Goodness, I didn't realise this would be so long when I started it! 
Harvey was due on 4th August and on the following Friday 7th Aug I started getting pains in the afternoon/evening. They felt the same as ones I'd been getting on the Wed night that had eased off to nothing so I didn't think too much about them. However, this time I got absolutely no sleep and spent the night on the couch watching telly and pacing the living room every so often when I was in pain. By now it had occured to me that this might be the start of labour but there was no pattern to the contractions so I just left OH sleeping and stuck it out.
By Sat morning the pains started becoming a bit more regular and lasting longer. I wandered about the house during them, stopping to lean on walls and stuff for a while then decided to get in the bath, which felt great. OH was timing the contractions and there began to be a pattern to them. When they hit around 5 mins apart at around noon OH phoned the labour ward. They recommended we stay at home for as long as possible so I continued bouncing on the birthing ball and walking around. By 2pm the contractions weren't much closer together but they were lasting longer and I was starting to struggle with them so we phoned the hospital again and were told to come in. We got the last minute bits packed and arrived at hospital around 2.30pm.
I'm a right grouch when I don't get my sleep so by the time we got there and were seen I was in tears. The mw took one look at me, said "goodness, you've been up all night haven't you". I nodded and she took us into the admissions room. The first thing she did was hook me up to the gas and air and I could have kissed her! It really helped with the contractions and I managed to calm down a lot. I was examined and found to be 4cm dilated.
I was really happy to find that the nicest birthing pool room was free so once the pool was filled I got in. I really enjoyed being in the pool. The water took a bit of the edge off the pain and really helped me to relax. OH and I were pretty much left to it with a mw coming in every so often to check LO's heart and my bp. I'd definitely recommend using the pool to anyone who fancies the idea of it.
This is getting to the bits I don't remember very well...
My labour didn't progress very quickly at all and I was in the pool for hours. I was coping ok with just the gas and air though so continued as I was, getting out the pool for a wee wander around every so often to try and let gravity give nature a helping hand.
At around 10-10.30ish I felt the need to start pushing with some of the contractions. I was still in the pool at this point but by midnight we decided to get out the pool so I could be examined and check I was fully dilated. Thankfully I was, and the urge to push was getting stronger. The room I was in had a huge mattress type thing and bean bag instead of a bed so Harvey was born on that at 1.13am on Sunday 9-8-09.
The feeling as he came out was amazing and he was even still in his membranes as my waters hadn't broke. As he was lifted onto my chest OH exclaimed that he was a boy. In all the excitement, it hadn't occured to us we didn't know the sex yet, we just needed to know LO was healthy. It turned out he could easily not have been as there was a large tight knot in his cord and the mw said by rights he could well have been still born. Thankfully he was completely fine and burst out crying soon after coming out.
The mw asked if we had a name picked and OH looked at each other and both said "Harvey" at the same time. He just looked like a Harvey and it was our fave name off the shortlist we had drawn up. Harvey soon latched on for a quick feed then he was handed to OH while I delivered the placenta.
I had no idea how big a placenta is! Since I have a phobia of syringes I didn't have the injection to help it along. They give you an hour to deliver it before taking you to theatre and it was 52 mins before I got it out. It wasn't painful or anything, I think I just lacked the energy left to push it out.
It was then that I was told I had a tear (I didn't feel it happen at all) so a doctor was called to examine me. It was decided that the only way they could really fix it was by taking me to theatre. Which meant syringes. However, by this time I was so exhausted that it didn't feel like all this was happening to me. While OH was left with Harvey I was taken down to theatre, put on a drip then left for about 3/4ths an hour as there was an emergency happening in the labour ward. Obviously I didn't have an issue with them dealing with that first but it did give me time to wind myself up about the spinal local anasthetic I was about to get. The mw was great though and sat and chatted to me all the time while I was waiting. I managed to hold it together and the surgeons sewed me up while Harvey was weighed, etc with OH.
After spending a wee while in the recovery room I was taken back up to the labour ward and must have had another cuddle and/or feed with Harvey as there's a really bad pic of me looking completely zonked in a hospital gown with Harvey on my chest. I couldn't feel anything below my tummy for hours so it was weird trying to sleep. By this time it was after 6am so OH decided to go home and catch a couple of hours sleep before coming back in the morning.
