2016
Mummy and Preggo with #2!
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Birth Story of Stewart David Kevin P, born 25th November 2010 at 6.01pm
Quite belated but, when you see how long it is, you will know why….here is the birth story of the best baby boy in the whole world ever (biased but I don’t care
!)There are two versions – the “I have a life and don’t want to read your life story” version by just reading the text….and the “I like reading Lord of the Rings novels and have time to kill” version by clicking on the spoilers.
I had a slight bloody show on 20th November, but was told it could mean nothing…
It all started (or didn’t start) when I was 35 weeks 1 day pregnant and I discovered a bloody show that evening. Quite disconcerting after spending the previous 7 months in a state of blood = BAD. I called up the labour ward and was told by the midwife not to worry because this might mean labour was a few days, or in fact a few weeks away. So I put this to the back of my mind and carried on as normal.
Had an unsettled night’s sleep on 23rd/24th November and, perhaps, should have known something was up…
Went to sleep on 23rd November with a pinchy headache but didn’t take anything as I thought I could just sleep it off. Awoke in the small hours of 24th November with a throbbing belter of a headache. I felt dizzy, nauseous and just plain odd. My gut instinct whispered to me “something is happening” but I told it to shut up. 
Took some paracetamol which helped but the headache was back again in the morning.
Took some paracetamol which helped but the headache was back again in the morning.My hind waters broke on 24th November, but I thought it was pee! Hospital told me to come in and get checked in case…
I was sitting at work minding my own proverbial business and felt this feeling like a tiny bubble burst and then a slight gush of warm fluid. I got up and dashed to the ladies to discover that this had soaked through a pad, my pants and had made a wet patch on my (thankfully black) trousers. I also felt a bit heavy down below.
Although I hadn’t suffered with bladder control problems in pregnancy, I wasn’t 100% sure if the fluid was my waters or pee. I had been told that, if it was amniotic fluid, it would continue to leak and would also smell sweet.
A shameful amount of sniffing and daubing and sniffing then ensued
but I still felt none the wiser, although I managed to convince myself there was no way it could have been my waters. My gut instinct kept niggling in the back of my head because I had been to the loo just 15 minutes before this happened so how could I have had any pee to leak? Also, my prenatal vitamin always made my pee bright yellow until the afternoon and what was on the pad was just clear with a bit of shiny CM on top.
I posted this little episode in my journal, and my stalkers immediately started getting, what I felt was, a little overexcited and insisted I call the midwife/hospital. I was very reluctant to do so because I did not fancy being told to go into hospital, only to wait around for hours and be told I would need nappies not for an imminent arrival but for my own weak bladder. If anything, I had less signs of imminent labour, or so I thought, with my previously strong and frequent braxton hicks all but ceasing in the week before this whole thing started.
Anyway, another couple of hours passed and, after much prodding from my stalkers, I relented and called the midwife. She said I had best go in to get checked.
I suddenly felt a bit worried, as an imminent trip to hospital will make you, and called hubby to tell him I was on my way. We decided that I would go straight to the hospital alone as I would probably only be a couple of hours and I didn’t want him waiting around with me and panicking.
Told my boss and colleagues that I had to go because I was having “twinges” as the last thing I wanted to say was that my waters had gone, only to skulk in head hanging on Monday when it transpired I was just a stinky old lady!
Although I hadn’t suffered with bladder control problems in pregnancy, I wasn’t 100% sure if the fluid was my waters or pee. I had been told that, if it was amniotic fluid, it would continue to leak and would also smell sweet.
A shameful amount of sniffing and daubing and sniffing then ensued
but I still felt none the wiser, although I managed to convince myself there was no way it could have been my waters. My gut instinct kept niggling in the back of my head because I had been to the loo just 15 minutes before this happened so how could I have had any pee to leak? Also, my prenatal vitamin always made my pee bright yellow until the afternoon and what was on the pad was just clear with a bit of shiny CM on top.I posted this little episode in my journal, and my stalkers immediately started getting, what I felt was, a little overexcited and insisted I call the midwife/hospital. I was very reluctant to do so because I did not fancy being told to go into hospital, only to wait around for hours and be told I would need nappies not for an imminent arrival but for my own weak bladder. If anything, I had less signs of imminent labour, or so I thought, with my previously strong and frequent braxton hicks all but ceasing in the week before this whole thing started.
Anyway, another couple of hours passed and, after much prodding from my stalkers, I relented and called the midwife. She said I had best go in to get checked.
I suddenly felt a bit worried, as an imminent trip to hospital will make you, and called hubby to tell him I was on my way. We decided that I would go straight to the hospital alone as I would probably only be a couple of hours and I didn’t want him waiting around with me and panicking.
Told my boss and colleagues that I had to go because I was having “twinges” as the last thing I wanted to say was that my waters had gone, only to skulk in head hanging on Monday when it transpired I was just a stinky old lady!
Got to the hospital around 6pm and was examined by loads of midwives and consultants who collectively decided they didn’t have a clue!
To start with I was examined by a trainee midwife who took a urine sample and asked me some questions. She put me on the trace machine to monitor LOs heart rate and indicate any tightenings. LO seemed happy and all was quiet in the uterine area. While on the machine, I noticed that I could make the contraction graph rise a bit by drawing in a big breath and pushing my belly out so I was careful to breathe up in my chest so as to not give a false reading.
She then felt my bump but could not decide which way he was lying and they needed to be sure in case I went into labour as he had been in a transverse position throughout the pregnancy. She called a more senior midwife to have a prod and she was none the wiser, so out came the mini ultrasound machine - always nice to see my boy!
The first scan still left them uncertain of his position so I had to wait for a proper sonographer to scan me about an hour later. In the meantime, I got treated to a speculum examination which involved a registrar and the student midwife peering at my nether regions with a large B&Q torch. At one point I was told to cough to see if any fluid would leak out, to which the registrar exclaimed to the student MW “Did you see that?!?!”. I said “see what?” and they were like “oh nevermind…” Hang on – whose body was this again????
They swished about with a cotton bud in my juices but were inconclusive as they said it was a bit like water but also a bit like fertile EWCM, rather than the normal creamy stuff of pregnancy. I was then told to lie very still to see if something would pool….hours passed.
