Well, I got my healing homebirth in the end! 
On the Tue at 43+5 I had another monitoring at the hospital and met with the head MW. He was incredibly supportive and we agreed to put induction off until Mon. He suggested a trial of a new cervical ripener which you go home with for 24 hours - allowing me the possibility of at least doing some of my labouring at home. He also promised to help me negotiate things like time off the continuous monitoring and also said that I could call a halt and ask to go to a C-section at any time. Then he said to just put the whole thing out of my mind for a few days and go home and have some wine. Which I duly did!
That night I was having some contractions but since I'd been having them almost every night for weeks I didn't pay any attention. Went to bed and fell asleep to Hypnobabies as usual. Woke a few times in the night with 'cramps' but didn't take any notice as I'd been a bit constipated and thought that's all it was. Woke up about 6.30 when Dh did feeling 'uncomfortable'. Checked baby's heart rate and noticed it was low down in my pelvis. DH came back in to say goodbye while I was having an 'uncomfortable cramp' and asked me if anything was going on. I said possibly, but not to get too excited, especially since DD's labour was about 21 hours long, and anyway it might well just be that I needed a poo. Sent him off to work with the promise that I'd call if I thought this was the real thing.
Shortly after that, about 8 I finally did my poo (!) but was still having cramps. Nothing major, not at all like what I remembered of DD's labour, so I really didn't think anything of them, beyond a vague hope that it might be early labour. Decided to have a shower and see how I felt after that. Hopped in the shower about 8.30 and all of a sudden things got *really* intense. I was trying to wash my hair but kept being dropped to the floor with these 'cramps' as I was still calling them. My mom was keeping an eye on DD downstairs and she heard me moaning and came in to check on me. She asked me if I was in labour and if I wanted to call DH. I was still doubting, despite (or maybe because of) the intensity of it all. Mom tried to time a few possible contractions and said they were about 45 seconds long with 45 seconds between - which didn't make any sense to me but I decided that whatever was going on I needed some support if I was going to get through hours more of this. So I asked mom to call DH and our doula. She went off downstairs to call, then started vacuuming and getting the birth pool out.
Meantime, I was trying to finish washing and conditioning my hair while having to drop to the floor every 45 seconds and roar through contractions. I was using my Hypnobabies cues of 'peace' and 'open' but it was so intense that I wasn't really feeling any relief with it. At some point I think I noticed that I was involuntarily pushing a bit at the height of a contraction. I tried to stop, but absolutely had no control over it. At this point I also got a really sharp pain all up my left side that meant I was getting no relief in the shower.
My first thought was to get on the toilet to try to stretch out the pain somehow, so somehow or other I managed to climb out of the shower in between contractions, held onto the sink, roaring through another couple, then got myself onto the toilet. The second I sat down my body gave a gigantic push and I could feel baby's head right there!! I managed to shout down to my mom "Help - baby's coming NOW!!". She was still pottering around downstairs, playing with DD, getting the birth pool out, with no idea of how far along I was.
She came rushing up the stairs, closely followed by DD. I tried to explain that the baby's head was right there, but I couldn't possibly get off the toilet, and could she please catch baby. Not sure how coherent I was but she managed to understand!! I gave another huge completely involuntary push and baby's head was crowning. Then I had to wait for a few minutes for the next push - I remember complaining to mom that it really stung; "I'm not surprised" she said! Another push and the head was out. I felt baby wriggling around inside still at this stage - very surreal. One more push and baby was born into nana's waiting hands.
My mom handed baby straight to me - covered in really thick mec, which must have been passed just on the way out. She was quiet, but eyes open straight away. I checked her mouth to see if she'd swallowed or inhaled any mec, but it looked completely clear, so I just gave her a bit of a rub, and she cried a little shortly afterwards. I sent mom off to call the MWs, and just sat there holding her. DD was still with me; she'd been rubbing my leg and telling me everything was okay. I felt a gush and knew the placenta had detached, and not wanting it to go in the toilet I stood up and it fell out with a splash on the floor, shocking poor DD a bit until I reminded her that it was the placenta.
DH got home a few minutes later, heard the baby crying as he came in the door and ran upstairs to find me still sitting on the loo holding a baby!! The MWs arrived another few minutes later and helped us get onto the bed and get DD2 cleaned up a bit. They checked her over and said she looked fine, but that they had to recommend we transfer in to the hospital for observations because of the mec. I would have preferred to stay at home and keep an eye on her myself, but I could tell DH was a bit freaked out, and would prefer to 'be on the safe side', so I agreed, as long as we could have some time at home first to cuddle and feed, which we did.
Our doula turned up as well, bringing presents - mom hadn't managed to call her until after the birth happened, so she knew she wasn't in a rush! She took some lovely photos of both DDs while we were all getting ready to go. We ended up spending pretty much the rest of the day in the hospital, which was a bit disappointing, but not too bad. I held out against the pressure to do a full blood count (because the cord hadn't been cut immediately and they were insisting that baby could have bled out into the placenta!!??!!) and Vit K, so at least I felt that I was being an effective advocate for DD2, which I hadn't been able to do for DD1.
Anyway, labour from the time I realised this might actually be it to baby out was about 40 minutes - she was born about 9.10 am. She weighed 9lb 8oz, and that was after having done a huge poo on the way out! She's got a full head of dark hair and seems really contented and peaceful. I would choose a precipitous birth like that any day over the horrible long back labour I had with DD1!! Makes you realise how different any two births really can be!!
Just to let you all know that I was lucky enough to have it all work out for me this time around, and to thank you all again for your support!!
