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Getting round to writing this, thought I'd share it here, I have told it how I remember it, I don't intend to scare anyone or anything 
x
Right, birth story take one... PROBABLY GRAPHIC!!! ALICE - born 6.17am Sunday 20th May 2012 weighing 9lbs 13oz
May 18th 10.30am... 3 days over due - Midwife managed a sweep, said it was unlikely to do anything until 24 hours later, said she didn't think Alice would be born whilst my mum and sister were here... I expected to have crampy period pains so ignored them...
midnight 18th/19th May - pains had been building and getting more noticable from 10pm ish, didn't want to get everyone excited so didn't say anything... at midnight I realised I probably was in labour so we started timing... Andy suggested we watch some IT crowd whilst timing. I was not convinced this would go anywhere anyway. At 3am things were still progressing so we called the midwife unit who said we could go in or stay at home. They suggested using my TENS machine and taking some paracetamol - I took some calpol
By 6am it was getting much stronger, Andy wanted to sleep so I let him and by this time mum had got up to go to the bathroom so stayed up with me until we left for the hospital.
Arrived at the hospital at 6.45am on Saturday 19th May, was examined and was 3-4 cm. It was a gorgeous day and we nearly ran over a seagull on the way...
Used a birthing ball for a while and still had my TENS machine on, Andy had a nap on the foam bed whilst I settled in. There was no window in the room but it was nicely lit. There was a private bathroom and a birthing pool, ipod dock and foam bed thing...
We were left for 6 hours - examined again at 1pm ish, turns out that I hadn't made any progress and was still 3-4cm, was quite frustrating I kept saying it wasn't hurting enough and I thought it was stopping. Went for a wander around the hospital and got some lunch. I was updating facebook periodically although my phone then died and there was hardly any reception anyway. I think family were doing their nut in because I couldn't contact them!
Was monitored on a CTG or whatever for a while and Alice was fine, she remained fine the whole time I was checked again at 5pm and I was 5cm, in established labour at last!!!!
back in a minute...
right, one hand typing now... feeding a sleepy alice...
all becomes a bit of a blur from here on, hadnt slept for ages, had several baths and kept dozing off. got in the pool at some point and was in there hours, i think at 11pm the midwives changed shifts and at this point i was getting really tired. id been breathing through all the contractions so well up to this point. i had 2 paracetamol and 2 cocodamol during my hospital stay.
i asked to try the gas and air, not because i felt i needed it but to try it as i knew exactly how itd make me feel. i was right, numb lips and feeling like id vanished into my head, and it still hurt. they were really pushy with it too so ended up in tears and refused to use it. i was upset as it dawned on me that alice wouldnt be born that day. i felt the urge to push, think i went with it for an hour or so, was roasting in the pool, she refusded to cool it down or examine me... got out of pool and she did examine me... was only 7 cm... just as well i gave up on pushing or would have injured myself. tried to rest a while, totally shattered by this point and sleeping between contractions... they then tailed off altogether. we were left a few hiours and told id be checked at 3.15am and was likely i would need to go to laboutr suite for hormone drip to start the contractions again. Had a bath and fell asleep in it, wanted midwife to sod off!!!
3.15 am she checked me and broke my waters at 3.15 as they still hadn't gone - my god...you know when they go!!!!!!!!!!!!! I remember her missing and jabbing me so I yelped!
Soon after this I really had the urge to push, she examined me and I assumed I was still 7cm, turns out I was 9cm (found that out later), getting Alice round "the bend" was the hardest thing I have ever done. Contractions kept stopping and I kept falling asleep, I was determined not to go to labour suite though. I think I must have been pushing for about 2 hours in the end, nothing could have prepared me for the sort of pain it was, ended up with a 2nd degree tear and bad grazing.
I felt Alice's head as I was pushing it out, frustrating how it kept going back though. I apparently was asking them to just kill me and that I wanted to die andy was very upset and was crying, he was so unhappy with them as they weren't doing anything for me. He had wanted me to just go up to the labour suite from about 1am on wards and just have an epidural as we figured I'd end up there anyway. He kept telling them how tired I was and that it was a form of torture lucozade and a bath kick started it. I was having such trouble getting her down because she was nearly back to back, thankfully in that final bath she righted herself enough to make it easier.
