PeanutBean
Mumma to B & I
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- May 19, 2008
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I can't believe I'm writing my birth story before my due date but here I am. It's going to be huge so be prepared!
Thursday 27th November
1am Went to bed as normal, about 11am, after a restless few nights because of having a bad cold etc, DH said nothing was going to stop him getting a good night's sleep short of me going into labour. Famous last words! I awoke at 1am having felt a little gush, went to the toilet and it was clear my waters had gone. And boy did they go! It was like on TV! I'll never scoff at the lack of realism again! Rang triage to let them know. Started getting cramps after 15 minutes and contractions started by about 1.45am. I worried though as I couldn't feel the baby move so phoned triage again and was asked to go in.
2am-4.30am Me, DH and my Mum all at hospital on the monitor. Baby moving fine, waters still gushing, contractions coming maybe every 5 or 6 minutes but not very strong yet. Sent home to sit it out with the promise of a MW visit later in the morning. Went home and tried to sleep a bit.
9.30am MW arrived and checked me over then informed me it was policy to only allow 18 hours from waters going before being admitted for antibiotic treatment. They hadn't mentioned this at the hospital so was kicking myself for not being more active through the morning. Started to wander about trying to get things going.
1pm Contractions going off the boil so rang the homeopath or recommended a treatment which within 5 minutes brought the contractions on thick and fast. Coming regularly every 3 minutes and lasting for a full minute. Pain was getting pretty terrible so rang triage about half 1 to get the MW back with some gas and air. Going into agonies and it was not until about 3pm when the MWs finally arrived. There was a cock-up with the idiot in triage who we'd spoken to who thought my waters had gone at 1pm not 1am so no-one was in a hurry to get to me.
3pm Once the MW were there they gave me an internal and I was only 2cm. We filled the pool in preparations and my contractions went off again. I knew I only had til 7pm to get a good progression into labour or I'd have to go to hospital. Wasn't allowed in the pool until I was 5cm so was sat at the bed on my knees through the contractions.
7pm Had an internal which showed I'd only progressed to 3cm. There was no choice but to go to hospital. Gutted.
8.30pm Arrived at hospital. The MWs had got me the room with the pool in, which was nice. Had some toast as hadn't really eaten much all day. Shift changed so we got a new MW. It was really busy so we weren't seen much. Went on the antibiotic drip and sat on the birthing ball a bit. This seemed to slow the contractions so stopped with that! The pool was filled and I was allowed in to ease the pain of the contractions but told to get out if they went off again. In the pool they were coming the same, about 5 or 6 minutes apart and fairly painful but not too bad. Just on G&A.
11.30pm Had a weird change in the pain which became hugely intense and seriously awfully painful. By this time had a different MW in with me and she and my Mum began to wonder if it was transition. They thought the sounds I was making were pushing sounds and got me to push. It was the worst pain and I felt I was getting nowhere, didn't know how or where to push, it was terrifying and DH was desperately worried about me. After about an hour of this the MW finally got me out of the pool to see what was going on and found I was only 4cm dilated!! I was so cold and stressed by this point. I was given pethidine as the pain was incredible which though I didn't notice any pain relief I'm told did settle me a bit. I started dozing between contractions which though hugely painful were still only 5 mins or so apart.
Friday 28th November
6am The doctor came and popped me on syntocinon to bring the contractions up. I was told I'd be allowed 4-6 hours of this and if progress wasn't enough it would be emergency C-section. Lots of hugely hugely painful contractions as the drip built up so I caved in and asked for an epidural. Bythis time after the hours of labour and all the pushing in the pool I was physically destroyed and couldn't handle the pain at all. So I got the epidural. At first this was fine, my right leg went fairly numb but I could still move my left by itself. Then as the contractions increased in intensity it became apparent that the epidural wasn't working. Some time before my 4-hour internal the anaesthetist came to top up the epidural saying I could only feel the contractions because they ahd got more intense. Both legs were then pretty immobile but I could still feel everything in my uterus plus another window on the right side of my back. Boy was the epidural a mistake. On entenox for the pain but it was really not enough. We were waiting for the anaesthetist to come and fix the epidural properly (would need moving I think) but they were all tied up in theatre with emergency sections.
