When Birth Plans Change: From Home Birth to Positive Planned C-Section

When you're pregnant it's so important to read other birth stories and hear other people's experiences. It often helps you feel calmer and less anxious about birth, helps you to think of things you hadn't considered, and also helps to navigate birth if things change along the way.

That's exactly what happened for this lovely couple I worked with recently, who were expecting their first baby in Basingstoke, Hampshire.

Keep reading to hear how they adjusted when their birth plan changed from planned home birth to elective c-section, and how they still had a really positive birth experience. From here on, these are the words from my lovely couple...

Planning a Home Birth and Feeling Fully Prepared

It is hard enough choosing your birth plan, never mind being told you cannot have what you first wanted. I hope my story relates to those who are overcoming having to makes changes to their birth plan, as I know how much I struggled with the acceptance of that.

Why I chose a home birth in Basingstoke

As a person I am super organised, always wanting to think ten steps ahead. We decided that we wanted a home birth. Being in my own comforts, supported by my husband, and trusting my body to do this. That was the dream and I spent hours imagining how my birth would be. But, as is true of anything, sometimes the best laid plans go awry.

Creating a calm and positive birth environment at home

The first two trimesters were super straightforward. No issues. No concerns. Not really any side effects just a rapidly expanding belly. Preparations were well underway - hiring our birth pool, stock piling towels, a star light projector, calming incense, flooding my podcasts with positive birth stories and meditations.

I felt confident and on top of it all.

Everything Changed at 34 Weeks

Then, at 34 weeks, my midwife suspected that baby was breech and recommended a scan to check. Off we went to the hospital and the doctor confirmed the baby was transverse and also measuring on the 90th centile.

I was advised to have another scan at 36 weeks and, if he was still in that position, we would discuss where to go from there. Game on I thought! My mission had been set - I am going to turn my baby before my next scan so I can have the home birth we planned.

So I did stretches, inversion, Moxibustion and exuded all the positive energy I had that he would turn. Would you believe it…..at our 36 week scan he was head down - hurrah!

But before we could whip out the party poppers, we were told I was Polyhydramnios (excessive amniotic fluid) and that if my fluid remained that high we should get the baby out in the next couple of weeks. Gulp! My natural home birth felt like it had just sailed clean past my eyes out of sight again.

After a day of sulking and feeling let down I had to shake myself out of it.

The emotional impact of having to change my birth plan

I had learnt about so many birthing options from Fiona's 1:1 Antenatal & Hypnobirthing course at our home, but I now really needed to embrace all of them as a potential.

We jumped on the phone with Fiona and we discussed so many ways we could make all the potential options a positive birth. It was a big shift in mindset, but something we had to embrace. With the home birth team confirming they could not support my birth, we had to go back to the drawing board.

Letting Go of the Home Birth Plan

After a lot of discussion with my husband, doctors and nurses, we decided our next move.

I believed that if I were to go into natural labour before 41 weeks then my body is able to do this and we would create a safe space of calm and love at the hospital. If not, a planned

c-section would give us the safest birth for what was thought to be a "huge baby".

I put my trust and faith into my body and my baby. They know what is right.

The days passed by uneventfully. I couldn’t sleep anymore maybe from my massive bump or maybe just the desperation for labour to start. The night of 40+6 came and before we went to bed my husband put on the song we walked down the aisle to, and we had a slow dance in our living room and he simply said “Tomorrow we are going to meet our son. And that is going to be a wonderful day”. And we both cried our eyes out and that night I slept for the first time in a long time.

Our Calm & Positive Planned C-Section Experience

We woke the next morning triple checking our hospital bag - how do we actually adjust the car seat?! When we drove to the hospital the sun was just rising and it was the most spectacular view of purples and pinks over the misty dewy fields. When we arrived the ward was quiet and all the staff greeted us warmly. We waited for our turn, doing a crossword together and getting excited when we got an answer - everything felt so relaxed and right.

When we went into theatre the staff were amazing. So genuine and full off positivity which I really needed. Trying to battle the sadness of feeling cheated out of a natural birth, mixed with the relief of knowing our boy will be here soon, was overwhelming.

The tears couldn’t be held in.

How my partner created a calm birth space

My partner was amazing and made it so beautiful. He had made sure we could play music throughout, which really calmed me. He also made a slide show of pictures of so many happy memories which he showed me as I lay on the operating table.

He stroked my hair and then I looked to the anaesthesiologist to ask if they had started. She said they had and my boy will be here in a matter of minutes; I hadn’t even realised.

I was so at ease.

All the smiling faces around me, care and tenderness made it serene. When I heard my boy crying I just felt so relieved. He was here safely and this is what the only thing that mattered in the end. He was put straight onto my chest and I could feel his warmth and see that face I had never actually been able to imagine. All three of us together in that moment and the rest of the world had disappeared - I will never forget that.

Life After Birth and Recovery

My recovery from my birth was very simple and I luckily didn’t have any complications. We stayed in the hospital about 30 hours after delivery; once we were home we started to find our way in the world together.

When I look back on my birth I know I made the right choice. I had wanted a birth which was as relaxed as possible, full of positivity, that I was fully present at and delivered my baby safely. I got all of that, even though it wasn’t my number one choice.

I don’t know how the other options would have worked out, but right now I look back without regret. I had a positive birth experience.