Birth story:
So the plan was to try gas and air and tens machine through labour and to try and remain as mobile as possible. Natural third stage and breast feeding within the first hour. Here is what actually happened!
Thursday saw me wake up with regular tightenings I was still in bed but thought if I was doing something I would need to stop doing it. And occasionally it took my breath away. But the tightenings weren't painful. Nonetheless I was aware of them and let family know what was going on. All day long I kept getting these tightenings/ pains but wasn't convinced that this wouldn't stop. I timed them for a while and they were at a regular 15 mins in the day, getting slightly more frequent in the evening. Bath and an attempt at an early night. I still wasn't hugely convinced things were happening as I hadn't been in real pain through the day.
2:18 I woke from sleep and bam, wtf oh now 'that's' a contraction. OH (P for purposes of this) woke almost immediately and after 10 mins and a wee I had had 3 contractions. I ran a bath and had 10 mins in it before getting out and getting the tens put on. Timed the contractions and although they weren't all at 3 mins the ave was 3 mins between them. Rang the hospital, coping fine with the pain using tens so was told I could go in or wait. Decided I'd have some food and go in after that. Rang my sister (B for the purposes of this) as she was going to be birth partner too and had some toast. After 1/2 hr or so rang the hospital again and said I was going in. Middle of the night so we were there in no time. Examined and monitored and was 3cm. Was told I could stay but go to ante natal ward but best was to go home as I was coping well with the tens.
B had arrived by this point so we all headed to ours. P went to try to sleep for a bit as we knew things were progressing and we all felt it was better that he rested as much as possible. B and I tried watching a DVD and this kind of failed. The pains were getting stronger and more regular and ended up with a few swear words while they were happening. Had another bath and things got more painful and more and more regular to the point where B was predicting when the next one would come! Out of the bath and woke P up. Got dressed with some help and rang the hospital again to say we were going in.
By this time it was about 8:30 and so the worst possible traffic time in the world. But we made it there in about 20-25 mins or maybe longer I'm not sure. All the while the pains kept up and the tens was being turned up more. Arrived at the hosp and went to triage and was told to wait in the waiting room for '2minutes' this turned into at least quarter of an hour and I was at the door doing the whole try try breathe through the contraction thing.
We were then taken through for me to be examined and was by this point 4-5 cm with bulging waters so then waited for a midwife to take me through to the delivery room. The walk through was not pleasant and I walked as fast as I could between the contractions and hung onto the desk halfway there when I got a contraction.
Into the room and on the monitor and I was then given gas and air. Sucked away on it feeling high as a kite at the end of each contraction but not feeling the benefit of it during, other than a way to control my breathing. The tens machine was by now on continuous boost and on full whack. And I was thinking how much the pain would get worse so I said 'I think I'd like to try something else now' they asked what i wanted and B said about pethidine but that I was strongly opposed to an epidural because of my history of headaches and migraines. Anyway they said I couldn't have anything at that point as Edith was sleepy and they needed to check she was ok, give it 20 mins and if no probs then I could have some. During this time they asked me to move position, up till now I'd been on my back as it was the most comfy position, weird as I had no inclination to get on a birthing ball or stand as I thought I would have done. So I lay on my side and that still wasn't waking Edith up enough for the pethidine. The question as to what I wanted was asked and I do remember saying I would have anything! Really though I'm so glad I'd so strongly gone against an epidural in my birth plan and when telling P and B about things I would and wouldn't want, that B said again about pethidine and no epidural. Edith still wasn't waking so I was given a bag of fluids, check again in 20-30 mins see how we are doing. She did wake during the fluids but they wanted me to wait longer to check her. I wasn't demanding the pain relief it would have just been nice to have some extra.
