Hey ladies!
Well I certainly have some catching up to do! I have finally written down what happened during Artemis' birth. It's a bit epic as I wanted to get it all down so I can remember it. I've posted to FB too. Thanks for all your well wishes etc this week. It has meant so much, especially all the reassurances when we had to go into hospital.
Eeek almost new thread time!
Artemis’ Birth Story
January 13th 2014
I woke up at about 2.50 am as I thought I was wetting myself – then came to and realised that it might be my waters. I shuffled to the loo legs clamped together and saw a clear pinkish liquid – eeeek. I figured it was very early days so put in a maternity pad and went back to bed for a bit. I was having period type pains and my lower back was hurting but I thought I’d try and get some sleep so I listened to my rainbow relaxation and natal hypnotherapy tracks for about an hour. DH got up and started to clear up downstairs a bit as the house was a total state (and no room for the birth pool to be inflated!)
After about an hour I was feeling pretty strong period pains and posted on FB that I though my waters might have gone. I rang the MLU and told them I thought I might be in labour and they advised paracetamol and lying on my side for another hour so I did, with a hot water bottle on my back/belly as the period pains were coming on pretty strongly and my back was killing me. I was doing my hypnobirthing breathing to help with the pains as well.
After about an hour of trying to sleep and getting stronger waves I decided to have a warm bath and a raspberry leaf tea. When I went to the loo there looked to be some fresh blood when I wiped though so I rang the midwife who said to go into hospital and get checked over. They still didn’t really think I was in labour over the phone as my pains were low down and like strong period pains. I was starting to think I must be though as the waves seemed to be coming every few minutes.
DH was now rushing round trying to finish packing the hospital bags from my check list (not easy when mid decorating and crap everywhere). I think my this point I was definitely getting surges every few minutes but still wasn’t sure if this was proper labour (duh!).
When we got to hospital they put me on the monitor to check babies heart beat and my surges and then they did an internal. The rest of my waters went when I got on the bed. The midwife couldn’t tell at first if I was in really early labour or if I was really dilated. Then she decided I was 9 and a half cm dilated. I was pretty amazed at that stage!
We went down to one of the birth suites and I sat on the bed for a bit and the birthing ball whilst they filled the birth pool. I continued to do the hypnobirthing breathing through surges and between them and started using the gas an air as well. I then got in the birth pool and laboured in there for the next few hours. DH was fantastic – he put the relaxation music on and was bringing me drinks and snacks and massaging my arms and back etc like we learnt at class. Things continued to progress well and I used the breathing and was really relaxed and calm between surges. I felt kinda bad for the midwives that they must be really bored as I was just quietly sitting in the pool having the gas and air occasionally.
The surges started to get stronger and I was waiting for “transition” to hit and to feel like I just couldn’t carry on but luckily I was fine and DH got some of the aromatherapy oil out and massaged my neck a bit which helped keep me calm and alert.
I started feeling the urge to push so started doing that when I got my surges. After a while they put a catheter in as I really needed a wee as had been keeping hydrated and I just couldn’t go. After that the pushing got more effective and it felt like we we’re nearly getting there. At this stage I was still calm and using the gas and air for the surges. It just felt like I needed the biggest poo of my life when I was pushing! I remember at one point doing tiny poos as well and just saying “I’ve done some poos!” lol. I carried on pushing with the surges and babies head was visible during pushes so we thought I was nearly there!
I was getting really knackered by this time and baby was back to back so the pushes just didn’t seem to be getting her there! I got out of the pool and tried on the birthing stool and the bed – I was getting exhausted by this time and with every pushing she was almost there but not quite enough. Midwife was umming and ahhing about doing an episiotomy as she didn’t want to have to if I could push her out on my own.
I just got too tired though and had no energy left and my surges started to tail off. They decided to take me down to the consultant led unit downstairs so that I could go on the drip to get my contractions going again. At this point they were talking about potential forceps/c-section. Thank god for the hypnobirthing as I was still really calm and managing the pain with gas and air and the breathing.
When we got downstairs I went on the drip and the contractions started up again. Once they were coming frequently again I started pushing and baby started to make progress again. They did an episiotomy to help get her out and there she was. DH says it was very weird to watch an “alien baby” come out of my fanny! Lol. It was such a relief to get her out!!!
They delayed the cord clamping for a minute or so and DH cut it. I had the injection for delivering the placenta as no frigging way was I delivering anything else! I had some skin to skin with baby Artemis and DH sorted out getting the placenta packed away for my smoothie and capsules (yummy!). After a while they came and stitched me up, which didn’t hurt (although I did enjoy some last puffs of gas and air!)- although feeling the thread pulling through my bits was sooooo weird and gross. After that I had a shower and we got tea and toast and then eventually got to go home after the mw had made sure Artemis was latching on to the breast. I have never felt as exhausted in my LIFE! But it was absolutely amazing to see our tiny little baby that had come from me!
As those of you on the FB group know once home, Artemis did struggle with feeding and was just too sleepy to bother. We kept trying every few hours and she just wasn’t interested. The midwives came on Tuesday and sent us in to hospital to get her checked and “establish breast feeding”. When we got there they didn’t really seem to have a plan of what to do, but her blood sugars were low and they were talking about wanting to put a feeding tube in to her – which sounded horrifying! We spent the first night with me expressing colostrum which the nurse cup fed her and then topped up with formula.
It was an exhausting night of expressing and feeding and trying to get snatches of sleep. I was a bit of a wreck by the next day but DH arrived about mid-day with my placenta smoothie, which did actually really help perk me up and did just taste like berries!
We had moved on to bottle feeding by now after trying her on the breast each feed. It was frustrating as she really roots around for the nipple and wants to feed, and will latch and suck a bit but she was so tired she would give up. So I kept expressing and feeding her that and then topped up with formula.
After some blood tests they also told us Artemis was jaundiced but just below the treatment line. They let us go home the next day as she had gained a bit of weight back and was feeding regularly. Alas when the midwives came the next day and did her bloods her jaundice levels were really up so back into hospital we went so she could have light therapy.
We stayed in another two nights and she started to really improve and was much more alert and feeding better. Luckily my milk came in too and we have been able to feed her on expressed milk instead of formula, which makes me feel less guilty and worried.
So, now we’re home. She seems to be improving still and is starting to wake up for feeds. We have managed to get her on the breast a few times, but not for prolonged periods and we still need to focus more on getting the food into so don’t have the time at the moment to really get the bf established. At the moment I’m generally expressing milk for the next feed whilst DH feeds her. The midwives are coming today at some point to check her over and I’m just praying they’re pleased with how she’s doing as I am so worried about having to go back into hospital. I’m hoping that in the next few days we can try and get breast feeding established and praying she doesn’t just reject it after the bottles. So over all, we’re doing well, but still got a way to go.
We’re absolutely besotted with her though and loving having her home with us. I’m just looking forward to the jaundice levels dropping so we can enjoy our time as a family.