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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Original poster

Surprises during birth

110 replies

BummyMummy77 · 30/11/2013 15:37

So I had ds a week ago and was thinking of the things that happened during birth that surprised me. Even though I've read countless books there were still things they didn't mention.

I had a home birth with no drugs or gas and air just so you get a picture. Just 12 hours of labour, 6 was full on pushing.

Shivering - for the last half an hour I convulsed and shivered. Poor dh was freaking out thinking I was fitting. Midwives didn't really raise an eyebrow, just said it was strong hormones.

The pooing - I know a lot of people poop but I pooped a little bit at almost every contraction for 6 hours. Watching dh fishing around the birthing pool with his wine sediment sieve with a horrified look on his face was brilliant.

Mucous plug - I'd been looking forward to seeing my bloody show for weeks lol. It happens way into labour near the end and came out like a rocket. There was SO much of it!

Waters breaking - I was also looking forward to this. Either a big gush like you see on the telly where you go into labour or the trickle trickle to let you know it's on it's way. What I wasn't expecting was giving a really good push, a really loud POP and half a gallon of brown smelly water flying all over the sofa (which I hated so very glad). He'd pooped inside which I knew could happen I just wasn't expecting the mess.

Anyone else get some shocks?

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SolitudeSometimesIs · 30/11/2013 21:07

The finger up the bum is to check they haven't stitched your back passage up when fixing up any tears. They probably do put pain killers up there too but it's definately to check that it's still open.

It's also why they ask you haev you moved your bowels when you're in hospital.

Birth is a glamourous business isn't it.

CrazyThursday · 30/11/2013 21:08

My roaring. I couldn't help but roar. In my head I sounded like a gargling dinosaur but DH said I wasn't that bad Confused

How I felt amazing afterwards and though I'd had an easy pregnancy just how relieved I was not to be pregnant anymore.

No finger up bum here (home water birth no g&a or stitches)

oopsadaisyme · 30/11/2013 21:19

Crazy I was in a ward after I gave birth listening to a woman in the next 'booth' complain about how much noise the other woman made 'groaning' -

Then I realised she was talking about me -

glorious · 30/11/2013 21:26

solitude the finger was pre stitches here. Sounds like there are many possibilities. Who knew!

oopsadaisyme · 30/11/2013 21:35

lol, just wish I was pre told bout the 'surprise finger'!!

Still, I'd love to have another xxx (baby that is, finger expected!!)

puntasticusername · 30/11/2013 21:36

oops ah, ok. I shall reserve judgement then, sounds like a tricky situation all round!

jellyfl00d · 30/11/2013 21:40

If it the finger was pre stitches it was probably to check the extent of a tear or look for trauma.

The shakes & poohing is really common, a high percentage of women do!

The clots can be bigger than you imagine too Blush

LoganMummy · 30/11/2013 21:40

The finger up the bum for me wasto check my stitches hadn't blocked anything up there.

But it was AFTER the midwife popped her finger in that she told me why!

glorious · 30/11/2013 22:28

jelly that's what the midwife said in my case Smile

Original poster
BummyMummy77 · 30/11/2013 23:06

oops who complains about another woman moaning in labour?!

Was she pre, during or post? Either way, what a cow!

I holler-screamed during the first few hours of pushing. And called my lovely, adorable midwife a c word. :S

The last two or three hours I went silent and screamed internally though. On my birthing record the midwives did for me they've recorded most of the amusing (their words not mine) things I said. "I want vodka" "I've changed my mind" "you're all fuckers, I'll pay you twice as much if you give me some pain relief" and begging dh to tell me where he'd hidden the cat's Valium and my Xanex for dentist trips.

OP posts:
LittleTownOfBOOTHSlehem · 30/11/2013 23:18

The most common phrases I've heard...
'Im not doing this anymore'
'Im going home now'
'Pull it out of me'

Plenty if swearing thrown in too!

oopsadaisyme · 30/11/2013 23:20

Bummy thats it, if I have another, your my birthing partner!!!!!! xx

Original poster
BummyMummy77 · 30/11/2013 23:31

oops women make much better birthing partners. I told dh countless times "nottofuckingtouchmeduringacontraction" and to please stop asking me ridiculous questions like - do I want music on - do I want to watch the new Downton Abbys now- and the best - have you seen my iPad?

Bless him.

Another shock was that I just hadn't thought how much I'd hurt and ache the next day. I think the only things that didn't hurt were my toes and nose. I even bloodied my knuckles punching the wardrobe.