On the Tue at 43+5 I had another monitoring at the hospital and met with the head MW. He was incredibly supportive and we agreed to put induction off until Mon. He suggested a trial of a new cervical ripener which you go home with for 24 hours - allowing me the possibility of at least doing some of my labouring at home. He also promised to help me negotiate things like time off the continuous monitoring and also said that I could call a halt and ask to go to a C-section at any time. Then he said to just put the whole thing out of my mind for a few days and go home and have some wine. Which I duly did!
That night I was having some contractions but since I'd been having them almost every night for weeks I didn't pay any attention. Went to bed and fell asleep to Hypnobabies as usual. Woke a few times in the night with 'cramps' but didn't take any notice as I'd been a bit constipated and thought that's all it was. Woke up about 6.30 when Dh did feeling 'uncomfortable'. Checked baby's heart rate and noticed it was low down in my pelvis. DH came back in to say goodbye while I was having an 'uncomfortable cramp' and asked me if anything was going on. I said possibly, but not to get too excited, especially since DD's labour was about 21 hours long, and anyway it might well just be that I needed a poo. Sent him off to work with the promise that I'd call if I thought this was the real thing.
Shortly after that, about 8 I finally did my poo (!) but was still having cramps. Nothing major, not at all like what I remembered of DD's labour, so I really didn't think anything of them, beyond a vague hope that it might be early labour. Decided to have a shower and see how I felt after that. Hopped in the shower about 8.30 and all of a sudden things got *really* intense. I was trying to wash my hair but kept being dropped to the floor with these 'cramps' as I was still calling them. My mom was keeping an eye on DD downstairs and she heard me moaning and came in to check on me. She asked me if I was in labour and if I wanted to call DH. I was still doubting, despite (or maybe because of) the intensity of it all. Mom tried to time a few possible contractions and said they were about 45 seconds long with 45 seconds between - which didn't make any sense to me but I decided that whatever was going on I needed some support if I was going to get through hours more of this. So I asked mom to call DH and our doula. She went off downstairs to call, then started vacuuming and getting the birth pool out.
Meantime, I was trying to finish washing and conditioning my hair while having to drop to the floor every 45 seconds and roar through contractions. I was using my Hypnobabies cues of 'peace' and 'open' but it was so intense that I wasn't really feeling any relief with it. At some point I think I noticed that I was involuntarily pushing a bit at the height of a contraction. I tried to stop, but absolutely had no control over it. At this point I also got a really sharp pain all up my left side that meant I was getting no relief in the shower.
My first thought was to get on the toilet to try to stretch out the pain somehow, so somehow or other I managed to climb out of the shower in between contractions, held onto the sink, roaring through another couple, then got myself onto the toilet. The second I sat down my body gave a gigantic push and I could feel baby's head right there!! I managed to shout down to my mom "Help - baby's coming NOW!!". She was still pottering around downstairs, playing with DD, getting the birth pool out, with no idea of how far along I was.
She came rushing up the stairs, closely followed by DD. I tried to explain that the baby's head was right there, but I couldn't possibly get off the toilet, and could she please catch baby. Not sure how coherent I was but she managed to understand!! I gave another huge completely involuntary push and baby's head was crowning. Then I had to wait for a few minutes for the next push - I remember complaining to mom that it really stung; "I'm not surprised" she said!
Another push and the head was out. I felt baby wriggling around inside still at this stage - very surreal. One more push and baby was born into nana's waiting hands.My mom handed baby straight to me - covered in really thick mec, which must have been passed just on the way out. She was quiet, but eyes open straight away. I checked her mouth to see if she'd swallowed or inhaled any mec, but it looked completely clear, so I just gave her a bit of a rub, and she cried a little shortly afterwards. I sent mom off to call the MWs, and just sat there holding her. DD was still with me; she'd been rubbing my leg and telling me everything was okay. I felt a gush and knew the placenta had detached, and not wanting it to go in the toilet I stood up and it fell out with a splash on the floor, shocking poor DD a bit until I reminded her that it was the placenta.
DH got home a few minutes later, heard the baby crying as he came in the door and ran upstairs to find me still sitting on the loo holding a baby!! The MWs arrived another few minutes later and helped us get onto the bed and get DD2 cleaned up a bit. They checked her over and said she looked fine, but that they had to recommend we transfer in to the hospital for observations because of the mec. I would have preferred to stay at home and keep an eye on her myself, but I could tell DH was a bit freaked out, and would prefer to 'be on the safe side', so I agreed, as long as we could have some time at home first to cuddle and feed, which we did.
Our doula turned up as well, bringing presents - mom hadn't managed to call her until after the birth happened, so she knew she wasn't in a rush! She took some lovely photos of both DDs while we were all getting ready to go. We ended up spending pretty much the rest of the day in the hospital, which was a bit disappointing, but not too bad. I held out against the pressure to do a full blood count (because the cord hadn't been cut immediately and they were insisting that baby could have bled out into the placenta!!??!!) and Vit K, so at least I felt that I was being an effective advocate for DD2, which I hadn't been able to do for DD1.
Anyway, labour from the time I realised this might actually be it to baby out was about 40 minutes - she was born about 9.10 am. She weighed 9lb 8oz, and that was after having done a huge poo on the way out! She's got a full head of dark hair and seems really contented and peaceful. I would choose a precipitous birth like that any day over the horrible long back labour I had with DD1!! Makes you realise how different any two births really can be!!
Just to let you all know that I was lucky enough to have it all work out for me this time around, and to thank you all again for your support!!
