Ok, so finally I've got around to typing this out while Amy is hiccupping next to me! Sorry if it's long winded, but I reckon I'm allowed .
So, let's start with Monday 30th March. I had to go into hospital for monitoring as I had a funny episode with my vision - flashing neon lights that wouldn't go. Went onto the monitor thingy for a couple of hours and saw contractions registering although at that point they were still just strong bh and didn't hurt (yet!!). The doctor wanted to do a sweep as I was 40 + 4 and I wished I'd known in advance how blinking painful it would be. Got sent home, due to see mw on the Friday for another sweep with induction the following Tuesday if nothing had happened.
24 hours later I started to have a show. DH informed me I couldn't have the baby the next day as it was our wedding anniversary, and my lovely dad said I couldn't have her on the Friday as he was having some turf delivered!!
Woke up really chilled out on the Wednesday. We had planned to go out for dinner that night for our anniversary, but after a lot more show the first of the contractions started. Not too bad and only every 20 minutes. DH spent the afternoon watching Murder She Wrote, and I wallowed in the bath (and shaved legs and pits!).
Wednesday evening saw things ramp up quite a bit, and I was getting strong contractions that made me lift myself off the sofa with each one. Dinner out was off, so it was pizza for dinner although my appetite had gone. Went to bed but the pain was too strong to sleep through. I wish I'd known Tuesday night was my last real night of sleep! By 5 am I was in a lot of pain, contractions had got to 7 minutes apart but I was struggling to cope. Rang the delivery suite and they said to come in. On the way we got down to 6 minutes apart.
Got there and into a room, and the facilities were pretty good. There was a giant beanbag and a birthing ball which I took to. They also gave us some aromatherapy oil to rub on my back (rosemary, geranium and clary sage) which was gorgeous.
However, things slowed down despite another sweep and by lunchtime they told us to go home again and take paracetamol. Yeah, because that really takes the pain away!. I heard two babies being born while I was there (and at that point thought the noises made by the other women were scary) and was a bit miffed that it wasn't me.
Got home and half an hour later it all kicked off again. I managed to last until 1am on the Friday but was starting to get a bit shouty with the pain. Contractions were at 5 minutes apart. Got to the hospital and put in the same room as before only for things to slow down again! This time I got put into a side room on a ward instead of being sent home. Had something a little stronger than paracetamol, dh sent away as it was still before visiting hours, had a bath and got about 30 minutes kip. Have to say we hated being parted at that point and he went to sleep in the car park (bless).
It all goes into a bit of a blur from here. I know I had yet another bloody sweep, and was really starting to yell through the contractions. Dh was back thank goodness! I was given pethadine and remember my dad ringing to see where I was (he said I sounded like I'd had a few). I also got a call from my mw to see why I wasn't at my 10am appointment! Still only 2cm but in lots of pain. What no-one knew at that point was that Amy was back to back.
Sometime later the hind waters broke and I was at 4cm and got sent to the delivery suite. Hurrah! We got put into a different room than the first two times. I seem to remember saying not to put me into the jinxed room!
Lost the plot from here. I spent pretty much the whole time yelling through each contraction and sucking down gas and air like no tomorrow, wouldn't hold dh's hand and had my eyes closed. Things had finally moved on and I was 10cm. The pain was so bad I thought my hip was going to come out of the socket, and they kept trying to grab my legs to pull apart which made it worse. Kept being told to do this and that, and was yelling/grunting in response "I'm trying!" I also remember telling the room I felt like a piece of meat. I know they had to break my waters and the gush felt enormous!
At some point someone thought I ought to have an epidural. They had to get someone out of surgery to do it, and he was less than enthusiastic. It was all poor dh could do not to knock his head off as apparently he was rather rough with me. I had bruise marks under my arms where they hauled me up. Unfortunately the epidural only worked on my right hand side. There was a debate and a coffee break (much to dh's horror) while people tried to decide what to do next. There was disagreement between various parties, but the lovely mw decided to go against the grain and decided with a doctor to do a kiwi delivery. Cue suction cup attachment and three cuts (I felt the first one). I remember being told I had to just push her around the corner, and thinking "I didn't know there were corners in there!". More shouting that I couldn't do it and some serious pushing. It would have helped if they'd said I only needed to push x more amount of times as it seemed endless. Anyway, after another few huge pushes the doctor and mw both shouted to stop and I remember feeling the stretching sensation, and dh got to see a little face looking at him! The bit after that was like a cork popping so I'm told! I know they had to hold back the fibroid from following everything else out. They plopped Amy onto my chest, and to be honest I couldn't really register what was going on. I do know that the first thing she did was poo on me!
Paul held her while they stitched me back together, he cut her cord and put the peg thingy on her and was amazing through the whole thing. The recorded labour time was 79.4 hours which we were told was the 5th longest this year so far in that hospital. Not something I'd want to wish on anyone to be honest! (The longest was 109 hours!! )
The tea and toast after was the best thing I've ever eaten!
So Amy Florence was born at 41 + 2 on April 4th weighing 7lb 10oz at 6.33am.
And would you believe that after all the drama and ouchiness, we've already talked about the next one?
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Grinningbee finally pops
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grinningbee · 15/04/2009 11:39
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