Hi all,
Bear with me on this please...
I had a baby in Nov 2009. Relatively straightfoward hospital waterbirth but one thing bugs me. Especially when I read stories of shoulder dystocia and the panic surrouding it. It took 4+ minutes for me to give birth to Beth's body after her head was born. She wasn't stuck...I just didn't have another contraction for 4 minutes. They were the longest 4 minutes of my life!
Is this unusually long? At the time I was panicking, but no one around me seemed to be. I kept thinking cord compression and my poor baby being starved of oxygen. Apgars were 8 and 9 owing to her funny purple colour for hours after the birth.
I had laboured on hands and knees but MW made me sit on my bum for the pushing stage so she could 'get a better look'. This I am sure slowed everything down and I was about to flip back over when the contraction came.
Worrying about nothing? Too long? I am pregnant with my third now and really need to satisfy myself one way or the other. So your experiences would be great - in water on on dry land!
Thank you!