Carmello_01
Grateful everyday
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2009
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2 weeks have passed (already!) and we're still on cloud 9! A very sleepy cloud 9 admittedly...
It's a long one...apologies for that!
The arrival of our gorgeous boy was kicked off with a cervical sweep at a routine 40 week appointment, and I honestly didn't hold much hope the sweep would do a thing, my midwife had organised to come to my house that coming Friday to do a follow-up sweep (so I wasn't the only one not holding my breath!)
It was a passing comment I made to the registrar that caused us to be held back at the hospital - and my goodness in hindsight if this hadn't been the case our bub would have likely been born in the car!
When asked about bubs movements of late I replied that I had noticed a slowing, but was still feeling at least one movement every hour so I wasn't worried. The registrar agreed, but just to be on the safe side organised for a CTG trace that arvo. As the antenatal clinic has only one machine available, and this naturally was in use the midwife suggested to Damo and I that we go and grab some lunch and come back in an hour or so. We had been waiting at the clinic since 8.30 that morning and I was starving and more than ready to be out in the fresh air for a while so off we went. I was feeling some tightenings at this stage but nothing painful, just uncomfy. I thought nothing of it as I had been uncomfy for weeks, and was told to expect this after a sweep-I was so sure it would fizzle out to nothing I didn't even mention it to Damien!
So, an hour or so later we arrive back, the machine was all ours and the midwife hooked me up. It was Damien who noticed how regular my tightenings were when he checked out the printout- nosey husband of mine! The tightenings were happening every 5 minutes and were starting to get what I would describe as 'a sting in the tail' - but nothing that required any pain relief or even breathing through.
Bubs heartrate however was dipping down with every little contraction, which the midwife said wasn't something we should panic about, but not great at this early stage. (I remember thinking - pff,early stage of what? We'll be back home for sure this afternoon!)
As we were going for a VBAC and I have a didelphys uterus with 2 cervixes and 2 vaginas - the reason for my previous c-section- the midwife (after chatting with a registrar) at the antenatal clinic sent us down to the pregnancy assessment unit, where they could monitor us for longer and be better equipped to do so.
I was so glad this was our elder son Alex's one day of the week we have him in at day-care, it was a relief knowing despite these holdups he was happy and safe - in hindsight I'm sure this helped labour to progress in its own little way! Damien arranged for his mother to pick Alex up that afternoon, as it was getting to around 4 pm at this stage and we were knackered and had no idea when we would be out of there.
In the assessment unit we were re-hooked up, and the registrar did an internal just to see how we were going. I was only 1ish cm dilated, and still not fully effaced which only further convinced me we would be out of there in no time! Bubs heartrate was still dipping , but only slightly now and although the tightenings were happening at a rate around 3 every 10 minutes I was not really in pain and not needing any relief. An hour or so later it looked as though we were ready to go home - the doctor checked my cervix again with no noticeable change other than a small amount of plug had come away. Hooray! I thought. One quick stop off at the loo and it's home time! We were literally 5 steps from exiting when a consultant happened to be looking at the afternoons proceedings and my file and we were stopped in our tracks. 'Uhh, change of plans, we've decided to keep you overnight for monitoring and we'll do another trace at 7.30pm, just to be sure'.
So, up we go to the ward - I'd forgotten just how tiny newborn babies were, and the babies everywhere made me feel more excited and hopeful that perhaps, maybe this was 'it'. My tightenings were becoming more painful through walking, but settled down again to only having the little 'bite' in the end of them once I was laying down and resting.I then figured now was not the time to be laying down really, so I asked the ward midwife for a birth ball to sit and bounce on- which she very obligingly found for me - and it was a good big one which was just what a tall,long legged lass needs! I'd missed the dinner order, so ended up having a few sandwiches which was more than fine by me. I was feeling a bit squiggly in the tummy, and felt the need to go to the loo and have a 'clean out' - not the classic runs, just a good,hearty BM!
It was then I noticed a big,bloody show and the pains I felt previously were coming back, every 2-3 minutes. The time had come to be hooked up to the CTG again, and after an hour or so of being on the monitor the pain had increased, enough to have to use controlled breathing throughout - but not yet enough for me to want pain relief.
