What happened when I gave birth?

[Rubylu]

Quick backstory, my LO is now 8 months and I wonder everyday what happened. I did get my birthing notes from the hospital but there isn’t much info on there.

I was induced at 38 weeks, it all went quite smoothly for an induction, I was 7cm at 3:30am and he was out by 9:20am. The only thing is I was pushing for 3 hours, it got to a point where I was really struggling and the head midwife came in.
she looked at my midwife and said “ have you tried …” and sort of winked. Anyway they then said they need to do an episiotomy as baby was getting unhappy and needed to come out. His head was right there I just couldn’t get him out.

They started numbing me with a numbing injection, I think? But I had the most immense pain I was literally screaming the ward down it felt like she was popping a finger behind his head with every injection she was doing, the next thing I knew his head was out, I wasn’t pushing through a contraction at that stage not that I remember anyway.

I'm guessing my question is, is that even a thing? For them to help me push him out, I couldn’t see as I was in stirrups and my partner says it was all a blur. I didn’t have the episiotomy so I’m really confused as to what actually happened.

Did you tear?
Your birth sounds similar to my first; I had been pushing for hours and was being prepped for possible forceps (this was 30 years ago in a MLU and a doctor was called in for forceps) My legs were in the stirrup things and the midwife about to give the local anaesthetic injection when I pushed the head out.

It was incredibly painful and I've always assumed it was because I was in the worst position to deliver and I tore. Up to this point I'd been mostly kneeling on the bed but because of second stage being so long, the midwives were keen to deliver ds soon. I didn't actually have an injection as the midwife didn't have time, but I do remember her having a couple of fingers inside me, sort of hooked round so perhaps that explains the feeling you had too?

DH said that when I was trying to push DD out the Dr spent ages trying to stretch my perineum with her hands to get DD out without tearing (I had an epidural so couldn't feel anything) I'm not sure if she had her fingers inside me to do that but I'm not sure how else you could do it. Could that have been what happened? Eventually she threatened to use the vacuum and when I still couldn't push her out she did an episiotomy and she was born easily.

The episiotomy injection can definitely be painful. I felt the injections and I felt DC1’s head being pulled out with the ventouse. It felt like something the size of a pumpkin was coming out of me. It was a wild ride.

I ended up with multiple tears, internal and external, plus episiotomy. Your birth notes should note if and where and how your teared.

You are entitled to a birth debrief if you wish to understand your birth more. I would either speak to your midwife to request this or write to PALS.