Nut_Shake
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I forgot to post it in here when I wrote it, but do have a read if you like! It's quite long, but i hope it helps those of you to look forward to your births, especially those having multiples or having a c-section:
Sitting on the sofa watching The Lord of the Rings with mum and hubby, I had no indication that my waters were going to break just hours later.
I blame the film for being so long and boring that the babies felt the need for a bit of action
I woke up at 4am on Thursday 2nd December after hearing a pop in my pelvis. Standing up I quickly realised that my waters had broken and hadnt just been head-butted as I first thought by one of the babies. As calmly as I could, I woke the husband. Are you sure you didnt just wee yourself or something? he asked in a daze.
He called the labour ward and disappeared to wake my mum who was staying in the other room. Standing alone in my bedroom the realisation of what was about to happen hit me My babies were finally coming.
Carefully packing my remaining toiletries into my hospital bag I started to panic; I havent removed my nail polish like I should have! What if I forget something?! My hair is greasy, why didnt I wash it last night just in case?! All were very reasonable worries to me at that moment in time. I grabbed my nail polish remover and as I started unscrewing the lid, hubby walked in What the hell are you doing?? They told me in the leaflet for preparing for a caesarean that nails must be nail varnish free! I have to take it all off! They are going to shout at me for not being prepared! Hubby stared at me for a few seconds in disbelief, Nat, can you please just get dressed and get in the car . So I did as I was told.
We got to the hospital in minutes (with it being down the road and all), and entered the maternity ward. I was the only one there so was put into a bed and my belly was strapped up in minutes to observe both babies heartbeats and my contractions. I remember looking out of the window and seeing the snow falling and thinking how beautiful it was By this point I had had no contraction pains and was thinking Ok, so labour contractions arent that bad really They checked and confirmed that my waters HAD broken (I had to take a quick glance at my husband to make sure that he had heard correctly; I hadnt peed myself) and told me that I was 2-3cm dilated. And at 4.40pm, my contractions started
I got taken into a small labour ward filled with groaning women behind curtains and machines beeping. They brought me over some gas and air, which I very reluctantly took. Im not a fan of ingesting things like that, growing up I never sucked in helium because I thought inhaling anything apart from oxygen was weird. However within half an hour I was sucking on that plastic mouthpiece like it was keeping me alive. The contractions were so intense and close together I honestly thought I was going to pass out from the pain. So when the midwife came over to check me and told me I was still 2 to 3 cm dilated and tried to convince me to give natural birth, I very nearly kicked her in the face. I AM HAVING A CESEAREAN! GIVE ME THE (obscenity) SPINAL BLOCK RIGHT NOW! I barked in a very lady-like manner. Im not sure what else happened in that room because the gas and air by then had me on a serious high and feeling very fuzzy. It took that top edge off the pain, but it was still very much there. Maybe Im just a complete weakling but by this stage I was struggling to breathe because it was so excruciating.
I was then taken into pre-op and had a doctor read the caesarean risks to me and asked me to sign a form. A midwife prepared me for the surgery by putting on some sexy socks for me to help reduce the risk of blood clots. Still sucking on the gas and air like there was no tomorrow, my husband was told to scrub up, my mum started crying and I was counting each second that went by until the pain would be over.
I was wheeled to the operating theatre and rolled onto my side ready for the spinal block. Still sucking on the gas and air (no one was going to prise that baby out of my grasp) I remember starting to beg them to put the anaesthetic in. Seriously, I was begging. They kept telling me it was all being prepared and to just hold on a few moments. Ok, so I was told at my NCT classes that contractions dont last the whole time, they come and go, and when you arent contracting you are fine; you can read a book, do some gardening, go for a stroll... Like bloody hell you can! I was in intense pain the entire time, from when the contractions started at 4.30am until right then at 8am, and by this point I was literally ready to vomit and then pass out. Dont laugh at my dramatisation, its the truth dammit! (Im not trying to scare anyone, honestly. My pain threshold is just embarrassingly low )
So anyway, they helped me onto my side and brought my knees up to administer the spinal block. My next contraction started and I felt a little scratch on my back. Instantly the contractions faded into nothing It was heaven. I suddenly changed from a grunting, moaning wreck into a wide awake, grinning wreck, finally seeing all of the 10/12 peoples faces in the theatre for the first time, thanking them all for being there and for everything that they were doing for me. I must have looked like a complete loon.