I kept updating hubby by text and we kept debating whether he should come in and bring me a bag for the night. I was still certain at this point I would be home before dinner. I was desperately thirsty but also bursting for the loo. I begged for them to let me go pee, but they kept urging me to wait for the doctor. After 3 or so hours (a certifiable record for pee holding in pregnancy) I told them to sod off and went for my pee. Although this did make me think – if I had leaked pee earlier that day, why not now?
I lay there in my blue paper curtain cubicle getting progressively more bored. I started to be nosy and could hear a woman in the cubicle next to me come in for an induction and then move on a few hours later when things started to progress. Another woman was in for some heavy bleeding which she had had a couple of times previously but was reassured all was ok. Mostly I was alarmed by the various sounds of labouring women floating down the hall. Gutteral screams, swearing and shouting shortly followed by the squawk of a newborn which made my heart race at the thought that could be me in a month’s time.
I had nothing to read and my normally over active brain was starting to ache from the strain. I tried the extortionately priced hospital pay-per-view TV, but even that didn’t work. In desperation, I found a Gideons Bible in the bedside cabinet and started to read from the beginning.
“MATTHEW…..So-and-so begat so-and-so, who begat this other person etc. etc.”I got all the way to Luke and the next sonographer arrived along with a different registrar. The scan revealed that he was nowhead down and not back to back which was a relief! Then it was time for yet another speculum invasion and they still said they couldn’t tell what was happening but said I would need to stay in the night. They also drew some blood for blood matching with the blood bank if needed.
I called hubby and asked him to bring a bag, not even my labour bag, just a change of clothes, toiletries and a book. While I waited for him to arrive I took up the offer of some hospital dinner – cauliflower cheese pasta and chocolate sponge pudding. While I ate the hot food the movement sensor went bonkers and the graph started zig zagging all over the place as LO danced about for his dinner.
After dinner, I lay on my left side and started to feel a bit periody on and off and I also had lower back pain which seemed to radiate down my thighs. I kept thinking “this is it….” with certainty and then shortly followed by “is this it?....” with doubt. But I quickly convinced myself that I only felt achy from the two speculum exams, 2 ultrasounds and 6 different people palpitating my poor bump.
She then felt my bump but could not decide which way he was lying and they needed to be sure in case I went into labour as he had been in a transverse position throughout the pregnancy. She called a more senior midwife to have a prod and she was none the wiser, so out came the mini ultrasound machine - always nice to see my boy!
The first scan still left them uncertain of his position so I had to wait for a proper sonographer to scan me about an hour later. In the meantime, I got treated to a speculum examination which involved a registrar and the student midwife peering at my nether regions with a large B&Q torch. At one point I was told to cough to see if any fluid would leak out, to which the registrar exclaimed to the student MW “Did you see that?!?!”. I said “see what?” and they were like “oh nevermind…” Hang on – whose body was this again????
They swished about with a cotton bud in my juices but were inconclusive as they said it was a bit like water but also a bit like fertile EWCM, rather than the normal creamy stuff of pregnancy. I was then told to lie very still to see if something would pool….hours passed.
I kept updating hubby by text and we kept debating whether he should come in and bring me a bag for the night. I was still certain at this point I would be home before dinner. I was desperately thirsty but also bursting for the loo. I begged for them to let me go pee, but they kept urging me to wait for the doctor. After 3 or so hours (a certifiable record for pee holding in pregnancy) I told them to sod off and went for my pee. Although this did make me think – if I had leaked pee earlier that day, why not now?
I lay there in my blue paper curtain cubicle getting progressively more bored. I started to be nosy and could hear a woman in the cubicle next to me come in for an induction and then move on a few hours later when things started to progress. Another woman was in for some heavy bleeding which she had had a couple of times previously but was reassured all was ok. Mostly I was alarmed by the various sounds of labouring women floating down the hall. Gutteral screams, swearing and shouting shortly followed by the squawk of a newborn which made my heart race at the thought that could be me in a month’s time.
I had nothing to read and my normally over active brain was starting to ache from the strain. I tried the extortionately priced hospital pay-per-view TV, but even that didn’t work. In desperation, I found a Gideons Bible in the bedside cabinet and started to read from the beginning.
“MATTHEW…..So-and-so begat so-and-so, who begat this other person etc. etc.”I got all the way to Luke and the next sonographer arrived along with a different registrar. The scan revealed that he was nowhead down and not back to back which was a relief! Then it was time for yet another speculum invasion and they still said they couldn’t tell what was happening but said I would need to stay in the night. They also drew some blood for blood matching with the blood bank if needed.
I called hubby and asked him to bring a bag, not even my labour bag, just a change of clothes, toiletries and a book. While I waited for him to arrive I took up the offer of some hospital dinner – cauliflower cheese pasta and chocolate sponge pudding. While I ate the hot food the movement sensor went bonkers and the graph started zig zagging all over the place as LO danced about for his dinner.
After dinner, I lay on my left side and started to feel a bit periody on and off and I also had lower back pain which seemed to radiate down my thighs. I kept thinking “this is it….” with certainty and then shortly followed by “is this it?....” with doubt. But I quickly convinced myself that I only felt achy from the two speculum exams, 2 ultrasounds and 6 different people palpitating my poor bump.
At 10pm, The local hospital decided to move me to another hospital 2 hours away in case I went into labour.
Hubby arrived, wide eyed, and asked what I thought was happening and if it would be ok for him to travel 2 hours by train to London for work in the morning. I said it should be fine and we called the doctor over to confirm. The doctor came over looking quite serious and said that, when performing the second examination, she found my cervix to be 1cm dilated, about 70% effaced, anterior and may/may not have seen fluid! Because I was at risk of preterm labour anyway, and now this, I would need to reserve a neonatal bed in case LO arrived earlier than the hospital’s 36 week cut-off. The hospital I was at, just 3 miles from home, did not have any neonatal beds available so I needed to be transferred to another. They had done some ringing around for us and the closest hospital with a neonatal bed was in Kings Lynn. This is some 70 miles and 2 hours from home, most of which along windy rural roads.
