I was due on 28th October but went overdue so agreed to an induction at +13 as from that point on I couldnt have my nice waterbirth in the birthing centre anyway
Went into the hospital (Rosie at Addenbrookes Cambridge) at 1pm on Saturday 10th Nov with my beloved moaning that wed better have a telly he could watch the rugby on typical Welshman! It was a good hour before anyone took my details and they put me on a monitor to get a baseline on babys heartbeat/movements. The midwife then buggered off on his break (male midwife = weird!) so I wasnt examined until 4 only to find out my bishops score was a measly 3!! 1-2cm dilated and posterior so much to my disappointment I was given propess, a very low strength pessary and told not to expect anything for 24hrs and that I wouldnt have any examinations etc. I was put back on the monitor and in the meantime Wales lost the rugby so my partner got even moodier so I sent him off to get his self something to eat as wed both had no lunch.
He got back about 5 and the midwife wasnt happy with babys heartrate as it kept dropping from the 120-160 range down to about 110 for a minute or so once in a while so they wanted to keep me on the monitor and get the doctors to have a look. Im now having cramps which Im told are normal, blah, blah, blah. The doctors turn up an hour or so later glance at the trace, not worried and vanish. My cramps are now pretty uncomfortable stupid midwife asks me if I think theyre contractions to which I say I have no idea I have no frame of reference!!. I then feel like Ive peed myself a tiny bit so disconnect myself from the monitors and go to the loo, pants are soaked so I mention it to the midwife in case it was waters, they ask if I have a pad to test no they didnt tell me to wear one! He then says I would know if it was my waters and to put a pad on. BY the time the night shift come on just after 8 Im concentrating through the cramps, trying to time them but they dont really seem to start and end, just are continuous but some bits hurt more! The new midwife is much more concerned over babys continuing erratic heartbeat and gets me to lie on my left side, shes standing by the bed talking to us when it drops again. I cant see the monitor as its behind me but my OH says it dropped to 90, 50 and then down to 20 at which point she yells Bradycardia and hits the emergency button! People appear from all directions and start having heated discussions on whether to go to theatre after about 30secs they decide to go and were whistling through the corridors. Theatre is next floor up so its into the lift and takes us a couple of mins to get there. Im thinking oh bugger EMCS and trying to stay calm. I had an ovarian cyst removed at 16wks so was really hoping not to have another bloody great abdominal op
We get into theatre and half the team start stripping my nether regions off while the anaesthetist is giving me the third degree and someone else is putting a canula into my hand. The belly monitors go back on and babys heartbeat is now fine so everything chills out while hes monitored for a bit. Im now 3-4cm so they decide to break my waters and get things going for a vaginal birth and the female doctor with arms like my thighs starts grouting around in my fanny and I start climbing off the end of the table in pain! Seriously I think that was the worst pain of the whole business of giving birth!! They give me some gas and air and keep trying but cant find the membranes, I mention that I thought they might have gone earlier but no one from the induction ward had told them I thought my waters might have gone...
About 10-10.30 were transferred into a delivery suite and the midwife starts discussing an epidural saying as I wasnt having regular contractions anymore then it could take a long time and be very painful. I really dont want one but agree that they can prepare the stuff in case I change my mind. Almost straight away I start getting huge contractions and announce that I cant do this for another ten hours Im going to need an epidural but the midwife says I dont think youve got time as she does her first examination as Im already at 6cm and stretchy. The next hour or so is a blur of breathing through the contractions on the gas and air at the time I thought it was crap but I wouldnt say I was in pain so must have been doing something! It was like the worst constipation uncomfortable chronic pain ever, not acute like a stabbing pain but was endurable. At 11.30 I started to push according to my notes and it seemed to go fast to me but the midwife said she was going to have to get the doctors in case we needed ventouse/forceps as the baby didnt seem to be coming round the corner. I was pushing as hard as I could to get him out before midnight as I thought remembrance day was a crap birthday!! I gritted my teeth and pushed two times every time she said to do one and by the time the doctor arrived he was crowning and Evan James was born without any interventions at 2358 on 10.11.12
He had the worlds biggest poo on the way out so we had to stay in for 12hrs observations but I managed to get us discharged Sunday afternoon about 4pm (everyone else on my ward seemed to want to stay in but with Englands no.1 snorer next to me I was ready to go home!). No stitches or anything and I was trotting around the ward at 7am to go show the induction staff the result of last nights panic!
