Birth Story.
Tues 22nd March - 40 weeks 2 Days Pregnant.
Head to the hospital for a consultant appointment to see if I am favourable for an induction. He checks my cervix, which is firmly closed and not ready whatsoever. Boo. I ask if I can still be admitted for an induction due to the extra liquor volume and he agrees. Wahoo! Booked in for Thursday 24th. Bring it on.
Weds 23rd March - 40 Weeks 3 Days Pregnant.
Awoken by my sweet husband asking 'Are you ok my princess' to which I reply 'Sigh, yes, still very pregnant though....'
Famous last words, I head for my second morning pee and my waters break! And yes, it was like Niagra falls.
We call the labour ward and give her my symptoms and they tell us it's time to come in! Cue me getting out my make up bag to put on my face, and Mr O asking if he has time to make himself an omelette!
Arrive at hospital, admitted to the ward and we (me and baby) are monitored. Contractions start coming irregularly at midday.
Weds night the contractions become regular at one every 7 mins. I'm given codrydamol and a hot bath for the pain, and thanks to a ward full of contracting tired women none of us get much sleep. I am in a lot of pain and become quite tearful. It dawns on me that labour is going to be hard work.
Thursday 24th March - Official Induction Day.
Contractions slow down to one every ten mins or so. Great. It's 24 hours since my waters broke, (which are still gushing out at this point by the way) so they give me a pessary to try and get my cervix to thin. They come back at 4pm that day to move me to the labour ward to put me on the Syntotocin Drip to make me contract regularly and bring on labour.
I am still contracting at this point, so I ask about pain relief and they give me a light epidural before the drip is started, which is topped up every hour or so, to take the pain away. My blood pressure plummeted to 60/30 and they had to give me fluids and oxygen to stabilise it, I felt awful but recovered quickly and was soon joking around with the Aneasthatist. Seeing and feeling how tight my tummy was contracting but not actually feeling the pain made me so grateful, because despite attempting to follow the hypnobirthing technique by Mary Mongan, i'm afraid to tell you that for me, contractions really fecking hurt. Breathing through them without any pain relief isn't easy. I managed to breathe through the pain (quietly too) whenever the epidural wore off, it took time for the top up to kick in so I was contracting 4 times in ten minutes, and they were strong contractions. Every time they topped me up I threw up violently, baring in mind i'd had nothing to eat in a while - all this whilst contracting heavily and hurting everywhere unable to get comfortable. But once i'd been sick I felt better. The epidural worked and I would follow this routine every hour.
Friday 25th March.
I went through 3 shifts of midwives, having one monitoring me and Baby O's heartbeat constantly. I couldn't have been better looked after, they were absolutely wonderful! The Senior Registrar kept dropping by to check in on me, as they were concerned with deceleratons of the babys heartbeat. And, unfortunately my contractions weren't staying regular so they kept upping my dose of Syntotocin (cue more vomiting). Oh, and my stupid rubbish cervix was only dilating 1cm every FOUR hours.
1cm every four hours girls. All that pain and suffering for 1 measely cm. I am now barely 4 cm dilated, and I have been in labour for 30 hours.
Baby O's heartbeat is now being monitored by a clip attached to his head (yes they had to put it up my foo foo and clip it onto his scalp)
It became clear that a C section was looking likely, due to the fact that my waters had broken 48 hours previously and I was already on antibiotics to help prevent infection and I had a high temperature. My stooooopid cervix wasn't playing ball so I was officially failing to progress in labour.
And yes, I had no shame I was begging for a section by this point! I was exhausted and I had had enough.
In come a few more people wearing theatre scrubs to talk through the procedure, and I am given another internal check. I am now 8cm dilated! Oh My God!
No C Section needed. Looks like there was no easy way out for me at this point, I was going to have to push my giant baby out the normal way.
Within an hour I was fully dilated and my midwives were getting their stuff ready to deliver baby O!! They topped up my epidural, and told us to rest for an hour, try to get some sleep (sleep, me sleep? really?) and then it is time to push push push! I'm pretty exhausted and spent most of my labour off in Jenny land, aware that Mr O was by my side one minute, asleep on the floor the next, reading the paper in the chair next to me one minute, then pacing the room looking worried the next.
The sun poured through the windows of our little room, it was a beautiful day and a sense of calm came over me, I was literally about to have my baby, the end of all this pain was near and I would have him in my arms within the next few hours!
