Hi all
Congrats oompa on the birth of your little lady! Hope everyone else is doing well in the waiting game.
Here is my birth story - sorry it is so ridiculously long, feel free to skip right past it. I've wrote it up as something to keep as its amazing how quickly the memories fade I have posted the whole version as I can't really see the point in trimming it down. Every hour of that 32 hour marathon was memorable so here it is. Feel free to skip this extra long post!
DH is Sam but also one of the MW was Sam too, so might be a bit confusing at points!
The night before my labour began I went to bed with a an anxious and excited feeling that something big was brewing, although I have to say the symptom spotting that had been going on in the two weeks leading up to my due date had lead me to believe I was going to go into labour pretty much every night so I?m not sure it was so distinguishable from prior occasions.
My contractions began at about 3am and were very mild and irregular so we tried to sleep as long as possible. They were ranging from 8 minutes to about 20 minutes apart and initially were just like heavy period pains.
We decided to get out of bed at about 5:30am as trying to time them and the excitement wasn?t allowing from much rest by either of us. The contractions seemed to get closer together and I hopped into the bath for an hour or two where they became quite regular at about 8 minutes apart.
At this point I got out of the bath and had something to eat, as it was midmorning and wasn?t really sure how the day was going to pan out. After I ate my contractions seemed to lose their rhythm and ended up stalling for the best part of an hour, and became really irregular again. They were still coming, but were ranging from 5 minutes to 25 minutes. At this stage I decided to go back to bed as I was worried things were going to stall completely, so was trying to stay very calm in case it was the excitement slowing them down.
After about an hour in bed they were getting quite painful so decided it would be a good idea to put the tens machine on. We put the machine on and Sam read through the instructions again, and we got a hold of how to use it. My contractions were increasing in severity and regularity by this stage and I was really having to breath through them.
I found the most useful position was leaning on the kitchen work top or hanging onto Sam?s neck. Each contraction was lasting from 45 seconds to 1 minute and it was mid afternoon so I had been going for about 12 hours. The tens machine seemed to intensify my contractions rather than offer any respite, I didn?t really gel well with the pain relief it was meant to give.
Sam packed the bags into the car and after a few hours pacing around the garden I had a bowl of cereal in the hope that it would be the last meal before the baby came!
Wishful thinking as again the food seemed to slow things right down and my contractions slowed became shorter and irregular, we had also come back inside so I?m not sure if the change of scenery was having an effect on thing.
I hopped back in the bath and spent another few hours wallowing around, which seemed to relax me and helped bring the contractions back on thicker, faster and longer. At about 8pm Sam was keen to go to the hospital as I was getting quite loud and the contractions were about 4 or 5 minutes apart which is the point we had been told to ring up the labour ward.
We put in the call and through a few contractions told them we were coming in. The hospital seem to do everything they can to put you off, I think it?s a tactic to stop to many people coming in before they are in established labour however we were pretty keen to see how things had progressed and also I think after 17 hours you do need some reassurance.
We got to the hospital with three contractions en route and I was feeling pretty exhausted by this stage. The midwife examined me and with baited breath we waited to be told I was 1cm dilated. We were pretty disappointed and I did wonder if things were going to progress much further than that as it had been going on for so long. I know a lot of people are 2 or 3cm dilated before they even had a contraction so I did wonder what exactly was going to happen with my labour.
We headed back home and I got straight back in the bath with some music and after about an hour (it was about 11pm) things really started to pick up. My contractions were getting pretty intense and after the hospital trip which had slowed things down they crept back up to about 6 or 7 minutes apart. I was pretty determined not to go back to the hospital until they were coming thick and fast so in the bath I stayed. By about 1:30am I was struggling to handle the pain and decided I was going into hospital no matter what. I got out of the bath and was pretty anxious to get going, and stupidly thought that because we had been in earlier we wouldn?t need to ring ahead again.
We headed to the hospital and I had some pretty painful contractions en route and was sure that we were well on our way to meeting the worm!
We arrived at the hospital and buzzed the labour ward , who queried why we hadn?t rung ahead as they were busy with an emergency. We got as far as the labour ward doors before they told us to go down to the tangmere (ante and post natal ward) to be examined.