I quickly started to lose all feeling in my legs, it was so odd willing my legs to move but they just wouldnt budge. Again, looking like a complete moron I kept exclaiming Wow thats so weird! I cant feel my legs! They started wiping on that brown antiseptic liquid over my stomach (which again, I couldnt feel them doing) and they set up the blue curtain in front of me just under my bust so we could no longer see what was going on (probably the best thing considering how squeamish my husband is. Im not sure I could have been dealing with him being passed out cold on the floor).
At that point I just started to feel so overwhelmed with what was about to happen; after 8.5 months of waiting, I was finally going to meet 2 new little people who were going to change our lives forever. These tiny people we had created who had been kicking, elbowing, pressing down on my bladder making me pee like a racehorse and eat like a starved baboon every hour. So I did what I do best; I cried.
I asked the smiley Indian man standing next to me who was monitoring my heartbeat and blood pressure to tell me what was going on so he began explaining to me in his cute Indian accent They are making the incision! After feeling a minute or so of pulling, tugging and heavy pressure on my stomach, he exclaimed He is here! I couldnt see what was going on but just had my husband next to me happily confirm that our baby boy had entered the world and they were having a look at him to see if everything was ok. They said he needed a little help with his breathing due to him having his neck slightly crooked to the side in the womb. Seconds later before I knew it, I heard crying and my husband told me that our baby girl had been born! Whilst my husband went round to the back to see them and take pictures I just couldnt believe what had just happened. Theyd finally arrived. My husband brought my daughter (my daughter!) over to me, all wrapped up with her large dark eyes and pink squidgy face staring out at me, mouth open already hungry (definitely taken after me) and the feeling was indescribable. I couldnt believe what we had created. At the same time as being in awe of my little girl, I was so worried about my boy. Very soon after my husband bought my baby boy over to me and placed him on my chest. He was really crying (definitely taken after his dad) and I just stroked his head and introduced myself whilst they finished my stitches. Ayden Ahmed Sheikh had been born 5lb 5oz at 8.23am and Inaya Shahnaz Sheikh was 5lb 4oz, born at 8.24am.
In the recovery room I got to feed them both skin to skin and it was just the most pure and beautiful moment ever. As exhausted as I was I couldnt wipe the huge content grin off my face.
I stayed in hospital for 2 days and after asking to go home and getting everything checked and cleared for me and the babies, we finally got home at 2.30pm on Saturday. Luckily at this point the snow had all melted so there were no slipping issues that Id been worried about!
That was 8 days ago, and as I sit here typing this, my little girl is lying on her daddies chest having a nap, my little boy is stirring after his long sleep in the travel cot. I havent slept for more than a total of 6 hours over the past 7 nights, I have turned into a giant udder producing enough milk to feed the whole street, my nails are a mess (and anyone who knows me knows that my nails have NEVER been a mess), but I truly couldnt care less. Seeing these little angels staring up at me every day, reliant on me for feeding them, changing them, ensuring they are happy and healthy all the time is the ultimate reward. My 2 beauties make me so proud already, and I honestly cant believe I was blessed twice in one go. Yes its doubly hard, and I have found myself thinking One baby would be a piece of cake! but I wouldnt change them for anything in the universe. They are both already such characters; he takes his time drinking his milk and loves to just sit and look around at everything. His tiny face is so serious but when he smiles it lights up all his features, and the little squeaks he makes are just hilarious. She is so dainty like a china doll and is forever sucking her fingers looking for food. When she gets her food she downs it, coughing and spluttering everywhere like someones going to take it away from her. I find myself getting up in the morning and running into the nursery just to stare at them. I still cant quite believe it
To end on a quote that describes how I feel so perfectly
No one else will ever know the strength of my love for you.
