A brave mother has documented her length labour live on Facebook to show other women the reality of birth.
Charlotte Adams, 28, from Surrey and her husband Rob Adams shared eight videos with more than a million viewers on Netmums’ Facebook page as she gave birth to their daughter.
The new mother detailed her experience from her waters breaking at 6 AM, through to her induction on a drip the following evening and the very last stages of her labour almost 48 hours later.
‘I’m rather sore, I’m not going to lie,’ Charlotte said. ‘I don’t even really know how that happened! One minute I was only three cm dilated, then the next thing I know I was seven cm and asking for an epidural, and then she decided to come.’
Despite begging for pain relief at the last minute, Charlotte managed to give birth without and said she felt proud that she’d managed it after such a long labour.
Explaining her intentions behind the vlog, she said that she wanted to give women a realistic view of what it’s like to give birth.
‘I want to do this mainly to help other women out there,’ she said. ‘But also as a bit of an experiment for myself. Maybe I’m a bit nuts.’
And her experience proved that the best laid plans for childbirth often come to nothing, when she couldn’t go ahead with a water birth or having her best friend there after being induced.
Charlotte was filmed sucking on gas and air as she tried to manage her contractions without resorting to an epidural for the birth
Charlotte’s first video, filmed at six in the morning, detailed how her waters had broken at 12.15 AM.
‘I’ve had contractions on and off for the past hour or so,’ she said. ‘I’ve made a hot water bottle. I’m trying to relax. I literally have no idea what to do.
‘I have no idea what to expect. I feel a bit nervous. I feel a bit scared. My partner is still asleep, I’m not planning on waking him up anytime soon.
‘The pain is more like really strong period pain. I’m not in agony at the moment.
Charlotte Adams, 28, from Surrey posted her first update at 6 AM after her waters broke just after midnight (left). She updated followers on the way to the hospital (right) but was sent home to wait for her contractions to progress
‘I think I’m going to make some toast. But is that a weird thing to do?’
Charlotte and Rob went to hospital but were told to go home and wait it out until the contractions got stronger.
Proceedings were tiring for her husband Rob too, who she praised for being very supportive during the labour
She was booked in to return for an induction at 11 PM if labour hadn’t progressed, but on arriving at the hospital she was told there was no room in the birthing suite.
‘It’s not really how I saw it happen in my head,’ she admitted. ‘I’ve tried to keep a completely open mind all throughout my pregnancy about how my birth was going to be.
‘But you do get some sort of visioin of how you’d like it to be and it’s not going like that at all.’
Charlotte had wanted a water birth but when labour is induced with a syntocinon drip the baby needs to be monitored constantly, which isn’t possible in a birthing pool.
‘I do feel a bit disheartened,’ she said. ‘But I’m trying to keep an open mind and think as long as they baby comes out healthy and we’re both well that’s the most important thing.’
Next morning she returned to hospital to be induced and updated followers on Facebook.
‘Just had a sweep, not pleasant,’ she said. ‘I’m only 1 cm dilated. But I am having contractions.’
‘I haven’t had any pain relief other than a bit of co-codamol. I’m going to see how long I can go with it and then maybe get on the gas and air. I want to avoid the epidural. Let’s see what I can do. I’m determined I can do this.’
Charlotte admitted that her labour hadn’t progressed as she’d imagined, but was trying to focus on her daughter arriving safely
Despite the pain, Charlotte was keen no to have an epidural for the birth of her daughter
Charlotte also found out that she couldn’t have her best friend as a birthing partner anymore because of how the situation had progressed.
‘Plans, why make them. They just go completely out the window,’ she said.
By the time of the next update, Charlotte was in a lot more pain and was seen sucking on gas and air.
‘I was braving it without this for quite a while but it does really help,’ she said. ‘They’re lasting about 40 seconds. Every three minutes, which is pretty bearable. I’m going to keep going.
‘I’m going to keep going and trooper through. Stay tuned. I’m going to end this now and crack on with this contraction.’
The proud parents with their new baby daughter who arrived after almost 48 hours of labour
In the eighth and final update Charlotte was able to introduce her baby daughter.
‘I did it without the epidural and I was literally dying for one,’ she admitted. ‘Contractions are intense and I was so wanting one but I’m proud I managed to do it without.
‘Got to have three stitches done, which isn’t fun.’
Anne Marie O’Leary, Netmums Editor in Chief, said: ‘We’re proud that a member of the Netmums team is so dedicated to showing birth just as it is – with none of the airbrushing or lip gloss.
Netmums is a big believer in keeping things real and that’s exactly what Charlotte’s doing with this video.’