My (Belated) Home Water Birth Story

This is the rather epic birth story of my 3rd baby. Advance apologies for the length but I wanted to get it all down so I have a lasting account of it! The picture above is my first look at my beautiful boy. I was going to add more pics but Blogger wasn't playing!

Grab a cuppa.........here goes!!

Most people who know me know my previous birth experiences. I had planned a home birth with L, but was made to transfer in for “failure to progress”. Sadly, this resulted in an emergency caesarean that was very traumatic for all three of us. I learnt a great deal from this experience and I had a beautiful, calm home birth 19 months later with J.

There was clearly not doubt that the birth of baby number three would be at home and this time I was hoping to make use of my birthing pool.

After one or two “is this it?” false starts, on the morning of the 13th of July I woke up around 6am for a trip to the loo. I also felt a bit of period type pain whilst having a Braxton Hicks. I got back into bed and about 20 minutes later felt the same pains. I felt at that point that “this IS it!” I am happy to say I felt no fear, just overwhelming excitement that later that day we would get to meet our little man.

When the alarm went off at 7am I told DH that I thought I was in early labour and that I thought we would have our baby today-I could see he wasn’t convinced! We got the kids up and did the morning routine as normal, the contractions were still at around 20 minutes but were intense enough that I needed to concentrate on breathing through them.

By 9am DH had got L to school and J to nursery and we set about starting to load the dishwasher, tidy up etc ready for the midwives! I was quite emotional saying good bye to the children as I knew that when we saw them next they’d have a baby brother. I think DH at this point finally believed that I really was in labour and as soon as the kids were out of the house my contractions stepped up a gear moving to about one every 15 minutes.

At 10am I decided to ring the delivery suite to get them to inform my midwife that I was in early labour and would need her at some point that day. My midwife is the supervisor of midwife so I knew she would appreciate being forewarned so she could plan her day! Almost as soon as I put the phone down, after being told to phone back when the pain was more frequent/intense my contraction went to one in every 6 minutes but extremely painful. I put the TENS machine on at this point and I do believe it helped. I also found sitting down unbearable so stood throughout the early labour, bending over the dining table whilst having contractions. DH was busy filling the pool by now and we were both becoming really aware that our baby would be coming soon!

I was starting to feel nauseous with each contraction and very quickly, by about 10.45 they had reached every 3 minutes. We called the birth centre again and asked them to send the midwife. I was surprised at the intensity of the contractions given that my waters had not broken. With my 1st two labours my waters had broken spontaneously first, before contractions had started. I expected this birth to follow the pattern of the previous 2 but it just goes to show that every birth is different.

When my midwife arrived at around 11.15 I was unable to speak through contractions and finding them very difficult. She brought with her a Health Care Assistant who had just started working with her...had I not been in so much pain I may have been a little annoyed at this extra “spectator” but as it turned out she was a brilliant help, making tea, getting hot water etc.

The mw listened to baby’s heartbeat and checked position of baby. I had told her previously that I would decline any internals unless they thought there was a problem or things were going slow and she was very good at respecting this wish and did not even ask me if I wanted an internal. By the time she had filled in her paperwork I believe the contractions had got to much less than one in three. She asked me if I wanted to get in the pool and I said yes. We then decided the pool was a little on the cool side so started boiling kettles of water/pans etc to try and got it hotter. This was a little bit of a pain and I wish I’d briefed DH more beforehand about the importance of the water temperature, but we got there in the end! I did get in while they were doing this and have to say the immediate relief of water was fantastic. As I mentioned, I was unable to sit down as it was just too uncomfortable, this meant that I was starting to tire a little of being on my feet. The water totally took away this discomfort and I was able to lie on my back and relax between contractions. When the pool got to the right temperature it was just great. Please don’t think from this that the pain disappeared, it really didn’t! But it made it so much easier to deal with. Before I got in the pool I was looking at the clock and thinking “I’m not going to be able to do this, it’s going to take too long, I won’t be able to cope” Getting in the pool, totally took away this feeling and I was able to feel in control again.

