**December Snowflakes - 2016**

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Congratulations ladies! Laura that sounds scary I'm so pleased things were OK in the end. Is she sleeping better now? We had a couple of bad nights with DD but since my
Milk has come in, she's happy to go in the crib and sleeping from about 11.30pm until around 9am with 2-3 hourly feeds in between :)

TommyG glad you're both doing well - were you home for Christmas?

Looking forward to hearing more news on the remaining babies!!
 
Congrats on the new babies!

Just an update for anyone not part of the FB group:

Unfortunately, my positive birth story was balanced out a week later after I was rushed to hospital in the early hours of last Thursday morning with sudden delayed postpartum haemorrhage due to retained placenta. In the emergency department, doctors tried to remove some tissue from my uterus manually, which was probably 20 times more painful than my unmedicated contractions at 8cm dilation and had me in more pain and distress than I have ever experienced. They had to stop and do it again under sedation (ketamine - a crazy trip). I ended up needing a D&C anyway, as well as iron via IV and a blood transfusion since I had lost so much blood that my haemoglobin levels had dropped very low. Needless to say this was pretty traumatic, especially in the midst of looking after a newborn who needed breastfeeding every 2-3 hours (they transferred me to labour and delivery where DH and Tilly could stay with me and I could breastfeed, but DH did have to scramble to find formula in the early hours of the morning while I was in emerg). I came home on Saturday morning and now been so paranoid about something else going wrong or the PPH returning that I've been having some PPD, especially in the evenings.

On the plus side, Tilly is a really good feeder and sleeper. Two nights ago I got a total of 10 hours' sleep across three separate awakenings (that was unprecedented), and last night I got 6.5 hours' sleep. I'm hoping the latter is what I can reasonably expect for most nights. It's because she sleeps extremely well with our cosleeping arrangement, which initially stressed me out in light of SIDS risk, but the midwife showed us safe ways to cosleep (while not officially endorsing it, even though she coslept with all her kids). Unfortunately Tilly wakes up regularly and cries when she's in our in-bed bassinet thing, even though she's right next to us, so cosleeping makes sure we all get decent sleep... plus she LOVES the physical contact. She spends a lot of time being alert and awake, so I don't think it's lethargy or anything like that.
 
Jezika so sorry to hear about your ordeal that must have been terrifying!! You must be exhausted. I hope you are now able to recover quickly :hugs:
 
I updated Facebook but not here, oops! My gorgeous little bundle arrived Christmas Eve, full birth story to follow!
 

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Aww she's adorable Grace, congratulations! :) cute Xmas pudding outfit!
 
Rose - thank you. She won't go in the Moses basket at all but last night I discovered all she wanted was to snuggle next to me so we did get a better night once we gave up with the basket. I co slept with my first but only from 4-8 months so it's making me a bit nervous doing it with a baby so young but I am doing everything within the guidelines and I just need a good nights sleep! I will keep trying the basket but have kind of accepted she may be in bed with us for a while. That's amazing that the sleep is going so well for you - it gives me hope!

Jezika, I hope you're doing ok after your traumatic experience and I understand about the co sleeping! It is very nice to snuggle up next to each other even if it's not what was planned!

Tommyg and grace - glad all is going well!
 
Congrats all on your babies! Jezika I'm sorry to hear about the bleed...I'm glad you're ok now though, sounds scary!

We are doing great over here. Can't believe Aria will already be a month old tomorrow. Feels like I just had her yesterday! Time certainly flies.
 
Loopy Laura said:
Rose - thank you. She won't go in the Moses basket at all but last night I discovered all she wanted was to snuggle next to me so we did get a better night once we gave up with the basket. I co slept with my first but only from 4-8 months so it's making me a bit nervous doing it with a baby so young but I am doing everything within the guidelines and I just need a good nights sleep! I will keep trying the basket but have kind of accepted she may be in bed with us for a while. That's amazing that the sleep is going so well for you - it gives me hope!

Jezika, I hope you're doing ok after your traumatic experience and I understand about the co sleeping! It is very nice to snuggle up next to each other even if it's not what was planned!

Tommyg and grace - glad all is going well!
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Coslept from birth with all 3 of mine. If you are are safe it's a lovely way to get more sleep!
 
I finally got around to writing my birth story!

