I've posted on here a fair bit about my labour - I never talk about it IRL except occasionally to DH, so I suppose it's my outlet. Apologies if this is the millionth post you've seen from me on the subject.
I was induced at 40+13 by pessary around 5pm. Period pains started around 9pm and continued through the night. I was 4cm dilated at 11pm and 5cm at about 6am. I got my TENS machine on quickly and had some paracetamol.
The pain got worse if I lay down so I spent the entire night sitting or bouncing on a ball. However, it was never all that bad. I mean I winced throughout and felt miserable and sorry for myself but I've been in similar/worse pain with earache, sore throat, that kind of thing.
At 8am I was to get my waters broken and casually strolled down to the delivery room chatting away to the midwife etc, was examined and was 9cm dilated! I don't really understand this and from the reaction of the midwife and doctor neither did they as I was acting so normal and not in a huge amount of pain.
The next part is a bit fuzzy but after my waters had broken there was no progress in the next couple of hours so the syntocinon drip was started. It was turned up to 12 when the pain got really bad. As far as I remember it was a continuous pain - either that or incredibly close contractions with a bad pain underlying them. There was no respite at all in between. I ended up being on the drip for 5-6 more hours in a huge amount of pain. It felt like the bones of my pelvis were being ripped apart. During this time I was told that the baby was back to back; they pulled me into position dangling upright over the back of the bed where I stayed the whole time.
It was like torture. I went from someone chatting away normally and my usual self to screaming like a banshee the entire time. Nobody really talked much to me, or helped me change position, or explained anything to me (I have vague memories of them explaining things to DH). I was too out of it to speak much; I couldn't operate the TENS or tell anyone to so it buzzed away at full strength the entire time on my back. I remember the midwife acting pleased that I was now properly in pain, "it's not called labour for nothing". So was the doctor when she visited.
I did ask scream for an epidural at one point. To their credit the anaesthetist arrived promptly but then something on the monitor made them think my contractions were picking up and that delivery was imminent and I didn't get the epidural.
Anyway the end result was baby did not descend, I refused Kielland forceps and had a c section. Baby was 11 and a half pounds, all healthy afterwards.
I never had a birth debrief so I think that's why I have some unanswered questions:
How could I not have been in very much pain at 9cm dilated?
Why was I then in constant agony on the synto drip? Could this have been baby crushing nerves (I found this explanation on someone else's birth story)?
Shouldn't hcps be a bit more concerned that someone completely stoical up to 9cm, with waters broken and everything, then becomes off her head with pain? Rather than being seemingly pleased? Surely this was an indication of a problem?
Shouldn't the midwife have suggested/helped me change position e.g. all fours instead of talking rubbish, making DH toast and filling out endless fucking paperwork?
Could the fact that my waters were broken with a back to back baby be the cause of the failure to descend? Should positioning have been checked before this took place?
Thanks for reading if you got this far!
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Childbirth
Labour pain - can anyone explain (long)
34 replies
lunalovegood84 · 15/06/2015 13:44
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