So I have finally got round to writing this after more than a month...oops! Who would've thought a newborn takes up so much time!!
Lily was due on September 8th, but from the middle of August I was booked in for a c-section on Sept 1st as she was breech. I had a feeling that this wasn't going to happen, and lo and behold, the day before my op date, we fouind out that she had turned head down!
So back to due date of September 8th! Due date rolled around, and a routine midwife appointment revealed that Lily had somersaulted back to a breech position, so an ECV was done that evening.
Back to being on course for a 'natural' delivery again, which was something I had wanted being as my sons birth was long, painful and very assisted (epi and ventouse).
But of course things didn't go to plan, and after waiting 12 days, I was sent for an induction.
At 10am on September 20th, I was examined and found to be 2cm dilated (which is no surprise as this is my second baby) and with a posterior cervix.
I was monitored for an hour and then at 11am, was given the induction gel pessary. I was told that induction can take up to 4 days and that they would examine me again in 6 hours time.
At 11.10 I started feeling some tightenings, but they were not painful. They lasted about 40 seconds and were coming every 5mins. I didn't think much of this as I had convinced myself that this was going to be a long drawn out process.
By 12.30 I was having to breathe through the contractions and they were 3 mins apart lasting a minute and a half. The midwife helped me put my TENS on and gave me some paracetamol, but was giving me the impression that she thought I was exaggerating.
Shortly after this I decided that a bath might help so off I went. The pain was more managable in the water, and time seemed to go faster too so I was happy in there until around 3.30 when for some reason I started to panic. I wanted gas and air to cope with the pain, and I was worried than I was going to be in this much pain for the next 4 days.
My OH went to get the midwife who said that I could go to labour and delivery for gas and air, but that they would then have me strapped to a monitor and I wsouldn't be allowed back in the bath or off the bed so she was advising against it.
I started crying saying that I couldn't do it anymore so the midwife said she would examine me even though she shouldn't for another couple of hours. I got out the bath and the pains became so much more intense and on top of eachother so much so that I couldn't walk back to my room, and she had to examine me on the bathroom floor! Classy!!
In my head I was preparing for her to say that there was no progress so I almost kissed her when she said, rather amazed, that I was 7cms dilated!!
She arranged for me to go to the delivery suite and I atte,pted to walk down there, approx 30 metres away. This took me over 15 minuites to do, and I was over the moon to finally have my G and A! Things were going well until I was given diamorphine at around 4.30. This made me very sleepy and nauseous and I was only conscious for the actual contractions, and I wasn't able to prepare myself for them at all.
I was sure I wanted to push, and kept begging them to check me. They eventually did and she said my waters were bulging, then another contraction hit, and my waters exploded all over the midwife! Oops!
The pressure eased for a few mins then I was told to push at around 6.45 pm. I kept pushing but by that time I was hysterical, and I was sobbing and begging my OH to help me. After 45 mins of pushing, her head finally came out, and it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would, and was almost a welcome relief from the contractions! One more push and she was out! OH was crying too much to cut the cord, and I was so out of it, i barely even noticed Lily being placed on my chest. The midwifes took her to be weighed and cleaned up a bit and I slept til I started to feel more human.
So from First induction gel to Lily being born was exactly 8 and a half hours, she weighed 7lb 4oz (a little small for 12 days late) and I didn't need cutting, had no tears, and just one graze!
It wasn't really the birthing experience that I had planned for but I think it was definitely the best I could have hoped for!
Thanks for reading!x
Lily was due on September 8th, but from the middle of August I was booked in for a c-section on Sept 1st as she was breech. I had a feeling that this wasn't going to happen, and lo and behold, the day before my op date, we fouind out that she had turned head down!
So back to due date of September 8th! Due date rolled around, and a routine midwife appointment revealed that Lily had somersaulted back to a breech position, so an ECV was done that evening.
Back to being on course for a 'natural' delivery again, which was something I had wanted being as my sons birth was long, painful and very assisted (epi and ventouse).
But of course things didn't go to plan, and after waiting 12 days, I was sent for an induction.
At 10am on September 20th, I was examined and found to be 2cm dilated (which is no surprise as this is my second baby) and with a posterior cervix.
I was monitored for an hour and then at 11am, was given the induction gel pessary. I was told that induction can take up to 4 days and that they would examine me again in 6 hours time.
At 11.10 I started feeling some tightenings, but they were not painful. They lasted about 40 seconds and were coming every 5mins. I didn't think much of this as I had convinced myself that this was going to be a long drawn out process.
By 12.30 I was having to breathe through the contractions and they were 3 mins apart lasting a minute and a half. The midwife helped me put my TENS on and gave me some paracetamol, but was giving me the impression that she thought I was exaggerating.
Shortly after this I decided that a bath might help so off I went. The pain was more managable in the water, and time seemed to go faster too so I was happy in there until around 3.30 when for some reason I started to panic. I wanted gas and air to cope with the pain, and I was worried than I was going to be in this much pain for the next 4 days.
My OH went to get the midwife who said that I could go to labour and delivery for gas and air, but that they would then have me strapped to a monitor and I wsouldn't be allowed back in the bath or off the bed so she was advising against it.
I started crying saying that I couldn't do it anymore so the midwife said she would examine me even though she shouldn't for another couple of hours. I got out the bath and the pains became so much more intense and on top of eachother so much so that I couldn't walk back to my room, and she had to examine me on the bathroom floor! Classy!!
In my head I was preparing for her to say that there was no progress so I almost kissed her when she said, rather amazed, that I was 7cms dilated!!
She arranged for me to go to the delivery suite and I atte,pted to walk down there, approx 30 metres away. This took me over 15 minuites to do, and I was over the moon to finally have my G and A! Things were going well until I was given diamorphine at around 4.30. This made me very sleepy and nauseous and I was only conscious for the actual contractions, and I wasn't able to prepare myself for them at all.
I was sure I wanted to push, and kept begging them to check me. They eventually did and she said my waters were bulging, then another contraction hit, and my waters exploded all over the midwife! Oops!
The pressure eased for a few mins then I was told to push at around 6.45 pm. I kept pushing but by that time I was hysterical, and I was sobbing and begging my OH to help me. After 45 mins of pushing, her head finally came out, and it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would, and was almost a welcome relief from the contractions! One more push and she was out! OH was crying too much to cut the cord, and I was so out of it, i barely even noticed Lily being placed on my chest. The midwifes took her to be weighed and cleaned up a bit and I slept til I started to feel more human.
So from First induction gel to Lily being born was exactly 8 and a half hours, she weighed 7lb 4oz (a little small for 12 days late) and I didn't need cutting, had no tears, and just one graze!
It wasn't really the birthing experience that I had planned for but I think it was definitely the best I could have hoped for!
Thanks for reading!x
nice to see a good one
