Ingimar continued to update the family. Mum boards her flight.
13:00 | Dilation is close to 8cm, Sonia enters the birthing pool
I walked back and forth for almost 4 hours. I would stop every now and then to hold onto Ingimar and stretch my back out as much as I could. I also lent over the bed as he massaged my back but it felt better to be constantly moving. I felt good, in control and managing on just Gas and Air.
The midwife brought in a birthing ball and Ingimar helped me onto it. I bounced once and immediately stood up and kicked the ball away. I felt like the bounce had moved baby further up and certainly didn’t want that feeling. She then suggested we move to the pool to see if that helped baby.
The pool looked inviting but trying to get in and out would be a little challenging. I took my clothes off, the midwife checked me before I got in and said I was almost 8cm. wow!! Once in, it wasn’t as relaxing as I had thought and I felt a lot more exposed. Naked in a pool, feeling and looking HUGE with two fully dressed people sat in front of you chatting in another language whilst you deal with contraction is a very odd feeling. I took the mask off and tried to join in the conversation between contractions. The midwife was trying to get Ingimar to go for some food as this would be a good time before it all got very real. I said go, then held the mask back tightly on my face as another contraction hit.
Ingimar was back in no time.
They asked how I felt - I honestly just felt like I had to do a poo and that it was stopping the baby from coming. From my research, I knew that this was a good sign in labor as baby makes their way down the birth canal but I felt like I was blocking it. They got me out of the pool, on the bed and I was given a suppository. After a few minutes, I tried to use the bathroom (a first in front of Ingimar) but he patiently helped me on and off the toilet and then back into the pool.
14:00 | Sonia enters the birthing pool again
Back in the pool, the weight of baby was off me and the longer I was in the pool, the more comfortable I got. Suppository in and now naked in a pool, I didn’t care what that outcome was - I held the Gas and Air mask tight over my mouth so it covered most of my face, eyes closed and breathing deep - I was in the zone and fully in my own headspace.
The midwife kept a constant check on baby and said her pulse was a bit high, and that they wanted me out of the pool and back on the bed for monitoring. It was all very calm and no one was at all worried so I got out, waddled to the bed and they checked me again. A few hard contractions hit and I asked to go back in the pool. The midwife said not just yet…
I didn’t realize that this was it, baby was coming and I wouldn’t be getting back in the pool.
Mum lands in Iceland, Ingimar’s sister meets her at the airport and they make their way to the hospital (they met Mia only 2 hours after she was born).
15:30 | Sonia is almost fully dilated and pushing commences
I was almost 10cm, still on Gas and Air, back on the bed, and trying out different positions. This is when I really started to feel the peak of pain, the challenge, and the struggle to keep believing I could do this. I was strong enough and to keep trusting in my body. I knew it knew what to do but it felt like it couldn’t do anymore. I turned to Ingimar and said ”I can’t do this. Maybe I should get an epidural or something, what else can they give me?” At that point the midwife said it’s too late, you’re 10cm, time to start pushing.
I lay back on the bed, I couldn’t believe I was about to deliver our baby. This bump was a baby, a real person and we would meet her soon. But I was so naive to think that it would happen soon and I would just push a few times, and out she’d pop.
I had no idea how to push, I just felt like I was doing it wrong. It wasn’t working. That sounds ridiculous but I hadn’t read up on it. The midwives were speaking Icelandic and Ingimar was doing his best to translate, help me, speak to them and keep calm. I was trying to stay calm, stay strong, stay in the zone but I didn’t know what was happening to my body or my baby, and if I was doing it right. I didn’t want to be lying down. I didn’t want to push yet, I didn’t feel ready. I took a deep breath, dug my chin down, and pushed and pushed and pushed.
17:00 | We are crowning and Sonia touches her daughters head for the first time
The midwife shift changed and we had a new midwife. I was now on a bed (where I didn’t want to be), with a new midwife and a husband who was not afraid of watching what was going on. I asked Ingimar to stay up at me, but then I did also keep asking him what he could see. The poor guy. The midwife told me to put the Gas and Air down and just go with the contractions. I kept pushing.
Finally, after countless pushes, Ingimar said he could see her head - we were crowning. The midwife kept telling us that our baby would be here in the next contraction and to puuuush, I did so for 2 long hours. It was confusing, frustrating, exhausting - it took every muscle in my body. It took all of my remaining focus. It took everything we both had to give at that moment. I reached down to feel her head and her hair. I needed the motivation. Laying my head back on the bed, I looked up at the monitor and watched as a contraction started and I pushed with everything I had.
They don’t call it the ‘Ring of Fire’ for nothing and it came as a shock with a side of panic to me, but once I knew what it was, I knew it wouldn’t be much longer before my baby was safely delivered. I let out an animal-like groan, Ingimar took my hand and said I’ll do it with you, we roared. We did this for 2 to 3 pushes - we were loud.
The midwife said she needed to make a small cut to help baby, I had torn twice by this point so they gave me an episiotomy.
One push and her head was born, two contractions later, one push, and Mia was born.
17:25 | Sonia is holding our beautiful baby girl in her arms (Dad gets skin to skin later)
Mia is placed on my tummy as the umbilical cord was too short. She is perfect. She cried. She calmed, I calmed. She is our everything, instantly. I love her.