Cin
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My OH is looking after the baby for a while so I'm going to grab this opportunity to (finally) write my birth story 
Just a warning to anyone who only reads positive stories - although I had a lovely home birth, I did have to go to hospital afterwards due to tearing.
Short Version
27 weeks: Started Hypnobabies Home Study Course
32 weeks: Began drinking RLT
36 weeks: Switched to RLT capsules and began taking EPO capsules orally
37 weeks: Had bloody show
39+1: Dull, crampy feelings on and off throughout the day
39+2 (14th August 2012):
4am - Woken by intense contraction, began timing them but they were very short and irregular so I didn't think I was actually in labour.
7am - Laid in bed, I suddenly heard a pop and felt my waters break. Took a taxi to the hospital with my OH.
9.30am - Found out I was 4/5cm dilated and doctor could feel baby's head. Started using Hypnobabies techniques to work through each contraction.
10.30am - Took a taxi home from hospital. Started transition. Ran straight into our bathroom while OH filled birthing pool. Started pushing, though at the time I didn't realise and thought I was having a poo
11am - First midwife arrived. Told me I didn't have time to use the birthing pool as I was pushing. Managed to waddle from bathroom to guest room and laid on the bed. Started pushing under her guidance but baby was stuck on my perineum for what seemed like ages.
11.15am - Second midwife arrived, as did gas and air but I didn't have enough time to use it.
11.30am - Just as the first midwife was about to perform an episiotomy (OH later told me she had the scalpel to my perineum), I gave an almighty push and baby popped out. OH caught the baby and put him on my chest, then cut the cord once it had stopped pulsating. Baby Gregory weighed 7lb 10oz and was absolutely perfect
12pm - Admitted to hospital for 3rd degree tear. Had stitches and was finally discharged at 5pm the next day.
Long Version:
Just a warning to anyone who only reads positive stories - although I had a lovely home birth, I did have to go to hospital afterwards due to tearing. Short Version
27 weeks: Started Hypnobabies Home Study Course
32 weeks: Began drinking RLT
36 weeks: Switched to RLT capsules and began taking EPO capsules orally
37 weeks: Had bloody show
39+1: Dull, crampy feelings on and off throughout the day
39+2 (14th August 2012):
4am - Woken by intense contraction, began timing them but they were very short and irregular so I didn't think I was actually in labour.
7am - Laid in bed, I suddenly heard a pop and felt my waters break. Took a taxi to the hospital with my OH.
9.30am - Found out I was 4/5cm dilated and doctor could feel baby's head. Started using Hypnobabies techniques to work through each contraction.
10.30am - Took a taxi home from hospital. Started transition. Ran straight into our bathroom while OH filled birthing pool. Started pushing, though at the time I didn't realise and thought I was having a poo
11am - First midwife arrived. Told me I didn't have time to use the birthing pool as I was pushing. Managed to waddle from bathroom to guest room and laid on the bed. Started pushing under her guidance but baby was stuck on my perineum for what seemed like ages.
11.15am - Second midwife arrived, as did gas and air but I didn't have enough time to use it.
11.30am - Just as the first midwife was about to perform an episiotomy (OH later told me she had the scalpel to my perineum), I gave an almighty push and baby popped out. OH caught the baby and put him on my chest, then cut the cord once it had stopped pulsating. Baby Gregory weighed 7lb 10oz and was absolutely perfect
12pm - Admitted to hospital for 3rd degree tear. Had stitches and was finally discharged at 5pm the next day.
Long Version:
The Lead-up
Our first baby was due to arrive Sunday 19th August 2012. Myself and OH had decided to have a home water birth. Fortunately, our local area is very pro-home birth and our midwife arranged for us to rent a birth pool free of charge
At 27 weeks I began the Hypnobabies home study course. I have to admit that the MP3 tracks were very useful for helping me get to sleep amid my restless legs and tiny bladder!
Around the same time I decided to start reading around the subject of home birth and drug-free birth. I borrowed some books from the library and ploughed my way through them.
I began to have a few cups of RLT everyday at 32 weeks, though by 36 weeks I'd changed to capsules as I found them to be more convenient. At 36 weeks I also started to take EPO capsules orally.
When I was exactly 37 weeks I woke up and found that I'd had my bloody show. I had a midwife appointment the next day and was a bit deflated when she told me not to get too excited as it could still be a few more weeks before baby decided to make an appearance. Of course I wanted my baby to be fully baked but just the same, I wanted to hold him in my arms as soon as possible!
The Birth
Throughout the day at 39+1, I was aware of dull, crampy period pains. They were hours apart and nowhere near regular so I didn't think much of it. That night, I was woken by an intense one at 4am and decided to start timing them. They were 30 - 50 seconds long and coming anywhere between 8 - 20 minutes apart. I wouldn't let myself believe I was actually in labour as they were so short and irregular! At 6am my OH woke up and went downstairs. I hadn't told him about the cramps - I didn't want to send him into a panic for no good reason.