The ward midwife was getting a bit anty now, and wanted to move me to birth suite. I wasn't really feeling ready for that, so Damien phoned my midwife to ask perhaps what our next move should be. Unfortunately it took a while to ascertain what we should do, so within half an hour we ended up at the birth suite anyway- my denial had set in hard and fast and I was still pretty sure I'd be going home soon and this was just a false alarm!
I was then greeted by the most irate midwife I had ever met, who was obviously very inconvenienced by my mere presence, and to top it off I had the nerve to be wanting a VBAC and then further wanted to ruin her evening by having private parts what were a big variation of normal! (how dare I!)
Thank goodness I knew that regardless of how the evening was going to pan out, my own midwife was on her way in...phew!
So, the wonderful Carolyn arrives at 9.45 and checks the progress of my cervix (the pregnant one) and I'm still 1ish cms but now fully effaced - and now the pain was well and truly there. If I were at home I would have maybe considered putting the bag in the car and slowly making our way to drop Alex and his Nan and Gramp's, but not in any huge rush. I was managing the pain quite well with controlled breathing, but was feeling really sick to the stomach - I was sure a big power-spew was eminent but luckily that wasn't the case. Damien found some chewing gum in my bag and this seemed to help, it kept my stomach busy enough I guess.
We all figured it was going to be a long, slow labour and now I was feeling terrible - very tired and the contractions felt like my vagina was being forcibly lifted up inside of me, with explosive pain rippling over my stomach - it was time for some pain relief and a nice hot,hot,hot shower! I was being monitored throughout, but I was so lucky to have the use of the birth suites one and only wireless monitor that was waterproof too! I had planned for as little medication as possible,so I took the most 'lightweight' option available- 2 paracetamol/codeine tablets. I then hopped into the shower, and rested between contractions on the birth ball.
The pain was all-consuming, no talking possible, no moving and most definitely no touching whatsoever. Even the water on my skin was too much during the contractions - thank goodness I was in control of the stream of water. They were coming hard and fast, every 2 minutes, lasting 60 seconds. I felt I had only been in the shower for 10 minutes, but it must have been well over an hour when Carolyn suggested I move from the shower and try some new positions -but all I wanted to do was lie down!
So I was dried off by Damien - a sloooow process given my no touching policy! I was vocalising my way through the pain, unbeknown to me at the time, and frankly I didn't care!
I was so,so,so tired and in-between contractions I was so 'inside' my own head Damien thought I was asleep! With VBAC as a precaution/pre-emptive strike they fit a cannula in my hand 'just in case'. I wasn't interested in pethidine,because I was trying so hard to stay in the moment and in control- I didn't want anything to compromise that. Carolyn suggested the gas but even before I could inhale simply having the mouthpiece touching my lips pissed me off so much - it was the weirdest feeling. Like I said - no touching!
After a while Carolyn did her midwifey duty and made sure I went to the loo, where I passed the rest of the plug - it was huge and it freaked me out in the moment. I remember the explosive feeling of my contractions, and after bub's birth Carolyn told me how fascinating it was watching my uterus do its work. It must have been through observing this and listening to my very loud and very deep noises that she asked me - "Carmel, do you want to push?". I thought, that sounded like an insane suggestion given it was only about 12.30am at this stage, and at 9.45pm I was only just over 1cm...but I really,really did feel like pushing! So in the small break between HUGE soul tearing contractions Carolyn checked me and "oh my goodness! You're 9...wait...10 cms!" to which I replied..."WHAAAAT?"
Damien has never moved so fast in his life, and he then realised that this was happening NOW and despite us planning to have his Mum there for the honest-to-goodness birth there really was no time. C'est la vie! (She has no daughters, and we're really close so if there was ever an opportunity to witness her grandbub's birth this was it)
Pushing was unbelievable. It felt at first like I needed to do the biggest poo of my life...I remember asking Carolyn in a weird panic moment - did I just poo? (For the record, yes...) I felt like I couldn't breathe properly through the contractions, the only way to get air in was vocalising- aka Just.Plain.Yelling. The most guttural,primal noise I didn't even think I was capable of making and it was really, truly helping me bring my baby out - amazing!
