you did say in detail
2007:
I started having contractions on the Wednesday evening and they seemed to speed up and slow down. After a couple of sleepless nights, we went into hospital on the Friday morning at about 4am, when the contractions were about 4 or 5 minutes apart. She did an exam and told me I was one centimeter dilated and definitely not in labour. We came home, DH went to work (at this point we were still under the impression it could be another week) and I called my mum and had a bit of a cry. DH called to say he'd got the afternoon off and would set off at 12 or 12.30.
Contractions slowed down and so I went in the shower - I'd had the TENS on up to this point and was coping nicely with it, but was sick of the wires and feeling attached so once I'd tried a few contractions without using it I dared to take it off. After I came out of the shower I was having contractions again - not close together but very painful. At 11.30 I got in touch with DH to find out when he would be setting off, tried to play it down as I thought I was over-reacting, so when he said 12.15, I said that was fine (it's about a 40 minute journey).
I called him at about quarter to 1 to see where he was and didn't get an answer (no signal on lots of his journey). When he got there at about ten to I was at the door waiting and begging him to reattach the TENS!
I figured out at this point that the machine goes up to 15 not 5 as the instructions say - worth knowing if you're hiring one through Boots!
That afternoon is a bit of a blur, I was walking about a lot to help with the pain, I also found if one started when I was sitting down I couldn't stand up. DH was trying to be helpful, walking with me and trying to rub my back, but I didn't want anyone near me, and was quite rude to him at times! At about 3pm I told him I was going to be sick, ran into the kitchen and was sick in the sink, during which my waters also broke with a gush! (What a pretty sight I must have been). I called the hospital, telling them I had the urge to push (contractions still 5 minutes apart at this point) and they told me to come in but I'd probably be sent home again as it was my first baby (???). DH had run upstairs to get me some dry clothes and towels, I was wearing my last clean pair of maternity trousers that fit me, so I told him to get some horrible old elasticated waist trousers I'd had for ages. He came down with those, and in case he'd got the wrong thing, a pair of his own tracksuit bottoms. He has a size 30-32 waist. I'm a size 14/16 when not pregnant
He also brought me a clean pair of his socks which had rudolph on the sides, complete with a red pom pom for a nose. So, dressed in my glamorous new outfit, we set off for the hospital!
I had more contractions in the car and on the walk in. When we got there the assessment room was busy so we were taken straight to a delivery room. As I was between contractions at that point, the midwife looked at me and said that as I didn't seem too bad she would go and see to some more urgent business and would be back in 20 minutes. The next contraction came, I was sick again and shouting at DH that I was going to press the call button. I did, she arrived and I demanded "Something, now!!". She said that until she'd examined me I couldn't have anything, apart from gas and air - that was what I wanted! She skipped the usual tests and went straight to the internal exam while I was getting used to the gas and air. When she announced I was 9cm dilated I was so relieved as I'd decided if it was going to get much worse then I wouldn't be able to cope.
A few more minutes and she told me I was ready to start pushing (and took my gas and air away ). I can't say I felt any 'natural urge' to push and so I made my best guess and did some ladylike pushes. After she'd explained that you push in exactly the same way as when you're going to the loo I got the hang of it and started pushing properly! I wish I'd known that this bit would be such incredibly hard work, and, as my contractions were so far apart, went on for quite a while - the midwife and DH were fantastic at making sure I didn't give up as I came really close every time.
Anyway, after a while she made me pant and push through one of them, and then suggested that I pushed even though I wasn't having a contraction. I didn't realise how close I was but at that point T was put on my stomach! I started crying along with him, and we both just lay there looking at him while the midwife delivered my placenta and told me I had a slight graze which I wouldn't have known about if she hadn't actually told me. DH cut the cord which I was really happy about (he thought he was going to be too squeamish, but at this point I think he could have happily chewed through it if he'd needed to!)