Ended up pushing on the horrid foam bed in a very dignified manner...not...one leg on the midwife and the other on this rail thing on the wall... I kept saying it shouldn't hurt where it was hurting and that I couldn't do it, and she kept saying "its called labour, its meant to be hard work" could have punched her!!!!! I actually began questioning what the hell I was doing and whether I even wanted a baby anymore. They kept saying the only way to stop the pain was to keep pushing which annoyed me. To make matters worse there was another woman needing to push in the room opposite but I was the priority so I felt like I was holding her up too!!! Kept getting cramp in my leg and swearing and the midwife was saying she hoped I kept getting cramp because my angry cramp pushes were the best!!!!! Really could have killed her haha! Remember at one point trying to push Alice out on the toilet...that was a real highlight!!!!!!!!! What a joke!
Anyway, midwife said she could see lots of hair, I kept touching Alice's head, freaked out by how pointy it felt! Kept telling Andy to look and touch her head, poor guy was crying apparently but pretending he wasn't. He hated seeing me in so much pain. He counted through my pushes which helped. She kept telling me to only push when I had a contraction, I swear by this point I either just couldn't feel anything or there were NO contractions, I was just pushing willy nilly and kept getting told off!!! Oh and telling me not to scream as it was wasting energy!!!
So much relief when her head came out, Andy said he saw her head when it was out. She had the cord wrapped around her neck I later found out. Pushing her body out was a piece of cake, they gasped as she came out - somewhat bigger than they expected!!! They placed her on my chest, my god she was heavy!!!!!! I made an awwww sound apparently, neither of us cried - I have come to the conclusion we just don't cry at points we should - like getting married, or hearing her heart beat or when she was born... SO...at 6.17am Alice Eveleigh Rudhall came into the world with a huge cry!
They gave me the injection to get the placenta out as they needed to deal with the other lady, I didn't care by this point, I think it took 38 minutes to pass it, it didn't phase me at all, she kept saying it was well adhered still and pulling on the cord, I hated getting contractions again after all that effort I got the urge to push and pushed it out, she gasped yet again when it all came out...guessing it was giant, probably why I was so sick all the way through. The cord was also very long apparently.
I was so apologetic after... Then I had to be examined to see what the damage was, wasn't amused as I had three midwives examine the damage, one that delivered Alice thought I needed to go to surgery and that I'd ripped inside...then another checked and said don't be daft its just one stitch... so after hours of me faffing trying to have a shower and feed Alice I was taken through to be stitched, I could barely move from the exhaustion. Ended up with three stitches, one internal and 2 for grazes higher up. The anesthetic wasn't fun but god it worked! Managed to get into the shower but had to sit down as kept nearly passing out. Midwife found me ages later sitting in the shower unable to get up, I got nicknamed geriatric Jim... nice...
.
Mum and Laura came into see us at 11am ish on 20th May, 5 or so hours after having Alice. I got quite upset as I couldn't lift alice. They then checked my iron levels. Turns out I was so shattered and breathless as my iron levels were really low. So low that they didn't want to let me out of the hospital they thought I should stay in and rest, but I could barely move, let alone lift Alice up to position her to feed. Convinced them that I'd be better at home with mum and sister and Andy.
Andy went home for a nap at some point and then slept walked around the house for hours apparently... I was allowed to leave at 3-4pm but Andy didn't come back until about 7pm as he was drifting around half asleep!!!
1st night at home was a NIGHTMARE!!! Alice wouldn't sleep all night and we just didn't know what to do with her!!! It has got better since but she still doesn't settle until 3am. Love her to bits and its just dawning on me tonight that she is mine and I made her xxxx
And here are some photos...
TENS was a life saver!!!!
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/7242597410_6e8c04e05d.jpg
Probably the last bump photo... by GeckoRachel, on Flickr
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7237/7242595818_36b200818c.jpg
On arrival to the hospital with my TENS machine- highly recommend this - but it still feels like I have it on...and Andy electrocuted himself on it...... by GeckoRachel, on Flickr
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7103/7242613032_bde95a603e.jpg
Birth pool by GeckoRachel, on Flickr
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7235/7242615040_e3122c1a77.jpg
In the birth pool looking tired... by GeckoRachel, on Flickr
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7242605488_a83ee7d904.jpg
Just after Alice was born by GeckoRachel, on Flickr
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/7242600280_c35f88dfbb.jpg
Just after Alice's birth by GeckoRachel, on Flickr
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5337/7235667610_5f82ed5c3b.jpg
DSC_4419 by fuchsia and purplechimp, on Flickr
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5341/7235682106_443372f073.jpg
Rachel with Alice Eveleigh Rudhall by fuchsia and purplechimp, on Flickr
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7226/7235674798_24104ddb64.jpg
DSC_4435 by fuchsia and purplechimp, on Flickr
xRight, birth story take one... PROBABLY GRAPHIC!!! ALICE - born 6.17am Sunday 20th May 2012 weighing 9lbs 13oz
May 18th 10.30am... 3 days over due - Midwife managed a sweep, said it was unlikely to do anything until 24 hours later, said she didn't think Alice would be born whilst my mum and sister were here... I expected to have crampy period pains so ignored them...