My active labour was classed as 4hr so I think I'll go for a home birth if I have another!!
Went into the hospital (Rosie at Addenbrookes Cambridge) at 1pm on Saturday 10th Nov with my beloved moaning that wed better have a telly he could watch the rugby on typical Welshman! It was a good hour before anyone took my details and they put me on a monitor to get a baseline on babys heartbeat/movements. The midwife then buggered off on his break (male midwife = weird!) so I wasnt examined until 4 only to find out my bishops score was a measly 3!! 1-2cm dilated and posterior so much to my disappointment I was given propess, a very low strength pessary and told not to expect anything for 24hrs and that I wouldnt have any examinations etc. I was put back on the monitor and in the meantime Wales lost the rugby so my partner got even moodier so I sent him off to get his self something to eat as wed both had no lunch.
He got back about 5 and the midwife wasnt happy with babys heartrate as it kept dropping from the 120-160 range down to about 110 for a minute or so once in a while so they wanted to keep me on the monitor and get the doctors to have a look. Im now having cramps which Im told are normal, blah, blah, blah. The doctors turn up an hour or so later glance at the trace, not worried and vanish. My cramps are now pretty uncomfortable stupid midwife asks me if I think theyre contractions to which I say I have no idea I have no frame of reference!!. I then feel like Ive peed myself a tiny bit so disconnect myself from the monitors and go to the loo, pants are soaked so I mention it to the midwife in case it was waters, they ask if I have a pad to test no they didnt tell me to wear one! He then says I would know if it was my waters and to put a pad on. BY the time the night shift come on just after 8 Im concentrating through the cramps, trying to time them but they dont really seem to start and end, just are continuous but some bits hurt more! The new midwife is much more concerned over babys continuing erratic heartbeat and gets me to lie on my left side, shes standing by the bed talking to us when it drops again. I cant see the monitor as its behind me but my OH says it dropped to 90, 50 and then down to 20 at which point she yells Bradycardia and hits the emergency button! People appear from all directions and start having heated discussions on whether to go to theatre after about 30secs they decide to go and were whistling through the corridors. Theatre is next floor up so its into the lift and takes us a couple of mins to get there. Im thinking oh bugger EMCS and trying to stay calm. I had an ovarian cyst removed at 16wks so was really hoping not to have another bloody great abdominal op
We get into theatre and half the team start stripping my nether regions off while the anaesthetist is giving me the third degree and someone else is putting a canula into my hand. The belly monitors go back on and babys heartbeat is now fine so everything chills out while hes monitored for a bit. Im now 3-4cm so they decide to break my waters and get things going for a vaginal birth and the female doctor with arms like my thighs starts grouting around in my fanny and I start climbing off the end of the table in pain! Seriously I think that was the worst pain of the whole business of giving birth!! They give me some gas and air and keep trying but cant find the membranes, I mention that I thought they might have gone earlier but no one from the induction ward had told them I thought my waters might have gone...
About 10-10.30 were transferred into a delivery suite and the midwife starts discussing an epidural saying as I wasnt having regular contractions anymore then it could take a long time and be very painful. I really dont want one but agree that they can prepare the stuff in case I change my mind. Almost straight away I start getting huge contractions and announce that I cant do this for another ten hours Im going to need an epidural but the midwife says I dont think youve got time as she does her first examination as Im already at 6cm and stretchy. The next hour or so is a blur of breathing through the contractions on the gas and air at the time I thought it was crap but I wouldnt say I was in pain so must have been doing something! It was like the worst constipation uncomfortable chronic pain ever, not acute like a stabbing pain but was endurable. At 11.30 I started to push according to my notes and it seemed to go fast to me but the midwife said she was going to have to get the doctors in case we needed ventouse/forceps as the baby didnt seem to be coming round the corner. I was pushing as hard as I could to get him out before midnight as I thought remembrance day was a crap birthday!! I gritted my teeth and pushed two times every time she said to do one and by the time the doctor arrived he was crowning and Evan James was born without any interventions at 2358 on 10.11.12
He had the worlds biggest poo on the way out so we had to stay in for 12hrs observations but I managed to get us discharged Sunday afternoon about 4pm (everyone else on my ward seemed to want to stay in but with Englands no.1 snorer next to me I was ready to go home!). No stitches or anything and I was trotting around the ward at 7am to go show the induction staff the result of last nights panic!
My active labour was classed as 4hr so I think I'll go for a home birth if I have another!!
