Hello ladies! Ive finally typed out my birth story! Very at the length of it! I just couldnt compress it! Can you believe she is 4wks tomorrow?!?
On Saturday the 22nd May we went to get induced! Arrived at the hospital at 4pm and got put in 4 bed ward in high dependency unit in the delivery suite, given 1st pessary at 6pm, and was intermittently monitored, midwife suggested DH go home at about 10pm as would probably take a while but he couldn?t bear idea of missing anything so thankfully stayed! By about 11/12ish the contractions were kicking in, by 1am were pretty intense, but as not yet dilated, midwife suggested holding off on pain relief as would be many more hours still, so just had co dydramol! Then she moved us to a nice single room with en suite bathroom, and gave us a mattress to put on the floor for DH, so we both got a bit of sleep. I woke on the Sunday morning thinking my contractions had slowed down, but after getting up they got intense again and 2 different midwives both agreed had increased since the night before in both time and intensity, the docs came round, but still not dilating so they agreed to give another pessary. The midwives changed shifts every 12hrs at 8am or pm so the new midwife seemed lovely, and said she would get 40mins of monitoring babys hb and contractions then give 2nd pessary.. She said to go for walk in meantime so we went off to get breakfast, every time we went for a wander (which was lots!) I did the stairs rather than the lift as only 1st floor, it was that blazing hot weekend so was boiling, we walked in grounds, then went M&S café & read papers, by that point I was bent over and could barely sit, but soldiered on feeling quite brave, hoping it was helping things progress.
Went back for monitoring but the mw kept losing the hb trace, I wasn?t worried cos baby was moving like a mad thing, so probably why the trace was not picking up, but mw was getting flustered, getting me to stay still and hold it myself, was a bit aggravated as no other mw had trouble, and then she said until she got an uninterrupted trace she wouldn?t give pessary no 2.. We went off for yet another walk on her instruction and she said she?d be back in an hour, we came back, but 2 hours later she still wasn?t back. By this point it was coming up 4pm and we were told by docs that pessary no 2 would be given at 9am, last pessary was 6pm night before, and my contractions had stopped!
Another mw came to do monitor and trace was perfect, but internal, which were now bloody painful, showed was not dilated at all? Then we could hear a woman screaming next door giving birth, (even though were not actually in birth suites, which were down the corridor) and was told our mw, was delivering for her! We went off to get dinner in the restaurant, and another walk, we really made the most of it and Dh was brilliant, we looked on it as a bit of a big adventure, a mini holiday even! Although the delay was annoying, we kept laughing throughout! However by this point it was 8pm and handover to a new mw... Said we?d basically been abandoned and orig mw came in to try and justify herself which resulted in me in tears! Huff! Finally at 1am I was given the 2nd pessary!
So, Monday morning, wake up with full on contractions again, but surprise surprise, still not dilated! Went to restaurant for full breakfast and again, was breathing through intense contractions, could barely walk or sit, DH was great, went back to room but still not dilated! Walked grounds more, had showers, thank god I brought shorts, 2 spare T shirts and flip flops for DH! Still nothing. Docs were a bit that such a long gap between 1st and 2nd pessary, so said normally would only give about 3 pessarys, but as such a long gap they would discount the 1st one! That mw ears should have been burning, I was cursing her for prolonging it!!
By this point internals were agony and I was screaming in pain, so was now given gas and air, bloody fantastic stuff! So got 3rd pessary, counted as 2nd, about 4pm Monday, as contractions subsided yet again, went off for more walks, dinner ect, and contractions came back, but still no dilation! The nurses and mw were now suggesting we went to our private bathroom, locked the door, and tried dtd but was in so much pain down there couldn?t even consider that! We continued to make the most of things, and as it was Monday all the staff we?d got to know over the pregnancy were in, my neighbour works on delivery suite reception so she was popping into see us, and my lovely Gayle, my EPU sonographer came up to see us too, so that was nice! MWs from previous shifts were shocked we were still there, and we also has one of the docs from the fetal meds check us over, it was nice to feel like we were getting VIP treatment! Finally that evening I was a fingertip dilated, no cm?s, however something! I think I got pessary no4 about 2am, I?ve lost track slightly!
