Bonnie went into her first birth with a detailed plan for a water birth. She left theatre with forceps, a missed third degree tear and a hemorrhage that was still waiting to happen at home two weeks later.
Bonnie is a certified babywearing consultant, mum of two and originally from Hong Kong. Her first birth started with real promise. Contractions kicked off the day before her due date and progressed fast. But the hospital was too busy to admit her, so she spent hours pacing a corridor in established labour with nothing but paracetamol, only to be checked and found eight centimetres dilated. From there the birth centre she had planned for was closed due to staffing, an epidural slowed everything down, and a dip in the baby's heart rate meant forceps in theatre.
The real turning point came two weeks after the birth, when a tear that had been recorded as second degree turned out to be third degree, missed at the time. Bonnie collapsed at home with a postpartum hemorrhage caused by retained placenta and had to be blue lighted back into hospital, where both were finally treated. For her second birth she went in determined, fought a consultant who tried to block her from the birth centre, and this time gave birth in the water she had wanted all along.
In this episode we talk about:
- Being turned away in early labour and told to walk the hospital corridor
- A birth centre closing due to staffing on the night she needed it
- Forceps delivery and an unplanned move to theatre
- A missed third degree tear and a postpartum hemorrhage at home
- Fighting a consultant for access to a birth centre and water birth second time round
- Gestational diabetes, induction and a fast birth centre water birth
This episode is for anyone who has been told to just wait, who has had a birth plan fall apart in front of them, or who is preparing to fight for something different second time round.
The stories shared on British Birthing Stories are real, personal experiences from real women. I am not a medical professional and this podcast is not a substitute for medical advice. Every pregnancy and birth is different, and I always encourage you to speak to your midwife or doctor about your own individual care.
British Birthing Stories shares real, unfiltered stories of childbirth in the UK, from pregnancy and labour to postpartum recovery.
These stories reflect personal experiences and should not be taken as or replace medical advice. Always seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional.
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