After all, you're the only ones who know what my heart sounds like from the inside.
Sitting on the sofa watching The Lord of the Rings with mum and hubby, I had no indication that my waters were going to break just hours later.
I blame the film for being so long and boring that the babies felt the need for a bit of action
I woke up at 4am on Thursday 2nd December after hearing a pop in my pelvis. Standing up I quickly realised that my waters had broken and hadnt just been head-butted as I first thought by one of the babies. As calmly as I could, I woke the husband. Are you sure you didnt just wee yourself or something? he asked in a daze.
He called the labour ward and disappeared to wake my mum who was staying in the other room. Standing alone in my bedroom the realisation of what was about to happen hit me My babies were finally coming.
Carefully packing my remaining toiletries into my hospital bag I started to panic; I havent removed my nail polish like I should have! What if I forget something?! My hair is greasy, why didnt I wash it last night just in case?! All were very reasonable worries to me at that moment in time. I grabbed my nail polish remover and as I started unscrewing the lid, hubby walked in What the hell are you doing?? They told me in the leaflet for preparing for a caesarean that nails must be nail varnish free! I have to take it all off! They are going to shout at me for not being prepared! Hubby stared at me for a few seconds in disbelief, Nat, can you please just get dressed and get in the car . So I did as I was told.
We got to the hospital in minutes (with it being down the road and all), and entered the maternity ward. I was the only one there so was put into a bed and my belly was strapped up in minutes to observe both babies heartbeats and my contractions. I remember looking out of the window and seeing the snow falling and thinking how beautiful it was By this point I had had no contraction pains and was thinking Ok, so labour contractions arent that bad really They checked and confirmed that my waters HAD broken (I had to take a quick glance at my husband to make sure that he had heard correctly; I hadnt peed myself) and told me that I was 2-3cm dilated. And at 4.40pm, my contractions started
I got taken into a small labour ward filled with groaning women behind curtains and machines beeping. They brought me over some gas and air, which I very reluctantly took. Im not a fan of ingesting things like that, growing up I never sucked in helium because I thought inhaling anything apart from oxygen was weird. However within half an hour I was sucking on that plastic mouthpiece like it was keeping me alive. The contractions were so intense and close together I honestly thought I was going to pass out from the pain. So when the midwife came over to check me and told me I was still 2 to 3 cm dilated and tried to convince me to give natural birth, I very nearly kicked her in the face. I AM HAVING A CESEAREAN! GIVE ME THE (obscenity) SPINAL BLOCK RIGHT NOW! I barked in a very lady-like manner. Im not sure what else happened in that room because the gas and air by then had me on a serious high and feeling very fuzzy. It took that top edge off the pain, but it was still very much there. Maybe Im just a complete weakling but by this stage I was struggling to breathe because it was so excruciating.
I was then taken into pre-op and had a doctor read the caesarean risks to me and asked me to sign a form. A midwife prepared me for the surgery by putting on some sexy socks for me to help reduce the risk of blood clots. Still sucking on the gas and air like there was no tomorrow, my husband was told to scrub up, my mum started crying and I was counting each second that went by until the pain would be over.
I was wheeled to the operating theatre and rolled onto my side ready for the spinal block. Still sucking on the gas and air (no one was going to prise that baby out of my grasp) I remember starting to beg them to put the anaesthetic in. Seriously, I was begging. They kept telling me it was all being prepared and to just hold on a few moments. Ok, so I was told at my NCT classes that contractions dont last the whole time, they come and go, and when you arent contracting you are fine; you can read a book, do some gardening, go for a stroll... Like bloody hell you can! I was in intense pain the entire time, from when the contractions started at 4.30am until right then at 8am, and by this point I was literally ready to vomit and then pass out. Dont laugh at my dramatisation, its the truth dammit! (Im not trying to scare anyone, honestly. My pain threshold is just embarrassingly low )
So anyway, they helped me onto my side and brought my knees up to administer the spinal block. My next contraction started and I felt a little scratch on my back. Instantly the contractions faded into nothing It was heaven. I suddenly changed from a grunting, moaning wreck into a wide awake, grinning wreck, finally seeing all of the 10/12 peoples faces in the theatre for the first time, thanking them all for being there and for everything that they were doing for me. I must have looked like a complete loon.
