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Childbirth

tightenings over top of bump

93 replies

Unbuffy · 29/11/2010 13:09

I am 40+2 with no.2 but dd1 was elcs for late diagnosed breech so I have no idea about labour pains or anything! I keep getting tightening/stretching type pains accross the top of my bump - really quite painfully and frequently. I am also getting lots of lower 'period' pains (presumably Braxtons as they have been going on for much longer?)

So at the risk of another 'is this labour' thread, does anyone have any ideas? Is it just baby getting bigger and hitting my ribs - still seems quite high and not engaged as far as I can tell - or is it Something Else?

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Unbuffy · 04/12/2010 19:55

News at last...

Thursday lunchtime. Go into hospital to be told 'go home, you are not in established labour, we cannot find your cervix'. Off we go (reminder: hospital is an hour away). Get home. Have hot bath. Something goes 'pop' inside - feels really weird and not great. Get out of bath, go to loo, yellowish bloody stuff - is this a show? Contractions get A LOT more intense.

Return to hospital around 8pm. Not a show, waters went, plus (oh joy) meconium. And only 2cm dilation so far, so no pool and straight onto every moniter they've got. Have some painkillers (diamorphine I think) around midnight, do very little except make me throw up (again). Still no further dilation by around 3.30am, plus baby's heartrate keeps dipping. Contractions very very strong but not completely regular and not achieving anything. Registrar starts talking about augmentation / c-section options, I start thinking 'we need to get this baby OUT, it's unhappy and we're all worried now'.

Epidural at about 5am, partly against pain, partly to try if relaxing me physically will increase contraction rate, partly just in case we need to go for section, thus avoiding a general anaesthetic.

Attempt augmentation around 6.30am as final Vbac attempt. After 10 minutes mw stops drip as baby seriously distressed and heartrate very dodgy indeed, dh and I quite frightened by now.

7.04 Friday morning, baby James Anthony born shouting VERY LOUDLY (no aspiration of meconium there then!) by cs under topped-up epidural. He had the cord tying his hands to his head and wrapped round and round, and so no clear pressure was able to get to the cervix - hence lack of progression and probably extended build up too

2.30 this afternoon we got home! James is feeding like a little angel (not like his big sister did) and sleeps and I got 4 hours and 3 hours straight last night (on heavy dope it's true but also after 48hours-odd awake - eek)

So that's all, folks! Thank you all so much for your support and hand-holding, it means a lot - this week's been such a mess and i kept feeling a fraud saying 'i'm in labour - oh, no, maybe not' and you've all been very patient . I'm off to have a GIANT bacon sandwich and cuppa (mmmm, drinknig tea again, mmmm, bacon and bread, mmmm) and then to bed!

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