Labour story's

[SharpRose]

Hi guys, I'm currently 32 weeks and having no idea what to expect I'm hoping everyone could share their labour stories with me. How long contractions where? how did you know you were going into labour? That sort of thing. 😊

Xx

I was induced due to GD so it was all planned to an extent.

Went in on Wednesday morning at 8am, bit of hanging around and having things like blood pressure and baby HB monitored then a pessary was inserted which was like a tablet on a string and pressed up against cervix.

Some more monitoring then I was just left to hang about and take walks around the hospital. Sent my DH home about 5ish because we were both bored and I just wanted to quietly watch some TV. As it turned out the ward was hotter than the surface of the sun so I actually spent the evening and most of the night wandering the hospital and grounds trying to find a Draught. Snuck out to the Tesco Local at about 3am for some snacks and magazines 😀

Had a few 'tightenings' through the night but nothing consistent. If you've ever tried a tens machine or one of those slimming belts it felt like that.

Checked the next morning and more monitoring of my BP and babies HB. Was told cervix had dilated enough to break waters but had to wait for someone to be free.

More wandering, snacking, magazines and telly.

1pm they broke my waters, bit more monitoring and contractions started within the hour.

They ramped up pretty quick from there. I was able to pace and breathe through them for a few hours till about 5pm then moved onto gas n air. At about 6pm I suddenly needed to be sick and I had this feeling like something had just shifted. A few minutes later I shouted over to the midwife that I needed to push and she sighed and said 'baby has just moved, I'll check you after I finish my paperwork'. I was still on the ward at this point as no one thought I was close to delivery. I told DH (loudly) to get ready to catch because I was pushing. The MW signed again, came over and said she'd check. I was crowning. She told me to get up on the bed and started shouting for help to get me to a delivery room. I was on my side, 1 leg in the air, pushing as they wheeled me down the corridor. DD was born as we moved into the delivery room 😂

Pushing was a primal and instinctive feeling for me, I just did what my body told me to do, I couldn't have stopped it even if I wanted to and it felt good to push. There was a burning sensation (ring of fire) but it was bearable because the need to keep pushing was so strong.

Afterwards DD was put straight on my chest and it was as cliche as could be, I was staring at her not really able to believe what I'd just done and how perfect she was. MW was messing about down below with afterbirth and then stitching up a second degree tear. Somehow I was able to just ignore that any of that was happening. It's really strange, kind of a bit like an out of body feeling, you're absolutely knackered, should be feeling all kinds of pain but not really, hormonal as the most hormonal thing ever, shocked....

If they offer you a pain killer pessary take it, if they don't offer then ask for it. They shove a big painkiller up your bum and you don't feel any soreness for about 12 hrs. It's great, after that make sure you have big padded unscented maternity pads and some witch hazel. If you end up with a tear, freeze the pads with witch hazel on and use them to ease and cool the soreness. For the love of all that is holy DO NOT use scented sanitary pads like Always. They are designed to soak up moisture, you don't want your stitches drying out and getting stuck to your sanitary pad!

And take snacks to the hospital. You'll somehow manage to miss every meal time, Labour is a lot of hard work and you will be hungry afterwards.

Oh my thankyou for sharing. Definitely will be asking for the pain killer I'll note that one down for later 😅

Spontaneous (not induced) several days after due date. Was booked in to be induced the week after.

Id been having strong braxton hicks for several weeks before, so when contractions started at 9pm one day I just assumed it was bh again. But an hour in and I was really getting bad so dh timed them. They were erratic timings between contractions though, so hospital said to stay home. But another hour later, around 11pm I was in horrific pain and contractions really close together, so hospital told me to come in.

Really struggled to walk from the car park to the ward. Wasn't dilated enough apparently and was told to go back home at midnight, but we were living with DHs parents at the time and his DPs always had to be up at 4/5am and I didn't want my labour pains to keep them up, so hospital said I could stay.

In the early hours I was given pethidine as I was finding the pain unbearable. Once pethidine had been given long periods of time would pass where I'd apparently been out cold, but I didn't realise and thought it wasn't even working. I thought pethidine would be a pain reliever but it just knocked me umconscscious intermittently. Every time I came round again, the pain would still be as unbearable but without knowing it I'd fade out again, wake up, cry to my DH that the pethidine wasn't working, only for him to tell me another hour had passed where I'd been asleep.

Then all of a sudden a moody old trout of a midwife stomped in around 8am and said "right, get iup, it's time for you to get to the delivery suite!"...."come on, up you get!". I struggled to bear the pain and my legs gave way. I fell onto Dh and I ripped his chest hair out grasping at him to catch me. He asked trouty midwife to get me a wheelchair but she rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, huffed and barked "she doesn't need one, the walk will do her good!". A cleaner came walking along the corridor and saw DH struggling to hold me up while I kept having to stop and drop to my knees each time another contraction hit. She snapped at the midwife to get me a wheelchair and midwife just ignored her. So the lovely cleaner pelted off, came running back with a wheelchair and helped my DH get me in it. All the while midwife continues with her eyerolling and displeased looks.

This midwife continues to snap at me about everything for the next few hours of her shift peppered with lots of sarcastic remarks and general bitchery. Really horrible woman.

Thankfully a lovely young midwife takes over the shift and I finally get my epidural sometime late afternoon. What a fucking relief that was! I finally got some sleep and manage to eat a couple of bites of a biscuit and slurp of a fizzy drink. Meanwhile I've started to become rather farty. In-between naps I keep waking myself up with my own noisy trumps!