Bubs heartrate was now all over the place, so I was rolled onto my side where my wonderful husband held my leg up while pushing.
While I was doing my very,very best to push him down he kept popping back up again as the waters had not yet broken, so a registrar broke them with our permission - and his descent was much more effective! I was of course torn to bits, the vaginal septum that created my 2 vaginas was torn completely, of which I felt every single millimeter of the tear - it was more painful than crowning! The poor registrar copped an earful- she was taking her time prepping for the waters breaking, and mis-timed it with a contraction...suffice to say "GET YOUR EFFING MEATY HANDS OUTTA ME!!!" was probably heard throughout the entire floor of the hospital.
The reason for bubs dipping heartrate became clear when it was found the cord was wrapped around his neck, and thanks to my midwifes very quick handiwork this was fixed fast, with no further problems.
And before I knew it, and faster than lightning my little man slid out and into the world at 1.38am - the most delicious feeling in the universe! He was lifted straight on to my chest and we were covered with a warm blanket, and we lay there untouched by anyone but Damien until the cord stopped pulsating and was eventually cut.
Oh joyous moment! I felt triumphant! Against everything my previous doctor had told me my vaginas and cervixes and uteruses do work! But above and beyond that he had finally, gorgeously arrived. After months of hcg and progesterone injections and endless blood tests, nearly life crippling anxiety and the hideous pain of losing three angel babies Alex has a little brother.
The placenta came out shortly afterward, and then an epic stitching session for the registrar - along with the septum being torn apart, I had a 2nd degree perineal tear but while I was enjoying the first hours of our lives new chapter, learning to breast feed our new addition I hardly noticed at all.
So Harry Killian Jones, 7lbs 12oz of pure love arrived safe, and sound on July 29th 2010 at 1.38am.
https://i34.tinypic.com/2wnpd7k.jpg
https://i34.tinypic.com/w8ls2q.jpg
https://i34.tinypic.com/bgxrao.jpg
https://i34.tinypic.com/t8nqk7.jpg
https://i36.tinypic.com/2vjqvkn.jpg
https://i36.tinypic.com/28r1sw1.jpg
It's a long one...apologies for that!
The arrival of our gorgeous boy was kicked off with a cervical sweep at a routine 40 week appointment, and I honestly didn't hold much hope the sweep would do a thing, my midwife had organised to come to my house that coming Friday to do a follow-up sweep (so I wasn't the only one not holding my breath!)
It was a passing comment I made to the registrar that caused us to be held back at the hospital - and my goodness in hindsight if this hadn't been the case our bub would have likely been born in the car!
When asked about bubs movements of late I replied that I had noticed a slowing, but was still feeling at least one movement every hour so I wasn't worried. The registrar agreed, but just to be on the safe side organised for a CTG trace that arvo. As the antenatal clinic has only one machine available, and this naturally was in use the midwife suggested to Damo and I that we go and grab some lunch and come back in an hour or so. We had been waiting at the clinic since 8.30 that morning and I was starving and more than ready to be out in the fresh air for a while so off we went. I was feeling some tightenings at this stage but nothing painful, just uncomfy. I thought nothing of it as I had been uncomfy for weeks, and was told to expect this after a sweep-I was so sure it would fizzle out to nothing I didn't even mention it to Damien!
So, an hour or so later we arrive back, the machine was all ours and the midwife hooked me up. It was Damien who noticed how regular my tightenings were when he checked out the printout- nosey husband of mine! The tightenings were happening every 5 minutes and were starting to get what I would describe as 'a sting in the tail' - but nothing that required any pain relief or even breathing through.
Bubs heartrate however was dipping down with every little contraction, which the midwife said wasn't something we should panic about, but not great at this early stage. (I remember thinking - pff,early stage of what? We'll be back home for sure this afternoon!)
As we were going for a VBAC and I have a didelphys uterus with 2 cervixes and 2 vaginas - the reason for my previous c-section- the midwife (after chatting with a registrar) at the antenatal clinic sent us down to the pregnancy assessment unit, where they could monitor us for longer and be better equipped to do so.
