4th May 2011 - 38+3
I felt like I might be leaking liquid but it was only a small amount so I thought it might be wee
I had mild period pains on and off all day and then in the evening I started losing my plug.
5th May 2011 - 38+4
Cramps continued all day but still only mild so I thought it was just Braxton Hicks.
6th May 2011 - 38+5
I woke up twice during the night because I felt a bit damp down below but thought it was just the baby putting pressure on my bladder. I got out of bed at 7am and went to the bathroom where OH was just about to get into the shower. I was just about to sit on the loo for a wee when I felt a small gush and then saw clear liquid trickle down my leg - I looked at OH and said I my waters just broke and he said "are you sure you haven't just wet yourself?"
I knew I hadn't because I had only been for a wee half hour before!
I rang the hospital to let them know my waters had broken, they asked me to go in so they could make sure it was my waters etc. So I had a shower and some breakfast then OH and I left home at about 8.30am. We got to the hospital half an hour later, I went into triage at about 9.30am and the midwife told me that my last urine test flagged up Group B Strep so I'd have to have antibiotics on a drip at some point. She examined me and said I was a couple of centimeters dilated, she didn't think my waters had gone because she could feel them bulging so she gave me a sweep and told us to go for a walk around the hospital grounds and go back at 11am to check my progress. The midwife gave me 2 co-codamol to take the edge off the pain then OH & I went for a little walk and then I got too hot so we sat in the car with the air con on for 20 mins I was having irregular mild contractions at this point. When we went back she said I was 2-3cms dilated - my waters properly broke after the exam so I put a couple of pads on. The midwife told us to go home and rest, have a bath, bounce on my birthing ball and rub some clary sage oil on my back and bump etc and then go back at 4.30pm.
We got home and my contractions gradually went from uncomfortable to slightly painful. We had some food, I paced around and continued dropping gushes of water all over the floor - it soaked straight through the pads about 3 times! I could only wait until 3.30pm to go back as the pain was getting worse and I was worried if I waited another hour then the half hour car journey to hospital would be agony. I was breathing through the contractions by now and they were about 4-5 mins apart. When we got to the hospital, I was examined and told I was still only about 3cms dilated but my cervix had thinned so progress was good. I was given another two co-codamol and then the midwife asked me what kind of labour I was hoping for and I said a natural water birth if possible but I knew I might not be able to use the birthing pool because my BMI is really high so she took us to a room to check my weight and height but unfortunately it was too high for their liking 
We went back to the triage room where I was given an IV for the Group B Strep (it took 3 attempts by a doctor to get the needle thing in my hand and in the end they had to get an anaesthetist to do it lol) it was hard to sit still at this point because my contractions were very strong. After the IV was all finished I was moved to the antenatal ward where there was just one other lady who had been induced but wasnt in active labour yet. I got changed and then tried to get comfy in the bed. After about an hour, the contractions were so strong that I felt I needed some pain relief so asked for gas & air. Between about 5pm-9pm I went through four canisters of gas & air so my mind is a little fuzzy on the details of what happened between those hours I remember having the monitor being put around my tummy, feeling so high on the G&A and ringing my sister asking her to come and get my keys for my flat so she could put my knickers that were in the washing machine into the tumble drier I now realise I was worried about not having enough clean knickers because I had changed them so many times from my waters leaking and I was focusing on that issue to get me through the pain 
During the whole time OH was by my side, eating all my snacks as he hadnt eaten since breakfast and reassuring me everytime I cried out in pain, bless him.
The midwives handover was at 8pm so I was supposed to be examined then but they took their time and I was in REAL pain at this point, begging to be examined as I knew I should be on the labour ward by now. I was examined at about 9pm and told I was 4cms but progressing very fast the midwife went into a panic as she could feel my baby moving down and my body pushing! She asked if I could walk to the labour ward but I just ignored her as I was constantly breathing the G&A because the contractions were on top of each other and so intense! She took that as a big NO! and then with the student midwife, they wheeled me into a delivery room where I had the urge to push almost straight away. It was about 9.30pm by this point and I felt like I was getting slightly longer between contractions to rest I actually kept almost falling asleep until they started building up again. I was pushing when the contractions were at their peak and using the G&A like my life depended on it! At about 10pm I decided to throw the G&A on the floor because I knew I was concentrating on it too much so it was preventing me from pushing properly. The baby kept almost crowning and then going back in, I felt like I was pushing my hardest but then out of no where, I found the strength to push even harder and at 10.30pm I pushed out my beautiful baby
Ill never forget the look on my OHs face, it was such an amazing moment! I asked him if it was a boy or a girl and he ecstatically announced that we had made a baby BOY! He was put straight on my chest for skin to skin and I was mesmerized and in shock that our baby was finally here! The midwife asked if she could cut the cord and I said Id like OH to do it after it stopped pulsing so she said Id need to push the placenta out physiologically in that case which I said I was happy to do. OH cut the cord and then after a little push, the placenta wash delivered which we looked at before it was taken away (looked kind of like a brain to me lol). I was examined after delivering the placenta and was very happy to hear that I had no tears so didn't need stitches
We decided to call him Leo because he roared like a little lion when he entered the world! He weighed 8lbs 6oz, has dark hair and dark blue eyes, he is beautiful
I cant wait to do it all over again!
