Moses Archippus: Birth Story
On the 7th September at 6.51am we welcomed sweet little Moses Archippus into the world. How you even capture a birth story in writing I don’t know but I’d love you to join me as I try. Ps. You can read Hephzibah’s birth story over here.
I started contracting at 2.30am on the Tuesday morning, 5 days past our due date. I’d experienced a ton of braxton hicks in this pregnancy, something that I believe is more common with multiple pregnancies, so when I started contracting that morning it was hard to know if I truly was in labour. The contractions were coming every 6 minutes, so I began to track them with an app, but then there would be a pause and I wouldn’t contract for 10 minutes then they’d come every 4 minutes then I’d have a contraction 20 minutes later?! While they were irregular, the contractions were intense enough to need to focus and breathe through them so Joseph took the day off so he could be with me whilst Heppy was taken care of by my hero of a mum-in-law. I contracted on and off all day and it wasn’t until around 11.30pm that evening that they really increased in frequency and intensity. I started using a tens machine at this point as I felt most of the labour in my back (would thoroughly recommend…i’d not used one first time around and I ended up keeping it on for the whole entire labour). I was breathing through contractions using hypnobirthing techniques, listening to a worship playlist I’d made in between listening to a personalised hypnobirthing track that my friend- a birth trauma counsellor had made for me- which kept me so at peace and transported me to a safe space (she is awesome- i’l link you to her page below!). As the intensity of the contractions heightened, my body began to shake quite dramatically- I’d had this with Heppy too- I think it’s almost like a shock reaction and then was throwing up every third contraction or so- this was pretty rough as the shaking was making me tense that in turn seemed to make the contractions less manageable as my body was not as relaxed!
We decided when the contractions were around three minutes apart that we should probably head to the hospital even though in the midst of a dozen 3 minute apart contractions there was still a number of contractions that were every 7 minutes or 20 minutes. I had felt like I had left getting to the hospital a little late with Hephzibah’s birth- as I sat on the toilet at home shouting to Joseph that I needed a poo and he’d have to call an ambulance- so i wanted to make sure with this birth we got in a little sooner, plus I was going to be giving birth at Chichester hospital- around a 35 minute drive away.
Joseph loaded everything into the car and we set off about 2.30am, but as we did my contractions stopped all together! NOOOO. We knew things were going to look a little different because of covid so when we arrived, we were taken to a side room- that felt about as hospital as you can imagine, lights blaring and a bed presented to rest on. At this stage I had absolutely NO clue what the lady was going to tell me- I could have been 2cm or 8cm but please Jesus I didn’t wanna be 1cm. After checking me over (something Joseph was a little bit shocked about watching the lady do) and without any signs of contractions (which I was a little bit embarrassed about) she told me I was 3cm- the only problem with 3cm apart from me thinking gosh I’ve got to get to 10cm and i’m ONLY 3, is that Joseph and I weren’t allowed to stay together because I wasn’t in “active labour”.
The nurse said she’d give us half an hour to see how things progressed and that we had two options- we go home and labour there or I stay on the ward and labour but Joseph would need to wait in the car. Outright I said there was no way that I would labour alone, let alone on a random ward surrounded by random people. I’d read so many hypnobirthing books, and knew myself that I wanted and needed to be in a familiar environment not a sterile one, and so I told her that we’d head home. Then after praying and taking some time to think about it, I realised that this was an hour roundtrip at least and my second baby so things could amp up at any point. My contractions at this stage were still pretty irregular and seemed to be whenever the nurse was out the room typical…we kept telling her they were coming but I think she needed to see a greater progression and so she asked us what decision we’d made and a few minutes later Joseph headed to the car and I was taken up to a ward where I was placed between two women who had just given birth, their sweet babies in their cribs and there I was panting and heavily breathing in between them, just a thin curtain to separate us. This part was NOT featured in my birth plan.
This is where I suddenly had a lull- I was on my own and had been labouring for over 24 hours at this point, was tired and there was no signs of things progressing. I’ve always dreamed of natural births without any pain relief but at this point I was considering the options in my head hah for some sort of relief- I must have been so done with it all! I quickly text a bunch of friends and family to pray for me and I asked Jesus for something to change. Every time a contraction came I had no idea what position to get into because all I had was a bed- I was longing for a ball, someone to put my diffuser on and dim the lights, and wanted to be in water so badly! The next thing that happened was honestly a miracle - I can barely remember what happened but in between contractions that were still very irregular I fell asleep on the bed listening to my birthing relaxation and then the next thing I knew, someone pulled back the curtains to my room and then apologised as she’d got the wrong cubicle and as she did that it startled me awake and my waters broke. My waters hadn’t broken with Heppy til right at the end in the birthing pool and so I’d not seen them or really felt them go but as my waters went this time I screamed out loud- it was like something from the movies- they were GUSHING- EVERYWHERE- blood and fluid- and I was wearing my friends cashmere trousers hahah what a poor move! As my waters broke something shifted and I felt automatically that I wanted to push and I pressed the buzzer for help in between apologising profusely through the curtain to the mum’s either side apologising for how much noise I was making and breathing through the next contraction pacing up and down and trying to untangle my tens machine from the pool of goo on the bed and just wishing Joseph was there to help me. It was an absolute shambles.
