Charlotte Sarah Poppy arrived on Thursday 29th September at 3:20am, weighing 7lbs 1.5 ozs, but not without a bit of drama - read on for the gory details (warning, this could be long )!!
Having been monitored for pregnancy induced hypertension for about 3 weeks, I went to the Day Assessment Unit for monitoring (which I had been having every 2nd day) to be told that I had now developed Pre-Eclampsia - my platelet counts had been dropping in successive blood tests, and I had positive protein in my urine, so would have to be induced. I wasn't too worried about it as was 40 + 3, had been having accupuncture to try and move things along (which would hopefully help the induction), and had already resigned myself to the fact that my water birth wasn't going to happen.
My doula came up to the hospital and sat with me while they went through what was going to happen, and stayed until DH arrived, then we went down to the labour ward and had the gel at 3:30pm. Went for a walk down Tottenham Court Road for an hour, then back to the labour ward for monitoring. At 9pm Charlotte was showing signs of distress on the monitor, so they broke my waters to check for merconium (none there). My fabulous doula arrived again, and my contractions started to heat up.
Because I was being so closely monitored, I had a midwife with me the whole time (who was fantastic - she read my birth plan really carefully and followed it as far as was practical given the situation). I was allowed in the bath for about 20 minutes, which was bliss, but then the doctor made me get out so they could monitor me again. Asked for gas and air at 5 cm, and it became my best friend. The contractions were thick and fast on top of each other, but managed to cope by standing at the end of the bed - they made me get on the bed to be monitored (they were taking blood samples from the baby's head and all sorts of other things), which was incredibly uncomfortable. Got to 8cm, and they ran out of gas and air on the labour ward - this was the only time I swore ...' What do you mean you've run out of fing gas and air - this is a fing labour ward, you should have bays of the f*ing stuff'!! Very ladylike . Finally got some after about 15 minutes, by which stage I was ready to push.
Unfortunately Charlotte was now really distressed, so they gave me 30 minutes to push her out myself, then they were going to ventouse. I managed to push her past the spines in 30 minutes, but then my time ran out, so they got me on my back, gave me an episiotomy (the doctor could see that I was going to tear really badly), and ventoused her out. She was delivered onto my stomach for 10 seconds, then whisked away, as she was grunting and covered in merconium. They worked on her for about 5 minutes, and then she was whisked off to the Neo Natal ICU, with DH.
A really odd thing happened just before she came out - my face went numb and one side drooped - I thought I was having a stroke, and DH said that the whole right side swelled up and you couldn't see my eye. The other side was also really swollen, and I looked like I'd done 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. It turned out to be surgical emphysema (sp?) - I'd blown air out of my sinuses and under the skin from pushing so hard. It felt like rice crispies under the skin, and took about 4 days to go down (so much for my Yummy Mummy look )!
My doula and DH were brilliant (thoroughly recommend using a doula - she was great support for both of us), and I was really impressed with the UCH staff. My doula hadn't worked in UCH before and said they managed the situation better than any other hospital in Central London would have - she thinks I would have ended up with a section several hours earlier, had I been anywhere else, but the UCH staff allowed things to progress and only intervened when no other option was available. They were great, but have to say the post natal care left a lot to be desired, but that's a whole other story...
Charlotte was in the ICU for 30 hours, and I didn't get to hold her until about 2pm the following day . We had to stay in for 6 days, as she was on IV antibiotics. But we're home now, and she is an angel baby - sleeping and feeding well, and hardly ever crying. Not quite the birth experience I had hoped for - DH is insisting that I have an elective caesarian next time - but the end product was well worth it!
Whew, that was a long one - hope you're still awake!!