Just after 9pm on Friday 23rd December I felt my first full contraction of established labour while sat on the sofa after 2.5 weeks of latent phase labour. I was 41+3. It was so intense and so sudden I was genuinely confused about what it could be, the hot sensation shot through my back and across my stomach so quickly. It felt nothing like the previous contractions. The sensation passed but returned within a couple of minutes, strong enough that I couldn't sit still through it and had to find a way to move. I knealt on the floor to hug my ball and sway as I breathed through the contractions but they were coming thick and fast, every 2.5 minutes!! I had truly gone from 0-60. I tried to have a few bites of the pasta Oliver had made between contractions, believe it or not I was still feeling hungry, but was unable to finish it as I just couldn't stay still long enough. I remembered Suzy's advice that the toilet can be a great place to labour so after a while I crawled towards the bathroom. I put on my hypothesis affirmations MP3 and began to sway through my surges sat on the loo. Around 9:45pm I was finally convinced enough that this was labour to call the midwives back and also to ask Oliver to get the pool ready. The sensations were really strong now and I couldn't wait to relax in the warm water. I continued to sway and rock through the sensations with Suzy's affirmations playing, vocalising long "aaahhh" sounds on the out breath as a distraction and focus point.

Around 10:45pm the same midwife from earlier arrived and our first little hiccup occurred. The contractions were now so intense I was struggling to stay focused on my breathing and could feel myself tensing up, so I asked for some gas and air. The midwife insisted that she needed to examine me vaginally first. This confused me as I had stated clearly in my birth plan that I did not want routine vaginal examinations once I was in labour and this plan had been forwarded to all midwives by e-mail. Unfortunately she had not seen it. I was in no doubt this was established labour now and didn't want to be disturbed or under pressure to progress at a certain rate, nor did
I want to be told when to push. This is where our hypnobirthing training really kicked in, as at this point Oliver calmly and politely directed the midwife towards our birth plan, advocated for my wishes and suggested that if the issue was whether or not to call the second midwife that perhaps we should just call her anyway. Thankfully the second midwife had seen our birth preferences and was more than happy to join us without a progress report. After this conversation there was a real shift in the midwife's demeanour as she stepped back and let me take the lead. I was finally given the gas and air which was a blessed relief, it helped me to reissue enough to regain mental focus and control again. Soon after that the pool was ready and I remember the huge smile on my face as I slid into the warm water, feeling all of my muscles immediately let go. "This is bliss" I said before the next contraction came.

Once in the pool I lost all track of time. I breathed through each contraction with the entonox, moving my body any way that felt right. The lights were dim and my calm birth music played, Oliver and the midwives whispered to each other and only spoke to me when I spoke first or to do my observations. The contractions got closer and closer together until it felt like there were no pauses and in my head I remember thinking ah, I must be nearing transition now. One thing I had been concerned about prior to the birth was a patch of endometriosis scar tissue I have near my rectum which often causes an intense stabbing sensation in my pelvis a couple of minutes before a poo, but of course nobody could tell me how this would affect the birth. I wasn't surprised when I started to feel a more intense version of that sensation as my baby started to descend. This was challenging as it meant along with surges there was a constant pain which had nothing to do with the birth, so I coped by using wave breathing with the gas and air even between contractions. The midwives were concerned about this until I managed to say "Endo pain" which prompted Oliver to explain for me. They suggested shifting positions as I had been labouring with my back against the side of the pool and my legs stretched out. I shifted onto my knees but quickly returned to how I was before, it was easier to relax. I was amazed by how easily I could move around in the pool, manoeuvring was a breeze! Once the midwives understood I was in constant pain they relaxed about me using the gas and air constantly sand just made sure I kept the mouthpiece out of the water.

Sometime around 1:30am I began to feel my body bearing down towards the end of a contraction, but only a little. I let the sensations lead and pushed as much or little as felt right, usually in a crescendo towards the end of each contraction. This urge slowly intensified until I could feel pressure and something start to emerge down below. I reached down, excited to think it might be my baby's head but it was actually the bag of membranes! They were still in tact and bulging ahead of my baby as she moved down. They didn't break until minutes before the birth. As our baby started to crown I distinctly remember one of the midwives saying to me "she's coming Grace, just go with your body and don't be scared" to which I replied "I'm not!". I meant it 100%. Through the physical intensity of the final pushes I felt only anticipation and excitement, stroking my baby's head as she slowly emerged. Once her head was born there was absolute silence in the room during what felt like the longest pause in surges for hours. During these moments I could feel her full head with my hand while she was still kicking on the inside - it was such a strange combination! When that final contraction came and her shoulders slid out one at a time the relief was overwhelming. At 03:30 on 24th December 2016 our beautiful daughter Phoebe Clarice was born. I reached down into the water and lifted my baby straight onto my chest, nobody else touched her. I sat up straighter to keep her head out of the water and held her close as she let out a few cries, stroking her head and body. Oliver came up behind me to see her more closely and we enjoyed some lovely peaceful moments together, undisturbed exactly as we had asked.