So, Tuesday morning, our 5year anniversary, day 4 of the induction! Contractions were waning, again, but finally about 1pm, was told I was 1cm dilated!!!! YAY! Oh how we rejoiced!!! I did hug the doctor! She said as soon as a delivery room was free, we?d be moved in, my waters would be broken, Id be put on an oxytocin drip and, given an epidural... I was crapping it about the epidural, I really didn?t want one, but they basically said it wasn?t an option, as I was so sore from all the pessarys and internals I had to? So about 5pm we got taken to our new room, the anesthetist did the epidural immediately and I was in tears, but he supported my DH footy team so we spoke football to distract me! I think he found that quite amusing! (Also thanks to Sabs I knew we could do it with me laying on my side so massive thanks for that hon!)
I had the drips in my hand, the epidural in my back, a catheter in my fanjo to go wee, as well babys HB & contractions trace monitoring straps round my belly, and my permanent BP and own HB monitoring! I felt like bionic woman and was scared to move! I wondered how on earth I could give birth with so many tubes coming out of me! Then the doc came in to break my waters, I had a thing with the gas and air where I got mw/Dh or anyone to help me breath ?in and out? in and out? so it would distract me from what was actually going on ?down there?! I was totally out of it on the gas so just feel this warm stream of water as it was done! Then we got our nighttime midwife, a man called Angel! He was lovely and had a student with him called Jess, they were so brilliant.. I got top ups on the epidural through the night and it was all getting more and more surreal.. DH was dozing where poss, but it was amazing to have internals and see progress, first 4cm, then 8cm by the next morning!
They helped me brush my teeth and brush my hair, as had now been bed bound since 6pm on tues evening, was now 7am Wednesday morning! Was gutted when they handed over to next MW but she was a lovely lady called Carmen, by this point, I was really out of it on the epidural and was basically in and out of consciousness! I couldn?t feel my lower half at all and could no longer move my legs.. The anesthetists came back in about 1pm and were asking if I normally spoke like that as I couldnt even string a sentence together! I wanted to feel more with it and was scared about giving birth, so I said I didn?t want another top up for a while, even though I was now the full 10cm dilated! They said they?d let the head come down the canal more, and I started feeling a bit more with it after going an hour longer without a top up, so I said how about a compromise and half the dose, the mw tried to talk me out of it and we agreed on ¾ of the dose!
Then she said finally, 5 days later, to start pushing at about 4pm? I didn?t realize what a slow process it is, only 3 pushes each contraction, which I couldn?t even really feel, so her & DH had to tell me when to push, she kept saying imagine you?re trying to poo, and I kept saying ?Ive forgotten how to poo!? I tried to to get on all fours but still felt weird as had no sensation! Finally an hour later at 5pm she said Id done really well, DH said he saw the wire from the clip moving down with each push, but Carmen reckoned baby was just too large to come out naturally. She called the doc in and they agreed we would have to go to theatre for instrumental delivery or c section? By this point, the epidural had completely worn off and I was in agony! Should of listened to the mw! I was screaming out in pain and no longer cared how baby was delivered, so long as she was! DH changed into scrubs and was looking so concerned and frazzled bless him! They wheeled me in to theatre and I was screaming for pain relief, I shouted at the anesthetist when he told me to calm down, DH had to tell me ?he?s our friend!? I didn?t realize they had to wash my drip out and give me a spinal which is why it took so long! Finally the pain went and I was aware of my legs being strapped to the stirrups after being lifted from my bed to the theatre table! Then before I knew it the what seemed like loads of people were all down between my legs, DH was given a seat next to my head, and they were telling me Id feel pulling, I didn?t even realize they had forceps out, or that Id still be pushng! My mw, was again telling me when to push, and after 1 contraction and 3 pushes, I heard them say the head was out! DH said he looked down, and saw the surgeon literally with a foot on the bed pulling baby out with all her might! Within seconds they had whipped her out and she was lying on my chest crying! The best sound in the world ever! I kept saying ?she?s alive, she?s alive! My baby, my baby!? after months of not daring to believe! DH was crying, I was in shock with my jaw chattering! It was quite amazing! I was not really even aware of them delivering the placenta (which we donated for stem cells!) or stitching me up!
So that is how Summer entered the world and made our lives complete and gave us the happiest moment ever! She was worth every second of it and I would do it all again! She is the most precious adorable girl and I now understand that undiluted amazing love for your child!