Thank you to everyone who waited with me on my "bumped from induction" thread on Monday. We finally got the go ahead to come in on Tuesday morning, by this time unable to believe anything would happen at all.
I had to be monitored for 20 minutes before they started the induction - brilliantly, they'd managed to get me the only genuinely wireless machine, so although I could only move gingerly without dislodging the trace, I could walk about the room if I pressed the sensor to my stomach. Trace was good, so midwife ruptured my membranes and left me for an hour to go into labour. At that point I had the cheese and oatcake lunch we'd brought (my last diabetic meal, and ironically I found it utterly delicious).
Midwife came back and we tentatively decided I was in labour. As I was expecting to want an epidural, she arranged for the anaesthetist to come and see me early on, to do the consent so I would be ready to go as soon as I wanted it. By the time the anaesthetist arrived about 20 mins later, I was using gas and air and said I wanted the epi straight away. At this point, some serious denial started to creep into my thinking....
I started to suspect that the really unpleasant bit of the pain was the baby moving down. Was feeling rather out of control, but didn't want to admit to anyone. The anaesthetist went out to get the stuff for the epidural, I threw the gas and air across the room as it was useless and shouting was far more effective. Started to think I ought to be getting the midwife back in the room. Luckily at that point the midwife and anaesthetist came in simultaneously, and heard the anaesthetist being sent away as he was too late. I was still somewhat in denial, DH still had no idea how near things were and apologised to the midwife for losing baby's heartbeat trace, and the midwife had to explain that was because baby was being born. Paediatrician was called in and just made it for the birth. Pushing was incredibly intense and completely involuntary - I haven't experienced anything like it in my other two labours. Baby Edmund was born a huuuge (to me) 3.974kg / 8lb 12oz. I had no pain relief or stitches, amazingly.
Total time in labour, according to notes: 1 hour 25 minutes, which includes a physiological third stage. I am still in shock about this, I think
We stayed in hospital primarily so Edmund's lung problem could be properly investigated, and we could be sure he was breathing well, and had no cardiac compromise. Happily, everything seems to be fine at the moment, and we are now home. Edmund will have further scans at 1 month of age, and, assuming no other problems crop up, surgery to remove the abnormal tissue and blood vessel at about 6 months. We are all very relieved, happy and sleepless in the Boring household.