Hope this is the right place to post this question:
I just had my first baby in May, a boy, at Redhill East Surrey Hospital. It turns out I had been in labour all day - rushing up and down to the loo with an upset tummy every half hour or so - I thought thats all it was. Hubby got home at 8pm with a curry (!!) and the pains went from every 15 mins to every 5 to every 2 mins apart in the space of about 15 mins. Within 2 hours they were 1.5 mins apart and we started preparing to go to the hospital. Got there about midnight and was told I was 3cm dilated. They put monitors on me and found the baby's heart beat was high so at somepoint they decided to break the water - there was meconium so they decided to continue monitoring me - my waterbirth went out the window! Within an hour I was 4cm and by this point gas and air wasn't doing anything for me (apparently I virtually bit the plastic mouthpiece of the entonox in half!)and my body was pushing involuntarily because the contractions were so intense - my husband was literally having to hold me down on the bed - they offered me pethidine and I was in so much pain I accepted. However after this I have virtually no memory - just snapshots like after a heavy night out on the town! Apparently the pethidine didnt help with the pain and they decided I needed an epidural - I was so out of it with the pain and drugs(so I'm told) my husband had to consent for me (I think!). I ended up getting to 9cm by 6am but they did two scratch tests and decided my baby had to come out NOW and so I went down for an emergency c-section, which my hubby also consented for as I was still on a different planet. I didn't get to see my son as soonn as he was born and my hubby didn't get to cut the cord as they whisked him away to check him over. All I really remember is his weak little whimper as they took him out. He had to be taken away to have a canula put in his little hand poor thing as I tested positive for GBS and they didn't have time to get enough antibiotics into me in the labour (I'm allergic to penicillin). He was away for about an hour before they brought him back to me. He wouldn't latch on when I tried to feed him and long story short he went from 7lb 10oz to 6lb 13oz in the first week because he wouldn't feed properly so we had to formula feed him instead (and he's still not caught up with the other babies born in my group at the same time or after!). I don't know if all that had an affect on him or me - and I know I love him to death but sometimes I look at him and he looks at me and I get the feeling that the look is saying "who are you? I don't know you" and I feel numb for a split second before I can shake it off (hope that makes sense!!). For some reason my parents have stayed completely away and apart from when they came to see us in hospital the day he was born I didnt hear or see them for the first 6 weeks (and its basically stayed like that for the last 4 months apart from when I ring them/invite myself down to see them/invite them up to see us at ourr house) same with my "friends" - both my mum and my friends ahve said they wanted to give us "space" - whatever the hell that means, which also means I've had to cope with no support/advice at all from anyone other than my husband who works in the centre of London and works shift-type hours which means I'm basically "on-duty" 24 hours a day. I'm knackered - but don't get me wrong I love looking after him I just wonder what effect the birth has had on me and the baby - I certainly would do my best not to have pethidine again!
Sorry for the long post! I guess there was more inside me than I thought!!!
Get updates on how your baby develops, your body changes, and what you can expect during each week of your pregnancy by signing up to the Mumsnet Pregnancy Newsletters.
Childbirth
How did Pethidine affect you/your birth experience/your memory of the birth
emmx · 12/10/2009 22:29
This reply has been deleted
Message withdrawn at poster's request.
This reply has been deleted
Message withdrawn at poster's request.
This reply has been deleted
Message withdrawn
This reply has been deleted
Message withdrawn
Don’t want to miss threads like this?
Weekly
Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!
Log in to update your newsletter preferences.
You've subscribed!
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.