I felt like I might be leaking liquid but it was only a small amount so I thought it might be wee
I had mild period pains on and off all day and then in the evening I started losing my plug. 5th May 2011 - 38+4
Cramps continued all day but still only mild so I thought it was just Braxton Hicks.
6th May 2011 - 38+5
I woke up twice during the night because I felt a bit damp down below but thought it was just the baby putting pressure on my bladder. I got out of bed at 7am and went to the bathroom where OH was just about to get into the shower. I was just about to sit on the loo for a wee when I felt a small gush and then saw clear liquid trickle down my leg - I looked at OH and said I my waters just broke and he said "are you sure you haven't just wet yourself?"
I knew I hadn't because I had only been for a wee half hour before! I rang the hospital to let them know my waters had broken, they asked me to go in so they could make sure it was my waters etc. So I had a shower and some breakfast then OH and I left home at about 8.30am. We got to the hospital half an hour later, I went into triage at about 9.30am and the midwife told me that my last urine test flagged up Group B Strep so I'd have to have antibiotics on a drip at some point. She examined me and said I was a couple of centimeters dilated, she didn't think my waters had gone because she could feel them bulging so she gave me a sweep and told us to go for a walk around the hospital grounds and go back at 11am to check my progress. The midwife gave me 2 co-codamol to take the edge off the pain then OH & I went for a little walk and then I got too hot so we sat in the car with the air con on for 20 mins
I was having irregular mild contractions at this point. When we went back she said I was 2-3cms dilated - my waters properly broke after the exam so I put a couple of pads on. The midwife told us to go home and rest, have a bath, bounce on my birthing ball and rub some clary sage oil on my back and bump etc and then go back at 4.30pm.We got home and my contractions gradually went from uncomfortable to slightly painful. We had some food, I paced around and continued dropping gushes of water all over the floor - it soaked straight through the pads about 3 times! I could only wait until 3.30pm to go back as the pain was getting worse and I was worried if I waited another hour then the half hour car journey to hospital would be agony. I was breathing through the contractions by now and they were about 4-5 mins apart. When we got to the hospital, I was examined and told I was still only about 3cms dilated but my cervix had thinned so progress was good. I was given another two co-codamol and then the midwife asked me what kind of labour I was hoping for and I said a natural water birth if possible but I knew I might not be able to use the birthing pool because my BMI is really high so she took us to a room to check my weight and height but unfortunately it was too high for their liking 
We went back to the triage room where I was given an IV for the Group B Strep (it took 3 attempts by a doctor to get the needle thing in my hand and in the end they had to get an anaesthetist to do it lol) it was hard to sit still at this point because my contractions were very strong. After the IV was all finished I was moved to the antenatal ward where there was just one other lady who had been induced but wasnt in active labour yet. I got changed and then tried to get comfy in the bed. After about an hour, the contractions were so strong that I felt I needed some pain relief so asked for gas & air. Between about 5pm-9pm I went through four canisters of gas & air so my mind is a little fuzzy on the details of what happened between those hours
I remember having the monitor being put around my tummy, feeling so high on the G&A and ringing my sister asking her to come and get my keys for my flat so she could put my knickers that were in the washing machine into the tumble drier I now realise I was worried about not having enough clean knickers because I had changed them so many times from my waters leaking and I was focusing on that issue to get me through the pain During the whole time OH was by my side, eating all my snacks as he hadnt eaten since breakfast and reassuring me everytime I cried out in pain, bless him. The midwives handover was at 8pm so I was supposed to be examined then but they took their time and I was in REAL pain at this point, begging to be examined as I knew I should be on the labour ward by now. I was examined at about 9pm and told I was 4cms but progressing very fast the midwife went into a panic as she could feel my baby moving down and my body pushing! She asked if I could walk to the labour ward but I just ignored her as I was constantly breathing the G&A because the contractions were on top of each other and so intense! She took that as a big NO! and then with the student midwife, they wheeled me into a delivery room where I had the urge to push almost straight away. It was about 9.30pm by this point and I felt like I was getting slightly longer between contractions to rest I actually kept almost falling asleep until they started building up again. I was pushing when the contractions were at their peak and using the G&A like my life depended on it! At about 10pm I decided to throw the G&A on the floor because I knew I was concentrating on it too much so it was preventing me from pushing properly. The baby kept almost crowning and then going back in, I felt like I was pushing my hardest but then out of no where, I found the strength to push even harder and at 10.30pm I pushed out my beautiful baby
Ill never forget the look on my OHs face, it was such an amazing moment! I asked him if it was a boy or a girl and he ecstatically announced that we had made a baby BOY! He was put straight on my chest for skin to skin and I was mesmerized and in shock that our baby was finally here! The midwife asked if she could cut the cord and I said Id like OH to do it after it stopped pulsing so she said Id need to push the placenta out physiologically in that case which I said I was happy to do. OH cut the cord and then after a little push, the placenta wash delivered which we looked at before it was taken away (looked kind of like a brain to me lol). I was examined after delivering the placenta and was very happy to hear that I had no tears so didn't need stitches
We decided to call him Leo because he roared like a little lion when he entered the world! He weighed 8lbs 6oz, has dark hair and dark blue eyes, he is beautiful
I cant wait to do it all over again!
I really like his name
xx