We relaxed for a few minutes as we waited for the cord to stop pulsing. Once it had, Oliver decided he would prefer not to cut it and so I cut it myself. I finally felt ready to get out of the pool so I was helped out by the midwives and moved to the living room where we snuggled on the sofa to wait for the placenta to come. I was aware that I should tried to feed her but she wasn't rooting or showing interest so I decided to wait for her to take the lead. I really wasn't expecting to feel such intense surges again in order to birth the placenta, I think I imagined it would just slide out! Out of the pool these surges were intense and unpleasant, so I asked to use the gas and air again for some relief. Almost 50 minutes after the birth it still hadn't come so the midwife suggested a trip to the toilet incase a full bladder was in the way. Oliver took our baby for some skin to skin of his own while I went. I had barely got my cheeks on the seat before the whole placenta came out in one huge gush. I for some reason found this hilarious, possibly something to do with the gas and air!

With the birth finally complete we had some more time on the sofa while I gave my baby her first breastfeed and the midwives examined me for trauma. I had sustained a few minor grazes and one very tiny second degree tear which I was reassured would heal well without stitches. By 6:30am the midwives had gone and we were tucked up in bed, looking forward to a perfect first Christmas together.
 

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Grace your birth sounds so calm. Very like my first.

Rose I think it was you who asked if I made it home for Christmas unfortunately I didn't - Christmas feels like a non-event.

My birth story, pessary at 10pm, bit of back ache during the night, no dilation in the morning. 8am second pessary by about 10.00 the pain in my back was horrendous. MW gave me paracetamol and pointed me in the direction of the bath. Bath was blissful but still lots of backache. MW eventually shouted me out the bath.
When I got out the pains changed to me needing to poo a few times, then pee, then plug, then baby in one push. The MWs heard me as baby was about to be delivered about 4 of them all dived in to help. All a bit crazy but baby was ok.
They then transferred us to delivery suites, by the time I got there it was becoming apparent I was losing lots of blood, 3lts approx. Ended up with a transfusion the next day. And home a couple of days later.
 
Grace your birth sounds lovely and relaxed - I am so glad your body took charge and knew what to do.

Tommy I'm sorry you didn't make it home for Christmas. Sounds like baby came out very quickly! I hope you're still recovering well?

And my birth story:

After a few days of really uncomfortable pressure and shooting pains down below, I woke up on the morning of 22nd having contractions. They were different to the BH I had been having before, and were a little painful. I was hopeful that this was it and that things wouldn't tail off like they did with my first labour. I laid in bed for a while in and out of sleep until DH went to work. I told him I was having a few contractions, but that he should still go to work as he only had a couple of hours to do, and my first labour had taken so long I didn't want him to be waiting around bored all day, driving me mad!

DS came in to my room about an hour later and I explained that I was having some pains in my tummy and that the baby might be coming, so I would text His Grandma and ask her to come over. At this point they were still mild so I told her not to rush. We got up and I got showered and managed some breakfast. By then they were starting to get a bit more painful and my mum arrived at about 9am. She kept DS busy while I tidied up and then sat on the sofa, breathing through each contraction. I timed them and they were about 30 seconds long but were coming roughly every 5-10 minutes. After a while they began to get much worse and I text DH asking how
Long he would be. Luckily he was finishing up so he got home at about 10am. We left straight away to go to the hospital.

When I got to the birth centre the midwife examined me and I was 3cm. However as the contractions were coming quickly and were quite painful she said that she would keep me in, as she didn't think it would be long before I was in established labour. She asked about my birth preferences and I said that I was hoping to use the pool. Luckily it was free, so she went to start filling it as it would take about half an hour. As I waited, the contractions got more and more painful and I moved around the room, rubbing the bottom of my stomach with each one as that seemed to help. Once the pool was filled, I got in to it and the warm water was such a relief. For a short while it helped to soothe the pain but the contractions were getting stronger very quickly. The mood lighting in the room and my music CD really helped to bring a sense of calm. After about 20 minutes I tried some gas and air. I hated it with my first birth but the midwife said that it takes a while for some women to get used to it, so I decided to keep going with it, and did find that it helped.