The epidural wore off and the contractions were strong. I got into a good position to deliver and was talked through how to push effectively. Mr O kept me topped up with lucozade and Dr Pepper to keep my sugars up, he mopped my brow and he coached me through every single push. Within 50 mins of pushing (which although hard work the pushing is almost the easy bit because it takes the pain away and you're doing something proactive for a change) I delivered Baby O's head and then had to cough the rest of him out, which after 48 hours of labour I wasn't sure I could cough but with Mr O coaching me and the look in his eye I just coughed and coughed and coughed some more and before I knew it Baby O was on my tummy looking up at me with his big blue eyes, and he was perfect, the most perfect little thing I have ever seen in my life. He let out a little cry and went straight onto the boob. Shell shock doesn't quite cover the feelings of seeing him for the first time, I didn't cry, I just didn't know what to do with myself really I loved this little boy so much and felt so proud of myself for getting through a difficult labour, we just looked at him and spoke to him and were so bloody relieved he was finally here! Mr O cut the cord and took lots of photo's and generally looked like the proudest man on the planet.
I needed a few stitches and it was at this point I was finally offered Gas & Air. My god why I didn't have this throughout my labour I don't know, I wasn't offered it and I didn't think to ask but next time I will be chugging on the stuff like there's no tomorrow. Advice to those who have yet to give birth. Take the gas and air. Take the epidural if you need one. Take it all! They then offered us tea and toast (yes please I am hank marvin starvin!) and then I walked off to the shower to freshen myself up, smiling all the time feeling like I deserved a medal for what I had just achieved. I came back into the delivery room and Mr O was cuddling our little boy, who had been dressed for the first time and was sucking on his daddies finger. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and a mental image I will never forget. The two people I love more than anything else.
So much for my relaxing water birth - that was impossible due to my ruptured membranes so I needed all the medical intervention. I'm grateful for it all too as they kept a good eye on the baby.
He is a week old now, where that week has gone I don't know it's gone super fast but it feels as though he has been here with us forever already. He was born with a high temperature so had to go to Neonatal twice a day for IV antibiotics which was hard going seeing the Doc put a canula in the back of his little tiny hand. It meant an extra couple of days in hospital but we're home safe and sound now. He has slight jaundice and I have had major issues breast feeding so he is on the formula now, and I am managing to express a few ounces for him each day. He is happy full baby and enjoys his sleep. I can't believe he is mine I am still in shock I think!
It goes without saying how much in love I am with my two boys. I finally have my family, everything I have ever wished for.
Head to the hospital for a consultant appointment to see if I am favourable for an induction. He checks my cervix, which is firmly closed and not ready whatsoever. Boo. I ask if I can still be admitted for an induction due to the extra liquor volume and he agrees. Wahoo! Booked in for Thursday 24th. Bring it on.
Weds 23rd March - 40 Weeks 3 Days Pregnant.
Awoken by my sweet husband asking 'Are you ok my princess' to which I reply 'Sigh, yes, still very pregnant though....'
Famous last words, I head for my second morning pee and my waters break! And yes, it was like Niagra falls.
We call the labour ward and give her my symptoms and they tell us it's time to come in! Cue me getting out my make up bag to put on my face, and Mr O asking if he has time to make himself an omelette!
Arrive at hospital, admitted to the ward and we (me and baby) are monitored. Contractions start coming irregularly at midday.
Weds night the contractions become regular at one every 7 mins. I'm given codrydamol and a hot bath for the pain, and thanks to a ward full of contracting tired women none of us get much sleep. I am in a lot of pain and become quite tearful. It dawns on me that labour is going to be hard work.
Thursday 24th March - Official Induction Day.
Contractions slow down to one every ten mins or so. Great. It's 24 hours since my waters broke, (which are still gushing out at this point by the way) so they give me a pessary to try and get my cervix to thin. They come back at 4pm that day to move me to the labour ward to put me on the Syntotocin Drip to make me contract regularly and bring on labour.
I am still contracting at this point, so I ask about pain relief and they give me a light epidural before the drip is started, which is topped up every hour or so, to take the pain away. My blood pressure plummeted to 60/30 and they had to give me fluids and oxygen to stabilise it, I felt awful but recovered quickly and was soon joking around with the Aneasthatist. Seeing and feeling how tight my tummy was contracting but not actually feeling the pain made me so grateful, because despite attempting to follow the hypnobirthing technique by Mary Mongan, i'm afraid to tell you that for me, contractions really fecking hurt. Breathing through them without any pain relief isn't easy. I managed to breathe through the pain (quietly too) whenever the epidural wore off, it took time for the top up to kick in so I was contracting 4 times in ten minutes, and they were strong contractions. Every time they topped me up I threw up violently, baring in mind i'd had nothing to eat in a while - all this whilst contracting heavily and hurting everywhere unable to get comfortable. But once i'd been sick I felt better. The epidural worked and I would follow this routine every hour.
Friday 25th March.