I had read a couple of books on hypno-birthing during my pregnancy, and while I didn’t buy the CD or go to any classes I believe that reading about breathing really helped me. It sounds silly, but I had taught myself to breathe deeply and slowly and also to totally trust my body.
I have no concept of time from when I got in the pool, I know I got in around 12.15 and it felt like shortly after that I was starting to get “pushy” feelings. The midwife called the second midwife out around then, so I had three people plus my DH looking after me! How wonderful!

I loved getting that pushy feeling as it meant things were really moving and I couldn’t quite believe it had got to this stage so quickly. I could tell that my midwife (though she wasn’t panicking or anything) was getting a little antsy that she couldn’t see what was going on properly because of my position in the pool but I felt totally in control and knew everything was ok. I think she was worried as I hadn’t had an internal she didn’t want me pushing too soon. At some point I had gotten up onto my knees, leaning over the side of the pool and this really got the contractions going, soon I was pushing involuntary which I really enjoyed (!). Contractions feel so fruitless-I know they’re not, but they make you feel powerless. As soon as you get that urge to push you can really do something with the pain and I like that! After getting a little fed up with hearing the midwives go on about not being able to see I decided to go back over onto my back so they would be able to get a better view. I knew I wouldn’t be able to deliver in this position but I thought it would shut them up and it worked! They started to see the head descend and I think this made them much more chilled now that they knew I wasn’t just pushing fruitlessly. As his head was just sitting there, they asked if they could pop the waters and I agreed-I wasn’t sure whether babies born in water could or should be born with membranes intact so I was happy for them to do this as we were so close to delivering.

I still didn’t believe that it was going to be so soon, though I wasn’t aware of time, I only seemed to have been in the pool short time. I did also have a bit of gas and air through some contractions though, because I was breathing “properly” and really focussing on it, I didn’t feel as dependent on it as I had done through my last labours.

I soon had enough on my back and got back onto my knees, leaning over the pool. I felt every bit of his head coming down and was so aware of the pain, every time it started to get too much I had 2 things I would say to myself. The first was “Lizzie and James” and I would visualise them meeting their new brother and the second was “I’m going to meet my baby” These words really helped me stay focused through the pain.

All of a sudden I felt the burn of crowning and knew this was the big moment (and my goodness did I feel it burn!). Ouch ouch ouch! I had some instructions from the midwife as to when to push but to be honest, at this point I just blocked them out and listened to my body. I felt his head emerge really slowly and I heard them ask Nick if he wanted to catch the baby. I still could not believe it was happening! The MW told me after that his head came out so well, just inch by inch and really controlled. I give myself a gold star for that!

I then knew the head was out, I’d heard them say he’d turned to the side then with next contraction I pushed with all my might. I looked down and saw my wonderful husband lifting the most perfect baby out from between my legs and handing him to me. No words will ever be able to describe the feeling of seeing this perfect little creature under the water, so peaceful and then be handed to me by my husband.

Born at 1.50pm our little baby with his mop of black hair just lay peacefully in my arms. I was a little shell shocked that I had a baby and he’d come so easily, with not a moments doubt, panic or stress.

I sat back with him in the pool and just relaxed and drank him in. I’d asked that I wanted the cord to stop pulsating before it was cut and I said I’d play it by ear as to whether I’d have a managed 3rd stage or not. As everything was fine it was even mentioned that I have the injection to deliver the placenta. I stayed in the pool, still with my little boy connected by his cord to me for at least 40 minutes. I was starting to get a little cold so after checking the cord had stopped pulsating Nick cut him free. Before the cord was cut I kept feeling it to see if it had stopped pulsating, the feeling of it pulsating was just incredible.

I should also mention that there absolutely no blood in the pool, it was unbelievably clear, I was fully expecting it to be “icky” but it really wasn’t which is why I stayed in it so long.