He then went off to move the car out of the A&E bay, get the bags out of the car and ring our parents, and the midwife helped me latch T on for a feed. After that, DH held him while I went for a shower and as I got out of the shower my mum and dad arrived - more tears! My Dad went on a week long business trip very early on Sunday morning so I was so pleased T had arrived in time.
We went home early Saturday afternoon after he'd had all his checks and I'd had some breastfeeding help. I had the best night's sleep I had in days that first night in hospital with him.
Anyway, sorry this is so long, I wanted to write it all down so I wouldn't forget - will have to print it out I think. The entire experience was fantastic, the only bad effect was a major cramp in my leg I got while pushing - was hobbling for the next 24 hours! T is lovely and all 3 of us are still on a childbirth high. Breastfeeding seems to be going really well, which has amazed me, although my milk's coming in so that might all change! I have barely slept the last 2 nights as he just wanted to feed constantly and screamed in between, was ready for it again tonight but in fact he seems to be sleeping for a couple of hours between feeds now and only crying when he wants something. I had a 3 hour nap at about 6 and so am not tired in the slightest
2009:
Well, despite being on MN for a lot of my labour, I'd like to write the story in full in one go!
My contractions started at 8ish on Thursday night, but as usual I didn't have a clue what they were - wind, sitting uncomfortably, wishful thinking? Anyway, called my parents at 9 and agreed if I kept getting them they'd come and collect DS at 10. At this stage they were 15-20 mins apart and not bad. Anyway, parents took DS and I continued, going in the bath (thanks mears!) seemed to slow them down a bit, and I got about 4 hours sleep before they woke me up (during which I dreamt I was having contractions, but had gone to a really important work meeting anyway, in the snow ).
I continued trying to time the contractions but they never seemed to get much worse until the late afternoon I think. By 8pm on Friday I decided I needed to go into hospital, saying I would cry if I was only 2cm. Yes, you guessed it, I was 2cm. I cried. While I was there the woman who was due to come and do my sweep the next day turned up to ask if the MW examining me could do the sweep anyway. MW said she couldn't as her fingers weren't long enough so sweep woman came and did it, at which point I became 3cm.
Well the sweep seemed to work, almost immediately the contractions got much worse and much closer together. I was sent home to have something to eat, but there's no way I could have done that and I also couldn't watch TV with DH. All I could do was write OWWWWW on MN! I sent DH to bed at 9 as I thought we'd end up going out again and wanted him to have some rest. Just before 10 I decided we needed to go in again, so woke him up as he'd just fully gone to sleep - I seriously considered offering to drive at this point!
Anyway we got to the hospital without any major collisions (I had to navigate the car park, which DH has been to many times before ) and went back up to the maternity ward. It was incredibly busy in its own right, and a new mother had just been taken to intensive care so we were understandably taken to a room and left to get on with it. I had a couple of really painful contractions while clinging on to DH and then asked him to get me some water. The one I had without him was unbearable and I pressed the button for help, asking for G&A. The MW gave me it and said she'd examine me again so we knew the options for pain relief. Bearing in mind this was about 2 hours since I'd been 2cm, I was fully expecting to ask for an epidural. She examined me and apparently I was more than 9cm dilated, and I almost cried with relief. Anyway, pushing was just as horrendous as I remember from last time, but thankfully much shorter, and A was born at 11.26 She was 7lb and I discovered she was a girl myself (but had to ask someone else to confirm it!)
I had asked to see the placenta, just wanted a quick glance but the MW talked me through her checks - have to admit I lost interest as I had a newborn on me! I thought I'd see what I'd do if I offered her my nipple (baby, not MW) and she latched on straight away and fed for about 45 minutes Then shower and moved to the postnatal ward, luckily I wasn't there for much of that night and then was discharged the next day.
A is lovely, so tiny, and at the moment so sleepy. She also seems to feed quickly and can fall asleep in my arms, unlike DS who had to be fed to sleep. Hoping it lasts!
Short version: 2 straightforward births, gas & air, no tears, home the next day