February 2015 Thread # 8 - The babies are arriving!

[GeekyHybrid]

Hopefully people will find this. Hello lovely ladies, and babies!! Exciting times

Morning. Samuel was born yesterday (17/2) 6.40am, 56cm tall and 4.120kg (9lb). 41 weeks
Here comes my birth story in details. Please skip if not ready for this :-)
Started contracting 3am in the morning. Timed it for 1hour to every 10 minutes. Called birth centre 4.15am Was told not to come in until 5min apart ( third baby ) straight away contractions started getting closer was in hospital by 5am contracting every 3.5 minutes. So my partner was home with children waiting for my friend to take over so he could leave and join me in hospital, my other friend was on her way to hospital to be birth partner.
At hospital I was breathing through my contractions but as I could keep an conversation going in between I think they thought I had quite a way to go. Get a room and a nurse comes in and ask if I'm there to be induced, I starting to panic and thinking no one really knows what's going on.
Anyways they check my blood pressure, take temperature and check urin. All good. Finally get a midwife. Contractions are now feeling more and more intense. She examines me at 5.45. I was 9cm and water bulging in membrane. She said anesteciologist are really busy so there won't be time for epidural. Ok so this was not my plan!!!! I'm no alone in hospital ready to give birth on gas and air!!! At this point I was starting to feel very sorry for myself. Keep breathing through contractions until 6.15am my partner text me saying my friend still haven't got there... Get moved to a proper room. 6.25 I ask midwife if she will break my water, she says they don't really want to as it interferes with the natural flow. I explain that my water has never broken naturally. She says she will examin me again at 6.45 then consult the doctor and maybe break the water if he agrees. So in my mind my water won't be broken until 7.15am as consulting doctors takes time ( in my mind ) so I now starting to cry through my contractions ( just keeping it real lol)
This is the point my friend turns up. She tries to comfort me by stroking my forehead, I just tell her NOT to touch me!!! ( bless her) tell her just to be next to me. Then prob 6.30 I feel I need to push. I ask the midwife what to do ( a crying emotional wreck) she tells me just to go ahead and push. First contraction I push. Second contraction I push again and the water breaks like a big water balloon. Flushing at least 1meter forward. Midwife tells me that now as pressure is off it should make things a little bit less painful for a bit.... Next contraction comes and I need to push and I can hear myself roaring ( I was so angry with the pain!!!) and the head comes out and following contraction he's out!!!! So I did 4 pushes. I was so chocked!!!! And straight away back to being myself again :-)
So my friend had a very intense 15 minutes of seeing me in pain which I think was enough for her. My partner arrived at 7am so still got to experience the early baby moments.

I did tear (forward) so got some stitches but so far so good it havent been to painful. I was ready to leave hospital by 1pm but things got delayed so ended up leaving around 5pm.
I feel so happy and in love with him. He's taking breast well for the moment so hoping it will continue that way, fingers crossed.
Sorry for super long post.....

The advantage of people already having had their babies before me is that they are awake at this ungodly time too!

Can't sleep...very nervous about the sweep this morning . Hope it does it's job. I feel Bean's movements have greatly reduced the past week, I know this can be common as they are storing energy for their grand exit but scared stiff that something might be up. Still feel the odd shuffle but nothing like a while back.

Oh my Gosh Kats, Congratulations and well done on such a quick and natural labour!! Thank goodness your friend made it on time to see your little boy enter the world!!
If it only could be over like that for me!

Blank I'm sure the sweep will be fine. Just keep breathing through it....
I know it's so frustrating to wait. Samuel was one week late and I was starting to worry about induction etc but baby will come when baby is ready.

I'm happy now about my labour but I was seriously at mental breaking point at the end. I couldn't see how I would last to the end but then the end came fast.
Would I do natural again if I had a choice? Prob not actually but I'm glad I've done it once now :-).
Good luck :-)

Congrats Kats.
Frenetic I've found lots of helpful advice on the infant feeding thread. There's a post on there now about reestablishing bf. If you go to the topic Feed the world you'll find infant feeding in there. Lots of great specialist advice. Glad your home and well.
Also co sleeping here for my own sanity.

Wow, congratulations Kats! You did amazing, doing almost everything by yourself - he wasn't small either, was he?!
Good luck today blank - fingers crossed the sweep does its job. Easy to say but just try and relax. They'll check baby on monitor before & after so you'll be reassured everything's fine.
Still in hospital but we could be out today! I'm trying not to get too excited in case it falls through again. I've been here 9 nights now!

kats, what an amazing story, one you should be proud of. I cannot believe it was so quick, just glad you had someone with you.

jack, I have had to for the first time I just couldn't stay awake anymore. I think part of Lochies problem is when he is flat on his back he gets sick and he doesn't like it so gets all upset. optimistically hoping that once his mucus clears it might help.

Thanks for the the reassurance Purple. I do hope they do a good check on Beanster.

Fingers crossed for you that you both get home today.

Kats well done, mine was quite like yours but mum and dh appeared as O was crowning, I was too late for epidural amd so angry I couldn't have one! Also didn't want to be touched growling at s seniour mw to get off me
Also feel the same as you regsrding would I do natural again? Would I heck! Give me a longer labour with drugs any day

Morning all,
Welcome home frenetic. I'm another one with a more unsettled baby at night- I wondered if it might be the difference in temperature between the top and bottom of our house...

tru will he go down after he's asleep, or does he wake up? Im wondering if Im doing a wrong 'un by letting Sid fall asleep on me and then transferring him when he's really sparko, but it's working and I figure he's too small to soothe himself to sleep... Have had lots of 'youre making a rod for your own back' from various relatives- might that work for you? Oh, also, I remember my sister's DD hated the moses basket, but slept fine in her carry cot...

