Morning All !!!!!!! Oh yes i'm back. Esme and I were discharged last night at 7.00pm. I was over the moon. We had to wait for the consultant to give Esme the once over but we are home now. Wow, how 8/9 days in hospital can get you down when you adn your baby are on different levels of the hospital.
SO.... Firstly, thank you ever so much to everyone for their kind wishes whilst Esme and I were causing a stir. The story so far...
Thursday 30th/31st October 12.00pm, wake up with a strange pain and went for a wee. Got back into bed. This happened at least 12 times but i was still convinced I had a urine infection (derrr), pain got gradullay worse so I rang the Labour ward. I was trying to convince them i had a UTI adn the lady said "I don't think so sweetheart i think you are in labour", well i was gobsmacked! 2 seconds later I wasn't that gobsmacked as contractions very quickly became so intense that i couldn't walk and they 5 minutes apart. We rang labour ward again and i couldn't speak so DH had to say i think we should come in. Of course, i was supposed to be going away for the weekend (you know the luxury last weekend away) so my bags were not packed. I ran around like a headless chicken and every 5 minutes bending over like I was about to die.
We got in the car and set off ont eh 30 minute journey. Contractions were now 3 minutes apart and I had to keep shouting "STOP THE CAR" as I got myself out of the car and stood in a rather precarious position with knees bent and legs apart (V strange pressure feeling). Got to hospital asked for the pool and they said someone was in it. Alas i started with the gas and air. All my pain was low in my tummy and so horrendous i couldn't actually walk.
Gas and air was naff (for me), didn't do a thing, other than possibly take my mind off the pain as i kept on flinging it to DH to ask him to check it was coming through ok. Then they told me the pool was empty and they would prepare it for me which could take 45 minutes. In the meantime they ran me a bath. BOy did that NOT help. So i pleaded for more painkillers. They offered me diamorphine which i snapped up but they explained i woudln't be allowed in the pool. I didn't really care so my birth plan went out of the window, the bath didn't do a thing.
Diamorhphine didn't even take the twinges away, now did it(very disappointingly) make me feel woosy. Instead i insisted on an epidural (once again that was a big NO NO to me). They said they woudl have to check me as i needed to be 4cm dilated, however and to everyones surprise i was hardly dilated so i had to wait.
Received epidural and all i can say is "NEVER SAY NEVER and oh my god I love that DOCTOR". It took forever and 23 hours later I was ready to push (this is all after watching Alan Carrs Ding Dong and other rubbish on the tv). MW was desperate to give me an episiotomy but i was having none of it. After 3 hours (A VERY LONG 2nd stage so they say) I delivered Esme Grace... 6lb 14oz.
Once the placenta was out i started bleeding and was on high level of blood loss so MW started panicking. She got a doctor in and it was discovered i had quite a large internal tear . Anyway, I was stitched up whilst I was sucking on an ice pop and all was fine. I was shocked that esme had so much dark hair.
I really wanted to get her to the breast so i asked the MW. She kind of plonked her on me and left us to it. I was a little perplexed as I thought it was totally natural for babies to feed straight away BUT NO... there were so many babies who were having dificulty.
Anyway, long and short of it is that Esme, started showing signs of being poorly, plus having Jaundice and not feeding. She ended up getting worse and having a tube placed down her nose for feeding. She has lots of blood tests and her levels showed she had an infection and was quite jaundice. The consultant decided he wanted to do a lumber puncture and so was taken upstairs for that but whilst up their they decided she had gone down hill and placed her in the high dependecy unit. She was eventually placed under the sun lamp (on holiday) and was on antibiotics. Bless her she was so small to have a cannula, tubes and monitors.
She was then moved to low depended but still in the neonatal unit. Where she was having to learn to suck. Thoughts of tongue tie were expressed but it was decided not. She just did not want the breast (god knows why) so I was adament she must have breast milk so this little sexy goat got pumping! Double pumping too!!! Over a period of 4 days she had perfected taking a bottle (although not the strongest of suckers). On discharge we were informed that she also had a heart murmur but that they would keep an eye on it with a follow up appointment. Anyway after this long story we were dicharged last night!!!
AND..... just in time for me to announce that we have more BABY ALERTS
Chocorange sent me this text this morning.. " Baby boy born at 5.34am weighing 8lb 20z. Had to transfer to hopistal so will tell all when i'm back home. I will send a pic". Yippee another birth. Will keep you up to date when I hear more. Thank god I was out last night so i could let you all know. xxxxxxx
Sorry about the very long post.
p.s. CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE ELSE ON THEIR new babies. Rutho etc... (need to read the thread)xxxxxxxx