Good luck sunshine, ginger and piglet - we might wake up tomorrow with lots of new baby arrivals! :)
This is my birth story (finally managing to find some time!) George Thomas Barnes was born on 1st May at 13:57pm weighing 8lb 6 and a half ounces.....can't believe it was 1 week ago already!
Due to my bump measuring big I had been sent for 2 extra growth scans and had been asked to do gestational diabetes tests for a week and was referred to see a consultant. At my consultant appointment he told me that I didn't have diabetes but he wanted to think about getting me started early as all indications pointed towards a large baby and they wanted to reduce the risk of baby getting stuck etc. So, I was offered a sweep there and then and accepted......this turned out to be the first of 4 sweeps in total. Induction was booked for the 1st May at 2pm in case nothing happened before hand. I was also told during one sweep that they thought baby was back to back but that they can often turn during labour - to help turn baby I spent a good hour crawling round the lounge cleaning my skirting boards and was forever bouncing on my ball!
Two days previous to George making his grand entrance I had pressure at the bottom of my stomach - no pain just pressure. The morning of induction I got up as normal and left dp in bed as I went to Sainsburys for a few last minute bits, magazines and snacks etc as I had heard induction could go on for ages. Anyway, whilst pushing my trolley round Sainsburys I started leaking! I was thinking...wee or waters! I got pains pretty much straight away though and so thought this is it.....i did still go and pay for my shopping and drove home....had a contraction in the car. When I got home I more or less flung myself on the bottom of the stairs and told dp I needed to ring the hospital. I was now getting very painful contractions which were all in my lower back - the midwife on the phone told me to have a bath and take some paracetamol and managed to calm me down......despite me being in a lot of pain I just thought perhaps I wasn't managing very well. I did as she suggested whilst dp tried his best to time contractions but there didn't seem to be much of a pattern. After about 30 minutes rolling around in the bath I couldn't take anymore and me, dp and my mum headed for hospital.
I got to the hospital just after 12 noon and luckily a passing midwife buzzed for the lift and came in with us whilst rubbing my back for me. I was taken straight into a delivery room and was examined and told I was 8cm!! Apparently the look of relief on my face was priceless. I was on the gas and air and told that if I wanted diamorphine now was the window to have it otherwise I would be too late. I decided to just try gas and air and in the end I managed ok – I just really concentrated on breathing it in and out. Mum and dp were both fab in offering encouragement and I had a cool flannel on my head as I was boiling whilst everyone else in the room was telling me how cool it was! It didn't take long before I was wanting to push and with that my legs were put in stirrups and I was told to grab the back of my legs when I needed to push and they would see if they could see baby. I was told they could see the head and baby had hair.......I was pushing for a total of about 25 minutes. With contractions and pushing I kept telling them I could feel water leaking and they kept having to change the mats they put underneath! I have watched OBEM and so was expecting the head to come out and then being told to pant and then the body would follow......this wasn't the case with me!! The head was partially out and then a tidal wave of water exploded causing the midwife to jump back and then dive forwards to catch George who flew out after the water! So it would appear I was measuring big because George is quite long and because of all of the water – think it was all quite comical in that respect with the amount of water shocking everyone.
In the end because he shot out I ended up with a second degree tear and grazing which has been quite painful but bearable and in some respects I can take that because everything else happened so quickly. I really do have a low pain threshold and was really worried about how I would cope with childbirth but in the end I didn't have time to worry and I went in with no plan anyway – just go with it and concentrate on breathing – remember the end result is so worth it.
George is 1 week old today and we are totally in love with him :)