10am The magic time for checking surprised us all by showing I was fully dilated and ready to push. The drip was turned up more to bring on stronger contractions for pushing - it was clear that this entire time, though Byron was correctly positioned, he was not rightly so for dilation and I was getting nowhere at all without the drugs. The anaesthetist finally turned up to fix the epidural but it was pointless by then. I started pushing. It was indescribably painful and I was out of my mind with exhaustion. My legs and back were so numb I couldn't really push, couldn't feel what I was doing so the MW guided me and thought I was doing ok. Pushed for maybe 45mins before begging for instrumental intervention as I knew in my heart I couldn't push the baby out. Because my legs were so entirely numb the MW put them into stirrups so I could push against them without needing to try and control them. We also turned off the epidural in the hops some feeling would come back into my legs, given that it was doing nothing for the contractions anyway. Couldn't believe my home water birth was now me on my back in hospital on all medications with my legs in stirrups! MW said I was doing well but I knew it was too much for me. I asked for the ventouse and so the doctors were called for. Took so long for them to arrive (to me) and I was dying with the pain as I just couldn't use the entenox through any of the pushing stage at all so was essentially without pain relief at all. Had to have an episiotomy to use the cup (sounded like I needed one anyway though) and while the doctor was messing about with this it felt like an age and every contraction was killing me. I couldn't push anymore yet it as impossible not to push with the contraction and I was pushing 5 times per contraction. I was screaming and crying so much. (It's making me watery eyed just remembering!) Finally the cup was on and together we managed to get Byron out with one contraction and baby Byron Coleridge was born at 11.40am. He was put on my chest. I'd asked to wait for the cord to stop pulsating but they were worried about getting my stitches in and by that time it seemed almost pointless to do anything naturally. We waited a few minutes to get the most out of it then cut the cord and the placenta was delivered easily (had the injection of course) and I was stitched up.
So from natural home water birth it was pretty disappointing to have gone into hospital, had pethidine and an epidural, delivered on my back with legs in stirrups, and had both an episiotomy and an instrumental delivery. It was a total of 34 and a half hours of labouring.
The placenta was really healthy and Byron was completely covered in vernix still so we think he wasn't ready to come out and my waters had gone simply because they couldn't be contained any longer, hence not being able to do anything with my contractions.
I had to stay in hospital overnight because my waters had been broken for over 32 hours (or something like) Byron had to be checked for infection for 12 hours, despite me having received intravenous antibiotics every 4 hours since arriving at the hospital.
But of course Byron is totally perfect and DH and I are completely in love with him! I'm a physical wreck and can hardly sit because of stitches and piles but every day I feel a little better. So here is my new man!
Thursday 27th November
1am Went to bed as normal, about 11am, after a restless few nights because of having a bad cold etc, DH said nothing was going to stop him getting a good night's sleep short of me going into labour. Famous last words! I awoke at 1am having felt a little gush, went to the toilet and it was clear my waters had gone. And boy did they go! It was like on TV! I'll never scoff at the lack of realism again! Rang triage to let them know. Started getting cramps after 15 minutes and contractions started by about 1.45am. I worried though as I couldn't feel the baby move so phoned triage again and was asked to go in.
2am-4.30am Me, DH and my Mum all at hospital on the monitor. Baby moving fine, waters still gushing, contractions coming maybe every 5 or 6 minutes but not very strong yet. Sent home to sit it out with the promise of a MW visit later in the morning. Went home and tried to sleep a bit.
9.30am MW arrived and checked me over then informed me it was policy to only allow 18 hours from waters going before being admitted for antibiotic treatment. They hadn't mentioned this at the hospital so was kicking myself for not being more active through the morning. Started to wander about trying to get things going.
1pm Contractions going off the boil so rang the homeopath or recommended a treatment which within 5 minutes brought the contractions on thick and fast. Coming regularly every 3 minutes and lasting for a full minute. Pain was getting pretty terrible so rang triage about half 1 to get the MW back with some gas and air. Going into agonies and it was not until about 3pm when the MWs finally arrived. There was a cock-up with the idiot in triage who we'd spoken to who thought my waters had gone at 1pm not 1am so no-one was in a hurry to get to me.
3pm Once the MW were there they gave me an internal and I was only 2cm. We filled the pool in preparations and my contractions went off again. I knew I only had til 7pm to get a good progression into labour or I'd have to go to hospital. Wasn't allowed in the pool until I was 5cm so was sat at the bed on my knees through the contractions.
7pm Had an internal which showed I'd only progressed to 3cm. There was no choice but to go to hospital. Gutted.
