As most of you know, I woke up at about 6.30am on Thursday 23rd February with a very bloody show ? and panicked somewhat! When I?d settled enough to decide that it was just a show, and not worrying bleeding, I was much happier. Contractions had started within about 10 mins, and were coming every 10 mins.
They carried on like that for the rest of the day ? always 10 mins apart, and gradually getting stronger. I couldn?t get much in the way of sleep because they would wake me up, but I wasn?t needing pain relief/midwife or anything.
At about 11pm I started filling the birth pool ? it was keeping me upright and moving, and I figured we?d just add more hot to it when I actually needed it.
By 1am I was tired and fed up, so decided to have a bath ? I went with the theory that it would either slow things down enough to get me some sleep before things kicked off properly, or would give me the kickstart I needed.
I got out at about1.40am, and contractions started getting stronger, and coming every 5 mins, so by 2am we called a midwife to come out.
She arrived, and I was a grand total of 2cms! I was ready to cry. I was exhausted from lack of sleep and the contractions all day, and still nothing was really happening. She told me to take some paracetamol, get a wheat bag, and try and sit upright in a chair and sleep for a while, and then left. Contractions started coming closer and more painful from about the time that she left (about 3am), but I was so tired by that time that I managed to doze ? being half conscious to breathe through the contractions, but not with it enough to know what was happening.
By 4.30 I woke Andrew (attempting to get some sleep himself on the sofa) because I wasn?t coping with the pain, and was feeling very sick, and told him to phone the hospital and demand a midwife come and bring me something to stop pain! She arrived at 5.50am.
I was exhausted, miserable, and very tearful. At about 6am she examined me, and woohoo ? a whole 3cms! I was at the stage of ?this just isn?t working, get me to hospital and just take it out for me?. I was soooo upset. I wasn?t handling the pain very well, and I could see in her face the same expression that I got when I was having B ? she can?t cope with pain at 3cms, she?s gonna be needing more than gas & air. I was disappointed, but also had at the back of my mind ? we thought that nothing was happening with B, and then it all went very fast.
She decided that I needed to ration the gas & air slightly ? I think the theory was that if I needed it for every contraction at just 3 cms, then by the time I got further and they got stronger, it wouldn?t seem like it was having much effect. I was a tad bitter, but agreed to try using for just every other contraction (very brave woman who dares to take G&A from a woman in labour!!! )
7.15am? my waters broke (in the bathroom ? nice and moppable uppable floor!!).
At 7.25 the midwife suggested me getting on my hands and knees, and I was just at the stage of doing whatever she wanted (she had control of the drugs!). I wanted to get in my pool, but she said I couldn?t until 5cms. I suddenly got scared that it was all going to go wrong, my baby would be hurt in some way, and it would be all my fault for having a homebirth ? I?m guessing now that that was transition? I remember getting very panicked then with B too.
7.30 I announced that I needed to push ? she asked if I could stop myself? very restrained on my language, and managed to get across that no, I really couldn?t!! I think she thought I was insane? then looked and made a frantic phone call wanting another midwife ? NOW!!!
By 7.46am I was looking down and picking up a baby boy! I think my first words were ?It?s a boy! But I?m scared of boys!!!?
We?d had lots of discussions while I was pregnant about whether I wanted the injection or not, because we weren?t sure if I was ill last time due to injection reaction, or old dead placenta, and after a lot of talk, Andrew had requested that I have it, and go to hospital if needs be if I did react ? he was worried about blood loss etc without it. Since I?d stamped my feet about everything else during the pregnancy, I let him make that decision? so, we decided to move me to a better position to sort that out, and found my placenta lying on the floor!!! I hadn?t even felt it fall out? that was 2 mins after delivery!!
Emrys John was eventually weighed, and was 8lb 5oz, exactly the same as his sister.
I had to have some stitches, but I?m not having much hassle with them. I was ready to kill when they announced that neither midwife (the other turned up at 8.25am!) was allowed to do stitches at home, and that they would have to transfer me to hospital to have them done! I couldn?t believe it? I had a homebirth to stay at home, I turned down all the suggestions of ?go in to have it, and then come home within a couple of hours? because I didn?t want to travel after labour, and here they were wanting to bundle me into an ambulance (costing the NHS money), to stitch me up! After much pleading, they managed to get a 3rd midwife to come out to do the stitches.
All is going well ? Emrys is feeding like a star, we have all now had sleep and feel more human, and apart from needing to sit on a cushion to type, I feel sooo much more normal than after B. My mum is now convinced that homebirths are the best thing in the world having seen the difference between the two.
I will post a photo on Monday? it doesn?t seem right until family and my best friend have seen him in r/l.
Sorry for the essay, but I know how you all like the gory details!!!