Positive Birth Story – My own choice

This story shows how with a personalised level of care Emilie altered the journey of her labour and birth. Emilie chose a private stretch and sweep to try and avoid an induction. Through this act and subsequent advice Emilie found the power to pursue alternative course of action to the hospital’s proposal; she found the confidence to make her own choice.

I’d had a very smooth pregnancy up to 38 weeks when I moved to the West Midlands. At my booking-in appointment my midwife noted that my bump was the same size as my Nottingham midwife had measured me at two weeks prior and referred me for a scan at hospital to allow for human error. The scan plotted her grazing below on the 10th centile line, but baby’s position made it tricky to get an accurate read. From this point the hospital were insistent that she was tracking small, and that I’d need CTGs every two days, more scans and an induction at 39 weeks.

Finding Linda

I came across Linda whilst looking for private scan options online in a panic – she advised that whilst she didn’t provide scanning services, she was concerned that the hospital were pressuring me into an induction I wouldn’t need, and asked me to keep her updated. Impressed by her calm approach and evident expertise, we engaged Linda to provide pre- and post-natal support – it was my own choice and the best money we spent during my pregnancy.

Linda assessed me and was adamant that the baby wasn’t small, and that with no other risk factors being present, I should be able to have a natural birth. She talked with us at length about the induction process, how this was being impacted by Covid. With restrictions meaning partners not being allowed in until labour was fully established, Linda advised that my body wasn’t yet ready to deliver, meaning I would most likely be alone on a ward for 48 hours, with the induction process failing and then requiring a C-section. We were therefore able to make an informed decision, and elected to push for a natural birth. She also conducted a series of sweeps to regularly assess me and help bring on birth, in order to avoid the induction that the hospital was pushing for.

Increasing confidence

Linda told me how to negotiate with the hospital, and gave me the confidence to make my own choice to leave when the repeated visits became traumatic. As the tone at the hospital became increasingly pushy, with staff telling me I risked still birth and could need an emergency C-section, Linda recommended I book in for a scan with Mike Wyldes at MUMS in Solihull as his equipment allowed for much more accurate scanning, such as the blood flow in baby’s brain. Mr Wyldes confirmed that baby was perfectly healthy and was tracking to be well over 7lb, contacting the hospital to stand down on the ECGs.

These interventions allowed me to enjoy the final weeks of my pregnancy, and most crucially allowed baby to “cook” until she was finally ready at 41.5 weeks.

Baby is coming!

I called Linda at 11pm when I felt labour might be starting, she assessed me over the phone and confirmed I was in the early stages – she recommended the Freya app to track my contractions and I laboured peacefully through the night at home, with the app telling me when I was in established labour, particularly useful as the contractions were fluctuating between every seven and every three minutes. Having given birth quickly with my elder daughter, I knew to insist on the phone to the labour ward that I needed to come in, and having arrived at hospital at 5.50am for an assessment, I was taken to the delivery suite after 30 minutes, delivering naturally with gas and air 20 minutes later. Our little girl weighed a healthy 7lbs 9oz – as Linda and Mike had predicted.

Thank you Linda

I can’t recommend Bumps 2 Babies enough – Linda’s calm reassurance was invaluable, giving me the confidence that all was well with the baby. Without her expert guidance I would have talked into an unnecessary induction, spending days in hospital alone. She enabled me to enjoy the speedy, natural birth that my previous labour suggested I would have, and I am so grateful.