22/03/2026
Loelle’s homebirth, Occiput Posterior Deflexed baby position (the baby is head-first, with baby’s back to mum's back and chin up instead of down).
My labour was 4 hours long with 2 hours pushing a malpresented baby. She couldn’t wriggle down and her head position caused her to have a large conehead.
From the beginning!
I had 2 different bouts of contractions in the weeks leading up to birth. These were very real but didn’t lead to labour and we didn’t check for dilation,some call this ‘false labour’. These weren’t braxton hicks, In retrospect these contractions were actually early stages of my labour and effacing, I was 8cm dilated about 45 minutes into my labour. I now know this to be called prodromal labour and experienced it with my second too.
On the 3rd of August 6:00pm, my waters broke it was a slow but very steady trickle, but labour pains did not follow. My midwife told me I needed to go into labour soon since the waters had broken, and gave me permission to try a few things. I walked and used my ball to bring it along until it got late and I realised I just had to get some rest. I stared at my bare belly in the mirror and said goodbye to my bump as I waited for contractions.
I woke up in the morning on the 4th of August disappointed! Labour hadn’t started in the night after all. Instead of sitting around I attended my nan's birthday celebrations that day with family who were all very sure I had weeks to go with comments of how I didn’t have ‘the look’ or hadn’t ‘dropped, I took this all on with amusement until I finally told them all my waters had broken the night before and said “I’m having this baby tonight” - somehow I just knew, and she was indeed born on my nanas birthday!
I later saw my midwife who confirmed it was in fact my waters, and there was discussion around the possibility of a hospital induction. The hospital strongly advised this happen within 24 hours of waters breaking, we respectfully declined and instead decided to wait till 48 hours and reassess, I was thankful for being able to make my own informed decision.
Back at home I watched mamma Mia while I tried walks, drives, the midwives brew, and nothing was working, I could slowly feel this birth slipping through my fingers,I walked into the lounge and stomped my foot in anger and suddenly felt 2 pops inside and my waters gushed again!
It was 6.40pm, August 4th. I went to the loo to clean up the waters and suddenly contracted, oh my! The pain was hugely intense and it shocked me. I thought “flip, I thought I'd get more build up”. Then another came on really quickly, I could tell this was it. We called my midwife who said to call back when they’re 3 minutes apart for an hour so we started timing contractions,I thought we’d have hours since this was my first baby!
My first contraction was at 6.43 second one was 4 mins later, then we quickly realised they were under 3 minutes apart, mainly between 2:40 and 2 minutes. Mum and Alex frantically got the TENS machine on me and this helped a little, but we knew we were deep in it already, there was no slow build to be had. The pool was set up earlier in the week so Alex immediately started filling it when my first contraction had hit, the midwife was called again. By this time I was in another world, in shock too. I had quite a silent labour, all my energy went into focusing on the baby, she had been posterior for a while but that day when my midwife had checked she was anterior again, but I had always had a sense she would come however she wanted and I always had a peace that it would be ok if I did have to have a posterior birth. My midwife arrived and checked me and I was 8cm dilated and I felt the sensation to push. I pushed for 2.5 hours. I believe my midwife at some point knew that baby had changed position but decided to let me labour as I was without worrying me, best decision ever. Pushing where I was wasn’t working so I wanted to leave the pool as I had an urge to use gravity and also wanted the tens again.
Because of how the baby was positioned she couldn’t do the usual wiggling out as her forehead was facing up and she was pushing against my tailbone. The baby kept moving backwards after pushes so each contraction I had to actually push, then hold her in position during each “rest” between contractions, so there was really no rest as I had to work hard bearing down in order to keep her where she was every time an maintain progress. My midwife monitored the baby regularly and not once was her heart rate outside of perfect, nor did she get distressed. I believe both knew we could do it and we would safely meet her that night in our home. I tried a few positions and ended up in the “proposal” position on the floor in front of my couch, facing my husband as he sat on the couch and took my elbows baring into his knees. This position was key and at 10:57 our baby was born in the lounge, infront of our cozy fireplace. She had a huge conehead from being pushed up against my bone and I was super worried about her, it was like another head on top of her head, the midwife called to her backup “oh look at this! THIS is the reason this birth has been so tough!” (referring to her position and conehead). I had done it! I lay down and we waited for the placenta while the baby was still attached, letting it completely empty before cutting the cord. I was out of it, I'd had no pain killers but I was spinning as if I had.
I’m really glad we refused induction at that time, we would have had several interventions at the hospital based on the baby’s position. I believed in my body, I trusted in God because I'd had a peace about my birth from the moment I knew I was pregnant. I found strength from deep within in the knowledge that I was created to give birth to this baby and strength in the peace that God had given me to know that it would all work out. IF we had made it to 48 hours and had no progress I would have gone to hospital, if there were any issues or complications we would have gone, I wouldn’t refuse the transfer to the hospital, it just worked out this way for our situation. Her conehead healed over that night and she was left with a bruise on the top of her head which has since also healed, she was left with no existing issues, was a fantastic baby who fed and slept well, we’re very blessed!
Loelle Ray Knowles was born August 4th 10:57 weighing 8.5 Pounds. Natural homebirth. No stitches needed. I’m so glad we chose homebirth.
