Hello all - finally found time to come and check in with everyone and share my birth story...
Well, was a week overdue and went for my routine 41 week appointment with midwife who was going to do a sweep. Got there and had all the checks done and she went to palpate my bump and said "Hmm - this baby feels high and free to me. There's no way I'll do a sweep in case I break your waters and the cord comes first" grrr. She then followed it up with "Actually, that feels too soft to be a head - I think we'd better get you scanned" and sent me up to the assessment centre at the hospital.
We took DS to my mum and dad's with absolutely nothing as I thought I'd be home later that day. Got up the the hospital and was put on the monitor. This showed baby's heartrate blipping every now and again and then they became worried about lack of movements. Then there was talk of induction that evening - by this point it was 8pm. The registrar came and did the scan which showed baby was head down and engaged and what the midwife had felt were shoulders. So, the sister then did a sweep, which was SOOOO painful as she couldn't find my cervix and when she did, had to pull it to the front.
All went quiet overnight - I was kept in and monitored at intervals throughout to make sure baby was happy. The following day, I was expecting to go home as everything seemed ok, but they said they wouldn't discharge me and were going to induce me as soon as there was space for me on labour ward.
The day passed and had a few niggly tightenings, but nothing major. At 8pm, the midwife came to me to say a midwife was on her way to take me up to labour ward to break my waters. We got up there and settled into the room and the midwife came to break my waters at about 9pm. Again, she couldn't find my cervix and said they might have to start with prostin gel first. She got another sister to come and see if she could find it, which she eventually did (after making me sit on my fists!) and managed to break my waters.
That was about 10pm, then nothing. Another registrar came and said "we really need to be getting this baby out" which freaked me out and said they were going to put me on Syntocin to speed things up. She put a canular in and managed to get blood to squirt on to the wall on the opposite side of the room!
They started the drip at 11pm and I was begging for an epidural by about 11.30pm! They said they thought I was doing great alone (I'd had nothing by this point) and asked if I'd try G&A which I didn't want as it made me sick when in labour with DS. So, they offered Diamorphine and I gratefully accepted! They went to sign the Diamorphine out and in the meantime things cranked up a notch. I'd tried bouncing on a ball, but baby's head was so far down by now that it was excrutiating. Ended up lying on my side clutching the rails of the bed for dear life!
12am came, as did the shot of Diamorphine. I was writhing in agony by now, and said ok to G&A until the Diamorphine kicked in (about 10 mins normally). At 12.15am, I recall saying "I really need to push" which surprised the midwife who said she'd have a look with my next contraction. My next contraction came, as did baby's head! Seems like I was doing it all without me or the midwife actually realising how far along I was! They told me to pant and as I did the next contraction got the rest of him out. The placenta came after another 9 minutes which a gentle tug and another push from me (I asked to have a look this time - actually very interesting)!
So, that was it - in the end, 9 days overdue and after having my waters breaking and THEN the Syntocin, my actual labour from 0-10cms to delivering the placenta was only 1hour 20 minutes! Baby Oliver James weighed 10lbs 4oz and fortunately had no stitches and only a slight graze, which I think is a miracle.
Oliver is amazing and DS1 has taken to him really well (keeps telling visitors not to wake him and that he's very delicate etc etc) and although I seem to be constantly feeding, things generally are going ok (touch wood, for the moment!).
Well done if you got this far - is so cathartic to write it all down!