I thought I'd share my birth story, as I feel a few things that happened to me during and after are a lot of your ladies fears, and I just want to show everything will be ok even with worse case scenario xx
Background: second baby, attempting VBAC, previous labour was a failed induction, didn't go past 2cm. I'm 8 days overdue. Had been given 2 sweeps with no affect, due a third the day labour started, induction booked for Monday 26th May. I want a natural birth, in water if possible, with minimal pain relief. This is my last pregnancy. Hubby and I are stopping at 2.
So Friday 23rd May contractions start through the night (I.e Thursday) but become more noticeable and regular by Friday morning. By 11 am being that I was attempting VBAC, I rang triage to inform that contractions were regular and getting stronger, I was told to go in for assessment. Got to triage around 12:30, contractions were still coming but I felt they were dying off (this happened the week previous too and I was sent home and spent the rest of the week in pre labour).
Anyway, I was set up on a monitor had a horrible midwife who was really dismissive, felt I wasn't showing enough pain with my contractions for them to be strong, stopped the monitor as in her opinion they weren't strong or regular enough (every 4-5 minutes). She gave me an examination and said baby's head was high she couldn't feel the sac, and made some snide remark about having to get a Drs opinion before discharge and these days VBACs basically being unnecessarily kept in too early
Dr comes in says as I am contracting and they're painful I'm being kept in
but they don't do inductions at weekends, if contractions stay but stay mild and irregular, or go completely I have to stay in though till the Monday!! Cue tears and tantrums from me at the prospect of being kept in away from my DD for 4 days plus days after if I don't get my VBAC.
Around 1pm I'm transferred to the prenatal unit, burst into tears and am greeted and consoled by the loveliest midwife ever, who promises me, they do, inductions at a weekend the DR is talking rubbish there's no way they'd leave someone contracting regularly that long, and ignore the other MW she's a cow no one likes her!! She said you need to walk lots, have calm thoughts, bounce and she promised to off the record give me another sweep before she went home that night. She said I'm back on Monday the only reason you'll still be here is because you have a baby!!
Well true to her word, she have me a sweep, and said the other midwife is talking rubbish baby can be felt and there's a big sac of waters palpable and by 10pm that night I was in early labour I was needing paracetamol, but it wasn't helping the pain, I had a warm bath that did help but as soon as I was out they started again. Unfortunately I was only on a pre natal unit not for labouring ladies but for ladies that just need monitoring so the only form of pain relief I could have was paracetamol, I couldn't have codeine as I'm allergic, the only other thing I could have was pethadine!! (NOT ON MY BIRTH PLAN!!) And the only way I could get gas and air was on delivery which I needed to be the magic 4cm for.
At 2am although still contracting strongly, I sent DH home as he would be no good to me after a bad night sleep in a chair, when I knew I'd need him most the next day when labour really kicked in. 7am I phone my husband to come back, I called the midwife, I cried that I couldn't take the pain anymore, she examined me, still 2.5cm. She I might add was also lovely through the night and tried every remedy to help me through the pain. She phoned delivery suite for me to explain I wanted gas and air and wasn't keen on pethadine so early on as a form of pain relief, next thing I know I'm being moved to delivery. AT LAST!!
LABOUR: So I'm walking about I'm bouncing I'm taking the gas and air, I'm doing good I'm on a roll, I'm feeling positive, hubby is by my side, contractions are strong regular but still 4-5mins apart, waiting for Drs to do their round, dr comes wants an internal exam to determine if waters can be broken, and then checks with her consultant whether she can break them or whether he just wants to go straight to section as things were a slow progress again.But rather than examine me twice, once to confirm waters are reachable and once to break waters if consultant agrees they just wait for the go ahead... And it's given I'm 4cm!! 2cm further than previous pregnancy waters are broken, and boy does it strengthen contractions, from now I was contracting to strong to be walking around and bouncing on balls, and being a VBAC they wanted to monitor me and baby constantly.
The rest unfortunately is quite blurry (drug induced) I remember the gas and air becoming ineffective it just wasn't hitting the spot, so somewhere between 11 and 1 I accepted some pethadine, I happened to continue to labour, they're strong they flipping hurt but it was all good signs, midwife was pleased with my progress and by now I was having at least 3 contractions in 10 minutes, big strong ones too,
Now somewhere between 1 and 4pm things started to go downhill the pain was getting too much. All I remember is while the midwife was out getting it I heard the fetal monitor slow to a stop with a contraction. I told him when he came back he reassured it can happen, and suggested I changed position, and that the baby was probably lying on the cord, I laid on my side and had the pethadine, however the heartbeat with every contraction kept slowing right down, he was quick to act, and got second opinions and Drs in to monitor.
