oh my pidgy well done!
I realised I didn't give my birth story, it's not nearly as exciting as Pidgy's though!
As you know, I was admitted on Sunday 6th to be induced. The pessary went in at 1am, nothing happened. The second one went in Tuesday morning at 3.30 and that started pessary contractions. They were so painful I cried and worried about how I'd cope in labour.
Wednesday morning they checked and the mw said I was 3cm dilated and at some point i'd be going to the labour ward to have my waters broken. She told me to call DH and tell him i'd definitely be moved down there before 8am but they weren't sure what time. At 3.30am I was taken down to the delivery suite and I called DH to come in. I had a lovely chat with the midwife Anna about what I wanted to happen. She explained that even though I had to be hooked up to the monitor once they break my waters, I can still be active. The room was lovely btw, really big, en-suite with a bath in the actual room. I explained I didn't want Gas and Air because it had no use last time and I didn't want an epidural, but I would take pethidene if needed. She really listened to me when I said I'd try breastfeeding, but I wasn't going to stress if the baby didn't take to it, we'd formula feed. She agreed it was a good way to think about things.
At 4:20, before DH got there, my waters were broken. It was a really odd feeling! There was so much water. DH got there at 4.25 and we were told I'd have to be hooked up to the monitor for an hour to see if labour starts naturally, Anna arranged for me to be taken off the monitor for a bit after that so I could move (turns out that didn't happen) We joked about needing to have the baby before her shift finished at 8, ideally she said the baby would be here at 6:30 so then she could do her paperwork. Cue much laughter!
I was contracting a bit but nothing regularly so the mw said I wasn't actually in labour, that It would be a while. At 5 she had to attach a monitor to the baby's head because he wasn't in a good angle to keep the monitor on him. At 5:20 I said it was beginning to feel like I should be pushing. I'd been standing up all of those so far, or on the ball. She checked at 5.25 and I was 6cm. She told me I'd actually been at 2cm when she broke my waters. She left the room to go get a cup of tea and I had an overwhelming urge to push. I told DH and we pressed the buzzer. As she was coming back in she brought another midwife with her. She stood next to me trying to help me breath through the pushing urge, then realised I was still pushing without contracting.
I got on the bed (v painful, the baby was v v low) and then she said I could push. So I did. When the head came out I was shocked and kept saying "shitting hell.... Shitting hell". One tiny push later and he popped out, the force of all the water behind him pushed him out!
As I never had regular contractions they couldn't say when I was in labour. So they had to record I was in labour at 5:25 when I was 6cm, and Henry was born at 5:40. One v tiny 2nd degree tear. She didn't have time to get the delivery kit together because I was only in the room just over an hour.
So that's my story! I laboured with codine and paracetamol (which did nothing for me, it never does! But I knew If I wanted the harder stuff later I'd need to play the game)
Although I was induced, which wasn't fun, and I couldn't have the labour I wanted in the birthing suite, I can honestly say it was the labour I wanted. I was able to be active, and I felt listened to and supported. Brilliant stuff