Hi, Congratulations on your birth! (I am on here looking for inspiration for a home birth for my next one, so this is really heart warming!)

I also just wanted to say something about the comment of someone having to have cesaerian due to small shoe size. This is because on average, the pelivs and the size of feet are in relation to each other. So small shoes = small pelvis. This has been known for ages in America but not over here. My Aunt was in america when she got pregnant, the docs over there said looking at her feet, she would be given c/section. But she was back here for the actual birth. The docs here said "don't be silly" (when she told them what the american docs had said. Well she had a vaginal birth, and in her own words was "ripped from pillar to post" and said it was agony, her pelivs just would not open up. She never had any more kids as she couldn't face it again.

So I think it must have some truth. I am lucky in having good sized feet so hopefully this will not hinder a homebirth!

Congrats again! enjoy your little bundle of joy!

wow hunni congrats shes def a big 'un and you did so well

welcome to the world baby beth

Big Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fab birth story, I love reading about these births.

Thanks for sharing,

Jen x

Congratulations, really love your story. I was having a conversation with my cousin earlier today, she has a friend who has been forced into having a cesearian twice because they believed her babies were going to big & she has a small shoe size?????? Just goes to show that having a larger baby is in no way going to lead to the disastarous birth that many Drs/Mws would have everyone belive. Enjoy your lo xXx

Congratulations on the arrival of baby Beth, what a fantastic birth and weight.

Well done hun xxx

Congratulations on a fab homebirth story!  Welcome to the world baby Beth, such a good weight.  Hope mine is as good soon!

Lins 31+5 lemon bump no.2

xxx

Congratulations hun! Glad you to got your home birth. It really is more relaxing at home in your own surroundings isnt it. Wishing you all the best for the future enjoy your new baby girl xxx

fantastic hun so glad everything went well and i said they an leave it till the last minute cant they lol.

welcme to the world Beth.

mara x

Congratulations - and welcome to your lovely baby girl - a fantastic size and a wonderful homebirth story to add to the many we have had posted (including my own) in the past couple of months. Thanks for sharing it - i'm sure it will inspire others.

Debs

Just thought I would let you know my birth story if anyone was interested.

If you have been following the threads recently, you will know that there were only a few of us left in the running for the last June baby to arrive.  At 10 days overdue, yesterday, I started having a bloody show in the morning and was having period pains and backache all morning.  These were coming constantly, rather than in waves, so I hoped it was my stubborn cervix moving forward and thinning a bit.  At midday I started to notice that these had built into recognisable contractions and were coming fairly frequently.  I started timing them at 12.30 and they were coming every 3 and 1/2 minutes, but only for 30 seconds, so I knew they were not really doing anything much at the time.  But because they were coming so frequently I called my MIL who was my doula and she came over and suggested calling the midwives to update them.

Shipped dd off to a friend and midwife arrived at 2pm.  I was only 11/2 cm dilated, and my cervix was in a funny position, so she suggested I have something to eat and lie down to rest and she would come back at 5pm or sooner if I needed her.  By 4pm things had got quite painful and I wasn't convinced the TENS machine was doing much, so midwife came back out and by 4.30pm I was fully effaced and 4cm.  She pretty much left me too it, but the birth pool was up and she suggested I start the gas and air.  I got in the pool at about 5pm, and started the gas and air pretty much straight away.  Well things then sped up quickly and by 6pm I was 8cm dilated.

The pushing stage was horrendously painful, much more so than I can remember with dd1, and it felt like her head was out forever, before the midwife encouraged me to change position to birth her shoulders.  Eventually, at 7.18pm, Beth was born in the water at a whopping 10lb 6oz.  Born after a 2hr 45minute established labour.  No wonder she was late, and difficult to push out.  I had never measured over my dates, nor had anyone expected her to be so big.  Obviously far too comfortable.  Amazingly I had no stitches, and only had 1 small first degree tear, despite feeling like I split in 2.  Today, less than 24 hours after her birth, my perineum feels fine - must be all that arnica, but my coccyx is very sore.

Beth is gorgeous, and permanantly attached to the boob since birth.  But with that sort of weight to keep up, it is hardly surprising.  I actually feel fantastic today, so much better than 24 hours after a pethidine birth.  And I think my story shows how positive homebirths can be, as I am sure I would have had several midwives jump on me and yank the baby out with forceps if I had been in hospital.

Sorry its so long, for such a short labour.