Samemka
Mummy of 2 girlies
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Emma Grace Lawrence
Born 29th June 2009 at 6.22pm
Weighing 5lb 14oz
Born 29th June 2009 at 6.22pm
Weighing 5lb 14oz
In the last three weeks of my pregnancy I developed obstetric cholestatis - which meant I was itching 24/7 which was driving me insane. It also meant I had to be induced at 37 weeks before after then there's more of a risk to the baby because the bile acids that were building up in my blood stream as a result of my condition could affect the baby's heartbeat. But I didn't mind - it just meant I got to see my princess sooner
So on Sunday 28th I went in at 2pm to start the induction process. By 4pm I had been given a pessary, but warned because I was only 37 weeks and this was my first baby, I'd probably need a second. By 10pm nothing had happened, so I was given another at midnight. This was after them telling me labour ward was full and I may have to wait until the morning - which I'd have hated because I'd have been in hospital over night for nothing!!
At 7.30am I was taken down to the labour ward and OH arrived. The doctor came to break my waters at 9am and it was absolute agony - I was only 1cm dilated and the pain was awful! My waters broke and for the next few hours I had to sit on a bed feeling I had constantly wet myself, and whenever I stood up I managed to leave a puddle on the floor - lovely stuff!!
I was then put onto the syntocin drip to start contractions. They started coming but were very irrregular. I managed to breathe through them until noon, but I then decided to go for gas and air. I never really got the knack of it - I'm not sure if it was because I was induced but I could never suck in the gas and air to mean I was feeling woozy during a contraction, whenever I felt one coming I'd breathe away on the gas and air.....but it'd only work when the contraction was subsiding!! Few hours of this and throwing up on OH (lol) and I was in real pain. I was then examined....2cm! I felt terrible - I was in so much pain and couldn't believe I was only 1cm more dilated than at 9am! They did say my cervix had thinned as it was 2cm long at 9am so I'd come really far, but I just felt they were saying that to make me feel better.
An hour later and I decided the gas and air was crap, so asked for an epidural, thinking I must only be about 3cm and there was no way I could cope if the pain was gonna get much worse. I was in agony in 1 spot where I'd had my appendix removed - just that 1 spot. I was screaming and I remember OH telling them 'she shouldn't be in this much pain!!!'.
Turns out (after the anethatist had put the epidural in twice but it didn't feel like it was working) I'd gone straight to 10cm in less than 2 hours after being examined last when I was 2cm. Explains all the pain I was in and had I known when I asked for the epidural how far along I was (I guess I must have been about 8cm) I'd have felt a whole lot better, lol. I think they didn't examine me before the epidural because an hour before I was only 2cm...but they probably should have?? In the end I told the midwife I felt I needed to poo (lol) which must have rung alaram bells and she examined me...announcing 'oh gosh, there's the baby's head!!!'. It was the best news I could have heard - I wasn't a complete wuss and the pain I was in was what I'd expect if you were nearing being fully dilated...it just wasn't for 2-3cm which is what I thought I was, lol.
So I had to wait an hour for the babies head to move down. The epidural was working and I felt so much calmer - I will be having an epidural with my next baby without a doubt!! I went from being in complete agony to being so chilled out I was laughing with the MW and OH....was really nice.
Then the worrying things started. As I was induced I was strapped to the heartbeat monitor constantly, so I'd got used to the sound of babys heartbeat. They asked me to sit up more...which I did...and we lost the heartbeat. We couldn't find it for a good 2 minutes, which was horrible. Then came the time to push. I pushed twice on my own before they called the doctor in as each time I'd push, the baby's heartbeat would drop down to 90. They decided that they needed to get the baby out ASAP - so before I knew it I was hoisted into the ever so attractive leg holders, told I would need a ventouse delivery and need an episotomy. I didn't care though, I just wanted my baby!!
Two pushes later and baby was out!! The doctor told me she had to use ventouse on the first push but the second was all me, which made me feel good....makes me feel like I helped to deliver baby rather than it being all the doctor. When Emma was born she was blue, but screaming and placed right onto my chest. I couldn't believe it and neither could OH. She was absolutely beautiful. The next 2 hours spent in that room were just fantastic....we were both elated and seeing OH with Emma will stay with me forever...even the MW commented on how taken he was with her. Emma was weighed and she was 5lb 14oz, so she's tiny - but to us she's normal because she's our first.
Overall then, although it sounds quite dramatic, it was only the final few minutes and like everyone says....you forget all the pain once you have your baby. I can't wait to do it all again, lol. Here are some pictures of little Emma Grace - we love her SO MUCH!!!!
Minutes old (with flouresent hat from the hospital as the one we had brought was too big, LOL)
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Cuddles with Daddy
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Emma & I, still on labour ward
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