It was during the '20' mins that my contractions changed from just pain to real pressure and a pushing feeling. I thought there was no way I'd be at that stage. We hadn't been there long enough. But 3 contractions later my waters broke mid contraction! It was 11:55 I was then examined after my sister explaining to the midwives that I actually could be that far as she had had a very speedy labour jumping from 4 to 10 much faster than predicted. The midwives were not convinced I was feeling pressure up till that point. Anyway checked and I was 9cm with the mw possibly able to push the rest away to 10. The other mw checked and in that contraction I went to 10cm. 12:20 and 2nd stage officially begins!
At this point I moved onto my hands and knees to try help Edith out but this was not working and after a while they decided I was better in my back so I turned over again and was aware that things were being mentioned about her heart rate dropping in the contraction but was ok between and was put into the stirrups(lithotomy position?) I was pushing and they started to see hair but I wasn't getting her out alone without it causing a drop in heart rate. The doc then said about ventouse and started to get stuff ready saying she would do an episiotomy first and go from there. All this seemed to take forever and I was a bit confused about the time due to the heart rate concerns and wasn't sure how bad it was.
Between a set of contractions the doc injected local anaesthetic and did the cut. The next contraction, push and I felt her head 'pop' out, then another bit of her then the rest of her. All during one contraction. Wow. Born at 13:36 She was put onto me all slimy, the mw said that bit was good for my skin and to rub it in. I just lay and looked at my baby daughter. P cut the cord and she was given to a paediatrician who was by this point in the room. I asked if she was ok, and was told yes. She came back to me and we had a few photos and I managed to get her to feed at 14:00.
During the labour I didn't converse and was kind of focussed on just getting through it all. I got quite spaced out on the g&a at times which was lovely but only came when the contraction ended! And my sister said there was much less time resting between contractions than the pain I was having so I was pretty much constantly in pain till right before the last few pushes. I wasn't begging for the extra pain relief and pretty much gave up the gas towards the end when I was pushing proper. I remember P or B saying to see about switching the tens machine off as they didn't think it was having an effect, this I managed to say no to.
My official first stage labour lasted 3hrs and 1 minute and the second stage was 1hr 16 minutes. Like I said officially 4 hrs but the 'reality' was a little longer. But they don't class it as labour till 4cm. So it was fast and very intense once it got going.
So as per the plan tens and gas and air, but definitely not mobile through it! But that's fine. Would I change what I did. No, I was more comfortable than I was when I was on my feet and it worked for me. I'm really glad I didn't have any extra pain relief, for a start it was that quick it may have affected her straight after birth, secondly I can say i did it with gas and air and tens! and I'm so glad I had expressed my wishes so strongly re epidural before the birth, I think when it actually came down to it, if they had actually talked about doing one I would have said no, the 'I'll take anything comment' was a kind of flip this hurts get rid if it, but actually going through with an epi would have meant consent and I am sure I would have then reasoned with myself as I was having doubts in my mind (why did i say 'that') about having said what I did but couldn't express this and am grateful to B for being so clear for me. I didn't get the natural third stage due to the episiotomy, but I knew that was always a possibility. And I managed to feed within the first hour :)
Both P and B were amazing throughout. I can't begin to say how amazing they were. I needed them and they were just there. B wants to be a midwife. I bloody well hope she gets on a course soon, she would be fecking awesome. I was at the birth of both of B's girls and she always says how much I helped her, it's hard to comprehend how much someone means that you helped them, until you've been in that situation, I only hope I helped her half as much as she helped me. P, well he's just wonderful and will be a great dad to our daughter.
I don't remember the rest of the afternoon as easily. My blood sugar took a dive twice once in delivery room an then again on the ward, and at one point on the ward I thought I was going to pass out. But my sis and P both had holds of her and looked after her. We fed again before being taken to the ward.
Due to the fact she was so little and below the 10% weight line on my personalised growth chart she had to have blood sugar check every 3 hrs for her first 24 hrs, but they were all good and she was ok with the stick every few hrs. We had 2 nights in hosp as we needed to see a wet nappy which may have happened before but had been missed due to 2 massive poos! But we came home early on Sunday morning :)