Unassisted breech birth

01/30/2021

My first unmedicated, first breech, first home birth. I had an unassisted home birth breech delivery by myself. Here's my story. 

I'm high risk due to Epilepsy. During pregnancy I had was diagnosed with GBS, then found out i had a hematoma, healed at 5 months. At 35 weeks I was then informed my baby was in complete breech position. Checked again at 37 weeks I was positive again for GBS, and baby was still breech. 

Went in to hospital at 39.6 weeks to check babys position, baby was breech still, water was broken and the doctor said almost 0% amniotic fluid. They pushed and pushed to send me up for emergency c-section, saying my baby and I are at extreme risks because of my GBS+ and baby being breech. 

Husband and I walked out, knowing my amniotic sac had a chance to re-heal and refill. For days the doctors blew up my phone. I made sure daily to check my temperature and blood pressure every 4 hours to watch for signs of infection as well as checking fetal heart rate and activity every 4 hours to make sure she was not under distress. Days of prodomal labor went on. 

Here it is. 40.6 weeks. 4-11 pm then 2-6 am: extreme contractions left me sleepless. Labor then stalled. I swore, "I give up!" 

41 weeks exactly. Cramps, back aches, and mild irregular unpatterned contractions started around 5pm went on clear to 12am (41.1 weeks). I then got some sleep. I woke around 1am with extreme irregular contractions that had me moaning and grabbing the headboard. But this was nothing new compared to the prodomal labor I'd already experienced. 

Around 2:30 am they got so bad I was yelling. My 4 yr old woke up to tell daddy I was dying. Hubby sat up said, "No, go lay with sissy." I grabbed my phone and hit call to my sister, then threw phone at hubby, knowing I only had 30 some seconds before the pain started again. I fell to the bedroom floor; no position eased the pain. I felt my body start to push. "No no no!" I ran to bathroom, stood above the toilet grabbing the wall and door, screaming. Tried to stop fighting my body's pushing. 

As I stood above the toilet, I started dripping blood. The dripping turned to splattering against the wall. Eventually bloody handprints were all over the walls. I was screaming at the top of my lungs as my husband was laying our son back down. I felt this dizzy fading away feeling, so I got onto the floor and screamed for babe. I could barely speak: "Call ambulance. Something's wrong." 

My sister is already racing to my house. My husband was out in the living room on phone with the ambulance. I got this burst of energy, jumped up, and grabbed the sink. My body started to push again. I felt a pop come out my vagina and actually had a split second of pain relief. Not thinking, I touched it. I felt a butt. 

Screamed for babe, "Catch." Felt another surge of a push, so I pushed with it. Hubby threw phone down and said, "Too late; the baby's coming" to the ambulance on the phone. A 2nd pop was legs stomach, shoulders. Another split second of pain relief. 

I felt baby dangling by its head and was so afraid to push with the next urge due to horrific stories of baby's heads getting stuck. My body gave me no choice, though. One last scream and push. She flew into daddy's arms with the rest of my water bursting out. Instant relief. No pain, no more, no more pushing or screaming.

I turned around and grabbed my baby girl. She was perfect. A minute later my sister walked in, then the ambulance. They checked her real quick: "She's perfect." Ambulance left. 

Charley Rose, born 3:00am, 7.1 lbs, 18 inches, 41.1 weeks