Frit of the NHS
This is the birth story of GG, my ds2. DS1 was born vaginally on the day of the London bombs, after a pointless induction, shoddy conveyor belt care and an all round rubbish time. Despite having worked in and for the NHS for 20 years, I was left terrified of incompetence and anxious about our ability to cope in labour with NHS again. This was complicated by some really dodgy antenatal care issues with DS2, which I banged on about at length on this thread. Many thanks to all those who helped there.
Midwives in Partnership
The upshot was we hired this wonderful woman as an independent midwife at 35 weeks.
Baby might be big
During these last few weeks of pregnancy, I really enjoyed being able to talk out with her the ds1 problems, and discuss in detail preparations for ds2. She and my NHS consultant (had one of these due to thyroid problem and general pursed lips worry at my being 40 and fat) both registered the baby as big. A growth scan at 38 weeks estimated ds2 at 9lb 5oz at 40 weeks. Much discussion about planned homebirth followed, all agreed OK to go ahead. MW and I did actual physical practice of moves I would need to make and theoretical discussion of how we would manage a shoulder dystocia, in the event of baby proving to be this big. I knew that if she said, ?hospital now? or ?push? or ?must do VE?, that she meant it and I would do it. Whereas I would have questioned every suggestion from a stranger!
Getting ready
Aside from this I was going all stops out on the active birth preparations: natal hypnotherapy, antenatal yoga, a ready at all hours birth pool, reading loads on active birth.
Hell of Prelabour
!OHMYGOD! Noone told me this could happen: 19 days of pre-labour. Featuring sessions of 4 to 12 hours of strong contractions of a minute each, 4-6 per hour. We went 10 days overdue, finally going into labour 10 hours before my appointment on the induction ward, following complete depressed/upset breakdown that lunchtime. For the last three nights, I couldn?t lay down to sleep, had to sit up to try to rest. Had TENS attached for the day before labour started. Apart from that, it was the birth pool that saved the day for me. I never got in while doing my slow contractions in case it stopped the real thing, but I frequently got in just to float, relax and towards the end, doze off. This thread kept me sane in the dark times!
Heaven of Labour
Once I was actually in labour I was bloody radiant with it. Just thrilled that the end was in sight and I had a pop at popping in water, at home, not in labour ward. I could not believe I had such an energy surge. Mind, I did eat a whole stuffed crust pizza 2 hours before going into full on labour. Was ravenous, suppose my body knew what it needed. I went a couple of hours on breathing. MW arrived and found me at 4cm, dilating to 7 during contractions just 30 minutes into the noise-making stage of labour. Though I could move easily in the water, I tended to stay in forward leaning wide legged kneel, clutching at DP and/or the sick bowl. The most reassuring thing the whole labour was watching the MW settle into my crappy sleb mags for an hour or so, so normal was my progress. When it got tougher, I went onto sucks of entonox. I was rationing myself, as she only had 2 canisters, as it was I only used a half. This was because, like with ds1, it was really effective, but if I took too much I just got stoned and couldn't concentrate on coping. At this stage there was the worry of the missing 2nd midwife. Three were called and none made it in time.
Finally, after a transition marked by screaming panic about cramp in my inner right thigh down to the knee (relieved by all spare hands massaging it heavily) I felt his head crown, which I didn?t feel with ds1, and didn't think was as awful as expected, though unpleasant. In this second stage my contractions were so different, less frequent, very strong and deep. But then he stuck with his head half out, having a proper shoulder dystocia. We spent 5 really worrying minutes going through the relevant moves - getting out of pool, McRoberts etc. Eventually, our MW released him by hooking his shoulder back and up past the pelvic bone while I had a contraction on all fours which shot him out.
Baby GG needed a minute of breaths from the MW and was Apgar 5 at 1 minute, 9 at 5 minutes and 10 at 10 minutes. He looked so plump and perfect!
Mind my thumb
A bike paramedic was already with us (was terribly unhelpful, couldn't work the oxygen canisters, was asked to take baby heartbeat, came up saying yes he could hear breaths?!). GG's right arm was floppy for 30 minutes.
Once I knew baby was OK, my prime concern (apparently I was very rude at this stage) was how much my right thumb hurt, having sprained it badly somewhere along the way. Anyone who tried to help me with hand holds/lifts got very short shrift, and I was swearing and crying at the pain when I jogged it!
The resus and floppiness had us all pile into an ambulance, along with the fact my placenta was slow to come (had a managed 3rd stage, but still very slow) and I lost half a litre of blood. We travelled in slowly (?lost) listening to a masterclass from MW to these paramedics on how to deliver breech babies and a chorus of ?are we there yet? from me and DP. The delivery ward, stitched me up (same 2nd degree tear of about 4cm as I had with ds1). I had GG given IM Vit K as he probably needed the boost after such a tight, bruising squeeze. We finally got him weighed. My nine and a half pounder was actually 11lb 11oz and was 60cm long.
Aftercare
He had mild jaundice so we spent 3 nights on single cell phototherapy, with endless rounds of 'Why so big' investigation and speculation. We were eventually left to it when they saw how tall and big all his relations are. The aftercare was great though, much better than I experienced before. We were minor celebrities though, as hospital had no knowledge of such a large baby being born vaginally before. If I'd know he was big, I'd probably have asked for an elective C section. It does seem unbelievable he got out so well. Just as well I didn't need an emergency C section though. I met 2 women who were told they did while in aftercare. One waited 95 minutes for hers, the other ended up with high forceps delivery instead, as the unit was too busy
SOS IMs and NHS maternity services
Last year's independent midwife petition and government response
www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page13244.asp
NHS trusts with maternity services all have maternity services liaison committees (MSLCs) which welcome our input.
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_41 28339