I kept timing them until 7am precisely, when I heard a pop and felt a gush of liquid warming my legs. Shooting out of bed, I went to the bathroom to check myself - there was no doubt about it, my waters had definitely broken! I darted downstairs and told my OH, who was understandably quite shocked I phoned the hospital and told them what had happened and that I was having a home birth, but they asked me to come in and have some checks done regardless.
We took a taxi to the hospital and made our way to the labour ward. They checked the baby's heartbeat and measured the contractions, which turned out to be 3 minutes apart. I was a bit shocked as they didn't seem that close together! At 9.30am my cervix was checked. I was amazed to find out that I was 4/5cm dilated and the doctor could feel my baby's head.
For some reason, the doctor had to disappear but asked us to wait for her. Three quarters of an hour later she finally returned. I was now using my Hypnobabies techniques to get through every contraction as they were becoming very intense, though between each one I felt perfectly fine.
I was absolutely desperate to get home, strip off and cool down. We finally got in a taxi at 10.30am and started the 5 minute drive home, though it felt so much longer. As we turned on to our street I had a wave wash over me - I felt like I was running a high fever and about to pass out. I knew that I HAD to get out of the taxi and into the fresh air. I yelled at the driver to stop (luckily we weren't too far from our house) and threw myself out of the car. I did a rather sexy fast-paced waddle up to the back door and somehow managed to let myself in. I waddled upstairs to the bathroom, hurriedly stripped off and plonked myself on the toilet. TMI, but I felt like I had to do the biggest poo ever. I pushed for a while, getting really annoyed that the poo was coming out a bit then going straight back up
I finally gave up and threw myself on all fours onto the bathroom floor. By this time my OH was filling up the birth pool as fast as he could and trying to get hold of the community midwife on the phone. For some reason the midwife was busy and said she wouldn't be able to come to the house for atleast another hour. I wasn't too concerned as I thought I was still only having contractions, and what with it being my first baby, that he wouldn't be born for atleast another few hours..
I suddenly started letting out loud, caveman-like guttural moans. I wasn't crying out in pain, it was just something that my body needed to do. I couldn't control them - each time I pushed, I moaned. I must have scared the neighbours to death as we live in an old terraced house with very thin walls and hadn't had chance to let them know that I was having a home birth
In between moans I managed to yell at my OH to bring me tiptops, which I started squashing against my forehead. It felt so good having something ice cold against my skin!
My OH rang the midwife again and told her what was happening. A midwife arrived soon after and fortunately it was the same one that I'd been seeing throughout my pregnancy - even though it was supposed to be her day off! She came upstairs, took one look at me and told me I was pushing (by this stage I had an inkling but still wasn't sure whether I just needed the toilet), and that it was too late for me to get in the birth pool which was all the way downstairs. Despite how much I'd been looking forward to using the pool, I really didn't care. I just wanted to meet my little boy!
I somehow managed to make it across the landing into the guestroom and laid straight on the bed. The midwife told me that our baby's head was crowning and that it wouldn't be long before he was born. At this point the doorbell rang so my OH went downstairs and answered it - it was the second midwife arriving. I started to push. It was a bit of a weird experience as in between each push we were all chatting away as if this was an everyday occurrence
After a few pushes it was evident that the baby's head was stuck on my perineum. The midwife explained that if he wasn't out in the next few pushes she'd have to give me an episiotomy. I pushed with all my might but he just wasn't budging. Small glory but she said that I have one of the strongest perineums she's ever seen
The doorbell then rang again. OH went down to answer it with the second midwife. I was desperately trying not to push until he came back. This time it was the gas and air arriving, though it was a bit late for that!
Once OH was back I gave another few pushes but the baby's head was still stuck. The midwife said that if he wasn't out within one more push she'd cut me. I gave the strongest, hardest push I could muster and out popped the babies head! What happened next is all a bit of a blur but my OH caught our baby and handed him to me. The baby started crying and so did I, he was absolutely perfect in every way. My OH cut the cord once it had stopped pulsating.
Gregory Marshall was born at 11.30am on the 14th August - just one hour after we'd left the hospital. He weighed 7lb 10oz and was absolutely gorgeous!
The Surgery
This is where things started to go downhill. The midwives weren't sure if I'd had a third degree tear or not so sent me to hospital to be checked over. Once we got there I was laid in a bed with my legs up in stirrups, while my OH was over the other side of the room looking after Gregory. The midwife said I'd probably need gas and air to get through the examination and passed me the mask while the doctor started probing around my lady parts. It was the most excruciating pain I've ever felt (I've never had any serious injuries or broken any bones to compare it with). It was stinging and so, so sore. I found the examination to be much more painful than actually giving birth.
