magicvw
Hoping for a 3rd
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2008
- Messages
- 13,118
- Reaction score
- 1
My waters broke at 8.30pm on 22nd May a very strange sensation and I thought I had peed myself at first. I had to wait till DH got home from work and my parents had arrived to babysit before we drove off to hospital at about 10.30 I think.
My doc met us at the hospital and I had a quick scan to make sure everything was still ok, then I was whisked off by the midwives for a shave and an enema
They put me in what is kind of like a really high old-fashioned dentists chair then set about me with a very rough razor all the while complaining about how low their salaries are (about £150 a month) but all I could think of was watch what you are doing with that razor woman! The enema was pretty nasty arse pumped full of water then about 30 mins sitting on the loo with cramps waiting for it all to come out. 
Then it was off to bed.
I had mild contractions all night which woke me up but didnt hurt particularly. Then at about 6am me and the other two woman in my ward were marched down to the pre-birth room to lie on beds with fetal monitors as labour progressed. At about 8am I heard a loud pop on the monitor and felt a huge gush as my waters broke again and then the contractions really started. One of the girls got going really quick and her birth was over in the blink of an eye, the other was sent home as nothing was happening. I was left pretty much on my own.
At about 9.30am the contractions had been getting more and more painful and then I heard the heartbeat drop on the monitor. Doc and nurses then sprang into action and they told me I would have to have an emergency cesarien. Of course I reacted by bursting into tears I really didnt want that result especially after going through a lot of pain already (no pain relief). The doc is a friend of mine and, bless him, he got his wife to come up and see me and she was all smiley telling me that a caesarian would be quick and painless and not to worry but that just made me cry more. Doc disappeared for about 5 minutes and I heard the heartbeat change again by the time he was back the hearbeat was back to normal! They waited it out, everyone hovering by my bedside and I was in mental agony as no-one would say whether the C-section would go ahead or not.
Next thing I knew, at 10am DH was by my side that was the biggest shock of all! After being told repeatedly that no non-medical staff are allowed to attend a birth in Bulgaria, I had resigned myself to that months ago. Then mid-way through a contraction in which I was screaming like a banshee and hanging off the metal drip stand he was there!
Since the other 2 woman had buggered off, and we are friends with the doc (who is the big boss), he was allowed in! 
I was allowed to get up off the bed and hang onto DH and I can honestly say that having a birth partner halves the pain. It was like magic as soon as I put my hands on him I felt the pain ease. He was absolutely brilliant! Then the doc said things were going ok so we could attempt the vbac after all! 
The drop in heartbeat was probably caused by the cord getting a bit tangled. Doc wanted the baby out fast, which unfortunately meant the rest of the birth was pretty unpleasant. Stop reading here if youre squeamish!
With every contraction the doc had his hand up on my cervix trying to manipulate it and my god I have never felt such pain. The contractions were bad enough (I was 8cm-ish at this point), but having a hand up there pushing and tugging at the same time there are no words for that.
That bit seemed to go on forever. Finally at 10 cm I staggered into the birthing room no choice of positions in Bulgaria its stirrups all the way to the end. (Actually it was a pretty comfortable position. I somehow even managed to fall asleep between some of the contractions, just for a few seconds!) But, once Eddie was on his way down I was told to do constant pushing, (rather than going with contractions) which is hard work and is more likely to tear you
I had an episiotomy (didnt feel it), but I tore all over the place and not where theyd made the cut! 
When he finally popped out at midday I looked down and saw he was definitely a boy as he promptly peed in an arch! Already he has talents that I dont have! DH watched the whole thing and even got to cut the cord. He was well chuffed!
I was pretty relieved it was over, but almost immediately the pain started again. My placenta didnt want to come out
It had apparently attached itself to scar tissue left over from my c-section and was not going to come out without help. So I had three docs pushing on my tummy trying to encourage it in the end my doc friend basically sat on my abdomen while I pushed and the other docs pulled. Compared to labour that was total and utter agony! But it still wasnt over!
The doc said it was a bit of a mess between my legs, and got to work on the stitches. 45 minutes of stitches without any anaesthetic, basically all the way from vagina to anus. I still havent had a proper look down there to see what its like. DH looked and grimaced his face said it all. Doc says when its healed we might consider some plastic surgery Still, its a small price to pay. I cant sit down without it hurting right now, but its getting better every day. I dont regret having the vbac at all despite the pain and the damage I saw my little boy the moment he was born and that means the world to me!
