Charlotte’s first baby was born in theatre with forceps after 40 hours of labour. Two years later her daughter arrived in the birth centre pool after 15 minutes of pushing.
Charlotte is a 31 year old mum of two. Both her children were surprise pregnancies, two years and two months apart. She felt sick the whole way through both pregnancies, did a hypnobirthing course, and planned a water birth in the birth centre each time.
With her son, labour started on a walk with her mum two days before her due date. She was sent home at 1 to 2cm, laboured through another night with no sleep, and was 5cm when she went back in. She pushed for two hours with a back to back baby who wasn’t moving, and was taken down to the labour ward, where a doctor told her his heart rate wasn’t good. He was born in theatre after a ventouse attempt and forceps, with an episiotomy she didn’t know about until much later. She lost quite a lot of blood, and the next day a midwife told her his heart rate had been fine the whole way through.
Second time around the hospital weren’t sure about the birth centre because of that blood loss, but she got her water birth. Her contractions started at 1am, she was in the pool soon after 7am, and her daughter was born by 11am weighing 8lb 10oz. Charlotte talks honestly about why, after both births, the rush of euphoria she’d heard so much about never quite came.
In this episode we talk about:
The stories shared on British Birthing Stories are real, personal experiences from real women. I am not a medical professional and this podcast is not a substitute for medical advice. Every pregnancy and birth is different, and I always encourage you to speak to your midwife or doctor about your own individual care.
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