phoenix333
Mummy of 2 :)
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I finally have a few minutes spare while LO is asleep so I thought I'd share my birth story...
My DD Francesca Jean (nn Frankie), was due on 5th August, I agreed to work up untill 39 weeks as when I found out I was pregnant I figured as she is my first I'd probably go overdue possibly needing to be induced even.
But as the due date loomed I was so incredibly uncomfortable and grumpy, I am only 5"1 and it felt that the baby had no space left in my tummy, every single kick or movement was incredibly painful, I was desperate for her to come out and the last few weeks at work were a struggle, even though my bosses were really supportive. I had a few pains in my last week of work and got I got a bit excited, thinking were going to develop into proper contractions but they never did, they were really sporadic and then would just stop. It was really frustrating.
When, despite my best efforts, nothing seemed to be happening, I resolved to just get on with my life and do everything I probably won't get to do when LO got here, so they day before my due date we went shopping, went for a walk in the local park and went for a meal. When we got home I managed to convince OH to DTD despite my beached whale like proportions, as, "you never know it might just start labour"
.....anyway, afterwards I tried to have a nap only to be unable to as I had a tummyache, I did think this might be it, but OH said there is no way just DTD could bring labour on that quick - it had literally only been 10 mins since! 
So I settled down to watch the olympics, the pains were still coming but irregularly and not particularly painful, just niggly. I thought they might be a repeat of last week where they just tailed off so I went for a walk to try and get them to stick. Got back home and they were coming more regularly, about every 15 mins but only for about 10 seconds at a time and still not to painful and my waters hadn't gone.
OH kept asking if we should go to the hospital but I kept saying no, I was worried I'd get there, they'd tell me I wasn't contracting or dilated and to go home. But suddenly the pains started getting less manageable and closer together, like every 6 mins but still only about 10 seconds in duration. I was finding it hard to cope with no pain relief so I bit the bullet and called labour ward. They said it sounds like I'm only in early labour and not to rush over as with it being my first I probably haven't progressed much. When we got there at 9pm and they came to check me I was dreading them sending me home but I was actually 5cms already!!!
I was so excited as I was half way there, I was in good spirits and managing well on gas and air only my contractions were really close together, like every 3 mins but still only about 10-20 seconds in duration. I think they were concerned that this would not be sufficent to progress further but at 1am when they came to check me I was 7-8cms which they said was good. My waters still hadn't broken so they said they'd break them and that would speed it up even more as it would make the contractions longer. Wow, how much water?? If I knew there was that much I wouldn't have been so blase and risked going for a meal earlier in the day lol!
Well, if I thought the pain was bad before, after my waters went they were indescribable. It hurt so bad I knew from the first one I wouldn't be able to cope and asked for an epidural immediately. I got one, but 3 hours later at 4am despite constant begging with each contraction. It was absolute agony and I have no idea why they delayed it so long.(perhaps they were hoping I would deliver before they had to go give it to save money??) I was 9 3/4cm dilated at 4am but yet they still said they'd only check me in 4hrs
.
By 8am when I was fully dilated and ready to push I was exhausted. Due to the epi I didn't have the urge to push so it was hard to know when to, they gave me a student midwife to feel my tummy to tell me when to push but tbh she didn't really know herself!! I was determined to work my hardest to get my baby out as I really, really did NOT want forceps (to the extent that it said so in my birth plan!) I was pushing for 1hr and half, the MW's said I was doing a great job but the baby didn't seem to be budging. They brought in a consulant who said the baby was at a funny angle and despite my pushing is really high up and my options were C-section or forceps. I told her I really, really did not want forceps and I would prefer a C-section. She went away to speak to her colleagues and while she was away the MW encouraged me to push even harder as she thought that I'd be able to get the baby out despite what the consultant said.
When the consultant camne back, she examined me again and said as I had pushed the baby down further, now forceps would be the best option and a C-section would be a much greater risk. I felt really pressured into an assisted delivery, despite my wishes. The consultant said it would need to be performed in theatre as she was concerned the baby would not come out very easily. When we got down to theatre, no word of a lie there were at least 15 people in there. It was so far removed from my expectations of my labour and I was so frightened and disappointed and cried like a big wuss
I was told they would be giving me an Episiotomy but that I still needed to push as hard as I could to give them the best chance of success, one push and she was out!!! She was whisked off to be checked over and OH didn't get to cut her cord but she was perfectly healthy despite a small mark on the side of her head from the forceps.
I have left out most of my complaints about the care I recieved as maybe they were just busy that day so maybe my experience is not the norm. But I was seriously unimpressed with the way my labour was handled. I felt that I was unsupported and ignored most of the time and tbh it did take a couple of days to come to terms with it.
Recovery was not fun, I lost an awful lot of blood and the episiotomy stitches made it painful to sit down, walk, lie down, go to the loo etc, etc for a few weeks but I would do it all again in a heartbeat for my little girl. She is amazing, I still can't believe she is here and she is mine.
Born at 11:14 on her due date of 5th August, weighing 7lbs 15oz -
Welcome to the world baby Frankie, I love you so much.
