Buttercup84
2 girls, 1 boy
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2011
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On 21st September at 8:30 in the morning I was 41+6 with my second baby girl and off to the hospital with my OH to be induced. I was quite nervous as it isn't really what I wanted: I was induced due to post dates at 41+4 with my first daughter and didn't have a very good experience but after waiting even longer this time, having 3 membrane sweeps and weighing up the risks I decided to opt for induction again as I wasn't comfortable being pregnant past 42 weeks. We stopped for a McDonalds breakfast on the way and arrived at the hospital at 9:30 but there was a delay in my bed being ready so it was 11 before things got started. I was examined and told I was 2cm and very favourable, they could have broken my waters then but the midwife said they still use the prostin cervical gel first as it can put you into labour with less intervention ie less chance of having to go on the pitocin drip so I was happy with that. I was only 1cm for all 3 of my sweeps so I was glad to have made some progress with dilation too and was starting to feel optimistic that my experience would be better this time. After half an hour of monitoring the first dose of gel was inserted at midday and the next 6 hours were spent walking round the hospital grounds, eating a lot of junk food, reading a lot of trashy magazines and with me having a gob on about how quickly the other women in the induction suite seemed to be responding to the gel while I was just getting increasingly restless and fed up that nothing seemed to be happening! More monitoring and the second dose of gel was inserted at 6 but I was still only 2cm and the CTG showed only weak contractions every 10 minutes. I was feeling quite discouraged at this point and mentally resigning myself to having to go on the horrible pitocin drip again. 7pm and it was shift change time! The new midwife confirmed that i'd be going to delivery suite at midnight to have my waters broken and if necessary be started on the pitocin drip. I tried to get some sleep but just couldn't get comfortable. I had niggly period type pains which weren't bad enough to both me properly but enough to keep me awake. The midwife offered me some paracetamol but I declined as I didn't want to start on pain relief too soon if this was just early labour. By now the other beds were occupied by women who had only just started the induction process and the midwife said that as everyone seemed settled she was going to help on delivery suite but if anyone needed anything to use their call bell and she'd come straight back. I can't pinpoint exactly when my pains became bad enough that I had to breathe through them but midnight came and went and the midwife still wasn't back. At 1:30 I gave in a used my call bell as the pains were in a definite pattern and getting stronger whether I moved around or stayed still and by the time she came back I couldn't talk through them. She apologised for the delay and said my room on delivery suite was ready and took us over. I met the midwife who would be with me until baby girl arrived and she put my cannula in (I had a 2.5 litre post partum hemmorhage after my first daughter was born due to uterine atony so it was just a precaution in case something similar happened again) and monitored me for half an hour again which I found really difficult to get through as I was stuck on the bed and still hadn't had any pain relief at this point so I asked for gas and air. By this point I was really tired and the gas and air made it worse, I was genuinely nodding off between contractions which by the way were quite close together at this point! The plan was to examine me and break my waters with an amniohook but upon examination (4cm yay!) my waters broke by themselves with a contraction. I was still convinced i'd need the pitocin as having my waters broken did bugger all with my first daughter and as I was really struggling to manage on just gas and air when I couldn't be mobile (I was told by the midwife who did my antenatal care that I could push for intermittent monitoring if the prostin gel put me into labour but the hospital midwife was adamant that as it was still an induction I needed continuous monitoring, didn't really feel like I could argue at the time but I wish I had now!) and thinking I would still have a good few hours to go I asked for the epidural at 3:30. I was getting the shakes with every contraction which I now realise must have been transition as I was getting the odd urge to push which i'd put down to baby's head being mega low and putting pressure on my bowel (she'd been in a great position, engaged and low down for weeks) but when the midwife examined me she said there wasn't going to be time for an epidural cos I was fully dilated and ready to push! I should have been relieved that it would be over soon but I freaked out crying, I think because I was so exhausted and the midwife was making me feel really on edge. I can't put my finger on it but her attitude just felt really condescending and like she didn't really care much. I ditched the gas and air as I needed to not be drowsy and focus on pushing at this point. My first daughter's pushing stage was a super quick 6 minutes but this time it was dragging on and on and I began to wonder what was wrong and why it was taking so much longer. I felt really out of control and panicked: I had my legs up in stirrups, 3 midwives 'encouraging' (directing!) me to push and then a female doctor came in and said we'd have to think about using forceps if the baby didn't arrive soon. I just couldn't believe after a super quick active labour I was having such a hard time pushing her out and was beginning to think I wouldn't be able to and i'd end up having a caesarian but I must have found some energy from somewhere as after a few more pushes part of her head was out (OK, worst pain ever...!), a few more for the rest then another two and the rest of her body followed (total pushing time 50 minutes, reason being the little stinker had turned back to back after being in the perfect birthing position for weeks before! Total labour time 1 hour and 30 minutes, can't believe I went from 4 to 10cm in less time than I pushed for!) Astrid Zoe was born at 4:02am on 22nd September 2014 weighing 9lbs 7oz. I had the injection for the placenta and delayed cord clamping and the placenta came out with no problems a few minutes later. My OH cut the cord and the midwife decided to start me on the 4 hour syntocinon drip as a precaution because I was still bleeding quite strongly though nothing like it was with my first daughter. Turns out I lost 400ml which is within the normal range. It didn't bother me and I was still able to do skin to skin with Astrid, breastfeed her and dress her. My only tear was a small vaginal laceration (internal) which the midwife stitched up to stem the bleeding more than anything else. We were able to have a same day discharge and went home at 6 that evening 
Thanks for sharing your story xxx