midnight 18th/19th May - pains had been building and getting more noticable from 10pm ish, didn't want to get everyone excited so didn't say anything... at midnight I realised I probably was in labour so we started timing... Andy suggested we watch some IT crowd whilst timing. I was not convinced this would go anywhere anyway. At 3am things were still progressing so we called the midwife unit who said we could go in or stay at home. They suggested using my TENS machine and taking some paracetamol - I took some calpol
By 6am it was getting much stronger, Andy wanted to sleep so I let him and by this time mum had got up to go to the bathroom so stayed up with me until we left for the hospital.
Arrived at the hospital at 6.45am on Saturday 19th May, was examined and was 3-4 cm. It was a gorgeous day and we nearly ran over a seagull on the way...
Used a birthing ball for a while and still had my TENS machine on, Andy had a nap on the foam bed whilst I settled in. There was no window in the room but it was nicely lit. There was a private bathroom and a birthing pool, ipod dock and foam bed thing...
We were left for 6 hours - examined again at 1pm ish, turns out that I hadn't made any progress and was still 3-4cm, was quite frustrating I kept saying it wasn't hurting enough and I thought it was stopping. Went for a wander around the hospital and got some lunch. I was updating facebook periodically although my phone then died and there was hardly any reception anyway. I think family were doing their nut in because I couldn't contact them!
Was monitored on a CTG or whatever for a while and Alice was fine, she remained fine the whole time I was checked again at 5pm and I was 5cm, in established labour at last!!!!
back in a minute...
right, one hand typing now... feeding a sleepy alice...
all becomes a bit of a blur from here on, hadnt slept for ages, had several baths and kept dozing off. got in the pool at some point and was in there hours, i think at 11pm the midwives changed shifts and at this point i was getting really tired. id been breathing through all the contractions so well up to this point. i had 2 paracetamol and 2 cocodamol during my hospital stay.
i asked to try the gas and air, not because i felt i needed it but to try it as i knew exactly how itd make me feel. i was right, numb lips and feeling like id vanished into my head, and it still hurt. they were really pushy with it too so ended up in tears and refused to use it. i was upset as it dawned on me that alice wouldnt be born that day. i felt the urge to push, think i went with it for an hour or so, was roasting in the pool, she refusded to cool it down or examine me... got out of pool and she did examine me... was only 7 cm... just as well i gave up on pushing or would have injured myself. tried to rest a while, totally shattered by this point and sleeping between contractions... they then tailed off altogether. we were left a few hiours and told id be checked at 3.15am and was likely i would need to go to laboutr suite for hormone drip to start the contractions again. Had a bath and fell asleep in it, wanted midwife to sod off!!!
3.15 am she checked me and broke my waters at 3.15 as they still hadn't gone - my god...you know when they go!!!!!!!!!!!!! I remember her missing and jabbing me so I yelped!
Soon after this I really had the urge to push, she examined me and I assumed I was still 7cm, turns out I was 9cm (found that out later), getting Alice round "the bend" was the hardest thing I have ever done. Contractions kept stopping and I kept falling asleep, I was determined not to go to labour suite though. I think I must have been pushing for about 2 hours in the end, nothing could have prepared me for the sort of pain it was, ended up with a 2nd degree tear and bad grazing.
I felt Alice's head as I was pushing it out, frustrating how it kept going back though. I apparently was asking them to just kill me and that I wanted to die andy was very upset and was crying, he was so unhappy with them as they weren't doing anything for me. He had wanted me to just go up to the labour suite from about 1am on wards and just have an epidural as we figured I'd end up there anyway. He kept telling them how tired I was and that it was a form of torture lucozade and a bath kick started it. I was having such trouble getting her down because she was nearly back to back, thankfully in that final bath she righted herself enough to make it easier.
