Saw consultant on due date (6 Feb) who wanted to induce me asap as risk of infant mortality increases post dates and with maternal age (40, though 2 normal previous deliveries!)
40+6 booked for induction but had no intention of going through with it! Plan was to have as natural a birth as possible in the birthing centre at Queen Charlottes.
Went into hospital the morning before induction date as I was worried about reduced movement of baby in the bath the previous night and that morning. Was monitored for 40 mins (in delivery suite) and baby?s heartbeat was perfect. (she woke up!)
Midwife did a sweep (cervix 1/2 way ready) convinced me to return the following day either for induction or heart monitoring again. Given dire warnings of fetal mortality possibility
Tuesday 12th Feb
Slept badly as worried (scared) about induction possibility or infant mortality possiblility.
Got up at 5am to clean floors in a desperate effort to start labour. 7.30am had a mucusy bloody discharge ? v pleased. I went in at 8am determined to just have monitoring and then go home.
Was in a happy positive mood in hospital ward. Listening to BB king on ipod and dancing around to try to start labour. Bouncing on ball.
Was ignored in hospital (induction ward) until 10.30am when they found a spare heart monitor. Midwife on duty was rather grumpy and detached. Definitely fed up with her job.
Heartbeat perfect again. Waited to see consultant before leaving. Consultant very sweet but gave us a frightening statistic ? 8% of babies that go up to 42 weeks DIE ? so she said. This really freaked DH out ? though not me ? I was still happy to follow my instincts that everything was fine. However DH convinced me that you wouldn?t gamble one of your children?s lives on odds like those ? and said that you wouldn?t jump out of a plane with a parachute that was 8% likely to fail!!! He was really worried. So I reluctantly agreed to stay and have the induction.
Grumpy midwife said head was not engaged yet and inserted prostin pessary at 12.40 and I immediately began to sob uncontrollably. Desperately wanted to change my mind and go home! DH feeling very bad at this point!!
Hooked up to monitor for 1 hour. Heartbeat perfect. Having mild tightening feelings every now and then. Was allowed to get up and go for a walk at 2.30pm. By this time I had stopped crying and was determined to get labour going ? determined to avoid epidural and cesarian.
Walked from 2.30 ? 4pm around wormwood scrubs in the sunshine with DH - feeling less weepy. (sunshine helped!)
3pm ? felt a contraction to make the head start to descend. Yippee! Then another at 3.15. 3.30, 3.55 (getting hard to walk by this stage), 4.10 (back in hospital), 4.20, 4.30pm put TENS machine on. Contractions every 5 mins for 45 secs. Just thinking about sending DH home for his dinner (as in the past this phase had lasted 12 hours) when felt ?pop? sensation in cervix. Knew from past experience that this meant things were going to start happening. Told grumpy midwife but she didn?t believe me. Contractions every 3 mins for 45 secs. Midwife examined me and said I was only 1 cm and put me on heart monitor for 50 minutes which meant I had to stay on bed rather than move around. Contractions getting stronger throughout monitoring. Asked for gas and air but midwife said it would be ages yet and I should save the gas and air for later! Told her to GET THE GAS AND AIR!!
Asked her to examine me as contractions very painful and every 2/3 mins I wanted to go to the birthing centre. She said she would wait 2 HOURS between exams as risk of infection and there was no way I was that far on. I am feeling very dispirited at this point because contractions are so close together and painful that I know I couldn?t handle hours and hours of it. Meanwhile I am in a ward of 4 beds trying not too be too loud and embarrass the other women in the ward! (and DH). Ask DH to ring my girlfriend to come and help as I need someone to give me the emotional strength to resist epidural. (Midwife very surprised that I don?t want one!) By this kneeling time on the floor over birthing ball groaning LOUDLY (no longer embarrassed) and using gas and air liberally.
Thank God for 2 things: friend arrived (was fantastically supportive) and midwife agreed at to examine me at 7pm. 6cms! Midwife finally found a room for me in birthing centre! Yippee ? Delivery suite is supposed to handle inductions but Thank God they were too busy! Midwife wheels me in chair the 20 yards around the corner to Birthing Centre (so close in distance, so far in philosophy). Had 2 painful contractions on the way (midwife cross with me shouting ?sit down - health and safety? as I refused to stay seated through contractions!!!)
Arrived at Birthing Centre 7.15pm ? wonderful midwife takes over. I overhear her saying ?why was she induced?????
Am quickly on floor over ball breathing and issuing orders to friend and DH about where to shake to top of my thighs and hips and apply pressure to lower back. Only about 1 min between contractions. New midwife as wonderful as old one was awful. Very intuitive and professional. Encourages me to ?go with my body?. I keep shouting ?out out out!!? during contractions trying not to tense up. When contractions change to more intense pushing ones I ask her to examine me. 8.15 pm. She says fully dilated and membranes intact and bulging. (exactly as last delivery). This gives me the confidence to try pushing (scared of pushing as I know it hurts!!) Feels like baby is going to come out of your bum. In between contractions I tell midwife how I was in supported squat last time with DH on chair behind me. I know I have to tilt my pelvis upwards a lot to get the baby out. Strong lower back pain as baby very low now. I ask for birthing stool. Midwife quickly gets chair for DH and birthing stool ready. There is a brief lull ? (2 mins or so pause) we all know this means the next one will be a biggie. Sitting on birthing stool with HD behind me with his arms hooked under my armpits. Contraction huge and I go for it making strange high pitched barking noises!!?? Contraction lasts ages ? or is it 2 together?? And I keep panting and trying to let contraction push her out so I don?t tear ? can feel the head coming and thinking ?keep going, you don?t want to have to do another one of these!? So out slips the rest of her very quickly and easily ? still in the bag! 8.25pm.
Midwife picks her up to show me sex (girl as we thought) and puts her on my tummy. I am a bit in shock and shaking from the speed and intensity. Lelia gets apgar of 10! And is breast feeding within 20 mins. She hasn?t stopped since!
By the way ? placenta perfect and no meconium in waters!
Midwife writes up notes and leaves at 9pm even though her 12 hour shift was supposed to end at 8pm. Xxx Champagne bought for midwife.
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Omy's (long) birth story: a good induction
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omy · 13/02/2008 19:04
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