Due Date Baby! (Only 5% of babies are born on their estimated due date- Everlyn was one of them!)
I started pregnancy yoga with Tessa halfway through my pregnancy. This was my second (8 year age gap) and after having had a cesarean with my first (which led to a hernia that required surgery), I was aiming for a VBAC. Although another cesarean was preferred and recommended in my case, my consultant was supportive of my decision.
I enjoyed my weekly visits to the studio so much. Tessa is always welcoming and it was an opportunity to relax and connect with my baby. The classes made me feel safe, capable and confident about the impending birth and I took away so much knowledge about the birth process in general, which I hadn’t known with my first.
As part of my care I underwent growth scans and was told I had a “big” baby. Hospital was reluctant to let me go too overdue or also undergo an induction so it was either go natural or planned section. I accepted a sweep at 38+6w and had another before my due date. I was in hospital at 39+5w for a scan and ended up on delivery suite as I was contracting. These were 3 in 10 mins but causing no discomfort so I went home. We were back at the hospital the next night as I felt a slight leak. It was confirmed to be my waters and was asked to attend the next morning to discuss options.
That night around 11pm I couldn’t sleep as the tightenings were getting stronger, but not painful. I think I was actually messaging Tessa at the time! As the night went on they quickly got stronger but remembering my breathing techniques I could manage; however, things were getting painful. It was 3am when I rang the hospital as I was instructed to as soon as I thought I was in labour. I don’t think the midwife on the phone believed me as I was very calm. She asked me to relax and attend my appointment for the morning. I rang back at 5am as I felt things had progressed and I wanted the assurance that everything was ok.
Upon arriving at hospital at 7.30, I was definitely in labour contracting 4 in 10 but was only 2cm. I agreed to the rest of my waters being broken and this is when things really ramped up. There was also meconium in my waters but baby was happy. I kept to my breathing which really works and kept me calm. I remembered everything Tessa said in class about being in a UFO position but started to find this difficult as the contractions intensified as baby had to be continuously monitored. The midwife helpfully obtained wireless monitoring but I found this to be stressful in the end as they kept falling off so I sat on a chair over the bed.
I ended up becoming very tired (I hadn’t slept for 2 full days) so I had an epidural but sat upright on the bed maintaining the UFO position.
At 7pm I was 10cm! I couldn’t believe it as I hadn’t progressed past 1cm with my first. I had coached pushing for 2 hours (which went surprisingly fast) but unfortunately due to the position baby was in she couldn’t come down and she was getting tired. A team of drs arrived and asked if they could use forceps. At this point I was asking for a section 😂 but the dr said she had read my notes and I would have the vaginal birth I wanted 💪 I stayed calmed throughout all of this with my breathing; it is all I focused on and it helped tremendously!
Everlyn arrived at 8.54pm on her due date weighing a lovely 8Ib9oz! The first thing I said was “I did it!”. I was so happy I had achieved my VBAC! I had to have an episiotomy and sustained a 2nd degree tear but that didn’t bother me! I may not have had the birth I had imagined but I was thrilled with my VBAC and see the whole experience as nothing but positive!
I really don’t think I would have stayed so calm throughout if it wasn’t for the tools I learnt through the pregnancy yoga classes. We have since attended baby massage and baby yoga at the studio. We love it and have met so many lovely ladies and their babies there! Tessa also provided me with support after the birth, particularly with breastfeeding - nothing was too much trouble - I don’t think we would still be here 7 months on in our feeding journey if it wasn’t for her early advice 🥰
“Tessa Clemson Yoga - your yoga studio in Great Harwood, serving Hyndburn, Blackburn with Darwen, Ribble Valley & Burnley”