Hubby dashed home and asked the neighbors to accompany him back to the hospital to drive my car home while I waited for the ambulance transfer.
After another hour or two, the ambulance arrived for me and I found it quite amusing to be wheeled out the hospital when I felt just fine. In addition to the ambulance driver, a bit of a maverick Essex boy it seemed, there was a midwife riding in the back with me in case I needed to deliver suddenly! The MW suggested I sleep, but I was too wound up from the sudden excitement after hours of boredom. I thought to myself – I will sleep later! I quickly googled the hospital we were headed towards and was pleased to see that, although small, it was very highly rated….not that I had a choice that this point!
Hubby followed and we made our blue-light journey up north to the other hospital. About an hour into the journey the ambulance suddenly stopped and the driver got out – he later told us that hubby was following him at ambulance speed and was doing 70mph in a 30 zone! Hubby said that he was so focused on “follow that ambulance” that he didn’t even consider the niceties of speed limits.
A little further along the journey and it started to snow very heavily which made the drive quite hair-raising at times.
Hubby dashed home and asked the neighbors to accompany him back to the hospital to drive my car home while I waited for the ambulance transfer.
After another hour or two, the ambulance arrived for me and I found it quite amusing to be wheeled out the hospital when I felt just fine. In addition to the ambulance driver, a bit of a maverick Essex boy it seemed, there was a midwife riding in the back with me in case I needed to deliver suddenly! The MW suggested I sleep, but I was too wound up from the sudden excitement after hours of boredom. I thought to myself – I will sleep later!
I quickly googled the hospital we were headed towards and was pleased to see that, although small, it was very highly rated….not that I had a choice that this point!Hubby followed and we made our blue-light journey up north to the other hospital. About an hour into the journey the ambulance suddenly stopped and the driver got out – he later told us that hubby was following him at ambulance speed and was doing 70mph in a 30 zone! Hubby said that he was so focused on “follow that ambulance” that he didn’t even consider the niceties of speed limits.
A little further along the journey and it started to snow very heavily which made the drive quite hair-raising at times.
We arrived at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kings Lynn on Thursday 25th November at 2am….and another set of examinations ensued.
Firstly, they told us that NHS hospitals don’t share computer records and so I would need another urine test and my ENTIRE pregnancy bloodwork set redone. 
My poor veins are so unreliable after the dozens of blood tests I have had in the last year it took several attempts up and down my arms, followed by two attempts at a cannula to actually draw some blood. The doctor trying to draw the blood didn’t inspire me with confidence and seemed to be fumbling somewhat. My arms and hands were getting more and more painful and I was fighting back the tears, not wanting to appear rude, when in actual fact I wanted to say “Bugger off you amateur, there is a person attached to that needle you are wrenching in and out through my flesh!!!” 
You can imagine my delight when he said he also wanted to give me a speculum examination. He kept adjusting the bed and getting me to tilt my pelvis this way and that. It took ages and was quite uncomfortable and then jarringly painful when he took out the speculum and slipped making it pinch me somewhere in my delicate areas. At least I would know if anything had changed from being 1cm dialated, right? WRONG? Apparently, rocket scientist over there “couldn’t visualize the cervix”. I doubt he even knew what he was looking for! 
When he left I just broke down. Approaching 24 hours without sleep and feeling like a slab of meat, I feared that all this trauma was going to boil down to me being incontinent. I just wanted to pack up and go home, but now I had a cannula and was strapped to another CTG machine like a prisoner. I was feeling periody again and had some spotting but wholly blamed this on the unsympathetic examination.
I felt so guilty as hubby tried to doze upright in an unyielding chair. I offered for him to climb on the bed with me or go find a local B&B but he was stubborn and didn’t want to leave me. A lovely midwife brought us some leftover ham sandwiches and a cup of tea to tide us over until breakfast.
My poor veins are so unreliable after the dozens of blood tests I have had in the last year it took several attempts up and down my arms, followed by two attempts at a cannula to actually draw some blood. The doctor trying to draw the blood didn’t inspire me with confidence and seemed to be fumbling somewhat. My arms and hands were getting more and more painful and I was fighting back the tears, not wanting to appear rude, when in actual fact I wanted to say “Bugger off you amateur, there is a person attached to that needle you are wrenching in and out through my flesh!!!” You can imagine my delight when he said he also wanted to give me a speculum examination. He kept adjusting the bed and getting me to tilt my pelvis this way and that. It took ages and was quite uncomfortable and then jarringly painful when he took out the speculum and slipped making it pinch me somewhere in my delicate areas. At least I would know if anything had changed from being 1cm dialated, right? WRONG? Apparently, rocket scientist over there “couldn’t visualize the cervix”. I doubt he even knew what he was looking for! When he left I just broke down. Approaching 24 hours without sleep and feeling like a slab of meat, I feared that all this trauma was going to boil down to me being incontinent. I just wanted to pack up and go home, but now I had a cannula and was strapped to another CTG machine like a prisoner. I was feeling periody again and had some spotting but wholly blamed this on the unsympathetic examination.
I felt so guilty as hubby tried to doze upright in an unyielding chair. I offered for him to climb on the bed with me or go find a local B&B but he was stubborn and didn’t want to leave me. A lovely midwife brought us some leftover ham sandwiches and a cup of tea to tide us over until breakfast.
At 8am, I got transferred to the maternity ward to wait for a scan to measure LOs size and check fluid volume. Crampy pains continued…
I was moved to a private room with (en-suite!) because I had been transferred from another hospital and was therefore an infection risk. 
I lay on the bed and tried to get comfortable but felt guilty about my exhausted hubby slumping over in yet another inhospitable chair. Eventually I convinced him to climb on the hospital bed with me and we cuddled with his hands low down on my bump where the crampy pains were lingering.
Within minutes he began to snore but I couldn’t drift off despite being totally exhausted. I wasn’t taking much notice of them, but the pains were coming and going….coming and going….and oddly I could almost predict when the next wave was coming. I felt a bit like when you have a dodgy stomach and you are waiting for the next call of nature. Speaking of calls, I did keep going to the loo. It seemed to help the pains and I would have a small loose BM every time and drop a grape sized glob of bloody mucus in the loo every time.