I was getting terrible after pains in the pool and wasn’t seeing any signs of the placenta coming so I got out and sat on the floor for a bit. After an hour had passed from delivery I was getting fed up with the contractions so asked for the injection-within 5 minutes I delivered the placenta.
While I was being checked over, baby was weighed at 9lb2oz-my biggest baby, and Nick got him dressed.

The midwives started packing up their things and it was then about the time that the kids needed collecting, my dad was doing this for us so we asked him to take them to the park for a while just to give us time to gather ourselves a little. We were left alone, just holding our new boy in the comfort of our home.

My beautiful children arrived home around 4pm to meet their baby brother. It was a magical moment as they looked at him for the first time-surprised by all his hair and sneaking looks at my tummy as if to say “where has it gone?!”

Cuddles were had by all and we quickly settled into life as a family of five.

Joseph is now 4 weeks old and the memory of the birth is still vivid. I find it impossible to put into words how magical the experience was-for me and for Nick. I have nothing but praise for my NHS Midwives and the care I have received through this pregnancy. I’d love to do it all over again ;)

Gourmet Baby Guess the Date and Weight!

Well, I can't quite believe that this time has come around so quickly! I'm 37 weeks on Thursday so thought I'd run a little sweepstake on baby's weight and arrival date:)

So, a few little details to help you with your prediction:
My Due date is July 14th
My 1st was 3 days over and 8lb13oz
My 2nd 10 days early and 7lb 13oz

I'm measuring perfectly for dates.

I'll give a little prize to the person who guesses either of them correctly (if you live in the UK) :)

Happy guessing!

My Super Six!

Doing the job that I do means I often get asked the question, "what's your favourite kitchen gadget?" The truth is, I despise the term "gadget" It conjures up images of useless items being thrown in the back of the drawer after being used once. I truly try to not sell such things. But one persons "gadget" is another persons saviour!

So, I thought I'd write a post about the tools/utensils I genuinely could not live without in my kitchen and make my life easier on a daily basis.

1. Knife Set. Quite predictably is a good set of knives. I use a variety of knives all housed in a knife block to keep them safe. My absolute favourite knives are Wusthof with Global coming a close second. I believe it is better to spend a little bit more on two or three knives that will (with care) literally last you a lifetime. A sharp knife makes every chopping job simple and speeds up the whole prep process. We love our knives (in a non-threatening way!) so if you need any advice just let us know.

2. My Bourgeat 28cm fry pan. There is literally nothing that this frying pan cannot handle! From eggs, to delicate fish, meat and even pancakes I literally use this pan every day. Being a commercial pan it takes some serious abuse! The non-stick is fantastic and though you shouldn't dishwasher them, they do wipe clean beautifully. They're not "pretty" pans, they're not shiny and lovely looking but my goodness they are brilliant.

3. OXO Good Grip Tongs. Who would have though tongs would make it into such a list? I truly love these. I've tried more expensive but these are just the best. The non-stick head means you can use them on non stick, I use them for turning anything from sausages to grilled asparagus. I use them for stirring pasta and for taking spaghetti out of the pot

4. Zyliss Garlic Press. Garlic crushers get a bad press. Chef's claim to hate them proclaiming it as easy to use a knife. Well I disagree. Sometimes I use a knife but more often than not the crusher comes out. With this one you don't even need to peel the clove-just pop it straight in! No mess, no smelly fingers or chopping board and it goes in the dishwasher. It couldn't be easier!

5. Potato Ricer. If you like mash and you don't have a ricer YOU MUST INVEST! Truly makes the smoothest mash potato. So simple to use, just pop a couple of potatoes in and squeeze (exactly like the garlic crusher!) add milk, cream, butter or whatever takes you fancy and hey presto! Perfect mash! I must add, it's a great gift for mother-in-laws ;)

6. Stainless Steel Measuring Cups & Spoons: If you bake often, measuring cups and spoons are invaluable. The cups are brilliant if you are using an American recipe and the spoons are great when you need just a teaspoon measure. It's easier than guessing!