My DD Francesca Jean (nn Frankie), was due on 5th August, I agreed to work up untill 39 weeks as when I found out I was pregnant I figured as she is my first I'd probably go overdue possibly needing to be induced even.
But as the due date loomed I was so incredibly uncomfortable and grumpy, I am only 5"1 and it felt that the baby had no space left in my tummy, every single kick or movement was incredibly painful, I was desperate for her to come out and the last few weeks at work were a struggle, even though my bosses were really supportive. I had a few pains in my last week of work and got I got a bit excited, thinking were going to develop into proper contractions but they never did, they were really sporadic and then would just stop. It was really frustrating.
When, despite my best efforts, nothing seemed to be happening, I resolved to just get on with my life and do everything I probably won't get to do when LO got here, so they day before my due date we went shopping, went for a walk in the local park and went for a meal. When we got home I managed to convince OH to DTD despite my beached whale like proportions, as, "you never know it might just start labour"
.....anyway, afterwards I tried to have a nap only to be unable to as I had a tummyache, I did think this might be it, but OH said there is no way just DTD could bring labour on that quick - it had literally only been 10 mins since! So I settled down to watch the olympics, the pains were still coming but irregularly and not particularly painful, just niggly. I thought they might be a repeat of last week where they just tailed off so I went for a walk to try and get them to stick. Got back home and they were coming more regularly, about every 15 mins but only for about 10 seconds at a time and still not to painful and my waters hadn't gone. OH kept asking if we should go to the hospital but I kept saying no, I was worried I'd get there, they'd tell me I wasn't contracting or dilated and to go home. But suddenly the pains started getting less manageable and closer together, like every 6 mins but still only about 10 seconds in duration. I was finding it hard to cope with no pain relief so I bit the bullet and called labour ward. They said it sounds like I'm only in early labour and not to rush over as with it being my first I probably haven't progressed much. When we got there at 9pm and they came to check me I was dreading them sending me home but I was actually 5cms already!!!
I was so excited as I was half way there, I was in good spirits and managing well on gas and air only my contractions were really close together, like every 3 mins but still only about 10-20 seconds in duration. I think they were concerned that this would not be sufficent to progress further but at 1am when they came to check me I was 7-8cms which they said was good. My waters still hadn't broken so they said they'd break them and that would speed it up even more as it would make the contractions longer. Wow, how much water?? If I knew there was that much I wouldn't have been so blase and risked going for a meal earlier in the day lol!
Well, if I thought the pain was bad before, after my waters went they were indescribable. It hurt so bad I knew from the first one I wouldn't be able to cope and asked for an epidural immediately. I got one, but 3 hours later at 4am despite constant begging with each contraction. It was absolute agony and I have no idea why they delayed it so long.(perhaps they were hoping I would deliver before they had to go give it to save money??) I was 9 3/4cm dilated at 4am but yet they still said they'd only check me in 4hrs
.By 8am when I was fully dilated and ready to push I was exhausted. Due to the epi I didn't have the urge to push so it was hard to know when to, they gave me a student midwife to feel my tummy to tell me when to push but tbh she didn't really know herself!! I was determined to work my hardest to get my baby out as I really, really did NOT want forceps (to the extent that it said so in my birth plan!) I was pushing for 1hr and half, the MW's said I was doing a great job but the baby didn't seem to be budging. They brought in a consulant who said the baby was at a funny angle and despite my pushing is really high up and my options were C-section or forceps. I told her I really, really did not want forceps and I would prefer a C-section. She went away to speak to her colleagues and while she was away the MW encouraged me to push even harder as she thought that I'd be able to get the baby out despite what the consultant said.
When the consultant camne back, she examined me again and said as I had pushed the baby down further, now forceps would be the best option and a C-section would be a much greater risk. I felt really pressured into an assisted delivery, despite my wishes. The consultant said it would need to be performed in theatre as she was concerned the baby would not come out very easily. When we got down to theatre, no word of a lie there were at least 15 people in there. It was so far removed from my expectations of my labour and I was so frightened and disappointed and cried like a big wuss
I was told they would be giving me an Episiotomy but that I still needed to push as hard as I could to give them the best chance of success, one push and she was out!!! She was whisked off to be checked over and OH didn't get to cut her cord but she was perfectly healthy despite a small mark on the side of her head from the forceps.
I have left out most of my complaints about the care I recieved as maybe they were just busy that day so maybe my experience is not the norm. But I was seriously unimpressed with the way my labour was handled. I felt that I was unsupported and ignored most of the time and tbh it did take a couple of days to come to terms with it.
Recovery was not fun, I lost an awful lot of blood and the episiotomy stitches made it painful to sit down, walk, lie down, go to the loo etc, etc for a few weeks but I would do it all again in a heartbeat for my little girl. She is amazing, I still can't believe she is here and she is mine.
Born at 11:14 on her due date of 5th August, weighing 7lbs 15oz -
Welcome to the world baby Frankie, I love you so much.
I would maybe think about writing in a constructive letter telling them where you feel things went a bit wrong. If they dont know, they cant improve. 