Bangles don't listen to the rod for your own back rubbish. With ds I cuddled him to sleep every night/nap then put him down by a year old he used to take himself to bed for a nap! And then once he was 18 months old ish he would say night night at 6 and take himself to bed, if I didn't follow him up then within a few mins he would be asleep on the sofa we had in his room! This baby also is cuddled to sleep the difference is it takes lnger for him to go into a deeper sleep at night.
They are only babies once, my biggest regret is listening to other peoples advice meaning I didn't hold him when he slept last time so I used to just stare at him....this time I am doing as I please.

My niece was swaddled and rocked to sleep until gone a year everyone used to say it was silly and making rod for their own back she is now 3 and since 18 months has slept every night for at least 12-14 hours (past 9am the lucky sods ds has never slept past 6am)

Well done Kats, congratulations!!

39 weeks today, thought it was happening last night, lower back ache, tummy ache, felt sick. Woke up at 3am to use the loo and did the biggest smelliest fart, pain gone!!
Acid heart burn is a million times worse though, is that something to worry about?

Congrats kats - great story!

And thanks memphis - i shall duly follow your advice- sound as ever!

We're waiting to be seen at the registrar- been waiting 40 minutes already! And then we are going sling shopping - Thanks to all who gave opinions on the Facebook thread :)

Ooh bangles let us know what you go for. My friend has a stretchy sling snd her baby is fussy and never likes being put down so she irons and cleans in in it

What are people's thoughts on swaddling? When I had my son 2.5 yrs ago it was recommended by hospital and he loved it. But this time when I went to swade Rowan in the hospital, the mws were quite anti doing it, saying that if I really wanted to swaddle I should do it under the arms but that they don't reclmmend it?
Can't keep up with the latest do's and don't's!

Congratulations Kats, another in the 9lb club! :D

Considering options after another tetchy night. Not as bad as it has been, but he's still really grumbly from a certain point and won't go back to sleep.

Donkir, how are you Co sleeping?

Frenetic my other half is on the sofa and just me and baby in bed. We have a monitor in our room to dp can hear us and come and support us if I'm struggling.
I've pushed the bed up against the wall so baby sleeps that side. He's in his own sleeping bag plus blanket. I'll feed him on my side and once he's asleep I'll then move myself to the other side of the bed where I'll have my own duvet.

Congratulations kats wow a 9lber.

Frenetic I co slept with my ds and again at a year 18minths 1 story lights out and asleep. They are only little for a short time.

Slings I love slings. I may have a collectionn

For newborn stage I have a ring sling a connecta and a close caboo!

For when lo is older I have a manduca and a pognae.

I love the caboo and ring sling for quickness at newborn stage and buckles when older again for ease of use and quickness. I never got the hang of wrapping.

I had acupuncture yesterday which obviously hasn't induced labour but I do feel a bit more relaxed today.

Hoping it starts before the induction on Monday.

Good luck everyone today.

Purple the recommendation against swaddling comes from risks of overheating. Normally a baby will spread out like a star fish if they get hot and pull arms and legs in if they get cold - a natural temperature control thing. When swaddled they obviously can't star fish themselves if they get hot.

OMG I think I may have found a way to get LO to sleep.

bangles - I couldn't do the whole self soothing I can't stand him getting upset. My mum gave me the same advice as Memphis and I completely agree. But even if he is spark out he will wake up as soon as I put him down. I really think he doesn't like being flat on his back and any cold blanket.

Well at 6 I came downstairs and apart from a feed Lochie is fast asleep. I have one of those V shape breast feeding pillows and he sleeps a treat when put in that. I am going to try him next with it in his cot under a sheet so that he can't get under it. I am praying this works!

The good thing is it has meant OH has got a better sleep.

I am going to go sling shopping tomorrow, what are the best shops to try? Also going to try bra shopping as I have put off to try and get the most accurate size.

I could just cry and cry.

Was meant to be getting BF support from a midwife at 11 but she didn't turn up and her phone is off. My normal midwife is on holiday. I can't hold off feeding him any longer, so I've lost another day for BF. So upset. And he is already overdue his day five checks (he's six days).

Why does the system hate me? It's so unfair :(

Congratulations kats, sounds like another bullet baby! !

truk co-sleeping was the only way we got any sleep in the first week. MW explained that LO's are still in shock at being in the outside world. They advised similar to donkir, have LO beside you into own blankets, not under duvet etc. bangles I've been ignoring MIL, 1st re co-sleeping - she thinks it's dangerous and making rods but I figure exhausted / fraught mummy is more dangerous. Similarly we're just getting him into the basket but only once he's sparko, we figure step by step we'll get there. Our way. There's no point trying to keep anyone else happy, us and our LO's are what's important.

And for everyone I'm reminded of a poster my mom's friend used to have: Inch by inch life's a cinch, yard by yard it's very hard. for us all!

Frenetic - where are you based? are there any private consultants you could see?

That's crap frenetic, does your MW team have a triage number? I'd lost the bf ladies number the day I was desperate so spoke (and cried!) to community mw triage team at the hospital who were helpful not only giving me the bf ladies number but also the on duty community mw. They may be able to track your missing mw.

It's slightly Complicated, as my community midwife is from a different hospital since I transferred so I don't know who to call. I feel so abandoned. The hospital were so scalding that day five checks were a day late and now they're another day late I feel like shit.

Why is it so hard to get support? I don't know where to turn, everywhere I ask for help I just get pushed somewhere else. I just want help with BF. Why can't I get it?

I'm based in Peterborough but had my LO in Huntingdon