Baby Gyo finally arrived yesterday, 22nd March... here is my very very long birth story....!
First felt some strong pains during on the Friday night, on and off. Woke up on Sat morning felt a bit achy in low bump and lower back but nothing bad. Went out shopping etc, came home had lunch, did some housework (late nesting I think!) after which I was feeling really achy all over. Decided I might have overdone it with the housework and thought it might be SPD pain so had a bath which was very soothing. Also burned clary sage oil whilst I was in there... Started to feel some continuous strong aches from about 4.30pm and then from 5.30, I had contractions every 15mins for about 1hr when they were suddenly every 5mins (used contraction master to time them). This point I put on the TENS machine, which was soooo weird but probably quite helpful. I also used my natal hypnotherapy techniques in earlyish labour that were really helpful.
Didn?t think I?d need to call the MW for ages but I was suddenly contracting once every 3 mins so 7pm I rang the community MW on call... She said that she had just arrived at a homebirth for another lady so may not be able to come to me. She said I could wait 2/3hrs and see where she was at with the other birth or go to the hospital. I decided to wait as contractions were manageable and I wasn?t that keen to go to hospital. At 8.30pm she rang back to say that she?d delivered the other lady (was 2nd timer so quick!) and could be with me later, (I?ve never been so relieved!) so she sent the second (locum) MW round to assess me and check I was actually in labour etc. She arrived at 9pm and did a full exam. Part of me was expecting her to say I was imagining it but I was already 3-4cm dilated with bulging membranes.
The locum MW left and said we were to call the community MW as soon as we needed her etc. At 11.30pm when I felt that I needed more support and to also get into the pool so called the comm MW who arrived at about 12.30am. She examined me and I was 4-5cm. I got in the pool at 1am which was lovely and blissful by comparison to dry land. We had dimmed lights and were burning clary sage and playing music . Contractions continued at a reasonable rate. I was asked to get out of the pool for examination at 3am, I was only 6cm and a bit disappointed it wasn?t moving faster... as I felt like it should have been! The waters were still intact but the head was already very low down.
Got back in the pool but things were slowing down so after an hour or so she got me out again and made me walk about house which was really hard. This helped as things were really getting sore by this point. About 4am I got back in the pool and tried the gas and air for the first time which was really weird. Didn?t really get on with it and two contractions later it was making me sick, so I didn?t take it through every breath which helped a bit with the sickness. Found it to be a distraction rather than pain relief but was a great feeling (when I wasn?t vomiting!)
The sickness got quite bad so she gave me the anti sickness shot which helped me out a bit. Contractions slowed back down to one every 5mins so I was managed to get some sleep on side of pool between them, it was really surreal. Things continued, had another exam at 6am ish and was only 8cm. I found that quite disappointing so spent some more time out of the pool which helped move things along.
Got back in the pool again. The MW then threatened to break my waters but 2 secs after she said that I had a huge contraction and the waters broke... I was very relieved to avoid her doing it manually . Felt so hot and weird in the water. Then after another hour and half I started to feel the need to push. She said I could but after a while not much happened, apart from me thinking my pelvis was going to split!. She did another exam and found I had an anterior lip so told me to stop pushing which was pure torture as the need to push was overwhelming.
About 9.15am the second MW (who i knew and did my initial MW appointments) arrived and I was told I should try and push again.. and I wasn?t allowed any G&A for this stage as I needed to concentrate apparently! Having said that it I didn?t get on with it well so I?m not sure I would have used it. I only use 1 and quarter cylinders for the whole birth, and a , and quarter of that was during the stitching (sorry getting ahead of myself there)... I was pushing for 25mins which, although felt like a lifetime was apparently quick especially for a 1st timer and the size of the baby. I have to say I didn?t think I'd ever get her out. Possibly TMI but I think I felt every feature on her face emerging from me! Her head was 37cm... Once the head was out, one push later and her whole body slid out into the water with a lot of blood. I couldn't see her underwater to grab her and ended up pulling her up by her leg! She came out and just looked up at me with huge beautiful eyes. I wanted DH to see what sex she was but he was on the wrong side and the cord was covering her bits... In fact the cord was so big and bulbous I thought that it was testicles! But we soon saw she was a girl which was the best news ever. I was very sure she was going to be a boy but I?d always wanted a girl first so I was thrilled! She weighed 10lb 12oz.
They got me get out of the pool to deliver the placenta which came naturally and within about 3mins all over the floor with lots of waters and membrane, (fortunately we had good plastic on the floor so no mess was left after). DH cut the cord, I got examined and it turned out I had a tear which was sewn up on my lounge floor (very odd looking back on it now). I actually got on with the G&A for that bit although the local anaesthetic was very good so I didn?t feel it.
So then I felt we hadn?t had enough drama so as the MWs were taking me upstairs to have a bath I managed to faint in the hall (before the stairs thank goodness). I came around in a haze, thinking I was in bed and was having a dream about giving birth, and I thinking how appropriate as I was pregnant!! Then I realised what had happened when I saw two MWs staring at me! Then I tried to get up to get back to sofa and promptly fainted again.. so they got me in a chair stuck oxygen mask on me and fed my lucazade. I expected to be whipped off to hospital but after a couple of hours I was okish which was great... Think it was combination of low blood sugar, shock at baby size and sleep deprivation...
MWs eventually left, we ordered pizza, I drank more lucazade and then we went to bed for 2 hrs at 5pm with our daughter. Was truly fab to be at home as a family on the first night. DH was wonderful and we later got a great nights sleep.
Sorry, that really was an essay!