This very funny story is from Georgina, who came on my course 2, 1/2 years ago when she was expecting her 5th baby, she had a perfectly normal birth after lots of fuss and scaremongering, so although she had wanted a home birth she ended up in hospital. I remember reading her birth story at the time and wondering why she couldn’t have a home birth and why she was induced. It was her 5th baby and she knew her body.
 This story is of her 6th baby, this time she completely trusted the process as an experienced mum and didn’t want the bother she’d had with the last five.
 Whilst I don’t ever advise unassisted births in my classes, I think that this is a really good example of trusting the process of birth but also demonstrates the messages often myths, that midwives and medics harbour themselves.
 The paramedic offering her gas and air to birth the placenta, after she’d delivered a good sized baby with very little pain, and not believing that she couldn’t tear. The trick of  bringing in her other children to speed up her discharge is a great one too….worth bearing in mind!Â
Georgina’s Unassisted Birth Story
l don’t know whether you remember me but myself and my husband attended your course about 2 1/2 years ago. l sent you our birthing story. We’d had to be induced as he’d got stuck behind the waters. The midwife asked if l was in labour as the monitor was saying l was but l wasn’t screaming – Â just carrying on with a normal conversation!
They’d told me l wasn’t allowed a homebirth as he was number 5 and l’d bleed to death. Well anyway l have another for you now. They said the same this time. No homebirth as he’s number 6 and l would certainly bleed and need help. l said to my husband ‘l’m sick of this, we’ll get the birthing pool up, we’ll have the mindful mamma cd on and we’ll phone them when he’s already born’.
l went into labour around midday. We shopped at Morrisons, we came home and did some housework and made tea. Then we discovered the hosepipe connector for the pool was missing so they had to fill it by hand! My eldest daughter looked after the little ones while husband and son filled the pool. We dimmed the lights and they watched tv while l relaxed.
Our beautiful son Zephi was born at 10:20pm, my husband delivered him and we sat and held him for about 15 minutes before we decided to phone the midwife and tell her we’d had him! They were shocked when he phoned them and they went into panic mode, which was quite funny. They phoned an ambulance and told them l might be bleeding heavily and they had to get here fast. When they arrived l was on the settee wrapped in a towel and blanket with my baby still attached by the cord and definitely not bleeding to death! They clamped the cord then waited for the midwife.
She arrived 10 minutes later and told us off before fussing around the baby as if he was the only child ever to be born at home! She weighed him and we discovered he was 9lb 5oz so a big lad, the paramedic had tears in her eyes asking me how the hell l’d managed to deliver one that size with no pain killers. l told her l’d only felt the last 10 minutes when he’d been coming out, and my 4 and 2 year old had slept through the whole thing so l hadn’t made that much noise!
They asked me if I’d like some gas for the placenta delivery! – l asked them how much they thought my placenta weighed! She looked at me and started saying she’ll definitely need a stitch, she can’t have delivered one that big with no painkillers and not need stitches. They took me to hospital, shone a bright light so they could see and said nope no need for any stitches, no tear!
They told me l had to stay overnight so l could rest which was a joke as they left us in a room with a bright light in it until 3am then moved us to the ward. They then left us with another light on, it was gone 4 before they’d finished doing his temperature every half hour like we were at the north pole! Then they woke me at 7 by turning on the main lights.
The breastfeeding lady came round, asked if l needed any help feeding him, l told her my boobs were pretty full but l was knackered so she could use hers if she liked! The hearing person came round to test his hearing, l told her l needed mine testing as while I’d been waiting to be moved to the ward l’d heard another lady screaming the place down!
They said l could go when they’d prepared my notes, they were taking ages so l phoned my husband and told him to visit with the other 5 kids! lt worked a treat l was out within 1/2 hour! They’re not usually that noisy but they were excited about having a new baby, the toddlers went to do their rounds and check on the other mums and babies, who didn’t seem to mind as they had new mother syndrome and showed their babies off to anyone who wanted a peek!
Anyway now the monday morning school rush is over l’m going to put cbeebies on to keep the 2 tots busy while l curl up on the settee and feed my precious ex bump!
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