After about an hour in the pool, the contractions were getting stronger and very painful, and closer together. I was struggling to cope with the pain with just gas and became desperate for the pain to stop. I begged the midwife for an epidural. The pain was unbearable and the pressure was scary. The midwife said that she didn't think there would be time, and I started getting really scared and begging DH to help me! She examined me and found that I was about 7cm. At this I really started to panic as I remembered hearing that usually a woman dilates at 1cm an hour and I didn't think I could manage another contraction let alone 3 hours!! The midwife said that she didn't think it would be long at all, because I was dilating much quicker than usual. With the next contraction I felt even more desperate and writhed around in the pool, putting most of my head under water! She was saying 'go with your body' and at first I didn't really know what my body wanted but after a couple more contractions I felt myself begin to push. The pressure was getting more and more intense and I found it terrifying and almost unbearable. I remember shouting 'help me! I can't do it! Help me! I'm scared!' I was squeezing DH's hand so tight and writhing around and just wishing it could be over.

After a couple more contractions my waters broke - it was a weird sensation in the water! After that I felt the baby begin to move down and I was pushing hard. The midwife called a second midwife in as it was almost time, and with a couple more contractions baby's head began to crown. The stinging and the pressure was even worse and I was screaming! With the next contraction the rest of her head was born, and with the next her body. I felt her shoot out of me and instantly felt relief. The midwife pulled her up on to my chest and wrapped her in a towel in the water. After that I felt some more pain - it was worse than I expected and I was again scared about the next stage of labour. The midwife began to drain the pool and gave me the injection, within a couple of minutes of quite intense pain the placenta plopped out and I felt instant relief. After that I got out of the pool with my baby girl and laid back on the bed, shivering. I felt very sick and strange for a while much like after my first birth, so DH held Alice for a bit. Once I felt better, I took her and managed to get her to latch on straight away. although I still felt ill, I was so proud that I had managed to birth her with just gas & air, and was so glad I had only laboured for half a day - it was only intense for about 2-3 hours, with her arriving just before 1pm. :cloud9:

We spent a lovely few hours in the birth centre (except for when I was being stitched up!!) and my parents brought DS to meet his sister. After that I had some dinner and was moved to the ward for the night for monitoring. I realised I had a sore head from leaning it on the back of the pool for so long, and a sore mouth from biting so hard on the gas mouthpiece! I spent most of the night nursing Alice, and she wouldn't settle in the cot so I let her sleep on me. In the morning DH came back and Alice had some observations until lunchtime, after which we were allowed to go home :)
 
How is everyone doing? Have any more babies arrived? Can't be many left now :D

Hope all those who have had their babies are recovering well and enjoying life with a newborn :)
 
Phoebe is doing pretty well over all. She's 12 days old today and we've managed to exclusively breastfeed so far which is great. Unfortunately she doesn't sleep as well as she eats and kept us up until 6:30 this morning!!
 
Congrats to all who've had their babies! I love reading birth stories.

Grace, the sleep thing sounds rough, though obviously fairly normal. I get grumpy enough with Tilly giving us (me) 2-3 hours of sleep between feedings and changings and taking 45-60 minutes to get her to sleep each evening, yet I know I have it pretty good! I'm hoping it's just because I'm still really tired as I'm building the haemoglobin back up. Before the haemorrhage thing I was dealing with staying up quite well.

How's everyone doing breastfeeding? It's going well for us, except my left breast produces soooo much milk and it lets down so fast that she often chokes on it.
 
Oh wow Grace I bet you're exhausted!! Hopefully her sleep will settle down soon. We had a bad night last night as Alice is really congested/snotty so was making so much noise I couldn't sleep. Also she woke up every 2 hours instead of 3 which made a lot of difference! Then DH woke up and started tossing and turning at about 4am so I woke up again. Feeling a bit like a zombie today - hoping to catch up on some sleep this morning while DS is at nursery.

Jezika breastfeeding is going well for us but my left boob is really sore and last night I felt a bit fluey - cold and shaky even though I was hot - so I think I might have a blocked duct. I can't feel it yet but have been massaging it in the shower to try to free any trapped milk. I had it last time with DS and felt terrible until I managed to clear it. As Alice drinks so much they get very full quickly and I end up quite engorged which also leads to it coming out super fast when she does feed, and sometimes she chokes a bit or lets go and it goes everywhere!! I am looking forward to my supply settling down so I don't have so much engorgement.
 
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