OP posts:
oopsadaisyme · 01/12/2013 00:19

Bummy lol xx

My mum was my birthing partner first time round, and she constantly drank bottles of 'volvic' (which was actually gin and tonic) !!! 12 hours in she was pissed as a fart and made me laugh all the way through!!! (she bought in cakes and chocs for the midwives, everything 'He're you, have this!!'

Miss her very much lol xx

DoesZingBumpLookBigInThis · 01/12/2013 00:32

I had lots of prunes in the morning.

baby was born at 10pm, but not before I farted so much stinking farts that DH almost threw up and even the midwives eyes were watering.
I literally gassed them, proper chemical warfare style!
Grin
despite wanting to keep the delivery room warm they had to open the windows so they can breathe.

I can't look at prunes. and for the next birth we took two cans of air freshener sprays!Grin Grin

Repeatedlydoingthetwist · 01/12/2013 00:34

For me it was the fact that the umbilical cord looked like electoral wiring. I was expecting something a lot more like a big blood vessel.

Repeatedlydoingthetwist · 01/12/2013 00:35

Electrical, obvs.

oopsadaisyme · 01/12/2013 00:38

Seriously talking, I wasn't expecting the 'pull feeling and bleed' after birth, it really hurt, especially if you have stitches, god that's a killer -

ScientificProgressGoesBoink · 01/12/2013 00:43

That with every contraction from about halfway through onward, it would feel like the world was trying to fall out of my ass. I say on the birthing ball for most of my labour because I was genuinely worried about the pressure I felt down there....I sat on that bastard thing for about 7 hours and my legs killed me the next day! :)

That contractions would slow once established and I'd have to have an I'V drip to get them going again, and that the intensity and pain from that would utterly break me. Having had an epidural second time round I so wish I had had one with my first and not been so puritan about doing things naturally...It would have made a horrible experience so much more positive.

MimsyBorogroves · 01/12/2013 00:53

The shivering and the vomiting - but if thought that was a reaction to the epidural.

The massive wave of complete and utter love I felt not just for my baby, but for DH too. After everything I went through I'd have thought I'd have been more inclined to rip his balls off Grin

CointreauVersial · 01/12/2013 01:01

The bit when the head comes out - OMG it burns, like someone has stuck a red-hot poker up your jacksy. No one warned me about that bit.

It is also very weird how you go from incoherent, writhing, screaming pain during a contraction, to complete calm, chatting about the weather etc. seconds later.

Three births, and no finger. I missed out, clearly.Grin

LovesBeingHereAgain · 01/12/2013 08:44

Sorry to worry/surprise some of you re fub (finger up bum) but think it's to check everything is ok cause of all the pushing glad it wasn't just me lol

BartBaby · 01/12/2013 08:56

I had an epidural, but I was surprised that when it came to the pushing part, I realised I wasn't really sure what to do. I'd read up on pretty much everything in pregnancy and birth. But not the pushing bit!

Also wasn't expecting the gas and air to send me to cloud cukoo land. Very trippy. And what seemed like half an hour, was actually 5 hours waiting for the epidural. Time just didn't make sense anymore.

Also surprised in the difference in contractions after having to have my waters broken to speed things up. I thought they were pretty bad before hand. I was very wrong!

I also wasn't expecting to lose so much blood after that I passed out, and it took them over an hour to bring me back round. I missed - the placenta being delivered, thankfully any surprise fingers up the bum, being stitched up and my son getting weighed and dressed.

I was warned about the pooing (unsure whether or not I did this) but nobody mentioned the piles! Most embarrassing moment of my life thus far when the midwife gave me my cream for my piles infront of dp. Although thankfully he never mentioned it.

I also have no recollection of any of my midwifes in the hospital or any of the doctors (and at one point there was a few). On the tv programmes they always seem to have great relationships with the lovely midwifes. Not sure if mine weren't particularly nice midwifes, or that I just had other things on my mind Grin

I'm hoping there will be less surprises with dc2 due in April!

trinitybleu · 01/12/2013 09:50

BartBaby I lost all track of time as well. Felt like the student MW was asking if I wanted an epidural yet every 5 minutes or so, when actually it was hourly. I didn't want it too soon and was staying mobile so said no, and then all of a sudden it was too late! Once I'd had DD I asked why it was light outside, thinking it was about 1am when it was actually 7!

geekaMaxima · 01/12/2013 11:39

I love this thread Smile

My biggest surprise was how the linear 3-stage labour thing they show you in antenatal classes doesn't apply to everyone...

It took me 48 hours to get from 1cm to 2cm dilated Confused, 4 hours to go from 2-10cm, and 2.5 hours to push DS out. My midwives were even more surprised than I was!

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