Well, I haven't written on here for a while, although in the run up to my due date, I started reading some of these stories and really appreciated them. So here's my story...
My waters broke at 6 am on Thursday morning, and I was so excited. I spent the day pottering about, met a friend for coffee, and tried not to stress. My contractions didn't start until 11pm Thursday night, and they were coming every 12 minutes, mainly in my back. At first they were bareable, but we didn't get any sleep (I was too excited now that things were finally happening, and I was too uncomfortable). We headed to the hospital at 8.30 am on Friday morning, but I was only 2 cm. I was disappointed, but thought that things were moving along as my contractions were coming every 5 minutes. We went home and went back to the hospital at 2.30pm - I was only 2-3 cm!! I was frustrated and in pain. The decision was made to have an epidural (to get some rest too) and to start me on Oxtocin as I was "failing to progress" on my own. Oh, and DH fainted during my epidural! He was supporting me and I wouldn't let him move as I had to stay still, and before I knew it his head was in my lap- (it took 4 tries to get the epidural in, so he was sat in the same position for ages). I was upset when he fainted, but the staff nurses were amazing. He was all better within a matter of minutes, ready to support me some more...
But the baby didn't like the extra hormone, so they had to re-fill me with an amniotic replacement so that the baby was cushioned a bit. This seemed to work, although I had tubes coming out of every part of me - not very dignified, but I didn't care at the time. Eventually I started to dilate properly, and by 4am on Sat morning I was 8cm. It was a long, slow process, but we managed to doze a bit. To cut a long story much shorter, I got to just over 9cm, and then it started to regress - I was starting to give up by this point and was really upset, but the OB GYN managed to stretch me to finish it off so I could start pushing. The first hour was great, but the second hour my back was really hurting me, and I just couldn't get into a good position. I was in pain, and they topped up the epidural and gave me an extra freezing medication, so I started to relax. Most of my contractions were in my back, and the epidural wasn't working completely. By this point, it was 11am on Sat morning, and I was exhausted. As pushing wasn't working, so we went to the operating room to try forceps, as my daughter was so close to coming out. We were in the Op Room "just in case" I need a c-section. By this point I was on antibiotics as I had a fever by now.
Well, as soon as she tried the forceps, the baby's heart rate dropped (it turns out the cord was just to the side of her head, and trying to pull her out squished the cord - so she would never have been delivered vaginally anyway)
So, we immediately went for a c-section - except I could feel them poking me (the test) even though I had the epidural, so I ended up having a general as they had to get the baby out immediately, and my DH had to leave the room. Apparently, he managed to get outside the door and just sit down before he heard our daughter cry.
I woke up a little while later, and was very groggy. Apparently, while I was still out of it, the nurse put the baby to my breast in the recovery room and showed my DH how to breastfeed! I am very impressed, as it would have been much easier for them to have given her a bottle, and I think that has made my breastfeeding and her latch so much easier.
Anyway, I had heard that you forget labour really quickly, and I have to agree - by the time I had woken from the general aneasthetic, I had forgotten all the horrid bits of the whole experience, and was enthralled with our daughter. The experience also meant that my DH was the first one to hold our daughter skin-to-skin, so he has had an amazing bond with her from the very beginning.
So, contractions started at 11pm on Thursday, and she born at noon on Saturday. An ordeal, but she is wonderful, and I cannot believe that nearly 2 weeks have passed...
Good luck to all of you who have yet to go through labour. Hopefully yours will not last as long as mine, and you will forget it all just as quickly as I did!
My waters broke at 6 am on Thursday morning, and I was so excited. I spent the day pottering about, met a friend for coffee, and tried not to stress. My contractions didn't start until 11pm Thursday night, and they were coming every 12 minutes, mainly in my back. At first they were bareable, but we didn't get any sleep (I was too excited now that things were finally happening, and I was too uncomfortable). We headed to the hospital at 8.30 am on Friday morning, but I was only 2 cm. I was disappointed, but thought that things were moving along as my contractions were coming every 5 minutes. We went home and went back to the hospital at 2.30pm - I was only 2-3 cm!! I was frustrated and in pain. The decision was made to have an epidural (to get some rest too) and to start me on Oxtocin as I was "failing to progress" on my own. Oh, and DH fainted during my epidural! He was supporting me and I wouldn't let him move as I had to stay still, and before I knew it his head was in my lap- (it took 4 tries to get the epidural in, so he was sat in the same position for ages). I was upset when he fainted, but the staff nurses were amazing. He was all better within a matter of minutes, ready to support me some more...
But the baby didn't like the extra hormone, so they had to re-fill me with an amniotic replacement so that the baby was cushioned a bit. This seemed to work, although I had tubes coming out of every part of me - not very dignified, but I didn't care at the time. Eventually I started to dilate properly, and by 4am on Sat morning I was 8cm. It was a long, slow process, but we managed to doze a bit. To cut a long story much shorter, I got to just over 9cm, and then it started to regress - I was starting to give up by this point and was really upset, but the OB GYN managed to stretch me to finish it off so I could start pushing. The first hour was great, but the second hour my back was really hurting me, and I just couldn't get into a good position. I was in pain, and they topped up the epidural and gave me an extra freezing medication, so I started to relax. Most of my contractions were in my back, and the epidural wasn't working completely. By this point, it was 11am on Sat morning, and I was exhausted. As pushing wasn't working, so we went to the operating room to try forceps, as my daughter was so close to coming out. We were in the Op Room "just in case" I need a c-section. By this point I was on antibiotics as I had a fever by now.
Well, as soon as she tried the forceps, the baby's heart rate dropped (it turns out the cord was just to the side of her head, and trying to pull her out squished the cord - so she would never have been delivered vaginally anyway)
So, we immediately went for a c-section - except I could feel them poking me (the test) even though I had the epidural, so I ended up having a general as they had to get the baby out immediately, and my DH had to leave the room. Apparently, he managed to get outside the door and just sit down before he heard our daughter cry.
I woke up a little while later, and was very groggy. Apparently, while I was still out of it, the nurse put the baby to my breast in the recovery room and showed my DH how to breastfeed! I am very impressed, as it would have been much easier for them to have given her a bottle, and I think that has made my breastfeeding and her latch so much easier.
Anyway, I had heard that you forget labour really quickly, and I have to agree - by the time I had woken from the general aneasthetic, I had forgotten all the horrid bits of the whole experience, and was enthralled with our daughter. The experience also meant that my DH was the first one to hold our daughter skin-to-skin, so he has had an amazing bond with her from the very beginning.
So, contractions started at 11pm on Thursday, and she born at noon on Saturday. An ordeal, but she is wonderful, and I cannot believe that nearly 2 weeks have passed...
Good luck to all of you who have yet to go through labour. Hopefully yours will not last as long as mine, and you will forget it all just as quickly as I did!
