knk2011
Reuben's Mummy :)
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2011
- Messages
- 4,719
- Reaction score
- 0
So Monday the 29th July around 3 or 4pm, slow labour began. Very irregular contractions, anything from 7 minutes to 30 minutes. I tried everything from my gym ball, to a short walk with the dog.
After a full day of nothing occurring and an awful night sleep - contracting throughout, at 7am on Tuesday morning I had my bloody show and continued to lose my plug all through the day. At 11pm that evening, I went into hospital to be examined as the pains were intense but not yet close enough.
When the triage midwife examined me, she said that my fore waters had gone, which is why it was only a trickle (she squeezed my sanitary towel out), that my cervix was still thick and long and I wasn't at all dilated. I felt so disappointed. Almost 2 days of contracting and it hadn't even done anything to me.
She offered me a choice, I could be induced then and there, but it would mean I would be on a ward alone for 6 hours, my partner couldn't be there. Or I could go home and see how things progress and if nothing happened, come back at 9pm the next evening to be induced.
I decided to go home.
I continued to contract throughout the night, getting more and more painful. At 3.40am, my waters went completely (full Hollywood gush all over my nice hardwood floor).
I called the hospital to let them know, they said I could either come in or wait until the pains got closer as they were only about 5-6 minutes apart. I went upstairs to wipe myself down and have yet another wee, when the pains kept coming, anything from 90 seconds apart to 4 minutes. Eventually, I felt like I had to push. We got to the hospital at 4.30am, to be told;
"you're 8cms dilated, we need to get you to the labour ward"
I reminded her I wanted a water birth, so the midwife dawdled off to find the midwife that could do water births. Meanwhile, I ended up on the triage ward's corridor floor, telling my partner that I really had to push.
I walked the short distance to the water birthing room and my first words were; "I need to push this baby out"
She examined me and said I was now 9 and a half cms, so she turned me on my side to get rid of the last half a cm and finally I was able to start pushing him gently down, she could see part of his head.
At this point I finally got some pain relief and had a little gas and air to help deal with it.
I got into the pool when it was finally full and the warm water was great! My partner and my mum helped hold me upright so I didn't sit down onto baby's head and with 3 great pushes, at 5.59am on Wednesday 31st July, just two days shy of his due date, Reuben was born.
I am so proud of how my labour and delivery went. I am especially proud and thankful that I got the natural, pain relief free, water birth I wanted.
Hubby was able to see baby come out and also got to cut the chord.
Walking from the birth pool to the bed with the chord still dangling was the weirdest thing ever, but hearing baby's first cry when he was brought out of the water was amazing.
I did suffer a small second degree tear and have only one internal stitch.
The midwife has visited us today and Reuben is perfectly healthy and we are both born natural breast feeders apparently
Here are some pictures of Reuben George Ivor Prior.
He weighs just 6lb 11oz. He was born at 5.59am and we arrived home at 10.30am.
https://i43.tinypic.com/2qmnkvo.jpg
https://i42.tinypic.com/11hasz5.jpg
https://i43.tinypic.com/27zznut.jpg
. Congrats xxx
One could wish though! 
