Rose Madeline, a beautiful little sister for my gorgeous DS, arrived safely via VBAC at 7.38pm, Thursday 12th June. She weighed 7lbs exactly.
The Stats: 19 hours labour, pain relief 4 co-codamol, 1 flapjack and SCREAMING like a premenstrual banshee on crack. 2nd degree tear
The Gory Details
1.00am-3.00am, 2 days past EDD Woke up with contractions 10 mins apart
3.00am-7.30am, contractions 5 mins apart,sat on birth ball, watching episode after episode of Grey's Anatomy DVD
8.00am-9.30am, gritted teeth through journey to drop DS off at nursery and then spent 25 mile journey to hospital kneeling backwards on back seat with iPod on
9.30-10.30am, waited half an hour in Labour Ward waiting room, then examined and told that despite being 3-4 cms and regular 5 min contractions lasting a minute I was not "yet" in labour and had to go up to Antenatal ward
10.30am -3.00pm DH walked me round and round hospital grounds, with me hanging off his neck, squatting for contractions. They increased to every two minutes at which I went and burst into tears all over midwife and asked to be sent back to Labour ward.
3.00pm -6.00pm Re-examined at 3pm, 5-6 cm, tried gas and air, made me violently sick after 3 puffs, so that was my main pain relief option out of the window. Had assumed I would be sucking down tanks of the stuff. Bugger
6.00pm -6.30pm Started to lose plot. They put me in a bath, I was being REALLY NOISY now and insisted on getting out, kneeling on all fours on floor and was begging for an epidural. I could tell the midwife was trying to weigh up if I was the world's worst Drama Queen or progressing quickly. They took me back to my room, with me bellowing and squatting and flashing my arse at some random poor birth partner in the corridor
7.00pm Re-examined, told I was fully dilated, waters broke suddely all over bed and I was told I could push. Thank F**K for that!!! Pushed for 40 minutes, I was, quite frankly, petrified. I have never been so tired or so scared in my life. Or SCREAMED so loudly But DH and lovely new midwife (they changed shift just as my waters broke, old one apologised she had to leave but she had to get daughter from Brownies!!)were really supportive. Head crowned with my kneeling up over back of bed and rest followed v. quickly, I could feel myself tearing but it wasn't too bad.
7.38pm Rose born, me weeping, gibbering nutty woman, shaking uncontrollably for 20 mins. DH cut cord, I held her straight way and got stitched up for 45 mins, 2nd degree so could have been worse. Then they left us for an hour, Rose had a good attempt at a feed and they brought us tea and toast and it was lovely. Midwife helped me walk to sit down shower, I couldn't believe I had just had a baby and I COULD WALK, so different from last time! Then I went up to ward with my little girl and DH went home. Got discharged last night, she is feeding well at the moment, think milk about to come in, let's hope it continues to go smoothly
I cannot believe that I actually did it and that I now have a DD and a DS (and that's me lot, thank you very much!!!!!!) Am still floating on cloud nine.
THANK YOU to all the lovely girls on MN who supported me through my 2 m/c last year and this pregnancy.