They tried change of position again but it was t helping, they put a clip on babies head to see if they got a different reading, but they didn't. They took a blood sample from the babies head, which involved me having both feet up in stirrups lying on my back and being told to keep still through contractions!! Not an easy task believe you me!! They took a sample it was ok but not great... A while later they came back and took another sample it was no worse but no better....a short while later they took a third sample, it had got worse, baby was definitely wrapped around the cord, and wasn't getting enough oxygen, I by this point was only 7cm, and as they didn't know how long I would take to get to pushing or how long baby could manage I needed an emergency section.
THEATRE: I go to theatre, in my hospital all the gas and air is pumped I to the walls evidently not in theatre, I was informed by my husband by this point I was contracting 4 times in 10 minutes pretty much as one finished another came, I was given a spinal block and baby was born. At 16:17, his cord was wrapped around his shoulder, across his body and round his leg!! There was no way I was getting my natural birth, but at the end of the day he was here and he's safe.
ISSUES: Baby was fine but there was a problem, as I'd had the pethadine as we all know it can make baby sleepy, and it had, although he was awake at birth he wasn't making enough effort to breathe and needed some assistance, after 5 minutes he still wasn't scoring high enough on the APGAR test to make them happy and they told me they wanted to take him to the special care baby unit for closer monitoring. They showed me baby to re assure me, he was awake, but just a bit dosey, I sent hubby with him, and stayed in theatre while they sewed me back up.
I was taken back to delivery suite, and within minutes he was back with me (he was up there for just 45minutes in total). He was fine, he perked up and I've had no problems since. We were discharged Monday 26th May and we're still fine, I'm a bit sore from section and the fact I have a 3 yr old that just doesn't have gentle in her vocabulary!!
He's feeding well, today is his first day formula feeding, as after 3 days of good feeds, engorgement hit, he couldn't latch I was about to explode, my nipples were raw after a 7hr onslaught of cluster feeds! (It was a long night) again not in the "plan" again I'm happy he's happy it's all that matters. I've been told IF I do ever have another baby (which we won't) my only option is c sec now. But I don't care.
If you're wondering where my happy ending is?? Yeah I didn't get the natural water birth I wanted with minimal pain relief. What I did get was amazing care (bar the first midwife) a beautiful 8lb3 healthy baby boy safely delivered to me. And my completed family of 4.
Ladies it might not go how you want, just keep the big picture in mind and you'll have your happy ending xxxx
Background: second baby, attempting VBAC, previous labour was a failed induction, didn't go past 2cm. I'm 8 days overdue. Had been given 2 sweeps with no affect, due a third the day labour started, induction booked for Monday 26th May. I want a natural birth, in water if possible, with minimal pain relief. This is my last pregnancy. Hubby and I are stopping at 2.
So Friday 23rd May contractions start through the night (I.e Thursday) but become more noticeable and regular by Friday morning. By 11 am being that I was attempting VBAC, I rang triage to inform that contractions were regular and getting stronger, I was told to go in for assessment. Got to triage around 12:30, contractions were still coming but I felt they were dying off (this happened the week previous too and I was sent home and spent the rest of the week in pre labour).
Anyway, I was set up on a monitor had a horrible midwife who was really dismissive, felt I wasn't showing enough pain with my contractions for them to be strong, stopped the monitor as in her opinion they weren't strong or regular enough (every 4-5 minutes). She gave me an examination and said baby's head was high she couldn't feel the sac, and made some snide remark about having to get a Drs opinion before discharge and these days VBACs basically being unnecessarily kept in too early
Dr comes in says as I am contracting and they're painful I'm being kept in
but they don't do inductions at weekends, if contractions stay but stay mild and irregular, or go completely I have to stay in though till the Monday!! Cue tears and tantrums from me at the prospect of being kept in away from my DD for 4 days plus days after if I don't get my VBAC.Around 1pm I'm transferred to the prenatal unit, burst into tears and am greeted and consoled by the loveliest midwife ever, who promises me, they do, inductions at a weekend the DR is talking rubbish there's no way they'd leave someone contracting regularly that long, and ignore the other MW she's a cow no one likes her!! She said you need to walk lots, have calm thoughts, bounce and she promised to off the record give me another sweep before she went home that night. She said I'm back on Monday the only reason you'll still be here is because you have a baby!!
