Sarahwoo
Work from home Mummy
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Well Oliver is asleep on my lap and is three weeks old tomorrow so I think its a good time to write my birth story! It will be very long though - you might want to get a cuppa 
I am completely unable to tell a story any quicker than this lol!!
So, Oliver is my first baby and was due on May 13th 2010. As pregnancys go I had a lovely one I think - I had SPD which was very painful towards the end but everything else was very 'normal'. This was quite a relief for me as I had a partial molar pregnancy in October 2008 so I was very worried this time around, esp in the early days.
For a good few weeks before my due date I was nesting like mad - I wasnt sleeping well so I was cleaning in the middle of the night and generally been a bit obsessive lol! So on Friday 7th May (I was 39 +1) I finally finished my jobs - everything else I wanted to do I needed my hubby to help me with. I went out for tea with my mum and dad as it was my mums birthday, and then chilled at home until hubby came home from work at 10pm. I was feeling so tired and a bit rubbish, nothing I could put my finger on but I remember thinking thank goodness my list is done and I can put my feet up for the next week or so!!
So at 1am we went to bed, hubby had the weekend off and before we went to bed he joked that if I was going into labour could I do it after 5am so he could get some sleep! I woke up at 2am feeling rubbish and needing a wee, went back to bed only to be woken up at 3am with the wierdest pain in my bump - I only had time for it to register before 'pop' - my waters had gone! This was followed by a contraction . . . . ouch! I woke hubby and managed to get to the loo where I sat while hubby ran around like a crazy thing lol! I then got dressed and called the hospital who said to go in and get checked.
We only live five mins from the hospital but I had a couple of contractions on the way there, and by the time I was been monitered in hospital they were coming about every five minutes - while they were painful I could cope with them. Baby was fine so after about an hour we were given the option of staying or going home. I decided on going home, since you hear so many stories of early labour taking ages.
So we got home at about 6am and I tried to get comfy on the sofa, but then started feeling sick so dashed to the bathroom. I then stayed in the bathroom, with hubby trying to fit my tens machine and time my contractions, which were closer together but not really regular. By half seven I decided I wanted more pain relief, so we called the labour ward and went back in. Part of me wanted to be brave and stick it out longer at home, another part said you dont get any prizes for been brave - get back in lol!!!
So by 8am I was in my room on the labour ward. The midwife said that as my waters had gone she didnt want to examine me yet as it increased the risk of infection. She showed me some breathing exercises and explained that it was shift changeover so my actual midwife would be in shortly. By this point every time I had a contraction my waters were still gushing out, and I was feeling soooooo much pressure in my bum - ouch! I was also sick again and was feeling soooo tired! At this point hubby was trying to help with my breathing but it was just annoying me, I think he felt pretty helpless and ended up going to move the car and popped to the shop for a few snacks etc. While he was got I got started on the gas and air which was fab, it didn't make me feel drunk or out of control, just relaxed and happy lol! So when hubby came back I was in a much better mood, and inbetween contractions managed to eat a wham bar - it seemed like the best thing I'd ever tasted, g&a makes your mouth soooo dry.
So by just before nine my contractions were getting stronger but still werent all that close together or regular. The pressure in my bum was getting more and more though and I felt I was struggling with G&A and my tens machine. I'd more or less decided that I wanted an epidural at this point and through one contraction I shouted to hubby to go fetch the midwife as I just couldn't do it anymore. At this point my midwife came in looking a bit concerned and said I think we'd better examine you now and then we can talk about pain relief.
I expected her to say I was about 5cm, I was dreding her saying I was 1cm lol! But to my utter suprise she said I was 10cm and ready to push whenever I wanted to!! At this point I said but what about my epidural!!!!! She said I could have pain relief but since I'd got so far on G&A she was confident I'd be able to do it. I am a complete wimp so i had never considered having my baby with just gas and air lol!!!
Pushing was hard work - to begin with the midwife left me to it but after a while I said I didn't feel like I was doing it right, so she talked me through it and moved me into few different positions etc. I was having three to five minute breaks inbetween contractions and during the breaks I felt absolutely normal lol!!! That was quite strange. In the end I was pushing for just over two hours - it took me a while to get the hang of it and because the contractions were so spaced out the midwife explained it might take a while. She was brilliant though - encouraging me and suggesting different positions to try. Hubby was also encouraging me along but I just remember saying OMG I'm sooooo rubish at pushing, is there not another way??
