Oh what a relief! I can't believe I'm home at last!!!! Honestly I was starting to think I'd be trapped in the LWH for the rest of mine and Bertie's life!!
Well - first, the birth.
First pessary seven thirty.
Contractions started slowly, more like bad period pain, and then started to get more regular, and stronger, about every five minutes or so. Had an examination..... and I was one cm dilated. One measly cm! I wasn't amused. I'd been rocking backwards and forwards listening to Primal Scream "Higher than the Sun" on my ipod with nowt more than a codeine for pain relief thinking, "hey it's not that hard this labour lark, what's the fuss for?"
They stuck me on a monitor to measure Bertie's heart rate, and my contractions. They got stronger and stronger, but another problem reared its head. I needed a wee. More than anything in the world. And I was strapped down!! Finally got a mw to unhook me, it was so frustrating! This happened a few times during my stay on this induction ward.
Contractions continued and at two thirty in the morning they introduced the second pessary.
At ten thirty in the morning they finally moved me into my own room in the labour ward. Where they put me on a drip, broke my waters, and then the fun really started. Luckily the midwives here were lovely, really looked after me. Which I needed. They didn't go for the intermittent monitoring but were really helpful with getting me to stay upright even on the monitor & drip.
Gas and air made things a bit better, as breathing through the pain wasn't doing enough at that point.
At about five o'clock in the afternoon I gave in and asked for the Diamorphine. I was sure I didn't want an epidural, because of the worry it would make my labour even longer than it already was.
It barely touched the sides of the contractions themselves, but according to dh, and mil, my two birth partners (oh did I mention mil wasn't allowed in the induction ward, only dh? She wasn't allowed until I was in the labour ward!) it did make me witty and amusing between contractions. I do recall cracking a few jokes.
And then at about eight o'clock I told the mw that if I didn't go to the loo soon I'd poo myself...
... and then it all went a bit weird. I just could not push him out at all. At first they said, "you can!" but then realised that I couldn't, so I had to have an episiotomy 'cos the cord was wrapped around his neck. The mw cut me and he came out, purpley blue. Very scary. They whisked him off to check him out, thankfully they explained to us all what was happening so we knew, but I can honestly say I've never been so scared in my life. Mil and dh were both frantic.
They brought him back so I could do skin to skin, but then told me they'd have to take him away to SCBU for the night to keep an eye on him in case he needed any recusitating or had a fit... ... well thank goodness I was drugged up on diamorphine. Sounds weird but it's the only way I managed to get through that night.
And then the fun really began. But that's a whole other story, involving some great midwives... and one awful one who I am going to make a complaint about.
But none of that matters for now as I'm finally home, Bertie is adorable, he is now feeding fine and dh is being an absolute star with him, doing everything around the house while I bf, and also learning how to change nappies, bath him, that sort of thing.
Next couple of days I may be a bit quiet on here while I get the hang of this newborn lark, but I'll be back!!! (Once I've checked April's antenatal to see who else beat me to it of course!!)
Just wanted to say a huge thank you to the three MNers whose mobile numbers I had while I was on the ward, and who helped me enormously while I was there and made me feel a bit more human, Dolly, Lulumama and Kitty. Thank you girls you really saved my sanity!!!