The birth went quickly and almost too well to be true. I was admitted on Saturday because I thought my water was leaking. It wasn’t, but they found out I was 3 cm dilated. I didn’t have any contractions. However, they kept me in the maternity hospital. On Monday, I still didn’t feel any contractions and I felt great, so I wanted to go home. The doctor did another check-up as a precaution and I was 3–4 cm dilated, everything was soft, and the head was very low (without contractions). So the doctor decided to rupture the membranes.
When I came from the ward to the delivery rooms, I first asked for room 1 or 6. Although I didn’t really use any of the equipment in the room, the feeling in the larger room was good. When I entered room 1, she was standing there. My midwife, Nastja. Throughout my pregnancy, I had secretly hoped that I would catch her during the birth, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up too much so I wouldn’t be disappointed if she wasn’t there. But she was there after all. I actually felt relieved because I knew I was in excellent hands and everything would be great.
At 10:00 AM, the doctor ruptured the membranes. The first contractions hit at 10:21 AM. That’s when it stopped being fun. Nastja was in the room with us the whole time. We talked, and that made me forget the pain a little. As the contractions intensified, Nastja relieved the pain with massage and encouraged my partner to help me. When Nastja went for a snack, another great midwife came in (a dream team, I’d say :)). Around 11:30 AM, I asked for a pain relief injection because it really hurt badly. The contractions were escalating. It was really intense. At one point, I thought I would faint from the pain, but I pushed through. I thought of my little one and kept going. It also helped that Nastja was there, completely calm and confident in what she was doing. That kind of energy really gives you the feeling that everything will be okay. Then the pushing started. That, wow. I kept saying I wouldn’t make it because I thought I was going to tear apart. Then, at one point, it stopped hurting. All I had in my head was that I had to get the little one out, no matter what. And so, at 12:29 PM, little Sofija was born. (3110 g and 49 cm—so much for being two weeks too small!!) I didn’t need any stitches. Phew, lucky me! ?
I have to say that without my partner’s help, it wouldn’t have gone so easily. He was a real help. We were a great team!
I regularly did yoga exercises at home, went to acupuncture, took homeopathic granules, drank raspberry leaf tea, and did perineal massage. All of it helped! For sure. But the mindset helps the most. I was really scared, but I didn’t think about it. I just let go and went with the flow.
After the birth, the three of us were alone for 3 hours. A great feeling. The little one also latched on to the breast, and Nastja helped with that too. She showed us how and it worked. 🙂