I could go on.....and I probably will in another post! But for now, I hope this gives you an indication that just because something may be labelled a gadget doesn't mean it's rubbish!

I'd be interested to hear if you have any favourites, or indeed anything languishing in the drawer that you don't use. You never know I may be able to talk you round!

32 Weeks Pregnant

Where does the time go? I am certain that this pregnancy is going faster than the others. I feel like I should be around 24 weeks now, not 32!

I'm happy to say that I am currently enjoying my pregnant state. All is going great, bump is measuring just right (though I feel pretty big!) and as of my last midwife appointment he has turned head down. Sure, i'm getting tired and brisk walking is turning into something of a shuffle but I really can't complain. Hopefully i've not just jinxed myself!

I'm doing lots of sitting on my birth (ahem, gym) ball to encourage him to stay in the right position.

Am I ready? Well, in terms of "stuff", absolutely not. Being my third child I don't actually need a great deal as you can imagine. It's just a question of sorting through the stuff in the loft to see what can be used....quite dull really. I do envy that first time joy of buying brand new. Though I *may* buy a new pram......We need to clear a room to make way for a nursery and I have no idea of a name but i'm sure we'll get there!

Mentally am I ready? Hell yes. I cannot wait to meet my new little man and see how the dynamics of my family change. Yes, I know it's going to be hard but i'm sure we'll find a pattern that fits us. My children, especially GourmetGirl are so very excited. At 5 she is ready to be a mother hen and is so interested in the pregnancy and how big baby currently is. I'm looking forward to teaching her that birth is a beautiful thing and her learning all about how I will feed my baby. I hope that my homebirth goes to plan so that they can see their brother in his fresh, just born state as soon as he is born.

Exciting times ahead for the GourmetFamily!

A sneak preview of the little man:

A Rite of Passage-Organising a Birthday Party!

This weekend saw GourmetBoy turn four. We toyed with a couple of ideas of how to celebrate this. When GourmetGirl turned four we did the standard party in a play gym with her nursery friends which we all enjoyed but it didn’t feel very “personal” if you see what I mean?

So we decided that we would host a party at home with (gulp) his friends from nursery. Now, we’ve always done little tea parties for the children with family to celebrate birthdays but we’ve never done a party for nursery/school friends.
As his birthday is the middle of May and historically the weather has always been good on this day I felt confident in booking a bouncy castle. That way, all the kids can be outside in the garden, eat in the garden, play games in the garden. So no mess in the house, perfect! That was the theory...
We chose this Ben 10 Bouncy Castle:



With our final guest list sorted and replies in we were suddenly aware that we would have 15 children in our home plus their parents. Panic set in!
Firstly, we’re not known for being overly house proud. I’m the 1st to admit that I don’t enjoy cleaning and we’re not the neatest of houses. Life just kind of gets in the way and chores don’t seem to get done!

I was suddenly aware that I was going to be having parents of children whom I have never met in my home and was suddenly very conscious of how my home looked. We decided hastily to decorate the dining room with less than a week to go so that we had a room that looked presentable and it did! GourmetDad did a wonderful job! We worked hard to clean the house well and I’ve got to say, I do enjoy being in a tidy house but would love to know how we’re going to keep it this way!

Saturday arrived (Party Day!!) and foolishly, though we’d baked the cake the previous evening we still hadn’t decorated it. Lots of stress ensued as we both flapped around the kitchen doing our various jobs, baking and decorating cupcakes, making the food, sorting drinks etc. We did have my parents over to “help” but that’s a different blog post... ;)

But, in our usual last minute style by 12.25 we were all ready for our guests to arrive, all decorations were up, games organised and food sorted. AND! Though it the ground was wet it WASN’T raining!! Whoop!
Here is a picture of the party food before it was demolished!



