I'm a midwife AMA

[Jemima232]

Community Midwife with four children of my own.

Also worked as an Independent Midwife.

Breastfeeding Counsellor and Sleep Consultant.

Same question as Ginger. My previous labour I was induced and in so much pain I made horse noises and my midwife was telling me to be quiet in a very irritated way.

My labour with DD was a 3 day back to back affair. I called the maternity unit and was told on the phone by the midwife to “take paracetamol”.
When I was admitted I was put on a drip to be induced but my contractions then stopped and I was then given an epidural and taken into theatre to be prepared for an EMCS, I didn’t end up needing this as managed to push DD out after the intervention of an episiotomy and ventouse. During my contractions I had been making quite a lot of noise and I got the impression the midwives thought I was being dramatic which was embarrassing.

I've tried getting in touch with my home birth team today RE haemorrhoids post birth (8 days PP).
They have been bleeding enough for me to wear a double pad (think long!), should this be a concern or part of the healing process? A small part of one of them came off on one of the pads earlier, I'm assuming they are starting to cut themselves off?

I sustained just a 1st degree tear this time and this area was not affected to my knowledge

During my contractions I had been making quite a lot of noise and I got the impression the midwives thought I was being dramatic blush which was embarrassing.

Same here. But then again she was always telling me that she doesn’t thing I had started active Labour yet... and then baby popped out.

@Jemima232 you where right!!! Went into labour at 9.30pm and baby (boy!!) was born at 23.30 on our bathroom floor before the ambulance could even get there. Can’t believe it. No pain relief and will be allowed to go home soon 😂😂😂😂

I'm just checking back to see if Thenameisweasley has had any progress I'll race ya

I've now got sinusitis. If I go into labour can I ask for antibiotics for it while I'm there? I'm just about coping with it now, I'm not sure I'll cope when I've a newborn and am getting no sleep!

What a delightful cross post!
Congratulations Thenameisweasley!

weasley congratulations!! that labour is my worst nightmare

Oh wow weasly how come your Labour lasted that long but without being admitted to hospital ? Did they keep sending you back ?!

And congratulations! That sounds amazing and scary all at once !

Congratulations @Thenameisweasley xxx

@Thenameisweasley

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Making a lot of noise/becoming hysterical

Nearly all women do this as transition approaches.

Every woman is different, though, and it is not for the midwife to judge.

If you're panicking, your midwife should be helping you even more, not be making disapproving faces at you.

Bad practice, IMO.

@Thismummyruns

Haemorrhoids

Leave a message with your GP's surgery, asking for ointment and suppositories.

Huge congrats to Thenameisweasley!

Jemima232 I’ve given birth twice, both vaginally. First dc was normal presentation after an eight hour labour but I was mostly out of it on pethidine.

Second dc was back to back and born face to pubis after four hours in labour using solely gas and air.

Neither delivery did I ever once get the urge to push and had to be repeatedly told when to push by the midwives. Is this unusual?

Thank you everyone!! I'd been contracting regularly for three weeks so I rang my foetal assessment at 10pm in "labour" but not intense at all. We where waiting on grandparents to sit with my two year old as they live an hour away so foetal assessment advised to see how that hour went and to ring back. By the time 11 was on us my husband was threatening to ring for an ambulance and by 11.10 he had. Ambulance crew came through the door just as my husband delivered the baby. My contractions where constant from my waters broke at 11pm and so there just wasn't time to ring foetal assessment again and we could leave until the grandparents arrived anyway!!

In a way I'm quite happy with how it all went - it was quick and I don't remember half of what happened but it definitely wasn't as painful as I expected and I got home from hospital 9 hours after arriving with baby in tow so I'm happy with that!!

Awwww how heart warming Weasley :D. Shows you can trust your body to know what to do !

Awww congratulations @Thenameisweasley - so glad it was quick and fairly painless!

@Jemima232
I ended up being diagnosed with pre eclampsia with my first DD and was induced that night. I had had several symptoms for a couple of weeks. Was induced but the PE got very bad and wasn't progressing enough (had only been 6 hours but was just 1cm I think?). They had to give me magnesium sulfate. I had an EMCS.

Second DD pregnancy was fine. Contractions started 9pm on the Monday. Went in at 4am they didn't check sent me home as contractions were around 8 minutes apart. Continued to contract until 12am on Wednesday morning. Went in and at 2.30ish was 4cm so kept me in. Started on G&A but about 3 or 4 hours later asked for an epidural as hadn't slept since Monday morning.
Started pushing at 11.30ish I think. Baby was born at 12.3"22. I really struggled pushing. Epidural was good as could feel bottom half but not back and stomach. I said how it felt like ripping but kept pushing. When baby was born I had a PPH. They think it was the babies nails or knees can't remember which, scrapping me on the way out. Lost around 2000ml of blood. Blood pressure dropped and had to be packed under general. Next day had to get transfusion of 2 litres I think as haemoglobin I believe was 50?

Anyway after I was about to go home the MW said I hope it hasn't put you off having anymore as I was unlucky.

I know you're more likely to get PE again if had it before and likewise PPH but was wondering is it likely to get PE on a subsequent pregnancy if you haven't had it except your first? Likewise is the cause of the PPH likely to happen again or was it unlucky? Is there maybe something possible wrong with my pelvis/birth canal that caused this?
Msodey for silly questions - hope my waffle made sense !

Also @NotMyPuppy I had similar. A very tight feeling in my vagina and one of the walls had a ridge and was stiff and tender. I was given some exercises and give some numbing cream. They felt as my perenium got a tear which is fairly unusual that it could've added to it.

Pleased to say between around 14-18 months it just seemed better one day strangely.

@BangGoesThatTheory

Yes, it's unusual for a woman not to feel the urge to push.

If the baby's heartbeat is okay, there's no reason for anyone to tell you to push. Once the baby's head gets really low down, you'll want to push.

@Jemima232

Thanks for replying. I always thought it was odd that I didn’t get the urge to push, after friends with dc spoke about experiencing the ‘overwhelming’ need to do so during delivery.

Oh well, I managed to pop my two out ok in the end, thanks to the midwives instructing me.

@Jemima232

I have just found out I am pregnant. I have been taking pre-conception vitamins and now pregnancy ones but when I picked up the self-referral information from the doctor's surgery the community midwives put on the sheet that anyone over 40 should see their GP to have higher dose folic acid prescribed. I have been to the doctors and got this however the GP was really surprised and had never heard of it being necessary for age reasons. She googled it but could find no evidence. Just wondered if you had heard anything about this and if this is new advice?

Hi again @Jemima232 hope you don't mind the questions! I'm now 3 week post birth, I'm still finding my pelvic floor muscles are painful to squeeze or relax. Making a bowel motion happen is nearly impossible I just can't push!! I had a grade 2 tear which is stitched. Is this normal enough? I've been taking stool softeners to help

@Thenameisweasley

Yes, that sounds pretty normal for only three weeks post-partum.

Keep going with the pelvic floor exercises and things should be back to normal by the time your baby's about twelve weeks old.

Has your DH got over delivering the baby yet?

@tisonlymeagain

Are you sure the MW sheet didn't say having a BMI over 40?

@Jemima232 just checked - here it is