The nurse came and told me to go and clean up and change into a gown and then to come and get settled again for a few more hours and she’d come and check on me. I literally thought she was joking and I asked if she’d check me over because I was wanting to push. She said she wasn’t going to, and I then enlightened her that this was my second baby which changed things dramatically…she then, a little flustered quickly checked me and announced ‘oh yes, you’re about to have a baby’ then disappeared in a hurry…great. In the time she had gone to find some people to help I had two contractions where I was bent over the bed and tensing with everything in me because I felt him coming and was trying to hold him in! I was praying out loud ‘please Jesus he can’t come now on this ward! I need Joseph here.’
It felt like an age until a group of midwives arrived to transport me upstairs and I called Joseph to meet me up there. As they wheeled me up I saw Joseph, and then I saw us passing the birthing suite and confused asked why we weren’t going in there and they said I wouldn’t be able to have a water birth because of complications with my placenta last time. I was SO gutted to hear this- at this stage I had had no pain relief and was desperate to get in some water to ease the pain. They took me to a room and showed me a bed and I wanted to laugh- I kept thinking and I’m pretty sure i said out loud how is a baby going to come out without any lubricant, i need lubricant! Staring at the bed I had no idea what to do- my birth plan clearly stated I didn’t want to be asked questions, be told when to push or be prodded about but I needed them to suggest something, and they suggested I face the back of the bed and put my arms up on the top. The team were incredible who were around me, special shoutout to the lady who I think was taking blood from me and all I remember is her announcing ‘oh wait…I’ve put the needle in a vessel by accident’….and seeing blood gush out of my arm.
I got on the bed, and began to push with my next contraction I remember saying, ‘oh there’s a poo coming out too’, but no, all baby.. another contraction later and he came out and they passed him up to me to be on my chest. This was hands down the most powerful part of the birth and the pushing element of it was definitely the least painful- I know it was only two pushes- but with Heppy this had been the toughest part. The nurses were all a little shocked that it had happened so quickly, and i think Joseph was just waking up haha!
This time was so incredibly precious Moses began to feed straight away and to feel him snuggled in to me was the greatest gift ever.
Because of complications with my placenta before the midwife and doctors had suggested getting the injection for my placenta to come out rather than waiting for it to come out naturally. It seemed like everything was going well as they pulled my placenta out but I could see one of the doctors checking it over and heard her announce there was a piece missing- this is when I began to start bleeding and before I knew it- just like last time- a large group of doctors and nurses rushed in and began manually trying to remove the placenta. WOW. This was more painful than the birth, and they offered me gas and air which I DEFINITELY needed, as they did some procedure on my stomach. After a while it became clear they weren’t able to get the membrane out and they would need to take me to theatre- I remember turning to the anaesthetist who must have been early 20’s and sobbing I said, ‘i’m not cross with you, i’m not crying at you, i’m just don’t want to leave them’. I don’t think he was trained in emotional support as he handed me some papers to sign and ran me through what was about to happen. They took Moses away from me and gave him to Joseph then whisked me to theatre. I think I was still in some shock from a very fast end of labour and so it all felt a little overwhelming but at the same time I felt so much peace in the midst of all the confusion. I had revisted my placenta getting stuck the first time with Heppy when I had done the birth trauma counselling and so going into it again I felt more peaceful and prepared. They had to give me a spinal block and antibiotics neither which I was happy about and tried to tell them I didn’t want either (potentially a little delusional too) but soon realised that I needed those. The spinal block made me completely numb from the tummy down and after that I have no idea really what they did to get the membrane out…definitely lots of scraping involved. About 45 minutes later they took me back through to be with Joseph and Moses and they started all the checks on Moses.
Part of the blessing was that because I had the procedure I needed a number of drips and so Joseph got to stay with me while those finished up otherwise he would of had to leave me a lot sooner. It was so special being all together in that time- the tea and toast- OH SWEET GLORY. The care was incredible from all the midwives and then they announced that the drip was done and I had to quickly kiss Joseph goodbye and they wheeled me to my ward.
I found this part hard as if it wasn’t for covid Joseph would have been allowed to be with me and stay with me, but was just so thankful to of had him there for the birth. Both times i’ve really enjoyed the hospital experience- weirdly it’s felt like a little holiday- especially this time around with a newborn who can’t move and mainly sleeps- very different from a very active talkative wriggly 2 year old! I needed a few things checked over to make sure everything was okay after losing so much blood but then got to go home the evening of the next day and get reunited with my Heppy girl and introduce her to her new brother! Joseph had thrown me a little welcome home party with all my favourite food, flowers and treats and it was so special to be all together.
I am so thankful to God for keeping us all safe and for the gift of my sweet boy! Family of four- let’s go!
Some books/resources I’d recommend below-
some of the links are affiliate links which may mean I make a small amount on something purchased through them-
Supernatural Childbirth- Jackie Mize
I believe in God and the power of prayer. This book is about positive declaration and believing the promises that Jesus gave us about a fear-free childbirth and pregnancy. It changed my life.
Blossom Antenatal Online classes
The Hypnobirthing Book: Katherine Graves
Your Baby Your Birth: Hollie De Cruz
I’d 100% recommend seeing Tracy Law of Birth Trauma Resolution if you have fear going into a pregnancy or labour or had a negative first experience- You can also find her on instagram and connect with her there.