I was so glad this was our elder son Alex's one day of the week we have him in at day-care, it was a relief knowing despite these holdups he was happy and safe - in hindsight I'm sure this helped labour to progress in its own little way! Damien arranged for his mother to pick Alex up that afternoon, as it was getting to around 4 pm at this stage and we were knackered and had no idea when we would be out of there.
In the assessment unit we were re-hooked up, and the registrar did an internal just to see how we were going. I was only 1ish cm dilated, and still not fully effaced which only further convinced me we would be out of there in no time! Bubs heartrate was still dipping , but only slightly now and although the tightenings were happening at a rate around 3 every 10 minutes I was not really in pain and not needing any relief. An hour or so later it looked as though we were ready to go home - the doctor checked my cervix again with no noticeable change other than a small amount of plug had come away. Hooray! I thought. One quick stop off at the loo and it's home time! We were literally 5 steps from exiting when a consultant happened to be looking at the afternoons proceedings and my file and we were stopped in our tracks. 'Uhh, change of plans, we've decided to keep you overnight for monitoring and we'll do another trace at 7.30pm, just to be sure'.
So, up we go to the ward - I'd forgotten just how tiny newborn babies were, and the babies everywhere made me feel more excited and hopeful that perhaps, maybe this was 'it'. My tightenings were becoming more painful through walking, but settled down again to only having the little 'bite' in the end of them once I was laying down and resting.I then figured now was not the time to be laying down really, so I asked the ward midwife for a birth ball to sit and bounce on- which she very obligingly found for me - and it was a good big one which was just what a tall,long legged lass needs! I'd missed the dinner order, so ended up having a few sandwiches which was more than fine by me. I was feeling a bit squiggly in the tummy, and felt the need to go to the loo and have a 'clean out' - not the classic runs, just a good,hearty BM!
It was then I noticed a big,bloody show and the pains I felt previously were coming back, every 2-3 minutes. The time had come to be hooked up to the CTG again, and after an hour or so of being on the monitor the pain had increased, enough to have to use controlled breathing throughout - but not yet enough for me to want pain relief.
The ward midwife was getting a bit anty now, and wanted to move me to birth suite. I wasn't really feeling ready for that, so Damien phoned my midwife to ask perhaps what our next move should be. Unfortunately it took a while to ascertain what we should do, so within half an hour we ended up at the birth suite anyway- my denial had set in hard and fast and I was still pretty sure I'd be going home soon and this was just a false alarm!
I was then greeted by the most irate midwife I had ever met, who was obviously very inconvenienced by my mere presence, and to top it off I had the nerve to be wanting a VBAC and then further wanted to ruin her evening by having private parts what were a big variation of normal! (how dare I!)
Thank goodness I knew that regardless of how the evening was going to pan out, my own midwife was on her way in...phew!So, the wonderful Carolyn arrives at 9.45 and checks the progress of my cervix (the pregnant one) and I'm still 1ish cms but now fully effaced - and now the pain was well and truly there. If I were at home I would have maybe considered putting the bag in the car and slowly making our way to drop Alex and his Nan and Gramp's, but not in any huge rush. I was managing the pain quite well with controlled breathing, but was feeling really sick to the stomach - I was sure a big power-spew was eminent but luckily that wasn't the case. Damien found some chewing gum in my bag and this seemed to help, it kept my stomach busy enough I guess.
We all figured it was going to be a long, slow labour and now I was feeling terrible - very tired and the contractions felt like my vagina was being forcibly lifted up inside of me, with explosive pain rippling over my stomach - it was time for some pain relief and a nice hot,hot,hot shower! I was being monitored throughout, but I was so lucky to have the use of the birth suites one and only wireless monitor that was waterproof too! I had planned for as little medication as possible,so I took the most 'lightweight' option available- 2 paracetamol/codeine tablets. I then hopped into the shower, and rested between contractions on the birth ball.
The pain was all-consuming, no talking possible, no moving and most definitely no touching whatsoever. Even the water on my skin was too much during the contractions - thank goodness I was in control of the stream of water. They were coming hard and fast, every 2 minutes, lasting 60 seconds. I felt I had only been in the shower for 10 minutes, but it must have been well over an hour when Carolyn suggested I move from the shower and try some new positions -but all I wanted to do was lie down!
