minkymoo
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Have just about managed to find time to knock this together. I was hoping to regale you all with a witty and amusing tale but frankly I am too tired and there wasn't much to be amused about.......
On Tuesday 15th Feb (at 8 days OD) I was scheduled for a sweep (my 3rd) but my MW was too busy so referred me to the hospital for it. Whilst I was there they were unable to do the sweep again as they could only just get a fingertip inside and I was still very posterior. However, they spoke with the consultant and asked me if I could be available for induction that evening or the next day. Still not 100% sure why but they said there was no emergency. We think it could be because I had been in for monitoring in the past and also because of my history with cervical surgery and they thought I might have trouble due to scar tissue.
Anyhoo, after scaring the living daylights out of OH with this news of earlier than anticipated induction and packing our bags in about 10 minutes we scooted off to the hosp on the Tuesday night and arrived at about 6.30pm. The girl in the bed opposite me was on her 2nd propess so was 24 hrs in and nothing was happening for her. Felt a bit disheartened by this news but guessed I would be in for a decent night's sleep.....how wrong I was. After OH spent about an hour pissing about with organising the pay per view TV thing , the propess was inserted. Bleedin hell it was uncomfortable due to the posterior cervix. This was about 8.30pm. OH was thrown out with the other dads at 10pm so I got into my pyjamas and tried to watch Shameless. Was difficult to get into as about 10.30pm I started to get backache. I put it down to being a bit stressed and uncomfortable. I turned the TV off and lay for about and hour and a half listening to some poor cow moaning and panting in the corner so got up for a cup of tea. Shortly after this the panting woman was removed and a new young panting woman arrived who pressed her buzzer all the time and kept being told that her contractions were still 10 mins apart so nothing they could do. In the very early hours I decided that the backache was getting a bit much so decided on a walkabout of the hospital, dressing gown et al. All Hell then broke lose, I had 7 contractions in the time it took me to walk from one end of the corridor to the other. I was happy I had reacted to the propess fairly quickly but the pains were relentless and one on top of the other but only lasting for about 20 seconds. They gave me co-codamol which I promptly threw up everywhere, then had a bath and then they procured a TENS for me which frankly didn't work either as I had to manually turn the dial when the contraction started which I found impossible since the pain was all over my back as well as my front and I was writhing around and vomming everywhere.
Daylight came with me being strapped to a monitor and almost strapped to the bed with the back pain. I was having up to 5 contractions in 10 mins from 1am ish to 6am ish and being monitored on the CTG but they still 'weren't lasting long enough'. I was examined about 6.30 and the MW said she thought I was 4cm but wanted a second opinion so I had to suffer yet another painful internal through contractions to be told I was only 1cm. They felt so sorry for me that they gave me pethadine, which I swore I wouldn't have, but that didn't arrive until about 9am. I still felt everything but managed to micro-nap for 30 seconds between the contractions which were now really ramping up.
OH was ringing my mobile from 9am which took me 30 mins to be able to reach (pathetic) and I told him to get his ass into the hospital. He turned up at 11am (!!!) having walked the dog and made a bed up for his mum who would be keeping an eye on Patrick. I was examined again at around 1pm and was 7cm!!! I told the MW I loved her and begged for my epidural, the pain in my back was horrific and I was having an overwhelming urge to push with every contraction. It took about another hour to transfer me to delivery so I was having to vom and pant and cry in a room full of other women and men. Vile. I felt reallt guilty being wheeled out though (I couldn't have walked) with all the other women who had been there for days with nothing happening watching me go.
I eventually got the epidural which took 30 mins to site and it's fecking hard sitting still whilst having contractions for that length of time. I didn't even have OH with me as needles make him seriously ill (he was quite immune by the end of the experience as I had needles and canula's in both arms, hands and my back!! lol). The epi took the pain out of my back but enhanced the frontal contractions, but it was more bearable. Gas and air just made me really thirsty. 1.5 hours later I was fully dilated and started pushing. This was at 6.30pm.