I decided to be quite traditional and did a mix of sandwiches. Usually white bread is not allowed in our house but I made an exception for a special birthday treat! A cocktail sausage hedgehog, carrot sticks grapes and Quavers. I also cooked a few pizzas for the grownups.

I was worried about how GourmetBoy would react to his party as I was worried he may be a little overwhelmed by the attention, but he was a superstar and greeted all his little friends nicely. It was so very cute!
I am a (ahem) little bit of a control freak/over planner and so I had written a schedule for the party. It sounds stupid but I was worried I’d forget a party game or forget to do the cake but I’m pleased to say it really did work and the time from 12.30 until 2.30 went so fast. We had traditional party games: a treasure hunt, musical bumps, a piñata and of course pass the parcel. If anyone is also an over planner like me, i'd be happy to share my schedule!
The Treasure Hunt in action:



And of course the cake! We always make the birthday cake ourselves and at the time it seems so much effort and so time consuming but it’s always worth it in the end. I hope my children grow up and do the same for their children. I don’t know why but it just seems to mean so much to us. We chose a Lightening McQueen cake. Despite selling an array of cake tins, we find hiring character tins cost effective. GourmetDad made a the cake using a fool proof Victoria Sponge recipe
Here is the finished cake!



Overall, we all had a fabulous party. It WAS a lot of work, but it felt so rewarding. I enjoyed meeting the other mums whom I never see at pick up time from nursery as we all collect at different times and it was lovely to see my little boy interacting and playing with his peers. Whilst the weather wasn’t perfect and we weren’t able to eat outside or play the games outside, the rain held off and we got our moneys worth from the bouncy castle Without question, a party at a play gym would have been easier (and most probably cheaper!) but I definitely don’t think it would have been as rewarding or as much fun. Parties at home are definitely the way forward for us!
The Birthday Boy. Happy 4th Birthday gorgeous boy xxx

To Pic Or Not to Pic

I've been having a scout round on other blogs and I really do love reading blogs with pictures on....pictures of little ones etc. What worries me is the potential for picture to fall in the wrong hands.

I don't want to be an over protective parent and I would truly love to share my pictures of my family (because personally, I think they're rather beautiful!)....but what if they fall in to the "wrong hands". Does this even happen? Or have I been conditioned to think this?

Another part of me thinks why should I, in effect, sensor my posts? I do put pictures of them on Facebook and make sure they're private so only my friends can see, but I bet they're not "truly" protected. If I want to share pictures then I should be able to shouldn't I?

As I'm totally new to blogging, I'd be really interested in knowing what your thoughts are on this. Do you post pictures of your children? And if not, why not?

I've done it!

After months of "not quite getting around to it" I've finally created a blog! I adore Twitter and love reading other people's blogs so thought it was time I joined in with my own!
So.....who am I?!
Well, I am a working mummy with two very beautiful children and another on the way in July. Life is pretty hectic, I work with my husband and often work from home. This means I have never ending guilt that there is always something else I should be doing. If I'm working, I'm thinking about the washing, if I'm doing the washing I'm thinking about all the work I should be doing! However, I know that I'm lucky. My husband and I have weekends off and I can always be available for the children at a drop of a hat. Life right now is pretty good.

Cooking is a huge passion of mine. Food is constantly on my mind, and feeding my family great meals is so important to me. Cooking relaxes me and seeing my children eat good food makes me the proudest mummy. I could do with a kitchen fairy to come and clean up after me though, then life really would be perfect!
As I am in the fortunate position of running my own business I have a good supply of prizes so will hopefully be running some competitions on here ;)
I wouldn't be human if I didn't of course do some occasional shameless plugs for my own online shop, so please do forgive that!

I would love for you to comment and point me in the direction of your own blogs, so I can follow you. I don't really have a clue how Blogger works so if you have any tips on how to get the most out of it I'd be very grateful!
Much love
Susan (@GourmetMummy)