Well true to her word, she have me a sweep, and said the other midwife is talking rubbish baby can be felt and there's a big sac of waters palpable and by 10pm that night I was in early labour
I was needing paracetamol, but it wasn't helping the pain, I had a warm bath that did help but as soon as I was out they started again. Unfortunately I was only on a pre natal unit not for labouring ladies but for ladies that just need monitoring so the only form of pain relief I could have was paracetamol, I couldn't have codeine as I'm allergic, the only other thing I could have was pethadine!! (NOT ON MY BIRTH PLAN!!) And the only way I could get gas and air was on delivery which I needed to be the magic 4cm for. At 2am although still contracting strongly, I sent DH home as he would be no good to me after a bad night sleep in a chair, when I knew I'd need him most the next day when labour really kicked in. 7am I phone my husband to come back, I called the midwife, I cried that I couldn't take the pain anymore, she examined me, still 2.5cm. She I might add was also lovely through the night and tried every remedy to help me through the pain. She phoned delivery suite for me to explain I wanted gas and air and wasn't keen on pethadine so early on as a form of pain relief, next thing I know I'm being moved to delivery. AT LAST!!
LABOUR: So I'm walking about I'm bouncing I'm taking the gas and air, I'm doing good I'm on a roll, I'm feeling positive, hubby is by my side, contractions are strong regular but still 4-5mins apart, waiting for Drs to do their round, dr comes wants an internal exam to determine if waters can be broken, and then checks with her consultant whether she can break them or whether he just wants to go straight to section as things were a slow progress again.But rather than examine me twice, once to confirm waters are reachable and once to break waters if consultant agrees they just wait for the go ahead... And it's given I'm 4cm!! 2cm further than previous pregnancy waters are broken, and boy does it strengthen contractions, from now I was contracting to strong to be walking around and bouncing on balls, and being a VBAC they wanted to monitor me and baby constantly.
The rest unfortunately is quite blurry (drug induced) I remember the gas and air becoming ineffective it just wasn't hitting the spot, so somewhere between 11 and 1 I accepted some pethadine, I happened to continue to labour, they're strong they flipping hurt but it was all good signs, midwife was pleased with my progress and by now I was having at least 3 contractions in 10 minutes, big strong ones too,
Now somewhere between 1 and 4pm things started to go downhill the pain was getting too much. All I remember is while the midwife was out getting it I heard the fetal monitor slow to a stop with a contraction. I told him when he came back he reassured it can happen, and suggested I changed position, and that the baby was probably lying on the cord, I laid on my side and had the pethadine, however the heartbeat with every contraction kept slowing right down, he was quick to act, and got second opinions and Drs in to monitor.
They tried change of position again but it was t helping, they put a clip on babies head to see if they got a different reading, but they didn't. They took a blood sample from the babies head, which involved me having both feet up in stirrups lying on my back and being told to keep still through contractions!! Not an easy task believe you me!! They took a sample it was ok but not great... A while later they came back and took another sample it was no worse but no better....a short while later they took a third sample, it had got worse, baby was definitely wrapped around the cord, and wasn't getting enough oxygen, I by this point was only 7cm, and as they didn't know how long I would take to get to pushing or how long baby could manage I needed an emergency section.
THEATRE: I go to theatre, in my hospital all the gas and air is pumped I to the walls evidently not in theatre, I was informed by my husband by this point I was contracting 4 times in 10 minutes pretty much as one finished another came, I was given a spinal block and baby was born. At 16:17, his cord was wrapped around his shoulder, across his body and round his leg!! There was no way I was getting my natural birth, but at the end of the day he was here and he's safe.
ISSUES: Baby was fine but there was a problem, as I'd had the pethadine as we all know it can make baby sleepy, and it had, although he was awake at birth he wasn't making enough effort to breathe and needed some assistance, after 5 minutes he still wasn't scoring high enough on the APGAR test to make them happy and they told me they wanted to take him to the special care baby unit for closer monitoring. They showed me baby to re assure me, he was awake, but just a bit dosey, I sent hubby with him, and stayed in theatre while they sewed me back up.
I was taken back to delivery suite, and within minutes he was back with me (he was up there for just 45minutes in total). He was fine, he perked up and I've had no problems since. We were discharged Monday 26th May and we're still fine, I'm a bit sore from section and the fact I have a 3 yr old that just doesn't have gentle in her vocabulary!!
He's feeding well, today is his first day formula feeding, as after 3 days of good feeds, engorgement hit, he couldn't latch I was about to explode, my nipples were raw after a 7hr onslaught of cluster feeds! (It was a long night) again not in the "plan" again I'm happy he's happy it's all that matters. I've been told IF I do ever have another baby (which we won't) my only option is c sec now. But I don't care.
If you're wondering where my happy ending is?? Yeah I didn't get the natural water birth I wanted with minimal pain relief. What I did get was amazing care (bar the first midwife) a beautiful 8lb3 healthy baby boy safely delivered to me. And my completed family of 4.
Ladies it might not go how you want, just keep the big picture in mind and you'll have your happy ending xxxx
a very good way of looking at things even though u didn't get your VBAC you have got a baby boy x
