Finally i have time to write my birth story:
At 36+4 i had a growth scan which said baby was 8lb 14oz, based on this, my GD, and my withdrawal of lithium for the birth they decided to induce me a week early at 37 weeks.
Sun 26th i went to the hospital at 6pm, and immediately was moved to the delivery suite cos i was high risk. At 8.10pm i was given the internal pessary and told i was 1cm dilated. About 10pm i started having mild contractions, and these carried on during the night lasting about 30seconds, every3-4minutes.
The pessary was removed at 8am the next day and i was gutted to be told i was only 1-2cm dilated - all that pain for nowt! At 9.10 i had my waters broke, and around 11am i had an epidural. 1.45pm i had an internal and was told i was 5cm dilated, and for the next hour me, DH the MW and student sat talking about loads of rubbish. 2.45pm i asked for a top up of my epidural, and she did an internal first - i was 10cm!!
I couldnt believe it - id just been sat chatting with minimal pain!
So she told me to push with the next contraction - 5 contractions later Kate was born at 2.55pm!!!!
This was the easy bit - the perfect labour and birth, and then things went wrong 
I started to haemorrhage, and Kate wouldnt breathe properly. She was navy blue and not responding at all. The MW was alone with the student, but so calmly she got the student to press the emergency buzzer and then loads of people run in.
They quickly got DH to cut Kates cord, and started to work on her, while my obstetrician sorted me.
After a tiny brief hold Kate was whisked to SCBU at 16minutes old.
She was put on CPAP, a machine that helps with breathing by holding open the airways. TBH i dont remember much of that day. I was taken to my ward without my baby.
I woke up in the night to be told that Kate had deteriorated and that she had to be intubated and ventilated. It was the middle of the night and my DH was at home, so i went to see her on my own. I cant explain how dreadful it is to see ur baby in such a way. My birth was never meant to be this way.
The next few days passed in a blur - she was given x-rays, scans and antibiotics. At one point they werent sure if it was her heart because they couldnt see some veins going from her lungs to the left side of her heart. Then they decided that she wasnt born with Surfactant in her lungs that matures the lungs and helps keep her airways open. So while she was ventilated she was given artificial surfactant - costng the hospital £1700
. She only made slight improvement with that and it was just a matter of waiting. She was jaundice and had phototherapy, and she was being starved because she needed a suppository to get her bowels working.
Finally 5 days later she was weaned off the ventialtor, and put back on CPAP for 12hours. Sat morning, was the best day - we finally got our first cuddle!!
On that day she was started with artifical feeding via cannula, and was also given 1ml of donor breast milk. This went on for 48hrs until they could increase it by 1ml every 6hours until she was on 23ml. This took a week, and eventually she was weaned onto formula.
During this tme she got an infection in her right lung - the good lung and needed more antibiotics.
She also has Patent Foramen Ovale - which is a hole in her heart, but that should close in the next couple of months.
So to cut my long story shorter:
She spent 17 days in special care, and im upset that ive lost those days - those 'firsts' - but i have the most beautiful girl, and im so blessed. And hopefully she wont have any long term problems.
Kate Scarlet 27.6.11 2.55pm!
Pics - and more to come!
At 36+4 i had a growth scan which said baby was 8lb 14oz, based on this, my GD, and my withdrawal of lithium for the birth they decided to induce me a week early at 37 weeks.
Sun 26th i went to the hospital at 6pm, and immediately was moved to the delivery suite cos i was high risk. At 8.10pm i was given the internal pessary and told i was 1cm dilated. About 10pm i started having mild contractions, and these carried on during the night lasting about 30seconds, every3-4minutes.
The pessary was removed at 8am the next day and i was gutted to be told i was only 1-2cm dilated - all that pain for nowt! At 9.10 i had my waters broke, and around 11am i had an epidural. 1.45pm i had an internal and was told i was 5cm dilated, and for the next hour me, DH the MW and student sat talking about loads of rubbish. 2.45pm i asked for a top up of my epidural, and she did an internal first - i was 10cm!!
I couldnt believe it - id just been sat chatting with minimal pain!So she told me to push with the next contraction - 5 contractions later Kate was born at 2.55pm!!!!
This was the easy bit - the perfect labour and birth, and then things went wrong I started to haemorrhage, and Kate wouldnt breathe properly. She was navy blue and not responding at all. The MW was alone with the student, but so calmly she got the student to press the emergency buzzer and then loads of people run in.
They quickly got DH to cut Kates cord, and started to work on her, while my obstetrician sorted me.
After a tiny brief hold Kate was whisked to SCBU at 16minutes old.
She was put on CPAP, a machine that helps with breathing by holding open the airways. TBH i dont remember much of that day. I was taken to my ward without my baby.
I woke up in the night to be told that Kate had deteriorated and that she had to be intubated and ventilated. It was the middle of the night and my DH was at home, so i went to see her on my own. I cant explain how dreadful it is to see ur baby in such a way. My birth was never meant to be this way.
The next few days passed in a blur - she was given x-rays, scans and antibiotics. At one point they werent sure if it was her heart because they couldnt see some veins going from her lungs to the left side of her heart. Then they decided that she wasnt born with Surfactant in her lungs that matures the lungs and helps keep her airways open. So while she was ventilated she was given artificial surfactant - costng the hospital £1700
. She only made slight improvement with that and it was just a matter of waiting. She was jaundice and had phototherapy, and she was being starved because she needed a suppository to get her bowels working.Finally 5 days later she was weaned off the ventialtor, and put back on CPAP for 12hours. Sat morning, was the best day - we finally got our first cuddle!!
On that day she was started with artifical feeding via cannula, and was also given 1ml of donor breast milk. This went on for 48hrs until they could increase it by 1ml every 6hours until she was on 23ml. This took a week, and eventually she was weaned onto formula.
During this tme she got an infection in her right lung - the good lung and needed more antibiotics.
She also has Patent Foramen Ovale - which is a hole in her heart, but that should close in the next couple of months.
So to cut my long story shorter:
She spent 17 days in special care, and im upset that ive lost those days - those 'firsts' - but i have the most beautiful girl, and im so blessed. And hopefully she wont have any long term problems.
Kate Scarlet 27.6.11 2.55pm!
Pics - and more to come!
so glad Kate is home and doing well, she is gorgeous x
Things i miss are having photos from when she was immediately born, like me holding her, daddy holding her, first bottle etc.