Will add pics when have 2 hands free!
My doc met us at the hospital and I had a quick scan to make sure everything was still ok, then I was whisked off by the midwives for a shave and an enema
They put me in what is kind of like a really high old-fashioned dentists chair then set about me with a very rough razor all the while complaining about how low their salaries are (about £150 a month) but all I could think of was watch what you are doing with that razor woman! The enema was pretty nasty arse pumped full of water then about 30 mins sitting on the loo with cramps waiting for it all to come out. Then it was off to bed. I had mild contractions all night which woke me up but didnt hurt particularly. Then at about 6am me and the other two woman in my ward were marched down to the pre-birth room to lie on beds with fetal monitors as labour progressed. At about 8am I heard a loud pop on the monitor and felt a huge gush as my waters broke again and then the contractions really started. One of the girls got going really quick and her birth was over in the blink of an eye, the other was sent home as nothing was happening. I was left pretty much on my own.
At about 9.30am the contractions had been getting more and more painful and then I heard the heartbeat drop on the monitor. Doc and nurses then sprang into action and they told me I would have to have an emergency cesarien. Of course I reacted by bursting into tears I really didnt want that result especially after going through a lot of pain already (no pain relief). The doc is a friend of mine and, bless him, he got his wife to come up and see me and she was all smiley telling me that a caesarian would be quick and painless and not to worry but that just made me cry more. Doc disappeared for about 5 minutes and I heard the heartbeat change again by the time he was back the hearbeat was back to normal!
They waited it out, everyone hovering by my bedside and I was in mental agony as no-one would say whether the C-section would go ahead or not.Next thing I knew, at 10am DH was by my side that was the biggest shock of all! After being told repeatedly that no non-medical staff are allowed to attend a birth in Bulgaria, I had resigned myself to that months ago. Then mid-way through a contraction in which I was screaming like a banshee and hanging off the metal drip stand he was there!
Since the other 2 woman had buggered off, and we are friends with the doc (who is the big boss), he was allowed in! I was allowed to get up off the bed and hang onto DH and I can honestly say that having a birth partner halves the pain. It was like magic as soon as I put my hands on him I felt the pain ease. He was absolutely brilliant! Then the doc said things were going ok so we could attempt the vbac after all! The drop in heartbeat was probably caused by the cord getting a bit tangled. Doc wanted the baby out fast, which unfortunately meant the rest of the birth was pretty unpleasant. Stop reading here if youre squeamish!
With every contraction the doc had his hand up on my cervix trying to manipulate it and my god I have never felt such pain. The contractions were bad enough (I was 8cm-ish at this point), but having a hand up there pushing and tugging at the same time there are no words for that. That bit seemed to go on forever. Finally at 10 cm I staggered into the birthing room no choice of positions in Bulgaria its stirrups all the way to the end. (Actually it was a pretty comfortable position. I somehow even managed to fall asleep between some of the contractions, just for a few seconds!) But, once Eddie was on his way down I was told to do constant pushing, (rather than going with contractions) which is hard work and is more likely to tear you
I had an episiotomy (didnt feel it), but I tore all over the place and not where theyd made the cut! When he finally popped out at midday I looked down and saw he was definitely a boy as he promptly peed in an arch! Already he has talents that I dont have! DH watched the whole thing and even got to cut the cord. He was well chuffed!
I was pretty relieved it was over, but almost immediately the pain started again. My placenta didnt want to come out
It had apparently attached itself to scar tissue left over from my c-section and was not going to come out without help. So I had three docs pushing on my tummy trying to encourage it in the end my doc friend basically sat on my abdomen while I pushed and the other docs pulled. Compared to labour that was total and utter agony! But it still wasnt over!The doc said it was a bit of a mess between my legs, and got to work on the stitches. 45 minutes of stitches without any anaesthetic, basically all the way from vagina to anus. I still havent had a proper look down there to see what its like. DH looked and grimaced his face said it all. Doc says when its healed we might consider some plastic surgery
Still, its a small price to pay. I cant sit down without it hurting right now, but its getting better every day. I dont regret having the vbac at all despite the pain and the damage I saw my little boy the moment he was born and that means the world to me!Will add pics when have 2 hands free!
xx
