Ellie: Infertility, Positive NHS Hospital Induction, 3B Tear, Retained Placenta & Fibroids

From British Birthing Stories by Georgia McGivern

April 8, 2026 · 1h 16m · Episode 24

About this episode

Ellie shares her journey through infertility, a positive NHS induction, and the challenges of a complicated birth experience.

In this episode, Ellie shares the story of conceiving her son after two and a half years of trying, following years on the contraceptive pill and eventually discovering during pregnancy that she had a large uterine fibroid. With concerns about her baby’s growth and blood flow between the placenta and uterus, she was placed under consultant-led care and scheduled for an induction on her due date. Ellie describes arriving at hospital for the induction, receiving a pessary, and unexpectedly progressing into labour quickly overnight. What followed was a fast and intense labour, where she laboured using gas and air, pethidine, and the bath before rapidly reaching full dilation just as she was being moved to the delivery ward for the epidural she had planned. Her son was born vaginally after a short pushing stage, but the birth was complicated by him being born with his arm up, resulting in a severe 3B tear. She also speaks honestly about the immediate postpartum complications that followed, including a retained placenta requiring surgery, missing the “golden hour” with her baby, significant blood loss, and the emotional impact of recovering from a serious birth injury. Ellie reflects…

People in this episode

Host: Georgia McGivern

Guest: Ellie

Topics covered

infertility
NHS induction
birth trauma
postpartum complications
pelvic floor rehabilitation

Keywords

infertility
NHS induction
3B tear
retained placenta
fibroids
postpartum recovery
birth trauma

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NHS