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Footling Breech Birth













Today is a very special day. It's my daughter Emmas first birthday and also the day she died and was revived.

I had Emma at a birthing center with a midwife and doula, my water broke the night before at 11pm, we rushed off to the birthing centre and waited it out. 

The midwife checked and all was fine, she'd dropped and was in the correct position (to come out head first) but things changed without us actually knowing.

Apparently Ems was swimming around in "the biggest placenta" my midwife or doula had ever seen, which was filled with tons of ambionic fluid. Which is great except this meant that over the course of the night she flipped around.

All of a sudden I was in active labour and I kept saying it felt as though she was kicking her way out. Everyone just assumed that she was hitting or punching.

Anyway as I start to push, I look down (I was sort of standing/squatting) and I see feet coming out of me, not a head. 

It was terrifying, she had turned and was coming out feet first! This is called a footling breech birth. I kept pushing but was so exhausted. Eventually I heard the midwife yell, she can't breathe you have to push her out now.

I pushed as hard as I could and she popped out, the midwife caught her, then there was an awful silence. No crying. All I can remember is lying on the floor, watching as Shandores eyes were filling with tears, the midwife giving Emma CPR and my doula had started comforting me, preparing for the worst. Emma's heart had stopped and she wasn't breathing.

After what felt like an eternity, but was only actually a minute or so, Emma took her first breath. That was at 11:15 on the 1st of August 2020.

So many things could've gone differently that day, the midwife nor our doula had ever done a footling breech birth so we could've been spending today and the last year in mourning but instead we've had a year full of laughter and love.

Happy birthday to our miracle. You are so funny, smart, sweet, sassy and the best dancer and baby sister in the whole world.

Love you my baby, happy first birthday 💞

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