Later I'm told inow need to start actively pushing. Midway strenuous but unsuccessful pushing, the alarms went off. DSs heart stopped, he'd become distressed. Utter chaos ensued, doctors running in, lots of serious busy chatter going on between them and I'm being told theatre is being prepped as it looks like an emergency CS will have to be performed. In the meantime, doc says he's going to try something first that would be uncomfortable but could save baby... the doc had to push his entire arm into the birth canal and physically turn my ĎS inside me.

Yes, it was veŕy uncomfortable. But It worked. DSs heart started again and the CS was called off.

Struggled for the next few hours with exhaustion. I had no energy left for any more pushing and I wasn't making any progress with it anyway, so ventouse assistance was agreed. That still didn't work, DS was well and truly stuck in there! So then we moved on to episiotomy followed by the ventouse again. The sheer strength and strain of the poor woman pulling on that ventouse was visible. But he was finally born at 11.30pm.

Over 26hrs later I was handed the reddest, fattest, most angry-looking baby I've ever seen. He did not look at all pleased to have been dragged from his cushy warm womb by his head! Apparently his 8lbs 5oz weight was why my very petite 5ft frame struggled to push him out.

I've never had any more kids. My DS is my life, but I'll never do that again.

I had my second birth but first vaginal birth at home. First birth was c section.

I had, had strong BH off and on for about 4 days, and on the evening at 40+5 at about 10pm I felt they were slightly different. I began timing them and rang my midwife to let her know they were 5 mins apart. I had a small glass of Prosecco and ate cheese and crackers pacing around my kitchen. Then around 11:30pm get them ramp up so husband called midwife again. She arrived around midnight and I asked to be examined. 3-4cm.
But by this stage my contractions were now every two minutes and I was struggling a bit so she called second on call midwife. I had aromatherapy massage by second midwife and gas and air and finally got into my pool. I was fully dilated at 1:25am. Began pushing around 1:45am but we had to try a few positions out of the pool as baby was presenting with her arm up and her head turned sideways so it was hard for me to move her. Eventually she was crowning. The Ring of fire was the absolute worst for me but over in a couple of minutes. She was born at 2:27am. I had a second degree labial and perineal tear that was stitched with gas and air and yes!! The painkiller up your bum is the best thing ever!! You’ll be great

I think the most important thing is to remember your birth will be just that. Specific to you. But listen to your instincts. If you feel something isn’t right don’t doubt yourself. If you feel things are moving faster than your textbook first timer don’t let them tell you otherwise. Know the stages of labour so you know what’s happening.

People have good first labours and bad first labours.

I was lucky - 12 hours, midwife led, pretty much all straightforward and no tearing. More painful than I expected but I coped.

But other friends have had an awful time; long labours followed by emergency sections, blood loss, bad tears etc.

Whatever it ends up being, you get through it because you have to - and if there are complications, you thank your lucky stars for modern medicine.

The only tip I can offer is pain management. Fear and irregular breathing definitely make everything feel worse. Cross your fingers for a kind, empathetic midwife and make an effort to learn some basic hypnobirthing / breathing techniques to keep yourself calm and focussed; do a short course if you can find / afford one, or if not, I'm sure there are some instructional videos on YouTube.

My waters broke at 11am and were blood stained. No contractions. Went up to the hospital to be checked. Told everything was fine and that I would be induced the next day due to the risk of infection. Sent back home. Nothing happened until 4am, started getting contractions and took some pain killers and went back to sleep. Got up at 8 to get organised for hospital. Contractions still there but not too uncomfortable. Left for the hospital around 10am. The drive there the contractions really started to pick up and would take my breath away. Went in and got covid tested and they gave me some codine while waiting. Given a bed and they monitored the baby for a bit. I had ask my husband to go get me someone as I was in pain and was wanting stronger meds. They checked me and said i was 6cm. Sent to delivery suit at 12:30. Baby was delivered at 15:00. I just had gas and air. Honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Good luck 😁

Contractions started at midnight, went to triage at 2am and was 2cm, went back home, waters went at 4am, went back to triage and was 4cm, walked to delivery suite and baby born in the pool at 6am. Back home early afternoon. It’s complete luck of the draw how your body labours. I packed my hospital bag for my worst kind of delivery (prepared for a 5 day stay, big pants to go over a section wound, tonnes of drugs to help with a 4th degree tear - that sort of thing!), and I think that helped take any pressure off.

Contractions started spontaneously the evening of my due date. Laboured all night and all of the next day at home using TENS machine, hot baths, breathing and paracetamol. Contractions became too strong to handle around 8:30pm. 3cm when I got to hospital around 9:00pm. Had pethidine, gas and air, birthing pool. Birthing pool was amazing - highly recommend. Body started pushing for me around 8cm and I completely freaked out. Try and remain calm at this point - I wish I’d stayed in the pool but got out and had more pethidine. He arrived 45 minutes later, drugged to his eyeballs 🤣 It was 1:15am by that point. Perfectly healthy, latched straight away. I had a physiological third stage and pushed placenta out. Second degree tear which required stitches (and was the worst part about the whole thing if I’m honest). Sent to post natal ward, which was quiet so we had our own room. Home by 5:00pm that same day. Couldn’t have asked for a better birth experience and I appreciate I was super lucky.

Waters broke around 10pm. Got to hospital around 1am but no contractions and sent home to be induced the following day. Got home, contractions started at 3am and ramped up very quickly. After a couple of hours it was very painful it was almost like it was one contraction leading into another. I called the hospital about 7.30am and they told me not to come in but I said I was in too much pain I needed to come in. Got to hospital around 8.15am asked for an epidural but they checked me and could see the head. Baby born just before 9am! 1st degree tear. Once I got onto gas and air, it was absolutely manageable and I would have been fine with just that if I'd got it earlier. Trust your instict, if I'd listened to them I would have given birth at home. It all went a bit wrong after the birth but I won't tell you about that as that was due to the mistake of the midwife. Good luck!