Birth stories and midwives!

[Angeliz]

Hi, i am SURE this has been done before but on the page about "what did you learn by giving Birth" i find all the stories fascinating but it's only snippets, I'd love to know about all your births, good and bad stories so thought i'd go first and see if anyone cared to share

I had pains all day and carried on as normal convinced this couldn't be it! At 5 i started bleeding quite heavily so went straight to hospital! They did a scan as they thought the baby was Breech as my bump was so high!!(first id heard of that) she wasn't anyway! I begged them to tell me this was it and not send me home and when they checked i was 7 cm's dilated so well on me way. I had a FANTASTIC midwife called Janine ,(at this point i must say that i am very cynical about most medical people and often feel like a number), Anyway, Janine read my birth plan and went over it with me and then i got on the gas and air! When it got too bad i asked for pethidine and she got it but i had said i'd like to try without it on my plan and Janine reminded me of this at every lull! In the end i didn't have it. They broke my waters and baby was in distress (had had a bowel movement in the womb -meconiam isn't it?) so they used forceps but i SCREAMED!That was like torture so they stopped. As they were rolling in the Ventouse, i pushed her out! Janine explained that a male paediatrician would be coming into the room to check baby!(as this was also on my plan).
She had finished her shift an hour earlier but stayed to see me through! My dd was born at 8.58pm and after a quick check and clearing her airways was fine.
We took a card and a bottle of champagne in for Janine and i wrote a sloppy note inside! Another midwife told me that it would cheer Janine up as she was going through a rough time!

So, that is mine, i realise by some of your comments that i was VERY lucky and pray i get her next time! I hope you all take a trip down memory lane and share your experiences

Nearly had DS at 34 weeks. We were on a tour of the labour ward during the evening parent craft class. I was taking my time going upstairs and the MW asked if I was OK. Told her I was fine just a few crampy pains. Was taken straight to a room and put on a monitor. Turns out I was having contractions every 2 minutes!

Given stuff to slow things down and a steroid injection and settled for the night on the antenatal ward. Things still much the same the next day and I was moved onto the labour ward. The 12 delivery rooms were full so I was put in the spare delivery theatre surrounded by scary equipment. The winter olympics was on so when i was asked to time contractions (with no clock) I told them it was about the same time as the downhill skiing!

Eventually things faded away and I was sent home with a request to take things a lot easier so I worked from home after that.

Eventually I went 10 days overdue, determined not to be induced. At 7:30 on the Saturday morning I felt a strong pain and knew it had started. I had a long bath, followed by scrambled egg on toast. I took some paracetamol and phoned everyone to tell them I was in labour. DP got massive nesting instinct at this point and cleaned the kitchen top to bottom!

The MW came round about 12 and confirmed I was 4cm dilated and should come into hospital soonish. I put the TENS on and we dawdled along there about 2:30. A little later my new MW Morfydd decided I should have my waters broken (heart condition so was supposed to have a fairly quick labour). She suggested they got the gas and air ready as I might need it. I sent DP out of the room in a fit of modesty! Just as she was about to break my waters my TENS broke! Waters were broken as I took my first gas and air and DP came back in to find my in hysterics.

Later the anaethetist came in to ask if I thought I might want an epidural at some point. I got confused and thought he meant I had to have one there and then or not at all. Had pethadine, slept a while. Stayed at 9.5 cm for AGES. Eventually I was given a local anaesthetic and a catheter (how the hell do you pee in labour) and after 50 minutes of pushing, DS came out! 9lb 2oz, a little tear with a couple of stitches.

He sneezed 30 minutes after being born which was funny!