I was given breakfast and a bed bath then taken to the maternity ward at around 9am. Dads are allowed in from 10am so it wasn't long till OH appeared and we could start being a little family
Harvey was due on 4th August and on the following Friday 7th Aug I started getting pains in the afternoon/evening. They felt the same as ones I'd been getting on the Wed night that had eased off to nothing so I didn't think too much about them. However, this time I got absolutely no sleep and spent the night on the couch watching telly and pacing the living room every so often when I was in pain. By now it had occured to me that this might be the start of labour but there was no pattern to the contractions so I just left OH sleeping and stuck it out.
By Sat morning the pains started becoming a bit more regular and lasting longer. I wandered about the house during them, stopping to lean on walls and stuff for a while then decided to get in the bath, which felt great. OH was timing the contractions and there began to be a pattern to them. When they hit around 5 mins apart at around noon OH phoned the labour ward. They recommended we stay at home for as long as possible so I continued bouncing on the birthing ball and walking around. By 2pm the contractions weren't much closer together but they were lasting longer and I was starting to struggle with them so we phoned the hospital again and were told to come in. We got the last minute bits packed and arrived at hospital around 2.30pm.
I'm a right grouch when I don't get my sleep so by the time we got there and were seen I was in tears. The mw took one look at me, said "goodness, you've been up all night haven't you". I nodded and she took us into the admissions room. The first thing she did was hook me up to the gas and air and I could have kissed her! It really helped with the contractions and I managed to calm down a lot. I was examined and found to be 4cm dilated.
I was really happy to find that the nicest birthing pool room was free so once the pool was filled I got in. I really enjoyed being in the pool. The water took a bit of the edge off the pain and really helped me to relax. OH and I were pretty much left to it with a mw coming in every so often to check LO's heart and my bp. I'd definitely recommend using the pool to anyone who fancies the idea of it.
This is getting to the bits I don't remember very well...
My labour didn't progress very quickly at all and I was in the pool for hours. I was coping ok with just the gas and air though so continued as I was, getting out the pool for a wee wander around every so often to try and let gravity give nature a helping hand.
At around 10-10.30ish I felt the need to start pushing with some of the contractions. I was still in the pool at this point but by midnight we decided to get out the pool so I could be examined and check I was fully dilated. Thankfully I was, and the urge to push was getting stronger. The room I was in had a huge mattress type thing and bean bag instead of a bed so Harvey was born on that at 1.13am on Sunday 9-8-09.
The feeling as he came out was amazing and he was even still in his membranes as my waters hadn't broke. As he was lifted onto my chest OH exclaimed that he was a boy. In all the excitement, it hadn't occured to us we didn't know the sex yet, we just needed to know LO was healthy. It turned out he could easily not have been as there was a large tight knot in his cord and the mw said by rights he could well have been still born. Thankfully he was completely fine and burst out crying soon after coming out.
The mw asked if we had a name picked and OH looked at each other and both said "Harvey" at the same time. He just looked like a Harvey and it was our fave name off the shortlist we had drawn up. Harvey soon latched on for a quick feed then he was handed to OH while I delivered the placenta. I had no idea how big a placenta is! Since I have a phobia of syringes I didn't have the injection to help it along. They give you an hour to deliver it before taking you to theatre and it was 52 mins before I got it out. It wasn't painful or anything, I think I just lacked the energy left to push it out.
It was then that I was told I had a tear (I didn't feel it happen at all) so a doctor was called to examine me. It was decided that the only way they could really fix it was by taking me to theatre. Which meant syringes. However, by this time I was so exhausted that it didn't feel like all this was happening to me. While OH was left with Harvey I was taken down to theatre, put on a drip then left for about 3/4ths an hour as there was an emergency happening in the labour ward. Obviously I didn't have an issue with them dealing with that first but it did give me time to wind myself up about the spinal local anasthetic I was about to get. The mw was great though and sat and chatted to me all the time while I was waiting. I managed to hold it together and the surgeons sewed me up while Harvey was weighed, etc with OH.
After spending a wee while in the recovery room I was taken back up to the labour ward and must have had another cuddle and/or feed with Harvey as there's a really bad pic of me looking completely zonked in a hospital gown with Harvey on my chest. I couldn't feel anything below my tummy for hours so it was weird trying to sleep. By this time it was after 6am so OH decided to go home and catch a couple of hours sleep before coming back in the morning.
I was given breakfast and a bed bath then taken to the maternity ward at around 9am. Dads are allowed in from 10am so it wasn't long till OH appeared and we could start being a little family
bundle