Eventually I decided to time the pains which I did using an app on my iPhone called “Stage1”. You just tap the screen when the pain starts and tap again when it subsides. I did this for a little while and was surprised to see that they were in fact very regular – about 25 seconds long and 3 minutes apart. I kept tapping and timing and was surprised every time the pains came with predictable regularity.
I got off the bed and sat up in the chair at which point I noticed that, along with the period paid and backache which radiated into my groin, I would also get a bizarre pain in my right knee like a pinched nerve that would only settle if I stretched my leg out straight.
At around 11am I had had enough of feeling uncomfortable and rang for a midwife to ask for some pain relief. A rather grumpy bod turned up and told me to be patient and wait as the medicine trolley (is that like a dessert trolley) would be coming round soon. It never arrived. She also told hubby off for sleeping on my bed because that was also apparently an infection risk.
I lay on the bed and tried to get comfortable but felt guilty about my exhausted hubby slumping over in yet another inhospitable chair. Eventually I convinced him to climb on the hospital bed with me and we cuddled with his hands low down on my bump where the crampy pains were lingering.Within minutes he began to snore but I couldn’t drift off despite being totally exhausted. I wasn’t taking much notice of them, but the pains were coming and going….coming and going….and oddly I could almost predict when the next wave was coming. I felt a bit like when you have a dodgy stomach and you are waiting for the next call of nature. Speaking of calls, I did keep going to the loo. It seemed to help the pains and I would have a small loose BM every time and drop a grape sized glob of bloody mucus in the loo every time.
Eventually I decided to time the pains which I did using an app on my iPhone called “Stage1”. You just tap the screen when the pain starts and tap again when it subsides. I did this for a little while and was surprised to see that they were in fact very regular – about 25 seconds long and 3 minutes apart. I kept tapping and timing and was surprised every time the pains came with predictable regularity.
I got off the bed and sat up in the chair at which point I noticed that, along with the period paid and backache which radiated into my groin, I would also get a bizarre pain in my right knee like a pinched nerve that would only settle if I stretched my leg out straight.
At around 11am I had had enough of feeling uncomfortable and rang for a midwife to ask for some pain relief. A rather grumpy bod turned up and told me to be patient and wait as the medicine trolley (is that like a dessert trolley) would be coming round soon. It never arrived. She also told hubby off for sleeping on my bed because that was also apparently an infection risk.
At 2pm we had a scan, fluid level was excellent and LO was estimated at 6lbs 2oz.
After a long wait, we were called for a scan. I was amazed at how cramped LO looked in there and how big his hands and feet seemed compared to the last glimpse we had at 26 weeks. She struggled to measure his head circumference because his head was apparently so far down in my pelvis. For this reason, she also struggled to get a nice profile shot of him so we declined paying £4.50 for a scan picture especially since, as I said at the time, “…we will be seeing him in person soon”. Little did I know how soon that would be!
I had hoped she could see my cervix to tell us if there was any funneling or further dilation but she couldn’t see and didn’t want to risk an internal scan. She remarked at how she could feel my uterus tightening up as she was scanning and asked if I was sure I wasn’t in labour.
I had hoped she could see my cervix to tell us if there was any funneling or further dilation but she couldn’t see and didn’t want to risk an internal scan. She remarked at how she could feel my uterus tightening up as she was scanning and asked if I was sure I wasn’t in labour.
At 3pm a consultant turned up and told me I had “irritable uterus” and had to stay the night so went walkabout round the hospital to try relax and settle things.
Scan done, we returned to the room and I was hopeful they might let me go home as LO was a healthy weight and the good amount of fluid might have indicated my waters hadn’t broken after all. We also debated whether hubby should return home and get some rest but decided to wait until after the doctor had been back to discuss the results of the scan. At one point I sent hubby to ask a midwife if I could use my TENS machine to which they said that I wasn’t allowed to before 37 weeks as it could cause contractions. He then asked if they would please come in and put me back on the CTG instead, as I was complaining of the cramps.
While on the monitor, the midwives changed shift and a wonderful midwife, Tracy, came to check my scribbles on the graph paper. It was fairly obvious from the wibbly line that something was happening, regularly, but she said it didn’t look like contractions. She drew on a blank bit of the paper what a “real” contraction would look like and I was nowhere near that level. She did point out that sometimes the monitor doesn’t accurately reflect what is actually happening in the body.
We were interrupted by the doctor/registrar who came in and quickly concluded that I had “irritable uterus” from all the examinations. He said that I would know and be in a lot more pain if I was in real labour – never mind that a number of times during his consult, I had contractions bad enough I was unable to talk! He didn’t want to examine me internally again as it would likely make matters worse. Amusingly, the midwife stood behind him and shook her head mouthing “Nooooo” but she was hardly going to question his authority on the matter. I didn’t realise that midwives aren’t allowed to examine you before 37 weeks and this can only be done by a consultant with a speculum when preterm.
I was told that going home wasn’t an option just in case and I had a whinge to Tracy telling her how, if this was labour, I would want to do all the things I had planned – active birth, yoga breathing etc. She suggested I do all those things anyway because it wouldn’t hurt and they wouldn’t stop labour if it started anyway.
With this endorsement, hubby and I set off for a walk round the hospital. We went up and down corridors, through doors and up and down stairs (2 at a time) and through the coffee shop. Every so often I would stop and prop up the wall as a wave of sensation overwhelmed me and I started to sweat and was unable to speak. On the way back to the ward, we stopped at the hospital canteen which was offering hot food until 4pm. It was 3:50pm so we thought we would nip in and try buy and omlette for my as-yet-unfed hubby. They informed us that they stopped making hot food at 3:30pm, which I found a bit annoying.
While on the monitor, the midwives changed shift and a wonderful midwife, Tracy, came to check my scribbles on the graph paper. It was fairly obvious from the wibbly line that something was happening, regularly, but she said it didn’t look like contractions. She drew on a blank bit of the paper what a “real” contraction would look like and I was nowhere near that level. She did point out that sometimes the monitor doesn’t accurately reflect what is actually happening in the body.
