To ask you to share your childbirth experiences?

[xoguineas]

First time mum due on the 18th Jan and would love to hear all the good, bad and gory details

So...

back to back, hurt like fuck (Occiput Posterior I believe it is called)

Head got jammed in my pelvis

Emergency caesarean

Two doctors pulling poor DDs legs whilst another another was pushing the head from up my vagina

Blood fucking everywhere, including the ceiling

Finally DD unjammed and given emergency oxygen

So all in all fucking great

Fair to say I got my money's worth, glad I didn't choose a home birth

DD now a teenager and apparently fine. Apart from being a teenager of course

I absolutely loved my second birth, smiling and chatting throughout, no pain relief except a little gas and air, didn't need to push, water birth, I was aware and in control... he was a few weeks early so I was in denial for first 6 hours of contractions which kind of helped actually. Completely the experience I wanted and very healing after a pregnancy where I had quite bad AND.

My first birth was quite different as I didn't know what to expect, thought I'd prepared myself but actually hadn't and didn't trust or listen to my body and was caught up in the detail like what songs I wanted to listen to... It was fine overall, but exhausting and not enjoyable - not massively helped by the baby becoming a bit distressed resulting in an episiotomy and ventouse.

The main difference between the two was that I read and absorbed Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and found a really great pregnancy yoga class second time around, which meant I truly understood what my body needed to do and how to work with it (obviously assuming a straightforward birth, which most are). I'd massively recommend that book.

With very recent number 3 it was two hours start to finish, no drugs, no stitches, water birth, all very chilled. Home for lunch and, for some reason, the most recent Muppet movie. He was a 10 lbs 2.5 oz baby that was 63cm long... My midwife was in awe :) He is now 12 weeks and has just grown out of his 3-6 month babygros.

I had an ELCS and it was absolutely fab, ditched painkillers about two days later as didn't need them and healed nice and quick except I've lost feeling on a small patch of my belly.

Glad I'd chosen a CS as my placenta was failing terribly without anyone noticing, women in my family just aren't made for childbirth- miscarriages, for at least 3 generations issues around BF and except for me!, all past couple of generations nearly died in labour .

Kinda glad I have a boy after reading that .

Oh and just a word of advice to anyone that suffers from SPD- it can take up to two years for the hormone that causes the issue in the first place to leave your body apparently. It was certainly true for me, but obviously it gradually got better and it wasn't as severe as in pregnancy.

I was induced at 36 weeks.
I had an epidural at 6am, didn't feel a thing until around 1pm when painful feeling across my back and bum and then epidural was topped up and back to feeling nothing. By 3pm I was fully dilated and whizzed off to theatre as losing blood, legs up in stirrups and baby guided out as I pushed, and still couldn't feel a thing. About three minutes later gorgeous baby boy held above me at 4lb 9oz. Gosh he was gorgeous.

1st born - waters broke at 37 weeks while shopping in Boots - started as a little trickle, then a bit more, thought I'd pissed myself first, I had a few bits in my basket so I made my way to a till & paid & waddled out to my dad waiting for me in his jag 😂 (I thought oh no I don't want to flood his car!) I said, 'think my waters have broke' he said 'I wondered why you were walking like John Wayne!' Anyway by time I gone to triage & it had been established I wasn't in labour I'd flooded the triage room & was sent home but was told to go back in 2 days to be induced if I hadn't gone into labour naturally. So I was induced. Started at 4pm had my daughter st 11.03pm nearly 13 yrs ago. Had gas & air & the injection in the leg (can't remember what it's called).

2nd born - began drinking raspberry leaf tea religiously at 36 weeks. At 39 weeks no sign of labour. At 40 weeks no sign! Went into labour at 41 weeks, DH wet for a flipping jog leaving me on all fours with contractions! Contractions started at about 6.30am, rang hospital they said have a cuppa & lie down. By 8am contractions were getting closer & closer ranger hospital said same thing. DH wasnt having it so got me in car & took me to hospital who said they would turn me away if I wast ready. My contractions in car were every 3-4 mins, DH was shitting himself asking if he should stop! Got to hospital about 8.45am. Midwife checked me when I got there, I was 5cm - offered me a birthing pool I thought why not! I got in they felt like I needed the biggest poo (I'd already done about 10 since getting there!!) then my waters broke with an almighty gush turning the pool into a jet spa 😂 Then I could feel I needed to push, the baby was coming. They wanted me out - oh lord, that must've been a scene trying to get me out of the pool, baby on its way out - anyway he was born at 10.25am. It was very very quick- must of been that raspberry leaf tea!! Ha ha - i still remember the midwife having to get the little fishing net to get all the poo out of the pool 😂

