My baby arrived! - fuller birth story page 2

[Kess]

I will do a more detailed birth story when I'm a bit more alert, if people want it, but basically:

I had my baby boy at home at 1.55am Friday morning, the 29th. He shares a birthday with his grandad, my FIL .

My waters broke that afternoon at 2.40pm, and within 20 minutes contractions had started, and very quickly were 5 minutes apart and lasting between a minute and two minutes. My Mom, Dad and sister came up and were all here the whole way through, and my wonderful MW Jo did a great job too. I used relaxation through the early contractions, then the TENS, and then got into the birth pool. Eventually Jo suggested G&A as I was struggling a little, and even though I thought I'd hate it (I hate feeling woozy which is what I was told it would feel like), it was lovely (didn't feel woozy at all), it took the edge of the intense pressure though it didn't change the pain at all. His head took forever to arrive, and we found out why once he was out - average head circumference is 33cm, his is 36cm, and he's 9lb 5-and-a-bit ounces (my Dad laughed at me mentioning the "and a bit", but I pointed out I'd felt it I was getting credit for it!). I'm 5'2" and 8 stone!

My rainbow baby is here!

His name is still in flux. We'd narrowed it down to three possibilities, and hubby said I could have my choice since I'd done all the work, but we weren't sure which he looks like, so it's probably either Rowan or Robin. Middle name Patrick to honour my Nan who's middle name was Patricia (her first name doesn't have a male equivalent).

 

[rh333rh]

congratulations, well done, you certainly deserve credit for the 9.5 (n a bit), so happy for you. best wishes to your family.

 

[Linzi]

aw lovely story congrats to you & your family xxxx

 

[Coffee Lover]

Aww congrats .x

 

[murmur]

Congratulations!

 

[fides]

HUGE CONGRATS on your rainbow baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[indigo_fairy]

Congratulations

 

[lynnikins]

congrats hunni

 

[Eala]

Many congratulations Welcome to the world, little one!

 

[Jodie.82]

congratulations! well done, im 5 2 also and normal weight 7 and a half stone i cant imagine birthing a 9lbs 5 and a bit baby! x

 

[Nyn]

Congratulations!!!

 

[nov_mum]

congrats xx

 

[Kess]

Little more detail, now I've gotten around to looking at my labour notes - some of the timings were a big surprise to me as time was so distorted in my perception!

I'd had a lovely long bath with clary sage oil Thursday morning, and then that afternoon I was in the garden with the dogs. 2.40pm I bent over to pick up a ball to throw for my cocker spaniel and felt my waters break. I was on the phone to my Mom at the time, and I had a moment of panic that it might be blood rather than waters (that fear, the legacy of MC, never goes away it seems), so hurried inside to check. Rang MW, Jo, who asked about the colour etc (clear) and said to keep her up to date. Mild contractions that were nothing more than period pains. 3pm rang hubby, and we decided that he'd stay in work for another hour to save activating his paternity leave for the sake of an hour since he could leave then anyway (he got told off for not leaving immediately by all the women in the office when he mentioned at 4pm that he was leaving now because his wife's waters went an hour before!).

By the time he got home at 4.30pm, contractions had ramped up to every 5 minutes ish and were lasting between 1 and 2 minutes. My Mom, Dad and sister all arrived around 6pm, and I sat on the settee breathing through contractions using hypnobirthing. A little while later DH fitted the TENS on me, though I got the most benefit once we'd slowly turned it up over the following hour. MW Jo arrived at maybe 7.30pm-ish.

By 10.05pm, my contractions were every 3 minutes, and I was feeling a lot of pressure towards my back passage, so I adopted a position draped forwards over the arm of settee which helped a bit. DH was rubbing my thigh through each contraction and Jo took over the boost button on the TENS so I could relax totally in the space between contractions.

10.45pm We did an internal and I was 5cm dilated. I got in the pool 5 minutes later.

11.30pm I was having occasional urges to push and asked Jo to check me again. She did and I was fully dilated and Rowan's head was beginning to descend.

11.50pm I started using G&A, which eased the rectal pressure though it didn't change the pain of contractions at all (fine by me, the pressure was worse!). My family were taking turns holding the G&A mouthpiece between contractions, rubbing my shoulders, and running back and forth with kettles to keep the pool the right temperature.

12.20am Top of his head was visible, and Jo told me he had dark hair. I wasn't pushing apart from a very occasional time I couldn't help it, I was just breathing his head down.

12.40am Jo suggested I change position from kneeling leaning forward to a position where I could lift him myself when he arrived, but it wasn't comfortable so I moved back.

1am I apparently said, "I can feel him getting close to crowning".

1.15am "Vertex almost crowning" on my notes.

Trying to relax into Ring of Fire, which worked well, but I was in lots of pain forwards up either side of near my clitoris, which I was finding very hard to deal with. This was the only time in the whole labour when I was feeling (and saying) "I can't do this". DH was fantastic at this point, so supportive. Not sure what this pain was from, does anyone here have any ideas? It was making it really hard to push through, hence delivery of his head took a long time.

1.54am Head out. Loads of dark hair (MW was telling me during crowning, "There's loads of it, you could plait it!"). He was turning his head around everywhere, which wasn't exactly comfortable!

1.55am Rest of him out.

I got out of the pool and sat on the settee with him, and we cut the cord once it had finished pulsing at 2.30am. The placenta arrived 4 minutes later, naturally. I barely noticed it.

In total, first stage = 8 and a half hours, 2nd stage = 1hr 25mins and 3rd stage 39 minutes.

On examination, I'd sustained a 2nd degree tear, which Jo then stitched. It was an amazing experience, and so much better at home than it would've been in hospital. The only blight was that pain going forwards as I was pushing his head out, I'm not sure I could do that bit again, but the rest was totally do-able. I've recovered even faster than Jo would expect, with my womb shriking rapidly and stitches granulating nicely.

Rowan coped incredibly well with the whole labour, no issues with his heartrate at all, and his APGAR scored were 9 and 10. I think he was a little too relaxed, as we had some trouble getting him to wake up long enough to feed, but that's going much better now.

https://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m432/KaidaAmaya/100_0258.jpg

https://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m432/KaidaAmaya/100_0259.jpg

https://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m432/KaidaAmaya/100_0260.jpg

 

[irish_cob]

Congratulations, what an achievement You're definitely an inspiration to us hopefuls

 

[fides]

^wss!!! beautiful!

 

[Samantha675]

Sounds amazing!!!

 

[lynnikins]

amazing hun hes beautiful

 

[Jodie.82]

love the story and he is adorable!

 

[ambreen359]

Congratulations he is a cutie x

 

[SerenityNow]

He is SO CUTE!!! With all that sticky up hair he reminds me of a monchichi! (a compliment, I loooooove monchichis)

I also had pain at the front of my vagina/clitoris/urethra when my baby was crowning. I don't remember that sensation at all with my other births. It was absolutely the most intensely uncomfortable sensation!

Congratulations!