I was so unaware at this point about anything other than what I was doing - hubby said that the midwife had got loads of equiptment all set up and ready. I had a local anethetic too as the midwife thought it might help if she cut me a little, since I was getting tired. However a couple of really, really good pushes and at 11.14 Oliver was out! Thanks to the local I never really felt the 'ring of fire', I also tore a little but again didnt feel it. I had the injection for the placenta and this came away a few minutes later.
So Oliver was born screaming his little head off, and was given to me for skin to skin. Daddy cut the cord and while we had cuddles and I phoned my mum the midwife sorted my tear out. After about 30 minutes I started feeling sick again so Daddy took Oliver and I had a quick powernap, though I was feeling pretty out of it due to been so tired I think.
We then had more cuddles and grandparents came in to see Oliver, my parents stayed fror a while and the midwifes brought is loads of tea which was lovely though I didn't feel up to it. After about two hours I decided to go for a wee - which was easier said than done lol!! My legs felt so numb and wobbly and I felt sooo sore! I did the old pouring water while I had a wee which was a big help, and it was honestly the biggest wee I'd had in months lol!!!!
Because everything had gone so well the midwife said that if I wanted to go home that evening I could, rather than staying in hospital. I was keen to go home at this point and at about 8pm, after Oliver had been checked over etc, we went home!! My carefully packed 'staying over' hospital bag was never even opened!! It was lovely to go home though and I was glad I didn't have to go onto a ward.
So Oliver weighed 6lb 8oz when he was born, and OMG is just perfect!
I planned to breastfeed and he latched on perfectly in hospital and we haven't had any problems at all so far - touch wood! At five days Oliver had actually put weight on and at ten days he'd put on a whole pound!!!!! He's outgrown some of his stuff already, and he is such a good baby - I am completely besotted and in love!!
So for someone who was absolutely dreading labour I feel so lucky that everything went so well. I had been reading Ina Mays Guide to Childbirth and I did have in mind that my body knew what it was doing etc - I think this was a really, really big help as my attitude was so different to what it had been. Everything went so well - Olivers heart rate was steady throughout and I just feel so, so lucky to have had such a wonderful positive birth experience.
So if you have got to the end of this well done lol! Its very theraputic to write everything down, and I hope it helps ladies who are pregnant and maybe nervous or afraid of labour to see that it can be text book and very positive.
Thanks for reading, here is a pic of Oliver at about four hours old
I am completely unable to tell a story any quicker than this lol!!So, Oliver is my first baby and was due on May 13th 2010. As pregnancys go I had a lovely one I think - I had SPD which was very painful towards the end but everything else was very 'normal'. This was quite a relief for me as I had a partial molar pregnancy in October 2008 so I was very worried this time around, esp in the early days.
For a good few weeks before my due date I was nesting like mad - I wasnt sleeping well so I was cleaning in the middle of the night and generally been a bit obsessive lol! So on Friday 7th May (I was 39 +1) I finally finished my jobs - everything else I wanted to do I needed my hubby to help me with. I went out for tea with my mum and dad as it was my mums birthday, and then chilled at home until hubby came home from work at 10pm. I was feeling so tired and a bit rubbish, nothing I could put my finger on but I remember thinking thank goodness my list is done and I can put my feet up for the next week or so!!
So at 1am we went to bed, hubby had the weekend off and before we went to bed he joked that if I was going into labour could I do it after 5am so he could get some sleep! I woke up at 2am feeling rubbish and needing a wee, went back to bed only to be woken up at 3am with the wierdest pain in my bump - I only had time for it to register before 'pop' - my waters had gone! This was followed by a contraction . . . . ouch! I woke hubby and managed to get to the loo where I sat while hubby ran around like a crazy thing lol! I then got dressed and called the hospital who said to go in and get checked.
We only live five mins from the hospital but I had a couple of contractions on the way there, and by the time I was been monitered in hospital they were coming about every five minutes - while they were painful I could cope with them. Baby was fine so after about an hour we were given the option of staying or going home. I decided on going home, since you hear so many stories of early labour taking ages.
So we got home at about 6am and I tried to get comfy on the sofa, but then started feeling sick so dashed to the bathroom. I then stayed in the bathroom, with hubby trying to fit my tens machine and time my contractions, which were closer together but not really regular. By half seven I decided I wanted more pain relief, so we called the labour ward and went back in. Part of me wanted to be brave and stick it out longer at home, another part said you dont get any prizes for been brave - get back in lol!!!