We were interrupted by the doctor/registrar who came in and quickly concluded that I had “irritable uterus” from all the examinations. He said that I would know and be in a lot more pain if I was in real labour – never mind that a number of times during his consult, I had contractions bad enough I was unable to talk! He didn’t want to examine me internally again as it would likely make matters worse. Amusingly, the midwife stood behind him and shook her head mouthing “Nooooo” but she was hardly going to question his authority on the matter. I didn’t realise that midwives aren’t allowed to examine you before 37 weeks and this can only be done by a consultant with a speculum when preterm.
I was told that going home wasn’t an option just in case and I had a whinge to Tracy telling her how, if this was labour, I would want to do all the things I had planned – active birth, yoga breathing etc. She suggested I do all those things anyway because it wouldn’t hurt and they wouldn’t stop labour if it started anyway.
With this endorsement, hubby and I set off for a walk round the hospital. We went up and down corridors, through doors and up and down stairs (2 at a time) and through the coffee shop. Every so often I would stop and prop up the wall as a wave of sensation overwhelmed me and I started to sweat and was unable to speak. On the way back to the ward, we stopped at the hospital canteen which was offering hot food until 4pm. It was 3:50pm so we thought we would nip in and try buy and omlette for my as-yet-unfed hubby. They informed us that they stopped making hot food at 3:30pm, which I found a bit annoying.
Back from the walk around 4.30pm, the midwife decided to do an “emergency” examination and found me to be almost fully dilated, just with a slight anterior lip.
Hungry and disgruntled, we wandered (I waddled) back to the room. I timed the contractions again and they were now 45 seconds long and about 1 minute 30 seconds apart. At one point I burst into tears for two reasons, one “...my Yoga instructor lied and if this is just irritable uterus, I will never manage labour!” and two, “…we’re not ready to have a baby!”. I now wonder if this was transition.
Tracy turned up again and asked how I was feeling. I said I was hanging in there but really wanted a bath to try relax me and settle this irritable uterus of mine. She said she would go check if it was available to use and just before she left I had a good long contraction. She dashed off and returned a minute later to tell me that it was unfortunately occupied, only to discover I was just then having a second strong contraction. She asked if I would give her permission to examine me instead of a consultant (thankfully without a speculum) and I was more than keen to see if she could tell what was going on. I lay down and she had a bit of a grope about. A slight frown came over her face like she was really concentrating and her eyes seemed to go wide.
I asked her “Well.....is anything happening?” and she said “Erm...…yes, you are just about fully dilated only with a slight anterior lip!”. I said “You’re kidding me right? That’s not possible!”.
She then went into super-efficient mode and dashed off to tell the delivery ward we were coming – fast! She returned and told us to collect up our belongings and follow her. I remember saying “…is this it? Is there some way labour can stop now?” to which she laughed and said “No, you are having a baby in the next few hours.”
I looked over at hubby with wide eyes and his eyes widened and eyebrows raised.
We followed behind Tracy with me babbling and joking away as I often do when nervous or excited. She told me that I had better look like I was in more pain when we get to the delivery ward or they might not let me in. I actually thought she was serious so sort of half feigned discomfort as we walked past the reception desk of the delivery ward.
Tracy turned up again and asked how I was feeling. I said I was hanging in there but really wanted a bath to try relax me and settle this irritable uterus of mine. She said she would go check if it was available to use and just before she left I had a good long contraction. She dashed off and returned a minute later to tell me that it was unfortunately occupied, only to discover I was just then having a second strong contraction. She asked if I would give her permission to examine me instead of a consultant (thankfully without a speculum) and I was more than keen to see if she could tell what was going on. I lay down and she had a bit of a grope about. A slight frown came over her face like she was really concentrating and her eyes seemed to go wide.
I asked her “Well.....is anything happening?” and she said “Erm...…yes, you are just about fully dilated only with a slight anterior lip!”. I said “You’re kidding me right? That’s not possible!”.
She then went into super-efficient mode and dashed off to tell the delivery ward we were coming – fast! She returned and told us to collect up our belongings and follow her. I remember saying “…is this it? Is there some way labour can stop now?” to which she laughed and said “No, you are having a baby in the next few hours.”
I looked over at hubby with wide eyes and his eyes widened and eyebrows raised.
We followed behind Tracy with me babbling and joking away as I often do when nervous or excited. She told me that I had better look like I was in more pain when we get to the delivery ward or they might not let me in. I actually thought she was serious so sort of half feigned discomfort as we walked past the reception desk of the delivery ward.
We set up camp in the delivery room, and felt it was all a bit surreal....it started to snow heavily again.
I honestly kept looking at the door expecting Candid Camera to come bursting through and tell me it was all a joke. How could I have got to this point with what seemed relatively little pain or fuss? All these horror stories of going into the hospital and being sent home, labour failing to progress etc. etc. All these hurdles I was certain my body would fall at, already out the way!
I turned to Tracy and said “What now?” and she said “Now, you have a baby!”
I was like “…but I don’t feel this overwhelming urge to push I have heard/read about!” and she assured me that I would.
Tracy and her colleagues were very busy wheeling in a CTG machine as well as another couple of complicated looking contraptions which would be needed if my premature baby boy needed help after he was born.
Meanwhile, I continued to get ready – put a headband on to keep my hair out the way, got my birthing mirror out and ready and just generally paced around the room.
I suddenly remembered my birth plan and took the folded sheets of paper out my bag and proceeded to read through my preferences even though I acknowledged it was all a bit of a mute point by now!
Hubby was taking photos all the while including some funny ones of his startled face and me holding up all ten fingers with a look of fake surprise to show how many centimetres I was dilated.
At one point I realised I still had my pants on and that these would need to be removed if I was going to try get a baby out! I stood up, took them off and a ton of blood ran down my legs. I was like “Uh oh, what does that mean!”
I got on the bed and was strapped to the CTG and told I really needed to keep in on throughout delivery because of LO being premature and needing his heartrate monitored.
I turned to Tracy and said “What now?” and she said “Now, you have a baby!”
I was like “…but I don’t feel this overwhelming urge to push I have heard/read about!” and she assured me that I would.
Tracy and her colleagues were very busy wheeling in a CTG machine as well as another couple of complicated looking contraptions which would be needed if my premature baby boy needed help after he was born.