41+1. Straightforward 24 hour labour, with 3 bouts of diamorphine throughout and an episiotomy to finish. It's painful, and for a week or 2 afterwards I felt a bit traumatised , but I would do it again in a heartbeat! For me, the easiest part was pushing, as there was an end goal in sight and for the first time I felt the pain and effort was achieving something. I also worried myself sick at the thought of having stiches in my nethers - but didn't feel a thing! I was too engrossed with DS at this point anyway

A big surprise for me was that I didn't have a show until labour was well underway during my first internal exam, and my waters had to be broken for me even later. I was convinced that one or both of these would have to happen before labour started and waited patiently for it! So don't expect your labour story to be the same as anyone elses - just go with the flow and have no expectations.

Good luck! It's a rollercoaster, but the perfect wee bundle you get at the other end makes it all worthwhile.

Oh - and don't expect to skip out of the hospital feeling all fresh and new. I think I was a bit naive If you get stitches, it will hurt to walk/sit for a while. For some reason I wasn't prepared for this... or the leaky boobs and 6 weeks of lochia! Stock up on a rubber ring, maternity pads and breast pads now!

DS went overdue by 2 weeks. 3 failed sweeps later I was booked for an induction. Pessary inserted at 7.00pm, started having contractions during the night. Did lots of walking around the hospital and up and down stairs. In a lot of pain at 6.30pm but no one would believe me Midwife finally examined me and practically threw me off the bed and up to the delivery suite - I'd got to 7cm with no pain relief!

Got into the birthing pool which gave incredible relief. Had a brilliant labour. Son was born at 11pm. Used gas and air which was the best thing ever.

Listened to the midwife when she said to stop pushing and had no stitches.

Good luck OP. Would do it a million times over - DS was worth every second.

@SansaClegane I'm not sure! I'm a bit squeamish (hence my own ELCS)

15ish hour Labour.
9 days late. Woke up about 2.30am- thought i wet myself (waters had broke), contrations started, nice amd regular but then went a bit mental. Arrived at the hosp at 12ish and was 3cm dilated, 4cm by the time I got up to Labour ward. Temp spiked so i was given epidural (I had planned on having one but not so early on). After 5 I was ready to push, pushed and pushed but nothing happened. They attempted a forceps delivery but that didn't work either. Babies heartrate started going a bit mad, rushed down for an emergency c section. My epidural was topped up but I was told they couldn't wait- to let them know if I felt any pain. Last thing I remember is screaming and a mask coming down over my face. Next memory is waking up in recovery a while later to an absolute bitch of a nurse who decided then was the time to tell me I needed to lose the baby weight asap or be stuck with it 😐. My OH has told me I was awake being wheeled out of the OR and I was apologising for the sex of our baby (we were told we were having a boy but we we're told wrong lol).

First: spontaneous labour 3 weeks early, stuck in a triage room of a birth centre as high blood pressure so they wouldn’t admit me and no beds in hospital or other surrounding hospital (you’d think at this point they’d admit me and let me use a room and my high blood pressure may have calmed down being settled, but no) 18 hours start to finish, big headed baby took an age to crown, no stitches or tears.

Second: planned Home water birth, all in all about 9 hours and about 6 in proper labour, took an age to come out as head at a funny angle, no stitches or tears

Third: shot out like a bat out of hell. Planned homebirth luckily as would have been born at the road side otherwise. No time for pool, midwife just about made it over, DP traumatised 😂, no stitches or tears. I went from ‘oooh was that a contraction?’ To baby out in less than an hour 😁

Two inductions. One with forceps. Both with just gas and air. The forceps delivery was bloody agony, but the other wasn't so bad.

In active labour for 1hr 20 mins total. Water birth with gas and air. No stitches, very fast recovery. Discharged from labour ward after 3 hours.

