KathyMCMLXXII only just makes it to hospital on time....

[KathyMCMLXXII]

....which apparently is all too common when you've had a long labour with your first (would have been nice if someone had told me this beforehand )

To cut a short story even shorter, labour started at around 4am last Sat/Sun night; at around 7.30 am on the Sunday morning I thought it might be a good idea if we started thinking about heading off to hospital. Got there at 8.15, baby came flobbering out at 8.20. Interesting. DH turns out to be VG at driving fast-but-calmly with woman screaming and panting in front passenger seat.

He's a boy, birth weight 7lb 2oz, came out looking like Gollum but fortunately he's a bit prettier now, mainly as a result of feeding like a piranha all week.

(Will be contributing in near future to any threads that come up on bleeding nipples and giving birth without pain relief).

congratulations! That sounds very, very close!

lol @ Golum.

Congrats!!

Well done x

Message withdrawn

Thanks Cupcakes.
When I have more time (dh about to come home from picking up dd) I am going to start a 'Has anyone here actually given birth at traffic lights/in a hospital car park?' thread because I am dying to know and have been obsessing over what it would have been like if I had

Lol! Congratulations!

Hello Pruni and Mellowma

Looks like everyone has instituted their Xmas names in my absence so I am going to have to go through and work out who everyone is. And think of one myself.

Congrats!!!!

Does he have a name or just Gollum???

Thanks

Apart from PiranhaBaby and Gollum, he's called Iain (after dh's dad) - it took us until yesterday to finally make up our minds....

Congratulations and welcome to Iain

Thanks Mears

wow !!! great story !! congratulations on the safe arrival of your boy !! xx enjoy him x

Congratulations! Theres people popping everywhere...

Thanks QP & Lulumama.

Ooh, I love those Xmas smileys!

How did you feel not having any pain relief??

I felt elated after I ds2, same kind of situation, big rush to hospital so no pain relief, I was terrified att but very pround afterwards.

Well done again + heres another one for you as I know you like them

Merrymellowmas - I thought 'I'm not a wimp after all!!!!'

Had an epidural with dd because she was posterior, which meant a much more painful labour, but I'd never been 100% certain that it really was that she hurt more and not just that I was pathetic & wimpy. Hence it was quite nice to prove it really was

Basically though I think that was the reason we left it so late to get to hospital - I was assuming I couldn't possibly be anywhere near the end of the first stage because I was still finding it all perfectly manageable.
Couldn't belief it when he just came sliding out after 3 pushes - I'd assumed that bit was going to last, if not for hours like with dd, at least for a good half hour.

We were too much in shock to be elated though
What was your rush to hospital like?

Yes I was shocked for a few days tbh. But then... elated

I had been having pains for few days and went into hospital but they said I was only 2cm dilated so they sent me home, saying I would probably be back next day.

1 hour later, I attempted to get out of bath and my water went everywhere and practically seconds later the real pain kicked in, 20 min drive to hospital dh had to drop me off at doors as I could hardly walk.

I think I was slightly delusional by this time as I was certain we were being followed! No idea who by

Got up to the room and they examined me, baby head was there

I refused to push for around 10 mins as I was completely terrified (huge wimp) but then midwife told me there was no way they could give me any pain relief, I think I finally realised I was going to just have to get on with it

Like you say though it was manageable.
I was in a bit of shock though, even though I had pains for days, it all seemed very quick in the end. Around 1 1/2 hours (sorry this is long)!!

Again once more: Well Done!!!

congrats

Thanks Tinsellyrhino

LOL Mellowmas, I had a 'realising I was just going to have to get on with it' moment too.
I got into the labour room but didn't make it as far as the bed for the next contraction, collapsed on the floor and demanded gas & air but unfortunately the tube wouldn't reach
When that contraction stopped I made it onto the bed and said 'I suppose there's no chance of any serious pain relief?' and the midwives said 'Oh no....'
They didn't have time to examine me but said they didn't need to as they could see the head.... so different from the last time when they kept on examining me and I never seemed to be get any more dilated.

good one Kathy! Well done and congratulations!

HURRAH! what a great story, and welcome little PiranhaBaby.

Congratulations! GLad your dh is VG at driving calmly and fast!