Meanwhile, I continued to get ready – put a headband on to keep my hair out the way, got my birthing mirror out and ready and just generally paced around the room.
I suddenly remembered my birth plan and took the folded sheets of paper out my bag and proceeded to read through my preferences even though I acknowledged it was all a bit of a mute point by now!
Hubby was taking photos all the while including some funny ones of his startled face and me holding up all ten fingers with a look of fake surprise to show how many centimetres I was dilated.
At one point I realised I still had my pants on and that these would need to be removed if I was going to try get a baby out! I stood up, took them off and a ton of blood ran down my legs. I was like “Uh oh, what does that mean!”
I got on the bed and was strapped to the CTG and told I really needed to keep in on throughout delivery because of LO being premature and needing his heartrate monitored.
At 5.20pm I began to push while on all fours and my forewaters broke.
I assumed the all fours position leaning against the back of the bed which had been inclined to the max. Tracy told me a bit of trivia how she knew when a woman was about ready to push when a purplish line appeared on the very lower part of the back leading towards the anus. I thought this was quite fascinating and asked hubby to take a photo of my line to show it to me. He thought this was a bizarre thing to do, but obliged, showed me the picture and promptly deleted it.
Although I forgot to ask them to, they turned the lights down low so I would feel more comfortable while pushing .
I can’t say I had an overwhelming to push, but I had a strong contraction and thought what the heck I will give this pushing malarkey a try. I looked up at the clock in front of me and noted it was 5.20pm. One of my biggest fears was taking to long during the pushing stage and ending up with a c-section. My body had caused so much trouble throughout the pregnancy I simply refused to believe I could get through something as astounding as labour and birth without disaster.
I remembered on of my male colleagues joking about a friend who made a Moo-ing sound while pushing and he kept joking to me in the preceding weeks “Just moo it out”. I decided in his honour I would try a couple of “moos” and even said “Frank, this one’s for you” before doing so.
After a few pushes I suddenly felt another bubble burst, a big one this time, followed by a massive gush of fluid down onto the disposable mat beneath me. I realised it was my forewaters and exclaimed “Ah HA! Now I KNOW I didn’t pee myself yesterday!”
As soon as they saw my waters go, they seemed pleased an were very keen to know if they were clear of any sign of meuconium, and clear they were.
While on all fours the CTG probe kept falling off which was worrying the midwives as it would set off an alarm as if LOs heart had stopped. I tried to hold it on while pushing so that I wouldn’t have to move, but it proved to be too much of a distraction.
Although I forgot to ask them to, they turned the lights down low so I would feel more comfortable while pushing .
I can’t say I had an overwhelming to push, but I had a strong contraction and thought what the heck I will give this pushing malarkey a try. I looked up at the clock in front of me and noted it was 5.20pm. One of my biggest fears was taking to long during the pushing stage and ending up with a c-section. My body had caused so much trouble throughout the pregnancy I simply refused to believe I could get through something as astounding as labour and birth without disaster.
I remembered on of my male colleagues joking about a friend who made a Moo-ing sound while pushing and he kept joking to me in the preceding weeks “Just moo it out”. I decided in his honour I would try a couple of “moos” and even said “Frank, this one’s for you” before doing so.
After a few pushes I suddenly felt another bubble burst, a big one this time, followed by a massive gush of fluid down onto the disposable mat beneath me. I realised it was my forewaters and exclaimed “Ah HA! Now I KNOW I didn’t pee myself yesterday!”
As soon as they saw my waters go, they seemed pleased an were very keen to know if they were clear of any sign of meuconium, and clear they were.
While on all fours the CTG probe kept falling off which was worrying the midwives as it would set off an alarm as if LOs heart had stopped. I tried to hold it on while pushing so that I wouldn’t have to move, but it proved to be too much of a distraction.
To keep the CTG in place, I relented and pivoted onto my back, which was a position I had been keen to avoid because of severe SPD.
I reminded the midwives again about the SPD and they agreed to be careful.
At this point I began to cry at the realisation of what was about to happen and hugged my bump saying how I wasn’t ready to say goodbye and how much I would miss my little Squiggle moving about inside me. I wasn’t ready to share him.
I continued to push, from now using the method taught in yoga class where you use the word OUT to direct the effort downwards. Although amusingly, when said in a long push it sounds more like “OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW…..T”.
I began to feel very hot and yanked my nightie over my head, tossing it aside.
I was certain that things weren’t progressing and he wasn’t coming out. Tracy had a look and said that, although I was now fully dilated, there was still the slight anterior lip and this little bit of my cervix was getting very bruised as LOs head pushed against it but was unable to get past. They rolled me on my left side and lifted my right leg to try get him to slide under the lip. They did this a bit overeagerly which caused a painful twinge in my right hip resulting in me thrashing and kicking my leg about involuntarily. This must have worked because I was then rolled back onto my back where I continued pushing in earnest.
Because I expected LOs descent down the birth canal to hurt, which it didn’t, I was adamant he wasn’t coming. Tracy checked and said his head was just inside the exit and that when I pushed you could just see it crowning. I thought she was having a laugh.
At this point I began to cry at the realisation of what was about to happen and hugged my bump saying how I wasn’t ready to say goodbye and how much I would miss my little Squiggle moving about inside me. I wasn’t ready to share him.
I continued to push, from now using the method taught in yoga class where you use the word OUT to direct the effort downwards. Although amusingly, when said in a long push it sounds more like “OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW…..T”.
I began to feel very hot and yanked my nightie over my head, tossing it aside.
I was certain that things weren’t progressing and he wasn’t coming out. Tracy had a look and said that, although I was now fully dilated, there was still the slight anterior lip and this little bit of my cervix was getting very bruised as LOs head pushed against it but was unable to get past. They rolled me on my left side and lifted my right leg to try get him to slide under the lip. They did this a bit overeagerly which caused a painful twinge in my right hip resulting in me thrashing and kicking my leg about involuntarily. This must have worked because I was then rolled back onto my back where I continued pushing in earnest.
Because I expected LOs descent down the birth canal to hurt, which it didn’t, I was adamant he wasn’t coming. Tracy checked and said his head was just inside the exit and that when I pushed you could just see it crowning. I thought she was having a laugh.