11 hour labour began with waters breaking. Gas and air, then massive poo, then pethidrine at the end.
no stitches, all good. 8lbs.

If you’re about to give birth op I’m not sure birth stories are entirely helpful especially those that didn’t go so well

Best thing in labour Is to listen to your body Say yes to every drug they offer and stay calm

Make sure your birth partner knows what you’d like because you might not be in a place to decide - s/ he needs to be speaking up for you

You’ll do great- keep pushing and out pops a baby lol

My first was a week early, long latent phase and the worst part was actually lack of sleep for 48 hours - the pain was just enough to keep me awake but not excruciating. They had me walking around the hospital when I arrived because they thought I wasn't in established labour, until I demanded an examination and they discovered I was 7cm. They had to break my waters. Ds born with my head stuck in a bean bag! The gas and air was amazing and dh and i had quite a giggle together in that delivery room.

With my second i woke at 5am at 40+3 not knowing what had awoken me but feeling like it would happen that day. At 7.30 waters began to trickle, but not flood. Contractions didn't really start properly till mid morning and were manageable. Went to hospital just after lunchtime and dh had to argue with them for me to be seen asap after they told me I'd have to wait to 'make sure I was in labour' but me having strong and very regular contractions. No time for gas and air, dd was born 30 mins later after a really painful examination (as I was fully dilated by then) and being put on standby for emergency c section as dd's heart rate slowed. Turned out I (and she) didn't appreciate lying down, so I changed position and she was born with no medical intervention needed.

Both very straightforward really - just pissed off that they didn't believe I was about to give birth imminently! Thankfully dh knows me and argued my case well on both occasions.

Something I have noticed reading a few of these stories is that a few people have been told they might be taken to theatre for forceps. I had a forceps delivery, but this was just done in the normal delivery room, is this not usual? I guess I never questioned it before..

I always remember in antenatal class the midwife saying when they say stop pushing stop or you will tear

This is something I have never understood actually. With DD I could stop pushing..I assume as I had an epidural so couldn't feel everything as I was meant to. So I was just pushing when they told me I was having a contraction. As such, I did not question that advice.

But with DS, I felt everything, and my body pushed on its own. I couldn't stop it even if I tried to, it was not something I was consciously doing. So if this is how it was for me, surely this is how it is for others too? At least for a few others, if not most. In which case, that advice is pretty pointless?

Was induced 3 weeks early because of pre eclampsia. In labour for 3 days then had to have an emergency c section.
My DD was only 5lbs and the midwife said she'd never seen such a small placenta!

Induction at 4pm (39 weeks), waters broke at 5pm the following day and taken up to labour suite at 2am - contractions came seconds apart and I was only 4cm dilated, baby couldn't recover (heart beat dropped) so ECS after 6 hours. Were allowed home a day later. Not how I planned it, but the priority was the health of my baby. The c section recovery wasn't bad either. So impressed (and still emotional a year later!) about the level of service I received from every midwife, nurse and doctor.

Good luck OP!

@BatShite I spoke to my midwife about assisted birth and she said usually forceps is in theatre and after you have consented to a section so they can just move right on if it doesn't seem to be working. The thought of forceps absolutely terrifies me though!

My baba was born 5 days late, the pains started like period pain, I woke up and couldn't get the pain to go. I was sick everywhere!
I was 1cm dilated when I got to the hospital.
I was sent home- I'd be days I was told.
An hour later I went back. Later that day I was examined, 6cm they said. I need to push I said.
No!!! Don't, you're not ready!
A few pushes and my perfect baba was born, 7lb 2oz.

They classed my labour as 4 hours 14 minutes.

No stitches, pethadine and gas and air.

The pain wasn't too bad. So very worth it!

Try not to go into it expecting it to be too bad. I remember knocked up coming out whilst I was pregnant. It scared me for the rest of my pregnancy

DD was breech, I tried for a natural birth. She got stuck, I was raced to an emergency theatre for a c section, my DH couldn't come.

I thought she was gone, I kept telling myself "don't love her, she might be gone already. There were monitors and alarms sounding and about 10 people in the room. I was exhausted and terrified. Thank God, my darling girl is sound asleep next to me 4 months old now. But I can't type it without crying.