i was having intense bh on monday eve + sarted a should i ring the labour ward thread as i was only 34+6weeks pg. here's what happened...
i was kept overnight as i continued contracting. on tues, contractions continued but fairly irregularly, and weren't being picked up by the fetal heart monitor thingy. i had every hcp in the building telling me there was no way i was in labour. i seriously thought maybe it was kidney stones.
by 6 pm the pain was relentless and intense - i had to beg for some paracetamol/codeine cos if you're not in labour, you don't need pain relief har har. i breathed through it in the sense that i kept saying to myself '4 more breaths and this one will be over'
around 7 my body pushed out at the peak of the pain, i also had a need to pee feeling so thought maybe this was the kidney stone popping out (i have had them, it wasn't dissimilar).
got to the loo, and with a big push a splatter of wee(i thought) with speckles of blood flew out. i rang for the mw who gave me a quick feel and yelled 'i can feel the head!'. i got to the bed and she yelled 'i can SEE the head! i need help' and they wheeled me down to labour.
20 min later of gas + air my ds leo was born, yelling and healthy at 5lb 14oz, apgar score of 10 after birth, yay!!!
i felt like a fucking viking - my first birth had every intervention known to woman and left me exhausted and relieved it was over - this one i felt like doing a victory lap. the contrast was amazing - i know not all natural births work out well, but when they do, holy crap it's powerful!
we were discharged today, and all is well.