Well, where to begin...so...
By 09 January, I was 42 weeks pregnant, had had an unsuccessful sweep at 41+3 and duly trotted off to hospital, full of excitement, nerves and anticipation to be induced. Various midwives had predicted 'a big baby' although this hadn't ever been confirmed and all in all it was starting to feel like I'd been pregnant forever and I just wanted to get this darned thing out.
So, pitched up at hozzie (this is going to be long, I can feel it - sorry!) mid-morning and had one gel pessary inserted mid-afternoon. Was 1cm dilated at this point (had been same at sweep). Nothing much seemed to happen and we resigned ourselves to probably needing another one at least etc. By late afternoon however I was having this kind of random pain up my bottom (I swear, that's where it was!) and it was uncomfortable to sit/lie/get comfy so I was pacing round the ward for a few hours.
Midwife came to check me and hooked me up to monitor where what looked like initial contractions petered out over course of hour's worth of monitoring and it was concluded that nothing was happening, even though I had started to feel what I thought were my waters going. I was advised that as it was 20:00 by this time hubby should go home, I'd be re-assessed in morning and we'd keep an eye on the waters situation in an hour or so.
So, hubby left, I settled down for an early night and then things happened! Within half an hour of hubby going, my pain in the bum really revved up again - I couldn't sit, couldn't lie and when I went to the loo I lost my plug big style. The only way I can describe it is as being exactly like when you get your first period as a teenager - that instense deep pain like nothing you've ever known before and this unfamiliar stuff every time you go to the loo.
Called midwife at 22:00 as pain was getting pretty intense. She examined me and I was 4cm dilated!!! Hubby got called back in, TENS machine got fitted and off I went. Next hour and a half were spent with intensity of pain (still in my bum - it never moved the entire delivery) getting more severe, me pressing harder and harder on TENS boost button and eventually moving into delivery suite, with the promise of gas and air at around 00:00.
This is when I got allocated the most fabulous midwife in the world who quickly established where I was up to, what my wants and wishes were, gave me very informed, balanced information about stuff (including countering my anti-position on pethidine etc) and things continued. Gas and air was duly produced and I hated it! Couldn't inhale it without feeling sick - I just couldn't get my throat to open enough to let my lungs take it in so after several gagging attempts decided to bin it off and just keep on boosting TENS-y.
The regularity of my contractions was ramping up and I decided that I couldn't do it any more and wanted an epidural. The anaethitist was duly called but was in doing c-section (bizarrely on my friend from ante-natal tho we didn't know it at the time!). By the time he appeared at the door around 02:00 I had just declared that I wanted to push, been examined and was found to be fully dilated!!! In spite of my calling to him to come in anyway and just drug me up (lol...), he clearly was too late and the show was on.
Binned TENS off at this point as it was starting to bug me (tho I will be eternally grateful!) and just got on with focussing on the job of getting my baby out. Initially progress was really good and she was moving down well but then after about an hour and a half of pushing (half an hour of just when my body told me to - and it does - how amazing is that?! - and an hour of focussed and directed pushing from midwife) things still weren't working. I was starting to be really knackered and the air was quite blue from my lovely language!
What was happening was that while my contractions were regular and frequent (about every 1-2 minutes at some points and still through my bum - can't believe it still!) they weren't lasting long enough for me to get enough oomph out of each one. And so, the registrar came along, greeted by my cries of "just suck it out of me, go and and get your machine and just suck it out"!!!
And this is where my midwife came into her own - telling me that I was so close and that I could do it without ventouse if I just took a syntocin drip instead. The registrar man was totally supportive of that although he gave me the ultimate choice and so, through amazing midwife (and husband!!) support, I was empowered to carry on myself with the help of the syntocin to lengthen my contractions. Within half an hour of this, Martha May had made serious progress and after three final massive pushes out she popped to the absolute joy, delight and tears of her Daddy and wonderment of her mummy.
(Mummy was most amazed that she was a girl as mummy had been convinced it'd be a boy but what does mummy know?!).
After initial cuddles and what have you Martha went to Dad while I got sorted out and it was decided that I had quite a bad tear (third degree) which would require some stitching with a spinal block. I had also lost about 1.7 litres in blood so after stabilising me for that I was taken to theatre, given a spinal block and stitched back together again. Bit disappointing that I ended up with this after managing to avoid all chemical pain relief but hey...a small price to pay.
Two days on, we're just home, I'm walking like John Wayne (vowing never to have sex and thinking I'll never poo again) but happy, happy, happy. Ended up having blood transfusion yesterday for bloods and feel renewed from that.
If anyone feels that any part of my story could help them make decisions about their own birth plan/experience then please PM me and I promise to give very honest answers based on the experience of my delivery.
God, this is long - I'm sorry and thank you for reading if you've got this far.
