Hospital Birth

Since I found out I was pregnant I've been trying to decide where to have this baby!

My labour with Noah was good, he was back to back but it was 8 hours start to finish with about 50 minutes pushing. Nothing to shabby about that. The contractions were not what I expected, as he was back to back the pain was completely in my spine so it took a while for me to realise I was in labour. The spurts of amniotic fluid gushing down my leg with each contraction gave it away though! I had wanted a water birth. Our hospital has this amazing Midwifery Led Unit, with huge pools and massive individual rooms with en-suits. I went into one of the huge rooms, got my gas and air going, got on all fours and..........couldn't move! The pain in my back and bum was so much that I felt I could not move from that position at all. The midwife filled the pool for me but I just couldn't move and ended up going without. I loved being in the MLU. After Noah was born I was pretty much left to it, they came in to check I was feeding Noah alright (my mother will tell you I wasn't at all and the midwife wasn't much help, but I wasn't worries and it all turned out fine!) and I didn't really see them again. With a little stubbornness on my part, they let me go home that evening.

Everything was exactly as I would have liked it and I think this is what has made my decision so hard this time round. I know if this baby is born later in the day, or just having a midwife with a different mentality, I was likely to be told to stay overnight. If everything goes fine there is no way I want to go without my bed and without Thomas! Then there's the fact that everyone says having a home birth is "amazing"! However, I still really wanted to have a water birth and the idea of having a pool at home seemed like such a faff!

There is one other factor that really has been the hardest to overcome. I am not usually so certain and unchanging in feeling about things like this, but I guess childbirth is enough to create strong feelings in me! At our doctors surgery there are two midwives who are part of a wider team of 8. At the beginning of my pregnancy I had some issues and ended up speaking to the same midwife every time. She was unhelpful and made me feel stressed out by the situation. It was only after I had my first actual appointment, with the other midwife, I found out there was a very simple solution to my problem that the other midwife never considered. I have managed to see the lovely midwife the whole way through my pregnancy except once recently. I went in for my appointment and discovered I was seeing the other one. Yet again she left me feeling confused, stressed, bad about myself and angry! The big problem is that if I have a home birth she may be the one on call. I had to decide whether I was willing to risk a 1 in 8 chance of her being the one at my birth, a time when I want to feel relaxed and in control.

It was this birth story on the Gas and Air Blog, that convinced me to go for the home birth. I have reserved a birthing pool and am picturing candles, music, meditation podcasts, dim lighting and complete calm! Obviously I have a 1 in 8 chance that I will have the opposite but that is a risk I am willing to take!

So the midwife is coming to my house on Thursday to write our birth plan and do all the paperwork for a home birth. My blood pressure has been a little high so as long as that is ok on Thursday we are good to go!

Oh, and it had better be soon!!!!

Bx

Project 52 - 4/52

This week Noah has taken to photography himself. I don't think it shows off the growing bump very well, but I think you can see I don't have much that fits and I'm not very comfortable!

He looks so grown up in this photo. We managed to find a lovely dry day for playing in the park in Canterbury, back home in Ashford it was thick fog!

A Big Thank You!

I would just like to do a post saying a massive thank you to a very old friend! Despite not having much contact over the last 8 years, after reading this this post about unisex baby clothing, she sent me this gorgeous package of baby clothes in the post!

It was such a kind thing to do, the clothes are adorable and it gave me great encouragement in writing my blog. The clothes are all from Pumpkin Patch, which I did not know still had a website, I thought when they went into administration just around the time Noah was born that was it. It was a real shame because there clothes are lovely, one of my favourite outfits Noah wore as a baby was from there and they still stock it - see here. 

So again, I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to Ella, and thank you to everyone who encourages my writing!

Bx