freckleonear
Crunchy mummy
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2007
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Contractions started about 5am. Tried to get some sleep for an hour or so, then got up and had a bath. By 9am the contractions were coming 3 minutes apart, but by lunchtime they had faded away and were very irregular. Despite going for two walks, keeping upright and bouncing on my ball, they didn't become regular again until 7pm. I got into the bath for an hour, during which time the contractions were strong and coming every 3-5 minutes. When I got out I decided it was time to call the hospital.
Sam the midwife arrived at 9:10pm. She was only due to be on duty for another few minutes, so she just came to do the home assessment visit and didn't bring any birth equipment with her. She read through my notes and birth plan. As my haemoglobin had only been 9.9 the week before, she suggested a managed third stage instead of a physiological third stage if my levels hadn't gone up, which I was happy to agree to as I had been warned that some midwifes would suggest a hospital birth instead. As it happened however, she rang up the lab and discovered that my blood test from the day before showed a haemoglobin level of 11!
She examined me and discovered that I was 4-5cm dilated. She wasn't sure whether to stay or not, but in the end decided to stay with me until the next midwife arrived on shift to take over. Hubby and I settled down in the sitting room with music, candles and a card game. The contractions were stronger after the examination, but I was managing well by bouncing or leaning on my ball and using the boost button on my TENS machine.
Suddenly, the contractions changed. They were far more painful and I was feeling pushy. I had no idea that I was close to the end and I felt like I was struggling with the pain. Sam and hubby rushed to put down sheets and towels on the carpet and sofa. Meanwhile the second midwife Tracy arrived and hubby helped her carry in all the equipment. By this point the head had already appeared! Tabitha Rose was born at 10:30pm with no pain relief and handed straight to me.
We had delayed cord clamping and a physiological third stage, which took about 45 minutes. I had a tear but didn't need any stitches. Tabi latched on straight away and has continued to feed brilliantly. Hubby and I curled up on the sofa with Tabitha while the midwifes cleared up and sorted out paperwork. Two hours after the birth they had gone, I went to have a shower and then we got into our own freshly made bed. Aaron slept through the whole thing and met his new little sister when he woke up this morning!
Sam the midwife arrived at 9:10pm. She was only due to be on duty for another few minutes, so she just came to do the home assessment visit and didn't bring any birth equipment with her. She read through my notes and birth plan. As my haemoglobin had only been 9.9 the week before, she suggested a managed third stage instead of a physiological third stage if my levels hadn't gone up, which I was happy to agree to as I had been warned that some midwifes would suggest a hospital birth instead. As it happened however, she rang up the lab and discovered that my blood test from the day before showed a haemoglobin level of 11!
She examined me and discovered that I was 4-5cm dilated. She wasn't sure whether to stay or not, but in the end decided to stay with me until the next midwife arrived on shift to take over. Hubby and I settled down in the sitting room with music, candles and a card game. The contractions were stronger after the examination, but I was managing well by bouncing or leaning on my ball and using the boost button on my TENS machine.
Suddenly, the contractions changed. They were far more painful and I was feeling pushy. I had no idea that I was close to the end and I felt like I was struggling with the pain. Sam and hubby rushed to put down sheets and towels on the carpet and sofa. Meanwhile the second midwife Tracy arrived and hubby helped her carry in all the equipment. By this point the head had already appeared! Tabitha Rose was born at 10:30pm with no pain relief and handed straight to me.
We had delayed cord clamping and a physiological third stage, which took about 45 minutes. I had a tear but didn't need any stitches. Tabi latched on straight away and has continued to feed brilliantly. Hubby and I curled up on the sofa with Tabitha while the midwifes cleared up and sorted out paperwork. Two hours after the birth they had gone, I went to have a shower and then we got into our own freshly made bed. Aaron slept through the whole thing and met his new little sister when he woke up this morning!