I still couldn’t accept it was all happening so, to my surprise, my would-pass-out-at-a-drop-of-his-own-blood hubby then went down the business end to reassure me.
He sounded really excited as he said “I can see him! I can see him! Oh my goodness he’s coming!”
I asked for my birthing mirror at this point and held it there with my right had while I parted my lips with my left and gave a little squeeze to see the tiny area of baby head emerging. With the next contraction I gave 3 pushes and very quickly I could see an orange-sized area of dark hair emerge. Tracy took my hand and put it on his head. It was warm and slippery and wonderfully full of life.
I started to cry (again) and exclaimed “Oh he’s perfect! He’s so perfect!”I instantly felt so eager to see all of him and hold this baby we had longed for. I pushed and pushed and pushed, every time hubby telling me how much more of him could be seen. I didn’t use my mirror any more by this point as I was too focused on the task at hand.
On one occasion, I must have pooped a bit because Tracy dashed over to the sink, grabbed some paper towel which she wet with warm water and quickly whisked it away. It really wasn’t a big deal and, by that point, I could have cared less what came out of any orifice!
Hubby was doing an excellent job of cheering me on while handing me a cup of chilled water to sip between contractions, although the first time he didn’t realise he should not leave a pushing woman holding a cup which I promptly the air as soon as I had better things to do! He kept saying how amazing I was and how fantastic I was doing, how proud he was of me! It really kept me going. At the same time he also really helped the mws grabbing towels etc, chucking the latest soaked sheet etc.
I remember feeling overwhelmingly tired, like I was trying to force something out of a too-small hole with all my might. Not painful, just very very difficult.
In between the contractions I went into an almost zoned out state of sleep and apparently I kept muttering “Easy…..easy….this is easy….come on Squiggle, we can do this…”. During yoga class we were often told to repeat the affirmation “My birth is easy” which must have brainwashed me in a good way!
I quickly learned about “holding” LO in place between contractions so that he didn’t slip back up causing me to have to push him back down again.
I asked for my birthing mirror at this point and held it there with my right had while I parted my lips with my left and gave a little squeeze to see the tiny area of baby head emerging. With the next contraction I gave 3 pushes and very quickly I could see an orange-sized area of dark hair emerge. Tracy took my hand and put it on his head. It was warm and slippery and wonderfully full of life.
I started to cry (again) and exclaimed “Oh he’s perfect! He’s so perfect!”I instantly felt so eager to see all of him and hold this baby we had longed for. I pushed and pushed and pushed, every time hubby telling me how much more of him could be seen. I didn’t use my mirror any more by this point as I was too focused on the task at hand.
On one occasion, I must have pooped a bit because Tracy dashed over to the sink, grabbed some paper towel which she wet with warm water and quickly whisked it away. It really wasn’t a big deal and, by that point, I could have cared less what came out of any orifice!
Hubby was doing an excellent job of cheering me on while handing me a cup of chilled water to sip between contractions, although the first time he didn’t realise he should not leave a pushing woman holding a cup which I promptly the air as soon as I had better things to do! He kept saying how amazing I was and how fantastic I was doing, how proud he was of me! It really kept me going. At the same time he also really helped the mws grabbing towels etc, chucking the latest soaked sheet etc.
I remember feeling overwhelmingly tired, like I was trying to force something out of a too-small hole with all my might. Not painful, just very very difficult.
In between the contractions I went into an almost zoned out state of sleep and apparently I kept muttering “Easy…..easy….this is easy….come on Squiggle, we can do this…”. During yoga class we were often told to repeat the affirmation “My birth is easy” which must have brainwashed me in a good way!
I quickly learned about “holding” LO in place between contractions so that he didn’t slip back up causing me to have to push him back down again.
I pushed his head out and got to test the theory of the famed “ring of fire”.
Eventually it got to a point where each push resulted in a burning sensation although not a ring of fire as I expected because the pain was mainly concentrated at the top rather than by my perineum as I would have expected. I put my hand there to support where it was hurting, and Tracy cleverly told me to pant and got a cup of cold water and trickled it over the burning bits. It was such a relief I could have kissed her there and then!
The biggest problem at this point was the fear of the unknown. It was getting very painful and I had no idea how bad it would get. I felt like I was fast reaching my threshold of pain…which is quite high I might add.
At the next push I seriously doubted my complete lack of pain medication. Time seemed to slow down, like in a car accident. NOT an occasion you want time to slow down – believe me. I remembered reading something in a book “The Best Friends Guide to Pregnancy” (yes I was thinking of books at this crucial stage) and a phrase that read
“...the only way to make this pain subside : PUSH RIGHT THROUGH THE PAIN AS HARD AS YOU CAN!”With that thought in mind, I did push with all my might and with his head slipping out, in an instant, all the pain was gone.
The biggest problem at this point was the fear of the unknown. It was getting very painful and I had no idea how bad it would get. I felt like I was fast reaching my threshold of pain…which is quite high I might add.
At the next push I seriously doubted my complete lack of pain medication. Time seemed to slow down, like in a car accident. NOT an occasion you want time to slow down – believe me. I remembered reading something in a book “The Best Friends Guide to Pregnancy” (yes I was thinking of books at this crucial stage) and a phrase that read
“...the only way to make this pain subside : PUSH RIGHT THROUGH THE PAIN AS HARD AS YOU CAN!”With that thought in mind, I did push with all my might and with his head slipping out, in an instant, all the pain was gone.
Then at 6:01pm, the rest of him…
I did have a brief moment where I wondered if the shoulders would hurt coming out and there was some commotion because the CTG probe fell off causing the heartrate alarm to sound. Tracy apparently hooked her fingers inside to help first one then the other shoulder out and with that, there was an explosion of baby and blood and goo in an almighty gush. It was a bit like someone took a sledgehammer to a giant tank of octopusses and just smashed it, causing a flood of water and slippery tentacles! 
He was immediately placed on my bare chest, letting out just a couple of cries and then lay there just looking up as me with his big dark eyes. It was the most incredibly awesomely amazingly intense and wonderful experience. I touched his little hand and just drank in the sight of him. Unconditional love at first sight.