8.30pm Arrived at hospital. The MWs had got me the room with the pool in, which was nice. Had some toast as hadn't really eaten much all day. Shift changed so we got a new MW. It was really busy so we weren't seen much. Went on the antibiotic drip and sat on the birthing ball a bit. This seemed to slow the contractions so stopped with that! The pool was filled and I was allowed in to ease the pain of the contractions but told to get out if they went off again. In the pool they were coming the same, about 5 or 6 minutes apart and fairly painful but not too bad. Just on G&A.
11.30pm Had a weird change in the pain which became hugely intense and seriously awfully painful. By this time had a different MW in with me and she and my Mum began to wonder if it was transition. They thought the sounds I was making were pushing sounds and got me to push. It was the worst pain and I felt I was getting nowhere, didn't know how or where to push, it was terrifying and DH was desperately worried about me. After about an hour of this the MW finally got me out of the pool to see what was going on and found I was only 4cm dilated!! I was so cold and stressed by this point. I was given pethidine as the pain was incredible which though I didn't notice any pain relief I'm told did settle me a bit. I started dozing between contractions which though hugely painful were still only 5 mins or so apart.
Friday 28th November
6am The doctor came and popped me on syntocinon to bring the contractions up. I was told I'd be allowed 4-6 hours of this and if progress wasn't enough it would be emergency C-section. Lots of hugely hugely painful contractions as the drip built up so I caved in and asked for an epidural. Bythis time after the hours of labour and all the pushing in the pool I was physically destroyed and couldn't handle the pain at all. So I got the epidural. At first this was fine, my right leg went fairly numb but I could still move my left by itself. Then as the contractions increased in intensity it became apparent that the epidural wasn't working. Some time before my 4-hour internal the anaesthetist came to top up the epidural saying I could only feel the contractions because they ahd got more intense. Both legs were then pretty immobile but I could still feel everything in my uterus plus another window on the right side of my back. Boy was the epidural a mistake. On entenox for the pain but it was really not enough. We were waiting for the anaesthetist to come and fix the epidural properly (would need moving I think) but they were all tied up in theatre with emergency sections.
10am The magic time for checking surprised us all by showing I was fully dilated and ready to push. The drip was turned up more to bring on stronger contractions for pushing - it was clear that this entire time, though Byron was correctly positioned, he was not rightly so for dilation and I was getting nowhere at all without the drugs. The anaesthetist finally turned up to fix the epidural but it was pointless by then. I started pushing. It was indescribably painful and I was out of my mind with exhaustion. My legs and back were so numb I couldn't really push, couldn't feel what I was doing so the MW guided me and thought I was doing ok. Pushed for maybe 45mins before begging for instrumental intervention as I knew in my heart I couldn't push the baby out. Because my legs were so entirely numb the MW put them into stirrups so I could push against them without needing to try and control them. We also turned off the epidural in the hops some feeling would come back into my legs, given that it was doing nothing for the contractions anyway. Couldn't believe my home water birth was now me on my back in hospital on all medications with my legs in stirrups! MW said I was doing well but I knew it was too much for me. I asked for the ventouse and so the doctors were called for. Took so long for them to arrive (to me) and I was dying with the pain as I just couldn't use the entenox through any of the pushing stage at all so was essentially without pain relief at all. Had to have an episiotomy to use the cup (sounded like I needed one anyway though) and while the doctor was messing about with this it felt like an age and every contraction was killing me. I couldn't push anymore yet it as impossible not to push with the contraction and I was pushing 5 times per contraction. I was screaming and crying so much. (It's making me watery eyed just remembering!) Finally the cup was on and together we managed to get Byron out with one contraction and baby Byron Coleridge was born at 11.40am. He was put on my chest. I'd asked to wait for the cord to stop pulsating but they were worried about getting my stitches in and by that time it seemed almost pointless to do anything naturally. We waited a few minutes to get the most out of it then cut the cord and the placenta was delivered easily (had the injection of course) and I was stitched up.
So from natural home water birth it was pretty disappointing to have gone into hospital, had pethidine and an epidural, delivered on my back with legs in stirrups, and had both an episiotomy and an instrumental delivery. It was a total of 34 and a half hours of labouring.
The placenta was really healthy and Byron was completely covered in vernix still so we think he wasn't ready to come out and my waters had gone simply because they couldn't be contained any longer, hence not being able to do anything with my contractions.
I had to stay in hospital overnight because my waters had been broken for over 32 hours (or something like) Byron had to be checked for infection for 12 hours, despite me having received intravenous antibiotics every 4 hours since arriving at the hospital.
But of course Byron is totally perfect and DH and I are completely in love with him! I'm a physical wreck and can hardly sit because of stitches and piles but every day I feel a little better. So here is my new man!
xxx