So by 8am I was in my room on the labour ward. The midwife said that as my waters had gone she didnt want to examine me yet as it increased the risk of infection. She showed me some breathing exercises and explained that it was shift changeover so my actual midwife would be in shortly. By this point every time I had a contraction my waters were still gushing out, and I was feeling soooooo much pressure in my bum - ouch! I was also sick again and was feeling soooo tired! At this point hubby was trying to help with my breathing but it was just annoying me, I think he felt pretty helpless and ended up going to move the car and popped to the shop for a few snacks etc. While he was got I got started on the gas and air which was fab, it didn't make me feel drunk or out of control, just relaxed and happy lol! So when hubby came back I was in a much better mood, and inbetween contractions managed to eat a wham bar - it seemed like the best thing I'd ever tasted, g&a makes your mouth soooo dry.
So by just before nine my contractions were getting stronger but still werent all that close together or regular. The pressure in my bum was getting more and more though and I felt I was struggling with G&A and my tens machine. I'd more or less decided that I wanted an epidural at this point and through one contraction I shouted to hubby to go fetch the midwife as I just couldn't do it anymore. At this point my midwife came in looking a bit concerned and said I think we'd better examine you now and then we can talk about pain relief.
I expected her to say I was about 5cm, I was dreding her saying I was 1cm lol! But to my utter suprise she said I was 10cm and ready to push whenever I wanted to!! At this point I said but what about my epidural!!!!! She said I could have pain relief but since I'd got so far on G&A she was confident I'd be able to do it. I am a complete wimp so i had never considered having my baby with just gas and air lol!!!
Pushing was hard work - to begin with the midwife left me to it but after a while I said I didn't feel like I was doing it right, so she talked me through it and moved me into few different positions etc. I was having three to five minute breaks inbetween contractions and during the breaks I felt absolutely normal lol!!! That was quite strange. In the end I was pushing for just over two hours - it took me a while to get the hang of it and because the contractions were so spaced out the midwife explained it might take a while. She was brilliant though - encouraging me and suggesting different positions to try. Hubby was also encouraging me along but I just remember saying OMG I'm sooooo rubish at pushing, is there not another way??
I was so unaware at this point about anything other than what I was doing - hubby said that the midwife had got loads of equiptment all set up and ready. I had a local anethetic too as the midwife thought it might help if she cut me a little, since I was getting tired. However a couple of really, really good pushes and at 11.14 Oliver was out! Thanks to the local I never really felt the 'ring of fire', I also tore a little but again didnt feel it. I had the injection for the placenta and this came away a few minutes later.
So Oliver was born screaming his little head off, and was given to me for skin to skin. Daddy cut the cord and while we had cuddles and I phoned my mum the midwife sorted my tear out. After about 30 minutes I started feeling sick again so Daddy took Oliver and I had a quick powernap, though I was feeling pretty out of it due to been so tired I think.
We then had more cuddles and grandparents came in to see Oliver, my parents stayed fror a while and the midwifes brought is loads of tea which was lovely though I didn't feel up to it. After about two hours I decided to go for a wee - which was easier said than done lol!! My legs felt so numb and wobbly and I felt sooo sore! I did the old pouring water while I had a wee which was a big help, and it was honestly the biggest wee I'd had in months lol!!!!
Because everything had gone so well the midwife said that if I wanted to go home that evening I could, rather than staying in hospital. I was keen to go home at this point and at about 8pm, after Oliver had been checked over etc, we went home!! My carefully packed 'staying over' hospital bag was never even opened!! It was lovely to go home though and I was glad I didn't have to go onto a ward.
So Oliver weighed 6lb 8oz when he was born, and OMG is just perfect!
I planned to breastfeed and he latched on perfectly in hospital and we haven't had any problems at all so far - touch wood! At five days Oliver had actually put weight on and at ten days he'd put on a whole pound!!!!! He's outgrown some of his stuff already, and he is such a good baby - I am completely besotted and in love!!So for someone who was absolutely dreading labour I feel so lucky that everything went so well. I had been reading Ina Mays Guide to Childbirth and I did have in mind that my body knew what it was doing etc - I think this was a really, really big help as my attitude was so different to what it had been. Everything went so well - Olivers heart rate was steady throughout and I just feel so, so lucky to have had such a wonderful positive birth experience.
So if you have got to the end of this well done lol! Its very theraputic to write everything down, and I hope it helps ladies who are pregnant and maybe nervous or afraid of labour to see that it can be text book and very positive.
Thanks for reading, here is a pic of Oliver at about four hours old
xx
xox Well done!
