He then jogged back to get the car, while we walked (slowly again) back towards the road. More water came down at every step, people passing us by. It was fairly surreal, and I was laughing at that stage. I wondered whether they would realise what was going on.

Once we got to the road, my husband arrived with the car. We put some shopping bags on the seat, but let’s just say that it still needed a good steam clean. To be honest, I’m not sure anything would have been enough to absorb all that came out during the drive home. I kept saying: “oh no, there is more coming”.

The funny thing is that a few days earlier, I was reading forum messages online about waters breaking (and the potential need for mattress protections) and most of the mums were saying: “You know, waters don’t often come gushing down like in the movies.” But for me, it really did :D

We got home around 8.45pm.

It’s all hands on deck. Everyone is helping, even our daughter. I get in the shower, put on dry clothes. My mother finalises the hospital bag with a couple of things she brought back from France. My husband makes sandwiches for himself ahead of the long night ahead.

My daughter fetches things and shares her excitement about her baby brother finally coming… I think to myself “she won’t be forgetting that day”.

The birth itself - Rotunda hospital

We end up leaving for the Rotunda at around 9.20pm. I’ve only had 1 or 2 short contractions (surges!) by then.

I sit in the back of the car on a pile of towels (remember, the front seat is soaked) and use my “Freya” app to time my surges. I just opened the app for the first time today and I timed 6 contractions between 9.28pm and 9.45pm, each lasting for 45-50secs and with 2 to 4 minutes in between.

I did my “up breathing” as best as I could (in for 4, out for 8). The surges were… powerful from the get go and I knew I wasn’t coming back home.

When we get to the Rotunda and check in at reception, I stopped using the app and never picked it up again. It was just too much to concentrate on.

With my daughter’s birth, the contractions stopped when I got to the hospital and this time is no different. They have me sit in the waiting room for about 10 minutes (not the most comfortable wait, in my now wet clothes and shoes).

Then someone called my name and asked me “Why are you here?”

I know it may seem like a logical question to ask in such a big hospital with so many people coming and going, but I had just told reception that I was in labour and had been waiting for a while now, wondering if they understood what it meant :D

Anyway, this lady leads me to the assessment area. My husband has to wait in the corridor. I gave him my phone because I had no pockets or bag and it was just “in the way”. The midwife proceeds to tell me that I will be getting a 20 minutes monitoring. Ah. “Can you let my husband know?”

Before she examines me, she reminds me that my waters breaking doesn’t mean active labour and they may suggest I go home. But I’m at 3 cms, and she confirms that I won’t be going home and starts the monitoring, then goes to find my husband.

I’m not sure how long I was there, but when she comes back, she says that we’re going to go to the labour ward and they will do the monitoring there. I had asked for the new labour suite with the birth pool.

She uses a wheelchair to bring me up so as not to wet the corridors with my every step. I’m thankful!

Off we go, and I am led into a “normal” delivery suite. Our midwife informs us that the birth pool suite is currently in use. I had prepared myself for this possibility but am still a little disappointed. I know water would have helped a lot.

In hindsight, it was all for the best as I would have likely only had time to get in and then out again, as you are not allowed to actually birth in the pool, just labour.

I’ll make the end quick: the midwife read our birth preferences and made sure to follow them all. The lights were dimmed and she didn’t interfere unless necessary.

There was a lot of faffing with the bluetooth continuous monitoring (the 20 minutes they HAD to do). The batteries were flat, it was beeping and it kept slipping down so I couldn’t move or stand.

Eventually she switched to the traditional monitoring with the cables. It was annoying me as I kept waiting for the monitoring to be taken off to “finally start my labour” as in: move around and follow what my body wanted, put some music on etc.

Long story short but and I ended up with the continuous monitoring until the birth itself, because baby was born at 00h09, 1h15 after I first lied on the bed.

Once the surges returned, they did with a bang. I felt like I had no respite in between them at all and felt sick.

I took a trip to the bathroom - down the hall - and when I came back into the room, I stayed standing, leaning over the bed.

I asked for the TENS machine and it helped somewhat for a few of them, then not anymore and I started to think that “I couldn’t do this” and my brain imagined alternatives such as epidural and even c-section.

I told my husband and he felt powerless. I told the midwife and mentioned the epidural even if I knew deep down that it would take too long. She said we could call the anaesthetist if I wanted, but told me later she took it as a sign that baby was coming fast.

It did cross my mind in between 2 contractions - I had heard a lot about transitioning - but thought it was way too soon.

“Luckily”, I didn’t have to wonder for too long and started to feel pressure. I was still standing in front of the bed at that time, the midwife keeping the monitoring in place. She encouraged me to lie down on my left side on the bed (position I had listed in my preferences for the 2nd stage) and very quickly, my body started pushing.

That part was sooo easy compared to the previous one, and so so powerful. The midwife gave me gas and air, but I didn’t need it anymore. The contractions were different and I could feel their impact. I used my breathing technique and my body did all the work, very quickly, very powerfully and in 3 or 4 contractions, baby was out.

WOW.

I cried. The relief I felt was unreal.

Look at this shot. It’s not the very first one or the most beautiful, but I like all the details in it. Both of us crying. The midwife removing the monitoring FINALLY. The Gas and Air mouth piece. The orange Ikea suitcase… My husband took hundreds of photos of the next few minutes and I am so so grateful.

My 3rd stage was as straight-forward, as short and as “easy” as it could be. Nothing like my first birth, where it ended up being the most traumatic part of it all (and I’ll spare you the details). This time, I was even able to get a shower before getting my well deserved tea and toast.

For our daughter, my husband took photos as well after the birth but I found myself missing photos of labour, the room, and details. He also shied away from anything too “graphic”. I didn’t know I would want these photos until much later.

This time, while labour itself was too fast to be photographed when you’re also one of the main actors, I have amazing photos of the cord, of the placenta, of the first feed. (See a couple of them at the end of the email).

We’re still missing photos with him in them, especially during labour and one of the 3 of us after the birth. Setting up the Interval timer wasn’t something I wanted him to worry about and we forgot to ask the midwife to take one, both times!

Anyway… that’s me done for now with my story. I keep remembering more details but I don’t want to bore you with them.

Like the fact that my husband started eating sandwiches at 11.30pm ahead of the long hours ahead - or so he thought. Even when the midwife said that the head was nearly born, he couldn’t believe it :D

Wow, just wow. I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. If you'd like to learn more about taking gorgeous pictures of your own children Johanna has lots of free resources here

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Johanna King Photography

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