Samuel Thomas arrived on Saturday at 6.54 pm, weighing 7lb 9 oz.
After 3 sweeps, reflexology and all the other usual techniques of trying to bring on labour I had my waters broken on Saturday afternoon, which was 12 days overdue. The hospital were amazingly busy and I had originally turned up at 8 am only to be turned away (2 hour round trip as well). However, it all went ahead as planned in the afternoon and my waters were broken at 3.30 pm and contractions started immediately every 3 minutes! I did tell them in advance that I wanted an epidural due to induction and also the fact that they thought baby was posterior (and had traumatic first labour with epidural late on). However, when I first reminded them of this in labour they thought it was too early to examine me to see if I had reached 4 cm (about 5.20 pm)but gave me gas and air at this point. Within 10-20 minutes of that they agreed to the epidural without bothering to examine me as they could hear me using the gas & air probably every 1-2 minutes so realised I was pretty advanced, but the anaesthetist was with someone else and would be 20 minutes. It was really already too late, however, as my contractions became virtually back to back from then on. I did find that really hard, hadn't even got as far as undressing myself as had reached this point so quickly - was kneeling on the bed and midwife and dh had to gradually try to ease off clothes as I couldn't move and do remember thinking - "I wasn't meant to get this far without an epidural". Soon was being told to push if I wanted to and although was getting heaps of pressure in bottom had no urge to push and remember getting nagging thoughts that the midwife was just assuming I was in second stage and I might not be as she hadn't examined me (not that I wanted her to) and last labour had got stuck at late first stage when they thought I was in second stage so they refused me an epidural. Anyway, pushed panicky thoughts to back of head and had a try at pushing and realised that it was a hell of a lot less painful to push than to breathe through contractions. Within half an hour Sam was born. It was all so quick and contractions so back to back that it wasn't until after he was born that I realised the midwife who had been with me throughout was not the same midwife who had broken my waters!
It wasn't what I had wanted, given plans for epidural, but really I couldn't have had a much better birth and feel quite proud of myself to have managed to do it all on gas and air . Wasn't so exhausted afterwards (first time had 26 hour labour), got wonderful long skin to skin cuddle with my baby which was just fantastic (last time was so exhausted and weak I could hardly hold my dd), and got to clean up in the bath etc.
Really pleased with whole experience and Sam has been fantastic so far and is feeding well (although think I might have to look at all the posts on cracked nipples as I am suffering somewhat - just to be expected though)