The doctor concluded that I had a minor third degree tear and told me that I'd have to be kept in overnight. I was so upset by this point, I've never had to stay in a hospital before and I just wanted to be at home looking after my little boy. I was sent in to be stitched up straight away. I was wheeled into the operating theatre and had a spinal block to numb me from the waist down. At some point I had a catheter inserted aswell. I don't know how many stitches I ended up having but an hour and a half later it was all over. I was wheeled out to a private room and finally reunited with my little boy and OH again. My mum and brother had arrived while I was being stitched up and it was just lovely to be surrounded by my family
Shortly afterwards, I was wheeled up to a ward. My OH, mum and brother stayed until visiting hours were over. Gregory was in a cot beside me and after everybody had left, I felt totally useless. I was still unable to move my legs properly, and was tethered on my left side by a catheter and my right side by an IV drip. Fortunately Gregory slept through most of the night but it was horrible knowing that whenever he did wake, it would be a real struggle for me to comfort and calm him. I was reliant on nurses to change his nappy and pick him up so he could latch on to my breast.
The next day my OH came in as soon as visiting hours would allow and throughout the afternoon my mum, brother and in-laws popped in and out. After having various checks done and being given a cocktail of drugs, I was finally discharged at 5pm. My mum picked us up from the hospital and drove us back home. It was such a relief to finally be together, in our house, as a family.
Gregory is now 7 weeks and 3 days old and time has absolutely flown. It's so strange to think that this time two months ago I was still eagerly waiting to meet him! He's a content little baby and good as gold, we couldn't ask for better
Our first baby was due to arrive Sunday 19th August 2012. Myself and OH had decided to have a home water birth. Fortunately, our local area is very pro-home birth and our midwife arranged for us to rent a birth pool free of charge
At 27 weeks I began the Hypnobabies home study course. I have to admit that the MP3 tracks were very useful for helping me get to sleep amid my restless legs and tiny bladder!
Around the same time I decided to start reading around the subject of home birth and drug-free birth. I borrowed some books from the library and ploughed my way through them.
I began to have a few cups of RLT everyday at 32 weeks, though by 36 weeks I'd changed to capsules as I found them to be more convenient. At 36 weeks I also started to take EPO capsules orally.
When I was exactly 37 weeks I woke up and found that I'd had my bloody show. I had a midwife appointment the next day and was a bit deflated when she told me not to get too excited as it could still be a few more weeks before baby decided to make an appearance. Of course I wanted my baby to be fully baked but just the same, I wanted to hold him in my arms as soon as possible!
The Birth
Throughout the day at 39+1, I was aware of dull, crampy period pains. They were hours apart and nowhere near regular so I didn't think much of it. That night, I was woken by an intense one at 4am and decided to start timing them. They were 30 - 50 seconds long and coming anywhere between 8 - 20 minutes apart. I wouldn't let myself believe I was actually in labour as they were so short and irregular! At 6am my OH woke up and went downstairs. I hadn't told him about the cramps - I didn't want to send him into a panic for no good reason.
I kept timing them until 7am precisely, when I heard a pop and felt a gush of liquid warming my legs. Shooting out of bed, I went to the bathroom to check myself - there was no doubt about it, my waters had definitely broken! I darted downstairs and told my OH, who was understandably quite shocked
I phoned the hospital and told them what had happened and that I was having a home birth, but they asked me to come in and have some checks done regardless.We took a taxi to the hospital and made our way to the labour ward. They checked the baby's heartbeat and measured the contractions, which turned out to be 3 minutes apart. I was a bit shocked as they didn't seem that close together! At 9.30am my cervix was checked. I was amazed to find out that I was 4/5cm dilated and the doctor could feel my baby's head.
For some reason, the doctor had to disappear but asked us to wait for her. Three quarters of an hour later she finally returned. I was now using my Hypnobabies techniques to get through every contraction as they were becoming very intense, though between each one I felt perfectly fine.
I was absolutely desperate to get home, strip off and cool down. We finally got in a taxi at 10.30am and started the 5 minute drive home, though it felt so much longer. As we turned on to our street I had a wave wash over me - I felt like I was running a high fever and about to pass out. I knew that I HAD to get out of the taxi and into the fresh air. I yelled at the driver to stop (luckily we weren't too far from our house) and threw myself out of the car. I did a rather sexy fast-paced waddle up to the back door and somehow managed to let myself in. I waddled upstairs to the bathroom, hurriedly stripped off and plonked myself on the toilet. TMI, but I felt like I had to do the biggest poo ever. I pushed for a while, getting really annoyed that the poo was coming out a bit then going straight back up
I finally gave up and threw myself on all fours onto the bathroom floor. By this time my OH was filling up the birth pool as fast as he could and trying to get hold of the community midwife on the phone. For some reason the midwife was busy and said she wouldn't be able to come to the house for atleast another hour. I wasn't too concerned as I thought I was still only having contractions, and what with it being my first baby, that he wouldn't be born for atleast another few hours..
