Cole Glover born 28 August 2012, VBAC
I desperately wanted a natural birth with my first child and didn’t know much about midwife care at the time. However, I was classified as a high-risk birth as I’d had 3 operations to remove fibroids in my uterus in the 12 months before my pregnancy, so a hospital gynae birth was my only given option.
After 17 hours of labour with Liam, the last 4 of which I remained at 8 cms, my gynae said that he was stuck and I needed a ceasar as his heart rate was falling and he wasn’t coming out. During the ceasar they told me that my pelvis had a funny shape and that was why he was stuck.
When I fell pregnant again by chance I met Angela on the beach and discussed with her that my gynae said I had to have a ceasar as I had only a 15 month gap between pregnancies and in SA gynaes required 24 months. She said it wasn’t true and that I could have a natural birth, so I started researching what happens abroad and indeed a VBAC is encouraged in the UK and US with no time barrier specified. I changed gynaes (to Jackie Searle) and asked Angela to be our midwife.
After 10 days of pre-labour when Cole finally came he came quickly, after only 2.5 hours in hospital! It was an intense labour and Angela was amazing guiding me to stay strong through every phase. I’d highly recommend a birthing pool, the hot water and mobility helped me a lot. I had a lingering fear that I would get stuck again at 8 cms due to my pelvis, Angela reassured me that Cole was perfectly positioned and that everything was going beautifully. We got past 8 cms and he was born shortly thereafter.
It was a incredible experience and I’d recommend Angela to anyone! I got my VBAC in contravention of South African best practice and would encourage other moms-to-be who want to experience labour and give birth naturally to do so.
A word from Dad
It was only after the birth of my second son, Cole that I had a comparison with my first birth, and in hindsight I never realized how long and traumatic our first birth actually was.
Liam’s birth was a17 hour ordeal, in which I witnessed my wife in discomfort and stress due to Liam getting stuck and not being able to have her dream/wish of a natural birth. Our Doulla was a great help and at the time I thought was invaluable to us, the new or first time parents.
After Cole’s birth and witnessing the utter professionalism of Angela, our midwife, I can honestly say that the difference in the two is chalk and cheese. This is not to take anything away from our Doulla, as the situation determined the outcome which I don’t think could have been avoided, but Angela was on the ball and kept us comforted and affirmed that all was proceeding along just normally even when we started to have doubts. The fact that the second birthing experience was so quick, 4 hours, made for a far more magical experience for me. It was very quick and I was involved in each stage and was very hands on even to the extent of catching my son, cutting the cord and being right there with my wife, whilst Angela did her stuff, without her ever detracting or shifting the focus away from on our experience! For her professionalism, understanding that this is a once in a lifetime, sacred bonding experience, and never once was I concerned about my wife or my child’s health as I witnessed first hand what excellent care we were in. For that, I thank her and would 100% recommend using Angela for any future birth experiences.