After an hour I asked how long I would push until they intervened and was told about 1.5 hrs so I really really went for it (this is when OH tells me I pooed 3 times so at least I know I was pushing in the right place!!). I had 2 epi top ups which both failed and then was hooked up to syntocinon to ramp up the contractions to try to turn baby around (they realised she was back to back at this point and quite stuck). It didn't work but just caused me a heck of a lot more pain which in turn caused me to start vomming again so they finally gave me an anti-emetic to stop that as bile was pouring from me and I hadn't eaten in 24 hours. After about another hour (so an hour overdue) a doctor came in to examine me and just as he pulled his glove on he was called to an emergency in theatre. Another female doc came in a was very rude to me and also examined me and then left without telling me anything. I was begging them to get her out at this point and then the MW's changed shift. My new MW admitted that there was a woman in theatre who wouldn't stop bleeding and they had had to call surgeons in from other areas of the hosp to assist so unfortunately I was not top priority as my BP and Niamh's HB were fine but they would get me in asap. The BP machine thing was permanently attached to me and going off every 30 seconds and driving me fucking crackers as I couldn't move my arm very far and it was bloody squeezing the blood out of me!! OH was doing his NUT at this point and getting very upset and demanding that something get sorted as enough was enough. I remember very little at this point because I was so tired but I recall they kept saying that theatre was being cleaned or God knows what.
Finally, at 11,30 pm, 24 hrs later and after 5 HOURS of pushing I was taken to theatre and I cannot tell you the relief I felt from the spinal block. They were going to 'trial' forceps and failing that a section. OH was left in the corridor for ages with more and more people coming into the theatre and getting himself really worked up. By the time they let him in I was laughing and joking with the docs, I was in heaven to be pain free but desperately wanted to sleep. They turned the syntocinon right up whilst the MW palpated me and told me when to push and she came out after 3 contractions with the forceps. The forcep doc told me he was amazed as he really didn't think she would come out that way due to her position. She was plopped onto me and opened her eyes then she was whisked away to the resuscitaire (sp) thing and Rob and I were just in shock, she wasn't crying and there were about 6 people around her. We had never been so frightened in our lives. Machines were bleeping everywhere which we were told we nothing to do with baby but we were terrified. Eventually there was a whine and Rob was allowed to go and see her. He took a few pics and then she was whisked off to the baby unit for obs whilst I was stitched back together. She came back after about 20 mins and I was finally able to look at her whilst Rob held her. It was not the romantic, tear filled, joyous occasion we had imagined at all but we were thankful that she was ok. Niamh Mary Grace was born on the 16th Feb at 11.56pm and weighed 8lb 4.5oz
I was wheeled back to my room and had some skin to skin and a feed with Niamh and given 8 pieces of toast and a cup of tea which was like bloody lobster thermidore and a glass of chablis!! We were then taken to the ward and I spent the rest of the night staring at her without a wink of sleep. Rob came back in the morning and bawled his eyes out as he held her properly without all the anxiety of it all. I was kept in for 3 days and threatened with blood transfusions after a 700ml loss in theatre but managed to get away with a discharge and some iron tablets.
My episiotomy caused me tremendous pain from about day 3 - 7 and I spent most of this time shaking and crying with it and getting very upset that I couldn't look after or enjoy my baby properly as I could only lie down and couldn't sit, walk or stand. They thought I might be allergic to the stitch material but the MW and my OH managed to procure some crack-like substance from my GP and things turned the corner. Because of the 5 hours of pushing my pelvic floor is in tatters and I am having to have ongoing physiotherapy treatment.
I am so grateful she's here and I adore her but seriously, NEVER EVER again. We will be meeting with the ward matron in the near future to go through my notes etc as we still don't really know what the heck went on that night.
She is a lovely baby and brings me so much happiness but makes noises like a scene from the Exorcist at feed times and can't get my nip in her mouth fast enough and is feeding a lot at the moment. She is gaining weight very well, the little porker.
if you're still here - thanks for listening!! xx
Here is a pic for anyone who hasn't seen one yet...Niamh with her very emotional Daddy.....