We headed downstairs and I was examined only to be told I was 3 cm dilated. The midwife tried to send us home but by this stage the pain was pretty intense and I was needing some relief. She told me diamorphine was my only option this early and as I wasn?t in established labour it would be a while before the doctor could administer it. Not exactly what I wanted to hear as I wasn?t keen on diamorphine as I knew it made you a little spaced out, which was not how I wanted things to be. However by this stage I was struggling and begrudgingly agreed, thinking it would be administered within an hour or so.
We got put on a ward with another women in labour and I was left without any word on the drugs. Sam went and chased the midwife who said the doctor would be along soon. I was struggling with the pain quite a lot at this stage and really felt I needed to get back into water if I was going to be able to continue. Sam went and asked if we could use one of the birthing pools, which wasn?t possible but the midwife did offer me a normal bath on one of the smaller wards, again with the promise that the doctor would be along soon with the diamorphine.
The bath again really helped and as I got in I had my show, which I have to say was much more grotesque than I was expecting. I had heard it was like a bit of blood stained snot however that it was not! I even made Sam get the midwife to come and check it as I thought it was my placenta! Sam takes great delight in telling me it stank!
The next few hours are a painful blur but I do remember time ticking by with no examination or check-up and Sam being told the doctor would be down soon to administer the diamprohine on a number of occasions.
By this stage I was getting pretty fed up, as firstly I didn?t want the diamorphine and knew that I could have gas and air at a certain stage, however unless they examined me they wouldn?t know how things had progressed and on that basis they were still assuming I was not in established labour.
At about 7am Sam forced me to get out of the bath as he felt things were getting pretty out of control, I had lost the ability to breath through my contractions and every single one was hugely painful and I was doing everything from wailing to screaming to swearing my way through them. The only way I could describe it was someone wringing my insides together in a vice?. I have to apologise to the couple that were on the ward of the bathroom we were given, it must have been awful listening to me in the next room howling like a banshee for hours and hours.
After hauling me out of the bath and wrapping me in what can only be described as a tea towel, Sam took me to the desk where I begged someone to do anything to help. They again tried to tell me I wasn?t in established labour and the diamorphine would be along soon, one of them also added that the labour ward was full which was clearly another diversion tactic! By this stage I was at my wits end and told them I didn?t even want the diamophine, I wanted gas and air and a pool and I think added that they hadn?t examined me in 5 hours so how did they know what stage I was at!??
The midwife then obviously realised the time, I think things were quite hectic on the ward, and took me for an examination. ?Right we?re heading up to the labour ward right now, you?re 8cm?. After those words were spoken it?s amazing how things suddenly changed. I had 3 staff escorting me, one of which was trying to put me in a wheelchair ? I was having none of that - I practically ran to the lift after Sam got me a bit more decent. I do remember him putting on my nighty the wrong way and me looking at him in exasperation!
In the lift I remember saying to the midwife ?I want drugs as soon as we get up there? and her saying ?we can?t give you anything but gas and air,?. The frustration at this point was pretty intense as that?s all I?d wanted since getting to the hospital and I think I articulated that pretty bluntly to her.
It was through the labour ward corridors and into a room where a midwife showed me how to use the gas and air, which was pretty much the highlight of my labour experience. The relief was immediate and I knew then that I would be able to continue as long as I had the gas and air to keep me company. After a bit of chat over whether I was booked in the birthing centre or labour ward, in which I said by this stage I didn?t really care but would really like a birthing pool they arranged for me to go back to the birthing centre. We waited until I had a contraction and then it was a quick run along the corridor to the awaiting pool. En route there was a canister of gas which the midwife pointed out to me and I made a beeline for it and sucked hard!
We got into the birthing centre and from here on in my labour experience was as fantastic and positive as I think it could possibly be. I had a few minutes with one midwife before Ruth and Sam (the midwifes who delivered my baby) started at 8am and she told me to get in the pool and sorted out my newest friend Mr Gas and Air. The gas and air took the edge of the contractions and also my mouth, as I distinctly remember having a rant about being left downstairs in a bath with no check-ups and how disgusted I was!
Once Ruth and Sam arrived I began to feel the urge to push and they encouraged me to go with the flow, if I could hold off pushing I should but if not then to bear down as hard as possible.