So I was dried off by Damien - a sloooow process given my no touching policy! I was vocalising my way through the pain, unbeknown to me at the time, and frankly I didn't care!
I was so,so,so tired and in-between contractions I was so 'inside' my own head Damien thought I was asleep! With VBAC as a precaution/pre-emptive strike they fit a cannula in my hand 'just in case'. I wasn't interested in pethidine,because I was trying so hard to stay in the moment and in control- I didn't want anything to compromise that. Carolyn suggested the gas but even before I could inhale simply having the mouthpiece touching my lips pissed me off so much - it was the weirdest feeling. Like I said - no touching!
After a while Carolyn did her midwifey duty and made sure I went to the loo, where I passed the rest of the plug - it was huge and it freaked me out in the moment. I remember the explosive feeling of my contractions, and after bub's birth Carolyn told me how fascinating it was watching my uterus do its work. It must have been through observing this and listening to my very loud and very deep noises that she asked me - "Carmel, do you want to push?". I thought, that sounded like an insane suggestion given it was only about 12.30am at this stage, and at 9.45pm I was only just over 1cm...but I really,really did feel like pushing! So in the small break between HUGE soul tearing contractions Carolyn checked me and "oh my goodness! You're 9...wait...10 cms!" to which I replied..."WHAAAAT?"
Damien has never moved so fast in his life, and he then realised that this was happening NOW and despite us planning to have his Mum there for the honest-to-goodness birth there really was no time. C'est la vie! (She has no daughters, and we're really close so if there was ever an opportunity to witness her grandbub's birth this was it)
Pushing was unbelievable. It felt at first like I needed to do the biggest poo of my life...I remember asking Carolyn in a weird panic moment - did I just poo? (For the record, yes...) I felt like I couldn't breathe properly through the contractions, the only way to get air in was vocalising- aka Just.Plain.Yelling. The most guttural,primal noise I didn't even think I was capable of making and it was really, truly helping me bring my baby out - amazing!
Bubs heartrate was now all over the place, so I was rolled onto my side where my wonderful husband held my leg up while pushing.
While I was doing my very,very best to push him down he kept popping back up again as the waters had not yet broken, so a registrar broke them with our permission - and his descent was much more effective! I was of course torn to bits, the vaginal septum that created my 2 vaginas was torn completely, of which I felt every single millimeter of the tear - it was more painful than crowning! The poor registrar copped an earful- she was taking her time prepping for the waters breaking, and mis-timed it with a contraction...suffice to say "GET YOUR EFFING MEATY HANDS OUTTA ME!!!" was probably heard throughout the entire floor of the hospital.
The reason for bubs dipping heartrate became clear when it was found the cord was wrapped around his neck, and thanks to my midwifes very quick handiwork this was fixed fast, with no further problems.
And before I knew it, and faster than lightning my little man slid out and into the world at 1.38am - the most delicious feeling in the universe! He was lifted straight on to my chest and we were covered with a warm blanket, and we lay there untouched by anyone but Damien until the cord stopped pulsating and was eventually cut.
Oh joyous moment! I felt triumphant! Against everything my previous doctor had told me my vaginas and cervixes and uteruses do work! But above and beyond that he had finally, gorgeously arrived. After months of hcg and progesterone injections and endless blood tests, nearly life crippling anxiety and the hideous pain of losing three angel babies Alex has a little brother.
The placenta came out shortly afterward, and then an epic stitching session for the registrar - along with the septum being torn apart, I had a 2nd degree perineal tear but while I was enjoying the first hours of our lives new chapter, learning to breast feed our new addition I hardly noticed at all.
So Harry Killian Jones, 7lbs 12oz of pure love arrived safe, and sound on July 29th 2010 at 1.38am.
https://i34.tinypic.com/2wnpd7k.jpg
https://i34.tinypic.com/w8ls2q.jpg
https://i34.tinypic.com/bgxrao.jpg
https://i34.tinypic.com/t8nqk7.jpg
https://i36.tinypic.com/2vjqvkn.jpg
https://i36.tinypic.com/28r1sw1.jpg
xx