I went through 3 shifts of midwives, having one monitoring me and Baby O's heartbeat constantly. I couldn't have been better looked after, they were absolutely wonderful! The Senior Registrar kept dropping by to check in on me, as they were concerned with deceleratons of the babys heartbeat. And, unfortunately my contractions weren't staying regular so they kept upping my dose of Syntotocin (cue more vomiting). Oh, and my stupid rubbish cervix was only dilating 1cm every FOUR hours.
1cm every four hours girls. All that pain and suffering for 1 measely cm. I am now barely 4 cm dilated, and I have been in labour for 30 hours.
Baby O's heartbeat is now being monitored by a clip attached to his head (yes they had to put it up my foo foo and clip it onto his scalp)
It became clear that a C section was looking likely, due to the fact that my waters had broken 48 hours previously and I was already on antibiotics to help prevent infection and I had a high temperature. My stooooopid cervix wasn't playing ball so I was officially failing to progress in labour.
And yes, I had no shame I was begging for a section by this point! I was exhausted and I had had enough.
In come a few more people wearing theatre scrubs to talk through the procedure, and I am given another internal check. I am now 8cm dilated! Oh My God!
No C Section needed. Looks like there was no easy way out for me at this point, I was going to have to push my giant baby out the normal way.
Within an hour I was fully dilated and my midwives were getting their stuff ready to deliver baby O!! They topped up my epidural, and told us to rest for an hour, try to get some sleep (sleep, me sleep? really?) and then it is time to push push push! I'm pretty exhausted and spent most of my labour off in Jenny land, aware that Mr O was by my side one minute, asleep on the floor the next, reading the paper in the chair next to me one minute, then pacing the room looking worried the next.
The sun poured through the windows of our little room, it was a beautiful day and a sense of calm came over me, I was literally about to have my baby, the end of all this pain was near and I would have him in my arms within the next few hours!
The epidural wore off and the contractions were strong. I got into a good position to deliver and was talked through how to push effectively. Mr O kept me topped up with lucozade and Dr Pepper to keep my sugars up, he mopped my brow and he coached me through every single push. Within 50 mins of pushing (which although hard work the pushing is almost the easy bit because it takes the pain away and you're doing something proactive for a change) I delivered Baby O's head and then had to cough the rest of him out, which after 48 hours of labour I wasn't sure I could cough but with Mr O coaching me and the look in his eye I just coughed and coughed and coughed some more and before I knew it Baby O was on my tummy looking up at me with his big blue eyes, and he was perfect, the most perfect little thing I have ever seen in my life. He let out a little cry and went straight onto the boob. Shell shock doesn't quite cover the feelings of seeing him for the first time, I didn't cry, I just didn't know what to do with myself really I loved this little boy so much and felt so proud of myself for getting through a difficult labour, we just looked at him and spoke to him and were so bloody relieved he was finally here! Mr O cut the cord and took lots of photo's and generally looked like the proudest man on the planet.
I needed a few stitches and it was at this point I was finally offered Gas & Air. My god why I didn't have this throughout my labour I don't know, I wasn't offered it and I didn't think to ask but next time I will be chugging on the stuff like there's no tomorrow. Advice to those who have yet to give birth. Take the gas and air. Take the epidural if you need one. Take it all! They then offered us tea and toast (yes please I am hank marvin starvin!) and then I walked off to the shower to freshen myself up, smiling all the time feeling like I deserved a medal for what I had just achieved. I came back into the delivery room and Mr O was cuddling our little boy, who had been dressed for the first time and was sucking on his daddies finger. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and a mental image I will never forget. The two people I love more than anything else.
So much for my relaxing water birth - that was impossible due to my ruptured membranes so I needed all the medical intervention. I'm grateful for it all too as they kept a good eye on the baby.
He is a week old now, where that week has gone I don't know it's gone super fast but it feels as though he has been here with us forever already. He was born with a high temperature so had to go to Neonatal twice a day for IV antibiotics which was hard going seeing the Doc put a canula in the back of his little tiny hand. It meant an extra couple of days in hospital but we're home safe and sound now. He has slight jaundice and I have had major issues breast feeding so he is on the formula now, and I am managing to express a few ounces for him each day. He is happy full baby and enjoys his sleep. I can't believe he is mine I am still in shock I think!
It goes without saying how much in love I am with my two boys. I finally have my family, everything I have ever wished for.
Comments
Well done again Jen, enjoy every second of it.
(and thanks for all the honesty!)
So pleased for you it's lovely to hear you say you have all you wished for with your family :)
Bex
x
Hope you manage to get the bf'ing going again, if that's what you want, of course. How are you feeling physically? The thought of giving birth scares the bejesus out of me but I thought your account was refreshing, honest and not too scary, thank you! xx
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