I quickly started to lose all feeling in my legs, it was so odd willing my legs to move but they just wouldnt budge. Again, looking like a complete moron I kept exclaiming Wow thats so weird! I cant feel my legs! They started wiping on that brown antiseptic liquid over my stomach (which again, I couldnt feel them doing) and they set up the blue curtain in front of me just under my bust so we could no longer see what was going on (probably the best thing considering how squeamish my husband is. Im not sure I could have been dealing with him being passed out cold on the floor).
At that point I just started to feel so overwhelmed with what was about to happen; after 8.5 months of waiting, I was finally going to meet 2 new little people who were going to change our lives forever. These tiny people we had created who had been kicking, elbowing, pressing down on my bladder making me pee like a racehorse and eat like a starved baboon every hour. So I did what I do best; I cried.
I asked the smiley Indian man standing next to me who was monitoring my heartbeat and blood pressure to tell me what was going on so he began explaining to me in his cute Indian accent They are making the incision! After feeling a minute or so of pulling, tugging and heavy pressure on my stomach, he exclaimed He is here! I couldnt see what was going on but just had my husband next to me happily confirm that our baby boy had entered the world and they were having a look at him to see if everything was ok. They said he needed a little help with his breathing due to him having his neck slightly crooked to the side in the womb. Seconds later before I knew it, I heard crying and my husband told me that our baby girl had been born! Whilst my husband went round to the back to see them and take pictures I just couldnt believe what had just happened. Theyd finally arrived. My husband brought my daughter (my daughter!) over to me, all wrapped up with her large dark eyes and pink squidgy face staring out at me, mouth open already hungry (definitely taken after me) and the feeling was indescribable. I couldnt believe what we had created. At the same time as being in awe of my little girl, I was so worried about my boy. Very soon after my husband bought my baby boy over to me and placed him on my chest. He was really crying (definitely taken after his dad) and I just stroked his head and introduced myself whilst they finished my stitches. Ayden Ahmed Sheikh had been born 5lb 5oz at 8.23am and Inaya Shahnaz Sheikh was 5lb 4oz, born at 8.24am.
In the recovery room I got to feed them both skin to skin and it was just the most pure and beautiful moment ever. As exhausted as I was I couldnt wipe the huge content grin off my face.
I stayed in hospital for 2 days and after asking to go home and getting everything checked and cleared for me and the babies, we finally got home at 2.30pm on Saturday. Luckily at this point the snow had all melted so there were no slipping issues that Id been worried about!
That was 8 days ago, and as I sit here typing this, my little girl is lying on her daddies chest having a nap, my little boy is stirring after his long sleep in the travel cot. I havent slept for more than a total of 6 hours over the past 7 nights, I have turned into a giant udder producing enough milk to feed the whole street, my nails are a mess (and anyone who knows me knows that my nails have NEVER been a mess), but I truly couldnt care less. Seeing these little angels staring up at me every day, reliant on me for feeding them, changing them, ensuring they are happy and healthy all the time is the ultimate reward. My 2 beauties make me so proud already, and I honestly cant believe I was blessed twice in one go. Yes its doubly hard, and I have found myself thinking One baby would be a piece of cake! but I wouldnt change them for anything in the universe. They are both already such characters; he takes his time drinking his milk and loves to just sit and look around at everything. His tiny face is so serious but when he smiles it lights up all his features, and the little squeaks he makes are just hilarious. She is so dainty like a china doll and is forever sucking her fingers looking for food. When she gets her food she downs it, coughing and spluttering everywhere like someones going to take it away from her. I find myself getting up in the morning and running into the nursery just to stare at them. I still cant quite believe it
To end on a quote that describes how I feel so perfectly
No one else will ever know the strength of my love for you.
After all, you're the only ones who know what my heart sounds like from the inside.
