Hello! Isabelle is sleeping and so is DH so sneaked ont Mumsnet. I've tried to catch up on the thread as best I can whilst running downstairs every other minute to check on Isabelle!
Barbie sounds like you've been having a really rough time. Induction on monday - exciting!
Cupcake glad you approve of the name!
Iggy welcome to Big pants!
Thank you so much for all your kind wishes. It was exciting reading the bit of the thread whilst I was in labour, I remember doing my DH's head in trying to get him to text one of you as soon as she was born, before I'd even got the placenta out!
Any how here's how it went....
Wednesday was the day I'd had 10 minute braxton hicks all afternoon, wednesday night I had all those hot sweats, thursday I felt fine if a little uncomfortable. I walked miles and miles with my Mum and kept refusing to head home as I was comfortbale walking. Felt fine thursday eveing, in fact cooked a shephards pie big enough to feed about 8 people (only 1 portion got eaten as I ended up a bit busy!). Went to bed early and woke to go to loo at 3:20am (as well as probably 6 other times but thats the memorable one!). Went to loo, then stood up, heard 3 little popping noises and a big gush. Then shouted my DH who leapt out of bed to find me grinning like a loon!!
For some reason we could only find 2 packs of maternity pads so DH went to Tesco at 4am to buy more. I had 2 contractions and another bigger gush, then rang the labour ward. I thought they'd say wait till you're having proper contractions but they said to come in to be checked over. By 4:45am when DH got home I'd had about 4-5 contractions that were a bit hurty but I was expecting a lot worse so wasn't getting worried. DH had to help me get dressed cos my brain didn't seem to be working (looking back we should have realised why my brain wasn't working). Got in the car, wasn't too comfortable at all as couldn't bend in the middle. Kept eyes shut most of the way, then opened them to find DH driving on the wrong side of the road!!!! - obviously not just me without a brain!!!
Waited about an hour on arrival as I "obviously wasn't in labour", the midwife said she'd examine me to check it hadn't just been urine not my water, apparently I was "far too calm and comfortable".
I had a contraction that made me go dizzy so I lay down. She examined me and I'm not sure who was more suprised when she said, I was fully effaced and at least 4-5cm dilated. I really was expecting to feel a lot worse by that point.
Anyhow I refused a wheelchair to get to labour suite as couldn't figure out how I would bend in the middle and had a few strong contractions whilst walking there. Got in the pool and managed quite well for about an hour. Then got really strong urge to push. Midwife said I couldn't be 10cm dilated yet so gave me gas & air to help me stop pushing. Stayed like that for another hour ish, and was struggling with not being able to push. She agreed to examine me again, opened my legs and just said "ooh its a head". I ditched the gas & air as I felt my body obviously knew what it was doing and pushed out my baby girl into the pool at 11:56am.
My mum and DH were both there (Mum had come in to bring the hospital bag that was in the car as I wouldn't let DH leave to fetch it). My DH was amazed, he's never seen a normal birth before being an obstetric anaesthetist he only sees the complicated and those who are in much more pain. I'd spent so much time worrying about giving birth, it really wasn't that painful at all, it felt like it wasn't really me doing it but I was floating around on the ceiling constantly reassuring my DH and Mum that I was ok.
It started getting a bit less perfect after that. Tried for a physiological 3rd stage. Cord cut after it had stopped pulsing. But then an hour and 10 mins later placenta still wouldn't come out. Had the sintametrin injection then out came placenta and a litre of blood! Then they examined me to find either a 2nd or 3rd degree tear (no one could decide which!)
I stayed in hospital for 4 days as very anaemic, dizzy, kept collapsing, fast heart rate, then Isabelle wouldn't feed and got jaundiced.
I can hear a squeaky noise coming from Isabelle's direction, back later. xxxx