I cried and cried with relief and joy and said:
“Hello my darling…Happy Birthday” “We have been waiting for you”…
Hubby came up by my head and stroked LOs hand, kissing him on the head - gunk and all! He just kept saying "Oh my God, Oh my God...that is the most amazing thing I have ever seen...that's my son! I don't know how you didn't that darling, you are incredible."
Shortly after he was born, a couple of people from neonatal who had been called to come assist in case he was struggling burst through the door. They quickly retreated when they realised their services were not required. His APGAR was 9 and then 10. They said it probably helped having no drugs in my system to potentially make him sleepy or supress his breathing.
He was immediately placed on my bare chest, letting out just a couple of cries and then lay there just looking up as me with his big dark eyes. It was the most incredibly awesomely amazingly intense and wonderful experience. I touched his little hand and just drank in the sight of him. Unconditional love at first sight.
I cried and cried with relief and joy and said:“Hello my darling…Happy Birthday” “We have been waiting for you”…
Hubby came up by my head and stroked LOs hand, kissing him on the head - gunk and all! He just kept saying "Oh my God, Oh my God...that is the most amazing thing I have ever seen...that's my son! I don't know how you didn't that darling, you are incredible."
Shortly after he was born, a couple of people from neonatal who had been called to come assist in case he was struggling burst through the door. They quickly retreated when they realised their services were not required. His APGAR was 9 and then 10. They said it probably helped having no drugs in my system to potentially make him sleepy or supress his breathing.
The cord was cut once empty and placenta delivered naturally.
After about 40 minutes Tracy cut his cord which was all white and empty since the blood and stem cells had plenty of time to flow back into LOs body. Shortly afterwards the placenta came out with a gelatinous plop. We were shown the amazing organ that had nurtured LO all those months (and cushioned the kicks as it was anterior). It looked a lot like a large raw liver, which I found fascinating, but hubby turned green at the sight.
LO wriggled on my chest and made his way to my left breast by groping with his perfect little hands and rooting around with his tiny mouth. He latched on and had his first drink. The warmth and the love and the completeness was heavenly. I remember looking at his wrinkled little bottom and thinking how cute it was. Every inch of him was so soft and new.
Tracy, hugged us many times and said thank you as it was "one of the favourite births she had ever seen in her 20 years"....but I bet she says that to everyone!
LO wriggled on my chest and made his way to my left breast by groping with his perfect little hands and rooting around with his tiny mouth. He latched on and had his first drink. The warmth and the love and the completeness was heavenly. I remember looking at his wrinkled little bottom and thinking how cute it was. Every inch of him was so soft and new.
Tracy, hugged us many times and said thank you as it was "one of the favourite births she had ever seen in her 20 years"....but I bet she says that to everyone!
He was weighed and measured...
All in all about an hour and a half after birth, he was weighed at 6lbs 6oz (2.9kgs) and 20 inches (51cms) long. Head circumference was 34cm.
Then hubby held him - he was a bit nervous at first but glowed with pride when he did. He didn't want to give him back! We started making calls to the family and they were all so shocked he came early and knew nothing of my trip into hospital the day before. At 8pm hubby had to go home and they stitched me up. I had a 2nd degree tear, and the repair was the most painful part of the whole process….although I am pretty sure they did an excellent job because I didn’t have any pain afterwards (even when using the loo as people warn you about).
Then hubby held him - he was a bit nervous at first but glowed with pride when he did. He didn't want to give him back! We started making calls to the family and they were all so shocked he came early and knew nothing of my trip into hospital the day before. At 8pm hubby had to go home and they stitched me up. I had a 2nd degree tear, and the repair was the most painful part of the whole process….although I am pretty sure they did an excellent job because I didn’t have any pain afterwards (even when using the loo as people warn you about).
My body actually felt so wonderful after the birth...I could breathe, my pelvis/ribs/back didn't hurt anymore. I almost felt "me" again (although I knew true recovery takes time). But, I can assure you this "me" is different! After this whole experience, and particularly doing it totally drug free, I have been changed for the better. I feel like I can do anything!
Throughout this pregnancy I vowed that LO would be an only child. I am almost ashamed to say I really didn’t like being pregnant. But after such a wonderful birth experience, I would TOTALLY do it all again. No amount of pain and hardship in pregnancy is even a drop in the endless ocean of love for my son.
Throughout this pregnancy I vowed that LO would be an only child. I am almost ashamed to say I really didn’t like being pregnant. But after such a wonderful birth experience, I would TOTALLY do it all again. No amount of pain and hardship in pregnancy is even a drop in the endless ocean of love for my son.
Well done if you read this all the way through….and medals for anyone who read all the spoilers too!
Here is hubby's comedy "panic" picture:
https://lh4.ggpht.com/_F9Szj08yWMk/TPj__8AEh1I/AAAAAAAABCQ/eGq1p68vvKA/s288/P1090629.JPG
Here are pics of me and Stewart just minutes after he was born. I think the exhaustion and elation in my face says it all!
https://lh4.ggpht.com/_F9Szj08yWMk/TPj_1zYoAUI/AAAAAAAABCI/R894Nj6cWro/s288/P1090646.JPGhttps://lh3.ggpht.com/_F9Szj08yWMk/TPj_7MTW58I/AAAAAAAABCM/ZlwMVH7_Z98/s288/P1090640.JPG
An early pic of the little man:
https://lh3.ggpht.com/_F9Szj08yWMk/TPj3c5QTMAI/AAAAAAAABAY/hvfat8nETC4/s288/20101202_9330.JPG
And some more recent ones:
https://lh6.ggpht.com/_F9Szj08yWMk/TQ_KfxlD2QI/AAAAAAAABFg/amLcrUPZ2zQ/s288/20101204_9506.JPGhttps://lh4.ggpht.com/_F9Szj08yWMk/TQ_LB1OdARI/AAAAAAAABGE/q-BrLzWsdwk/s288/20101205_9627.JPGhttps://lh3.ggpht.com/_F9Szj08yWMk/TQ_L0MHvfbI/AAAAAAAABGY/PuCpDJYKI6I/s288/20101216_9644.JPG
xx