Ended up pushing on the horrid foam bed in a very dignified manner...not...one leg on the midwife and the other on this rail thing on the wall... I kept saying it shouldn't hurt where it was hurting and that I couldn't do it, and she kept saying "its called labour, its meant to be hard work" could have punched her!!!!! I actually began questioning what the hell I was doing and whether I even wanted a baby anymore. They kept saying the only way to stop the pain was to keep pushing which annoyed me. To make matters worse there was another woman needing to push in the room opposite but I was the priority so I felt like I was holding her up too!!! Kept getting cramp in my leg and swearing and the midwife was saying she hoped I kept getting cramp because my angry cramp pushes were the best!!!!! Really could have killed her haha! Remember at one point trying to push Alice out on the toilet...that was a real highlight!!!!!!!!! What a joke!
Anyway, midwife said she could see lots of hair, I kept touching Alice's head, freaked out by how pointy it felt! Kept telling Andy to look and touch her head, poor guy was crying apparently but pretending he wasn't. He hated seeing me in so much pain. He counted through my pushes which helped. She kept telling me to only push when I had a contraction, I swear by this point I either just couldn't feel anything or there were NO contractions, I was just pushing willy nilly and kept getting told off!!! Oh and telling me not to scream as it was wasting energy!!!
So much relief when her head came out, Andy said he saw her head when it was out. She had the cord wrapped around her neck I later found out. Pushing her body out was a piece of cake, they gasped as she came out - somewhat bigger than they expected!!! They placed her on my chest, my god she was heavy!!!!!! I made an awwww sound apparently, neither of us cried - I have come to the conclusion we just don't cry at points we should - like getting married, or hearing her heart beat or when she was born... SO...at 6.17am Alice Eveleigh Rudhall came into the world with a huge cry!
They gave me the injection to get the placenta out as they needed to deal with the other lady, I didn't care by this point, I think it took 38 minutes to pass it, it didn't phase me at all, she kept saying it was well adhered still and pulling on the cord, I hated getting contractions again after all that effort I got the urge to push and pushed it out, she gasped yet again when it all came out...guessing it was giant, probably why I was so sick all the way through. The cord was also very long apparently.
I was so apologetic after... Then I had to be examined to see what the damage was, wasn't amused as I had three midwives examine the damage, one that delivered Alice thought I needed to go to surgery and that I'd ripped inside...then another checked and said don't be daft its just one stitch... so after hours of me faffing trying to have a shower and feed Alice I was taken through to be stitched, I could barely move from the exhaustion. Ended up with three stitches, one internal and 2 for grazes higher up. The anesthetic wasn't fun but god it worked! Managed to get into the shower but had to sit down as kept nearly passing out. Midwife found me ages later sitting in the shower unable to get up, I got nicknamed geriatric Jim... nice...
.
Mum and Laura came into see us at 11am ish on 20th May, 5 or so hours after having Alice. I got quite upset as I couldn't lift alice. They then checked my iron levels. Turns out I was so shattered and breathless as my iron levels were really low. So low that they didn't want to let me out of the hospital they thought I should stay in and rest, but I could barely move, let alone lift Alice up to position her to feed. Convinced them that I'd be better at home with mum and sister and Andy.
Andy went home for a nap at some point and then slept walked around the house for hours apparently... I was allowed to leave at 3-4pm but Andy didn't come back until about 7pm as he was drifting around half asleep!!!
1st night at home was a NIGHTMARE!!! Alice wouldn't sleep all night and we just didn't know what to do with her!!! It has got better since but she still doesn't settle until 3am. Love her to bits and its just dawning on me tonight that she is mine and I made her xxxx
And here are some photos...
TENS was a life saver!!!!
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/7242597410_6e8c04e05d.jpg
Probably the last bump photo... by GeckoRachel, on Flickr
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7237/7242595818_36b200818c.jpg
On arrival to the hospital with my TENS machine- highly recommend this - but it still feels like I have it on...and Andy electrocuted himself on it...... by GeckoRachel, on Flickr
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7103/7242613032_bde95a603e.jpg
Birth pool by GeckoRachel, on Flickr
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7235/7242615040_e3122c1a77.jpg
In the birth pool looking tired... by GeckoRachel, on Flickr
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7242605488_a83ee7d904.jpg
Just after Alice was born by GeckoRachel, on Flickr
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/7242600280_c35f88dfbb.jpg
Just after Alice's birth by GeckoRachel, on Flickr
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5337/7235667610_5f82ed5c3b.jpg
DSC_4419 by fuchsia and purplechimp, on Flickr
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5341/7235682106_443372f073.jpg
Rachel with Alice Eveleigh Rudhall by fuchsia and purplechimp, on Flickr
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7226/7235674798_24104ddb64.jpg
DSC_4435 by fuchsia and purplechimp, on Flickr
x