On Tuesday 15th Feb (at 8 days OD) I was scheduled for a sweep (my 3rd) but my MW was too busy so referred me to the hospital for it. Whilst I was there they were unable to do the sweep again as they could only just get a fingertip inside and I was still very posterior. However, they spoke with the consultant and asked me if I could be available for induction that evening or the next day. Still not 100% sure why but they said there was no emergency. We think it could be because I had been in for monitoring in the past and also because of my history with cervical surgery and they thought I might have trouble due to scar tissue.
Anyhoo, after scaring the living daylights out of OH with this news of earlier than anticipated induction and packing our bags in about 10 minutes we scooted off to the hosp on the Tuesday night and arrived at about 6.30pm. The girl in the bed opposite me was on her 2nd propess so was 24 hrs in and nothing was happening for her. Felt a bit disheartened by this news but guessed I would be in for a decent night's sleep.....how wrong I was. After OH spent about an hour pissing about with organising the pay per view TV thing , the propess was inserted. Bleedin hell it was uncomfortable due to the posterior cervix. This was about 8.30pm. OH was thrown out with the other dads at 10pm so I got into my pyjamas and tried to watch Shameless. Was difficult to get into as about 10.30pm I started to get backache. I put it down to being a bit stressed and uncomfortable. I turned the TV off and lay for about and hour and a half listening to some poor cow moaning and panting in the corner so got up for a cup of tea. Shortly after this the panting woman was removed and a new young panting woman arrived who pressed her buzzer all the time and kept being told that her contractions were still 10 mins apart so nothing they could do. In the very early hours I decided that the backache was getting a bit much so decided on a walkabout of the hospital, dressing gown et al. All Hell then broke lose, I had 7 contractions in the time it took me to walk from one end of the corridor to the other. I was happy I had reacted to the propess fairly quickly but the pains were relentless and one on top of the other but only lasting for about 20 seconds. They gave me co-codamol which I promptly threw up everywhere, then had a bath and then they procured a TENS for me which frankly didn't work either as I had to manually turn the dial when the contraction started which I found impossible since the pain was all over my back as well as my front and I was writhing around and vomming everywhere.
Daylight came with me being strapped to a monitor and almost strapped to the bed with the back pain. I was having up to 5 contractions in 10 mins from 1am ish to 6am ish and being monitored on the CTG but they still 'weren't lasting long enough'. I was examined about 6.30 and the MW said she thought I was 4cm but wanted a second opinion so I had to suffer yet another painful internal through contractions to be told I was only 1cm. They felt so sorry for me that they gave me pethadine, which I swore I wouldn't have, but that didn't arrive until about 9am. I still felt everything but managed to micro-nap for 30 seconds between the contractions which were now really ramping up.
OH was ringing my mobile from 9am which took me 30 mins to be able to reach (pathetic) and I told him to get his ass into the hospital. He turned up at 11am (!!!) having walked the dog and made a bed up for his mum who would be keeping an eye on Patrick. I was examined again at around 1pm and was 7cm!!! I told the MW I loved her and begged for my epidural, the pain in my back was horrific and I was having an overwhelming urge to push with every contraction. It took about another hour to transfer me to delivery so I was having to vom and pant and cry in a room full of other women and men. Vile. I felt reallt guilty being wheeled out though (I couldn't have walked) with all the other women who had been there for days with nothing happening watching me go.
I eventually got the epidural which took 30 mins to site and it's fecking hard sitting still whilst having contractions for that length of time. I didn't even have OH with me as needles make him seriously ill (he was quite immune by the end of the experience as I had needles and canula's in both arms, hands and my back!! lol). The epi took the pain out of my back but enhanced the frontal contractions, but it was more bearable. Gas and air just made me really thirsty. 1.5 hours later I was fully dilated and started pushing. This was at 6.30pm.