By 09 January, I was 42 weeks pregnant, had had an unsuccessful sweep at 41+3 and duly trotted off to hospital, full of excitement, nerves and anticipation to be induced. Various midwives had predicted 'a big baby' although this hadn't ever been confirmed and all in all it was starting to feel like I'd been pregnant forever and I just wanted to get this darned thing out.
So, pitched up at hozzie (this is going to be long, I can feel it - sorry!) mid-morning and had one gel pessary inserted mid-afternoon. Was 1cm dilated at this point (had been same at sweep). Nothing much seemed to happen and we resigned ourselves to probably needing another one at least etc. By late afternoon however I was having this kind of random pain up my bottom (I swear, that's where it was!) and it was uncomfortable to sit/lie/get comfy so I was pacing round the ward for a few hours.
Midwife came to check me and hooked me up to monitor where what looked like initial contractions petered out over course of hour's worth of monitoring and it was concluded that nothing was happening, even though I had started to feel what I thought were my waters going. I was advised that as it was 20:00 by this time hubby should go home, I'd be re-assessed in morning and we'd keep an eye on the waters situation in an hour or so.
So, hubby left, I settled down for an early night and then things happened! Within half an hour of hubby going, my pain in the bum really revved up again - I couldn't sit, couldn't lie and when I went to the loo I lost my plug big style. The only way I can describe it is as being exactly like when you get your first period as a teenager - that instense deep pain like nothing you've ever known before and this unfamiliar stuff every time you go to the loo.
Called midwife at 22:00 as pain was getting pretty intense. She examined me and I was 4cm dilated!!! Hubby got called back in, TENS machine got fitted and off I went. Next hour and a half were spent with intensity of pain (still in my bum - it never moved the entire delivery) getting more severe, me pressing harder and harder on TENS boost button and eventually moving into delivery suite, with the promise of gas and air at around 00:00.
This is when I got allocated the most fabulous midwife in the world who quickly established where I was up to, what my wants and wishes were, gave me very informed, balanced information about stuff (including countering my anti-position on pethidine etc) and things continued. Gas and air was duly produced and I hated it! Couldn't inhale it without feeling sick - I just couldn't get my throat to open enough to let my lungs take it in so after several gagging attempts decided to bin it off and just keep on boosting TENS-y.
The regularity of my contractions was ramping up and I decided that I couldn't do it any more and wanted an epidural. The anaethitist was duly called but was in doing c-section (bizarrely on my friend from ante-natal tho we didn't know it at the time!). By the time he appeared at the door around 02:00 I had just declared that I wanted to push, been examined and was found to be fully dilated!!! In spite of my calling to him to come in anyway and just drug me up (lol...), he clearly was too late and the show was on.
Binned TENS off at this point as it was starting to bug me (tho I will be eternally grateful!) and just got on with focussing on the job of getting my baby out. Initially progress was really good and she was moving down well but then after about an hour and a half of pushing (half an hour of just when my body told me to - and it does - how amazing is that?! - and an hour of focussed and directed pushing from midwife) things still weren't working. I was starting to be really knackered and the air was quite blue from my lovely language!
What was happening was that while my contractions were regular and frequent (about every 1-2 minutes at some points and still through my bum - can't believe it still!) they weren't lasting long enough for me to get enough oomph out of each one. And so, the registrar came along, greeted by my cries of "just suck it out of me, go and and get your machine and just suck it out"!!!
And this is where my midwife came into her own - telling me that I was so close and that I could do it without ventouse if I just took a syntocin drip instead. The registrar man was totally supportive of that although he gave me the ultimate choice and so, through amazing midwife (and husband!!) support, I was empowered to carry on myself with the help of the syntocin to lengthen my contractions. Within half an hour of this, Martha May had made serious progress and after three final massive pushes out she popped to the absolute joy, delight and tears of her Daddy and wonderment of her mummy.
(Mummy was most amazed that she was a girl as mummy had been convinced it'd be a boy but what does mummy know?!).
After initial cuddles and what have you Martha went to Dad while I got sorted out and it was decided that I had quite a bad tear (third degree) which would require some stitching with a spinal block. I had also lost about 1.7 litres in blood so after stabilising me for that I was taken to theatre, given a spinal block and stitched back together again. Bit disappointing that I ended up with this after managing to avoid all chemical pain relief but hey...a small price to pay.
Two days on, we're just home, I'm walking like John Wayne (vowing never to have sex and thinking I'll never poo again) but happy, happy, happy. Ended up having blood transfusion yesterday for bloods and feel renewed from that.
If anyone feels that any part of my story could help them make decisions about their own birth plan/experience then please PM me and I promise to give very honest answers based on the experience of my delivery.
God, this is long - I'm sorry and thank you for reading if you've got this far.
xx