I suddenly started letting out loud, caveman-like guttural moans. I wasn't crying out in pain, it was just something that my body needed to do. I couldn't control them - each time I pushed, I moaned. I must have scared the neighbours to death as we live in an old terraced house with very thin walls and hadn't had chance to let them know that I was having a home birth
In between moans I managed to yell at my OH to bring me tiptops, which I started squashing against my forehead. It felt so good having something ice cold against my skin!My OH rang the midwife again and told her what was happening. A midwife arrived soon after and fortunately it was the same one that I'd been seeing throughout my pregnancy - even though it was supposed to be her day off! She came upstairs, took one look at me and told me I was pushing (by this stage I had an inkling but still wasn't sure whether I just needed the toilet), and that it was too late for me to get in the birth pool which was all the way downstairs. Despite how much I'd been looking forward to using the pool, I really didn't care. I just wanted to meet my little boy!
I somehow managed to make it across the landing into the guestroom and laid straight on the bed. The midwife told me that our baby's head was crowning and that it wouldn't be long before he was born. At this point the doorbell rang so my OH went downstairs and answered it - it was the second midwife arriving. I started to push. It was a bit of a weird experience as in between each push we were all chatting away as if this was an everyday occurrence
After a few pushes it was evident that the baby's head was stuck on my perineum. The midwife explained that if he wasn't out in the next few pushes she'd have to give me an episiotomy. I pushed with all my might but he just wasn't budging. Small glory but she said that I have one of the strongest perineums she's ever seen
The doorbell then rang again. OH went down to answer it with the second midwife. I was desperately trying not to push until he came back. This time it was the gas and air arriving, though it was a bit late for that!Once OH was back I gave another few pushes but the baby's head was still stuck. The midwife said that if he wasn't out within one more push she'd cut me. I gave the strongest, hardest push I could muster and out popped the babies head! What happened next is all a bit of a blur but my OH caught our baby and handed him to me. The baby started crying and so did I, he was absolutely perfect in every way. My OH cut the cord once it had stopped pulsating.
Gregory Marshall was born at 11.30am on the 14th August - just one hour after we'd left the hospital. He weighed 7lb 10oz and was absolutely gorgeous!
The Surgery
This is where things started to go downhill. The midwives weren't sure if I'd had a third degree tear or not so sent me to hospital to be checked over. Once we got there I was laid in a bed with my legs up in stirrups, while my OH was over the other side of the room looking after Gregory. The midwife said I'd probably need gas and air to get through the examination and passed me the mask while the doctor started probing around my lady parts. It was the most excruciating pain I've ever felt (I've never had any serious injuries or broken any bones to compare it with). It was stinging and so, so sore. I found the examination to be much more painful than actually giving birth.
The doctor concluded that I had a minor third degree tear and told me that I'd have to be kept in overnight. I was so upset by this point, I've never had to stay in a hospital before and I just wanted to be at home looking after my little boy. I was sent in to be stitched up straight away. I was wheeled into the operating theatre and had a spinal block to numb me from the waist down. At some point I had a catheter inserted aswell. I don't know how many stitches I ended up having but an hour and a half later it was all over. I was wheeled out to a private room and finally reunited with my little boy and OH again. My mum and brother had arrived while I was being stitched up and it was just lovely to be surrounded by my family
Shortly afterwards, I was wheeled up to a ward. My OH, mum and brother stayed until visiting hours were over. Gregory was in a cot beside me and after everybody had left, I felt totally useless. I was still unable to move my legs properly, and was tethered on my left side by a catheter and my right side by an IV drip. Fortunately Gregory slept through most of the night but it was horrible knowing that whenever he did wake, it would be a real struggle for me to comfort and calm him. I was reliant on nurses to change his nappy and pick him up so he could latch on to my breast.
The next day my OH came in as soon as visiting hours would allow and throughout the afternoon my mum, brother and in-laws popped in and out. After having various checks done and being given a cocktail of drugs, I was finally discharged at 5pm. My mum picked us up from the hospital and drove us back home. It was such a relief to finally be together, in our house, as a family.
Gregory is now 7 weeks and 3 days old and time has absolutely flown. It's so strange to think that this time two months ago I was still eagerly waiting to meet him! He's a content little baby and good as gold, we couldn't ask for better
). He is absolutely gorgeous! x