After an hour I asked how long I would push until they intervened and was told about 1.5 hrs so I really really went for it (this is when OH tells me I pooed 3 times so at least I know I was pushing in the right place!!). I had 2 epi top ups which both failed and then was hooked up to syntocinon to ramp up the contractions to try to turn baby around (they realised she was back to back at this point and quite stuck). It didn't work but just caused me a heck of a lot more pain which in turn caused me to start vomming again so they finally gave me an anti-emetic to stop that as bile was pouring from me and I hadn't eaten in 24 hours. After about another hour (so an hour overdue) a doctor came in to examine me and just as he pulled his glove on he was called to an emergency in theatre. Another female doc came in a was very rude to me and also examined me and then left without telling me anything. I was begging them to get her out at this point and then the MW's changed shift. My new MW admitted that there was a woman in theatre who wouldn't stop bleeding and they had had to call surgeons in from other areas of the hosp to assist so unfortunately I was not top priority as my BP and Niamh's HB were fine but they would get me in asap. The BP machine thing was permanently attached to me and going off every 30 seconds and driving me fucking crackers as I couldn't move my arm very far and it was bloody squeezing the blood out of me!! OH was doing his NUT at this point and getting very upset and demanding that something get sorted as enough was enough. I remember very little at this point because I was so tired but I recall they kept saying that theatre was being cleaned or God knows what.
Finally, at 11,30 pm, 24 hrs later and after 5 HOURS of pushing I was taken to theatre and I cannot tell you the relief I felt from the spinal block. They were going to 'trial' forceps and failing that a section. OH was left in the corridor for ages with more and more people coming into the theatre and getting himself really worked up. By the time they let him in I was laughing and joking with the docs, I was in heaven to be pain free but desperately wanted to sleep. They turned the syntocinon right up whilst the MW palpated me and told me when to push and she came out after 3 contractions with the forceps. The forcep doc told me he was amazed as he really didn't think she would come out that way due to her position. She was plopped onto me and opened her eyes then she was whisked away to the resuscitaire (sp) thing and Rob and I were just in shock, she wasn't crying and there were about 6 people around her. We had never been so frightened in our lives. Machines were bleeping everywhere which we were told we nothing to do with baby but we were terrified. Eventually there was a whine and Rob was allowed to go and see her. He took a few pics and then she was whisked off to the baby unit for obs whilst I was stitched back together. She came back after about 20 mins and I was finally able to look at her whilst Rob held her. It was not the romantic, tear filled, joyous occasion we had imagined at all but we were thankful that she was ok. Niamh Mary Grace was born on the 16th Feb at 11.56pm and weighed 8lb 4.5oz
I was wheeled back to my room and had some skin to skin and a feed with Niamh and given 8 pieces of toast and a cup of tea which was like bloody lobster thermidore and a glass of chablis!! We were then taken to the ward and I spent the rest of the night staring at her without a wink of sleep. Rob came back in the morning and bawled his eyes out as he held her properly without all the anxiety of it all. I was kept in for 3 days and threatened with blood transfusions after a 700ml loss in theatre but managed to get away with a discharge and some iron tablets.
My episiotomy caused me tremendous pain from about day 3 - 7 and I spent most of this time shaking and crying with it and getting very upset that I couldn't look after or enjoy my baby properly as I could only lie down and couldn't sit, walk or stand. They thought I might be allergic to the stitch material but the MW and my OH managed to procure some crack-like substance from my GP and things turned the corner. Because of the 5 hours of pushing my pelvic floor is in tatters and I am having to have ongoing physiotherapy treatment.
I am so grateful she's here and I adore her but seriously, NEVER EVER again. We will be meeting with the ward matron in the near future to go through my notes etc as we still don't really know what the heck went on that night.
She is a lovely baby and brings me so much happiness but makes noises like a scene from the Exorcist at feed times and can't get my nip in her mouth fast enough and is feeding a lot at the moment. She is gaining weight very well, the little porker.
if you're still here - thanks for listening!! xx
Here is a pic for anyone who hasn't seen one yet...Niamh with her very emotional Daddy.....
soz you had such a hard time- my bubs was posterior too and it sucked. Hope you're recovering well and congrats!
Congratulations she is gorgeous and so worth all the pain and anguish. x
