PARENTHOOD.IE

A story of a quick homebirth, so quick the midwife did not have time to arrive. Tania was aided by husband, mother and children, and she tells us her story.

So for a start, why did we call the baby in my belly Bunny? It is the logic of a four year old. Frogs don’t talk!, he said.

When I was couple months pregnant I asked my son Oisin what we would call the Baby, I proposed ''Grenouill'' (frog in French) but he says no, frogs don’t talk and he offers Bunny,  and it stays.

Bunny was due on the 25th of January and when I went to maternity the 27th the consultant said “It will definitely happen tonight, at most tomorrow”. Tomorrow came and went, and no Bunny.  My midwife came to stay overnight because she thought the birthing would start, but nothing. She came the day after again, as I was having contraction, but they were not strong enough.

The weekend came, then Monday and the end of January. On Tuesday 1st of February, as every Tuesday, I went to the indoor playground Little Rascals and met up with friends. Everyone was surprised to see me with my bump instead of with a baby. I was now on the 41st week according to the Hospital, although I personally thought it was four days less

My midwife asked me on the Monday if I would mind going to her place instead of her coming to me, so Eamonn drove me to Macroon on lovely bumpy Irish back road.

I had small short contractions all that afternoon, but nothing that felt really painful. It was more an annoyance in the car. I could see they were coming regularly, but they were very short.

We arrived at my midwife’s and had a check; my cervix was still nearly the same as last week. A bit shorter, but not ready yet. The midwife said it would all possibly start during the night and I should call her straight when I was getting some stronger contraction. She could see that I had contractions but that they were not very strong. We left her place at 4.45pm, telling her that her bumpy road could help to speed things on.

We were finally home at about 5.30pm and I was still having contractions every five to seven minutes, but very short and not very painful.  If I was going for a Hospital birth I would not go in yet, as they would only send me home again. Cork Maternity Hospital is very busy and they ask for the water to break before to go in.

The contractions start

So I was home, my mum was visiting and I asked the kids to tidy up the landing and put back the birthing pool.

Then suddenly I got a massive contraction, I can’t move and I am stuck in the loo with a massive contraction with a pain level of 8/9 out of 10.

I went down the stairs and I had another one and my mum start to panic. I went down on my fours and as I have another contraction I take the phone and call my midwife.  It is 18:05pm. I scream for Eamonn to get the pool ready and shout at my mum shut up and massage my back.

My poor mum is panicking and saying: “I don’t like see you in pain”.  “Ok, I know, but shut up and massage my back”, I say.

I am down on my four in the kitchen floor, still a dress if you are wondering. At 18:09pm I texted friends "here we go", there is no time for a longer message.

The pool is getting ready and I scream to Eamonn put on Fireman Sam for the kids. I need mum and Eamonn with me, so Sam can save the day.

Eamonn calls my midwife Elke. She is on her way but will need 30 minutes to arrive, so she tells Eamonn to put me on my four.  He replies that I am already in that position.

At 18:22pm I ask him to text the midwife again, but he can’t figure out how to use my phone so I have to text. The contractions are very close; I would say they were on top of each over. The kids are still watching Fireman Sam.

I ask about the pool and but it’ not full yet. When it is approximately three quarters full I get in. My mum keeps massaging and Eamonn becomes the perfect midwife/husband.

When I am in the pool, the kids want to come upstairs. Eamonn told them no and my Elsa got upset, so I tell them they can come up to me if they like. Oisin and Elsa are sitting by the pool, holding my hands and Elsa is saying: “Good girl mum”. My mum regrets not being able to have taken a picture, as she says Elsa was so cute.

Oisin goes downstairs, but I am not sure about my young daughter Elsa. I was keeping my eyes closed. Suddenly I am panicking a bit, I feel the baby is coming out but when I check I cannot feel the head.

A rugby baby catch

I then get an urge to push, but I am not pushing like on TV, it just coming. I scream at Eamonn that Bunny is coming. Oh my god! It’s scary. Eamonn sits behind me outside the pool, and on the first push he feels her head.

On the second push he sees Bunny doing the whale, extracting air, and Bunny is out. It must be around 18:30. He catches her. He later says it was like playing rugby and catching the ball.

If you are still following the story, you will notice there is still no midwife present and I felt like pulling my hair. Now we all are a bit panicky. Is Bunny breathing? Where is the cord? The kids coming back because they heard Bunny is out.

Because she is born purple we wonder if she breathing. We can’t see and she doesn’t cry. The cord is behind her neck, not causing any problems, so we just turn her so the cord stays away.

We call Elke ask her what we are supposed to do and that Bunny is out. She says to take me out of water, to cover myself and Bunny, and that she will be with us in ten minutes.

I text my friends "Bunny is born". We haven’t checked the baby’s sex yet, so we don’t actually know if it is a girl or a boy we have. We were waiting to calm down, to see if everything is fine.

When we all calm down, sort off, Bunny is breathing. She is still very purple but seems ok. We check and it is a girl, and it is Muireann.

A midwive, at last!

The midwife arrived at 18.45 and she is in shock. She gives Bunny a quick look and is happy, she also checks me and I am also well. Eamonn cuts the cord.

For the two previous births I had the epidural, so don’t even remember the placenta coming out. This time it is painful, when it is finally out after 40 minute after the birth. Elke said if the placenta was not out in two days I would need injection, and I don’t want one.

Baby Muireann weighed 8.2 1/2, which was a chock. Elsa was 6.15 and Oisin 7.15, so she is big and 51 cm long.

The midwife stays a while, filling out papers and checking that everything is alright. She tells us she was trying to pass a lorry, which on a narrow secondary road is hard. The lorry driver stops and comes out, she told him she is a doctor called for an emergency and he lets her pass.

We have tea, fresh bread and later soup. Elsa is wired; it is as if she had she drunk a few cans of red bull. She goes to bed at 11, she can’t stop asking about the baby, kissing her and wanting to change the nappy.

Tania, Co. Cork
Mother of three