Birth stories - Dry home birth with doctor and doula

Birth stories - Dry home birth with doctor and doula ^Featured

Ingrid Coetzee planned a home water birth but ended up having a dry home birth.

Having quite small hips, she was already told at 30 weeks pregnant by clinic sisters that her baby would be too big and she would need a c-section. She was petrified of being cut, so was adamant that she would not have a c-section. “So we got a midwife and I birthed at home.”

Before she gave birth, she did a lot of research. “I have files, folders and hard drives full of research! I thought I was going dizzy with all the information. The main reason we decided on a home birth is because I can do what I feel comfortable doing during labour instead of being dictated too. I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the actual contraction pains for a first birth. I am grateful that I had my doula and doctor there but now that I know exactly what to expect and how things are meant to go, I wouldn’t want anyone but hubby there.”

Waiting for labour

She jokingly says it took her “three tries” to actually go into labour properly. “On 20 June 2013, I started experiencing excruciating back pain. At that stage I was still working, and had decided to take the afternoon off. My doula (trainee midwife) came over to the house and did an internal upon my request and discovered that I was 3cm dilated. We started prepping everything. I had no contractions but extreme back pain so we suspected back labour because of Zoe’s positioning. The back pain eased up and things went back to normal. I was officially on maternity leave, no baby and nothing to do. I walked. A lot. On the 9th of July, two days after my official due date, my waters broke at around 3am. I contacted my doula, and we got ready, all over again. Because, seriously, how many people’s waters break without a baby coming soon? I had no back pain, no contractions. In fact, I felt fine. Big and uncomfortable, but fine.”

Still no labour

My midwife instructed me over the phone to drink castor oil, which I did. Apart from a very loose tummy, I still didn’t go into labour. My midwife came the next morning (about 24 hours after my waters broke). She didn’t want to do any internal as there was a chance of infection. We went for long walks. She put me on a light antibiotic, just in case. But there didn’t seem to be any chance of baby coming. By that evening (around 36 hours after my water broke), we went to the hospital to have a speculum. It came back empty and I was officially not in labour. My midwife and doula went home. We went back to life.”

Finally!

“On the 19th of July, I only woke up at around 13:00, because, come on, I was on maternity leave, had nothing to do and no baby. I don’t know how I knew but I just knew this is it – I felt.... Different. I told hubby but didn’t want to let anyone else know. Two false alarms are bad enough, but three would have been downright embarrassing. By 15:00 the contractions kicked in. Slowly at first but they became regular very quickly. In the beginning, the contractions were mild and spaced out, I relaxed in between and took them one at a time. Ice packs on my back felt heavenly. By around 20:00, I texted my doula and informed her that this is it. She asked me if I wanted her there now, I figured, nah, I’m doing just fine, laughing and walking around. By 10pm, I was in tears. The contractions were hard and strong and right on top of each other. There was no breathing space. I started stressing. Hubby called the doula. She arrived at around 23:00 and gave me a good talking to, after which I calmed down enough to breath through the contractions. It was excruciating to lie on my back for the internals, so I walked. My house isn’t big, so it was up and down. There was no letting up. At around 01:00 I went into transition. I had relief and I slept. “

Relief in water

Her doctor arrived at 03:00. Her midwife was visiting her sickly mother in KZN. Ingrid got into the bath at their house. “Because the midwife was away there was no birth pool, so the bath would have to do. My contractions disappeared completely after 10 minutes in the bath. I felt bliss. The relief was greater than any reward ever. By around 10am, after getting in and out of the water to try kickstart the labour, I got sick and tired of waiting, and over my dead body was I having a c-sec. I got out of the bath and started pushing – without contractions. Eventually by about 11:00, the contractions kicked in again and the pushing became easier. It was no longer all me. I hung on hubby, I kneeled on the floor, I squatted by the bed. The ring of fire just got worse. By about 11:20, my doula told me to lie on the bed. At first I resisted, the memory of the pain from earlier in the labour was too fresh. She convinced me fairly quickly though. I waddled over to the bed, with Zoe’s head crowning between my legs. I lay down on the bed. Two pushes and the head was out, one more and the rest of my daughter emerged.” While she was in labour, thoughts like “I can’t do this”, “make it stop” and “thank goodness hubby is here”, went through her head. “My husband’s support and the knowledge that the other alternative would have me recovering for six to eight weeks got me through.”

Retaining placenta and fear

Before the birth, her mom wasn’t very happy about her intention to have a home birth. “She had a c-sec with both my brother and I, but I just told her that she needs to trust that I know what I am doing. The only fear I had was after the birth. I was petrified that there would be more pain to get the placenta out. By then I wasn’t thinking logically. I believe that this fear caused me to not be able to relax to be able to release the placenta. The retained placenta was definitely a big negative. I ended up losing litres of blood because of it and about six or seven hours after the birth had to go into hospital. I had been on a syntocin drip since around 24:00 and there was no letting up. At the hospital they tried removing the placenta, but I was so raw down under that I tensed up more. Eventually they took me into theatre and put me under general anesthetic. Apparently the placenta came out fairly easily. Once out of theatre, I started shaking uncontrollably – I had picked up an infection. I ended up staying in hospital for 4 days.”

Ingrid remembers the first breastfeeding experience as the most rewarding feeling. “As I breastfeed my little girl for the first time, she held my thumb and lightly stroked it with hers. I cried I was so happy.” – Jana Engelbrecht

Baby’s weight: 4kg

Born at: 41 weeks, 5 days

Labour lasted: 20.5 hours

Birth date: 20 July 2013

Birth stories - Dry home birth with doctor and doula Featured

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Birth stories - Dry home birth with doctor and doula ^Featured