Birth Story! I am very verbose. Not concise at all. Sorry it's rambling.
Background: Ryan had been measuring big on his scans. At my last growth scan at 36 weeks his abdomen measurements were off the top percentile. So the consultant had me repeat my GTT and come back in 2 weeks. At the next app, we agreed that I could have a stretch and sweep at my next midwife app at 38 weeks on May 4th and I was booked to come back May 8th for a second sweep and induction booking because they didn't want Ryan to go over due.
So we went on the 4th and I was about 1cm dilated. Midwife said the sweep was successful and she was able to really get everything swept round and stuff. Delightful phrasing haha.
That night I had some period like cramps, but every time I started to time them they stopped. I went to bed and by morning everything had stopped.
Over the weekend I started to lose my mucus plug in bits and pieces. I had some random tightenings but nothing painful or regular or anything.
So Tuesday May 8th arrived. Appointment at 9:30. Sweep performed and I'm about 2cms dilated now. I was booked for my waters breaking on Friday 11th May if nothing kicked off.
We left the hospital and took a steady walk to our local park and wandered about the duck pond. Saw lots of cute ducklings. I firmly believe the ducklings helped bring on the labour haha.
We got home around 12ish and had lunch. By half 12 I was having pains that were grabbing my attention. I started to time them and they were every 5 mins. I waited for about an hour, they didn't get any closer, but they didn't fade or stop either. And they were definitely more painful! Now I was needing to breath through the pain. I held off another 40 odd mins before I rang the hospital. I was convinced I was being a drama queen, that the pains had come on too suddenly and it was all gunna be a false alarm. The hospital advised me to come in and be checked. So we hauled Josh out of school, grabbed the baby gear and headed off.
We got to the hospital about 4:30 and they monitored me and Ryan for a while before examining me. At 5:20 I was declared 4cms. We were in labour! DS went off to my friends and I got some lovely gas and air at last.
At about 6ish we got onto labour ward. Thankfully I didn't need constant monitoring so I could get up and move about, bounce on the ball. I still only had the gas and air but by around 7ish I started wanting an epidural. Not for the pain, but because the pressure building in my groin and my bum was getting unbearable. I was begging my midwife to check me, but hospital policy stated I didn't need to be checked until 4 hours had passed.
By this point I had moved back to the bed, after a heartbeat check for Ryan. Something changed in the contractions. Where before I had been breathing the gas and pretty silent, now I was moaning with the pains and I was starting to push.
Me and my midwife made a deal, she would tell the midwives taking over from her at 8 to check me, because they would be with me all night then. At about quarter/ten to 8 the new midwives came in, Vikki, my first midwife left with best wishes and good luck.
We decided it was probs best I take my leggings off at this point, I have no idea how I thought I was gunna give birth fully clothed. I told my new midwives I WAS pushing, I couldn't help or stop it. I was told to go with my body. They examined my tummy and Ryan's head was completely descended into my pelvis, they couldn't feel it anymore at all. I asked for a cervix check, I wanted permission to push so I could really get into it, I was still trying to hold back. Laura, one of my midwives said she was pretty sure if she just parted my labia, she would see Ryan's head and was it okay if she did that instead? I agreed, I desperately wanted to be able to push properly.
Ofc, she was right. They could already see the top of his head. He was still in his waters at this point. I remember thinking I wonder if they're going to break his membranes like they did with DS. But I didn't have enough brain power to ask. I kept on pushing, I could feel Ryan moving down the birth canal, feel his head getting closer. Every push I though "this will be the one that gets his head out". They invited DH to look as he was starting to crown, I got to feel his head as well.
And then that was it, at 8:19pm, his head was out and his body followed straight after. As DH said "he shot out". Afterwards I learned the midwives broken his waters when he was out. They put him on my chest and started to rub him off and get him breathing. They worked on him for a few mins on my chest, while Ryan debated if breathing was truly necessary. It was decided he needed a tad more help, so daddy cut the cord and off he went to be worked on by the doctors that just appeared in the room.
I was watching him get nice and pink, but the silence was deafening. There were awful words like 'crash cart' floating around, which terrified me and DH. Then we got a few little hiccups and a small cry. They were still working with Ryan when it all went a bit wrong with me.
I delivered my placenta all fine. Then I started to bleed. And bleed. And bleed. Suddenly there's a team of doctors there for me. I'm given oxygen, someone is putting cannulas in my hands, they're giving me fluids and drugs, injections in my legs, drugs put where you don't want drugs put! They've put a catheter in. Someone is massaging my stomach, someone else is putting pressure on my uterus from the inside(!)
Poor DH was left standing in the corner in utter panic. I was pretty out of it, all I cared about was that Ryan was okay. One of my midwives came to explain that I was okay, but I was having a pretty serious post partum hemorrhage and they needed to stop the bleeding. I was laid on the bed, watching the doctors work on Ryan and thinking "oh please don't have to give me a hysterectomy. I'm done with kids, but please don't take my womb away"
Thankfully, that didn't happen. They got the bleeding under control. They got Ryan breathing nicely and agreed he could stay with us and didn't need neonatal. And then it was over. Everyone left, I thanked as many people as I could and it was us and our 2 fantastic midwives again.
By this point DH was walking around with Ryan, who I hadn't even seen properly yet. I desperately wanted to hold him, but I was still pretty much flat on my back, with lines in both hands and I couldn't move. So we did the best we could and I at least got to see his face at long last. Over the next hour I managed to get somewhat vertical and arrange my various wires so I could hold him at last, and feed him.
We were told there was a possibility either Ryan or myself had an infection that might have passed between us. So we were both on antibiotics for a while. Ryan for 48 hours while they waited for blood tests to come back. I got sent home with mine. So we had a few days in hospital and we came home Friday the 11th May. Ryan has settled in perfectly at home and is a wonderful, calm, contented boy. We couldn't be any happier.
. A little crampy is better than nothing right! It means something is getting ready!!