I tried to hold off but eventually the pushing urge was pretty overwhelming and I began to push with the relieving thought things were nearly over. After a few pushing contractions my water broke, it was literally like a balloon popping and the pool water became quite murky with all kinds of floating bits. I also felt a lot of the pressure disappear.
After this time seemed to not have much relevance to me and I got into the rhythm of pushing. I found it really hard to coordinate breathing the gas and air in between pushes and after a while realised that the pain had actually disappeared now that the contractions actually had a purpose to them so relinquished my grip on the G&A mouthpiece.
The midwifes had prepped all of the delivery equipment and paraphernalia and we were all expecting things to be over soon, I think it was about 8:30am.
After an hour or so of pushing the midwifes wanted to examine me as they thought my cervix might not have quite dilated fully, however as I went to get out of the pool, they saw the head crowning a little so told me to get back in and keep pushing. I was trying to make the pushes as long as I could as directed by Sam the midwife, and could feel the baby?s head starting to make its way out. At about 9:50am I remember looking at the clock and thinking that by 10:10 the baby would be born, and how nice that would be as I was born at 10:10?..Sam even said to me ?in 5 more minutes the baby will be here? and I remember thinking have you done this before!!?? However I knew he was trying to be encouraging so managed to keep my mouth shut!
The contractions continued and seemed to couple together and with each one the baby?s head would poke out a little more only to go back in at the end of my contractions. Sam was watching and has since told me you could see the baby?s ears come out a little and then would disappear as my contraction faded.
The midwifes were concerned that it was a full bladder that was slowing things down so I was trying hard to do a wee, but with that much sensation going on down there it was impossible to cooperate.
At about 11:00 the baby?s heart rate started to speed up and Ruth the lead midwife told me I had two more contractions to get him out otherwise I was going to have to get out of the pool so they could put in a catheter. This gave me a huge boost as the thought of getting out of the pool was hideous and those two contractions I pushed as hard as I possibly could.
The baby?s heart rate was checked and it had started to slow down so they told me I had to get out. The feeling of dread I felt then coupled with disappointment was pretty overwhelming as I was envisaging forceps, which meant going back onto the labour ward and I calculated would take about 20 minutes to set-up which meant 20 minutes more of what was starting to become a pretty exhausting experience. I was so pleased to have progressed without intervention the thought of forceps after so much effort was horrid.
With much difficulty I struggled out of the bath which meant lifting my legs up high to get over the edge and waddling to the bed with what felt like my insides hanging out of me, however getting out of the bath was the shift the baby needed. I was on all fours over a beanbag and with the next contraction could feel the baby?s head move further down and knew we were finally there. The midwifes told me to slow down the pushing which I found surprisingly easy and with two more contractions the baby was born at 11:33am on the 14th June 2011.
My overwhelming feeling was relief it was over and to be honest I didn?t make the connection between the end of labour and the baby being born, I remember the baby crying although very briefly and was then passed under my legs where we saw he was a boy. I think by this stage ? 32 hours after my labour began ? my exhaustion levels were pretty much over ruling everything and I didn?t cry like I thought I would. I was over the moon with happiness and I remember cuddling my little boy to my chest and thinking how perfect and small he was (7lb 4oz).
He was quiet and wide awake staring up at me and I couldn?t believe how contented he seemed just being held close to me after what must have been a hugely traumatic experience for him as well. His little head was coned to the left as he had been stuck at a funny angle hence the long second stage, but to Sam and I that was nothing but endearing, as only a parent would find!
I ended up with 16 stitches, but was so pleased to have got through my labour with just gas and air. I am very proud I got to 8cm without any medication; however do have mixed feelings about being left on the ante/post natal ward for so long without anyone checking me. I do wonder if perhaps I had been given gas and air earlier on in my labour I might have had more energy for the second stage and things might have progressed quicker. 3 and half hours of pushing is right at the limit of what is feasible, however I?m very proud that I managed to give birth to my beautiful son Xavier without any intervention and just a small amount of gas and air during the final part of my first stage. On the whole my birthing experience was the most surreal and amazing thing in my life so far and whilst a huge challenge something I am very proud of.
Hope that wasn't too long winded and boring. Writing it up was really enjoyable and emotional, I shed a tear or two and am again now when i read it back! :)