sequeena
Winging it.
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- Jun 20, 2009
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On August 3rd 2011 the day before I was due I started losing my plug at around 6pm. I got very very excited and expected things to happen there and then but of course it didn't happen!! I had a few random pains that were irregular from about 10pm that night so I stayed up all night with Sean which was a bad move, we were knackered!
They started getting a bit regular (or regular to me anyway) on the 4th so I rang my local birthing centre who said they would send a midwife round to see how I was. Well the midwife never turned up, she got caught up in a birth. I rang the birthing centre back and told them I had an appointment with a midwife that day anyway so I would just go see her.
My midwife wasn't concerned at all. She said my contractions were too irregular but it was looking good.
They were still irregular on the 5th but were getting more painful slowly. This is such a tiny part, I can't even remember what I did on the 5th! I lost a day!
I woke up at 5am on the 6th crying in pain. I told Sean we had to go to hospital so he rang his dad who took us and by 7am I was on a trace in the maternity ward. Thomas was a naughty little boy and moved so they had to rush me down to delivery and do a trace down there. I was fine, he was fine, so I was moved back to maternity ward.
Throughout the day my contractions were getting stronger but I was always told they were too irregular. The midwives so incompetent. I asked for paracetamol and Sean had to ask them himself around 3 times before I got any.
I kept getting told to go for walks. On one walk I had 12 contractions in 45 minutes but they still weren't regular enough??
The day wore on and I had no sleep. I was having around 3 every 10 minutes and the only position that helped was sitting on the birthing ball in front of Sean, holding his hands and bouncing. I seemed to be the only one in early labour on the ward, the other few women there were overdue and due to be induced.
The midwives kept asking me if I wanted to go home, and I held off for as long as I could. I didn't want to go home because I knew it was going to get worse but in the end I gave in. I finally got someone to examine me and I was 1-2cm dilated. We went for one last walk at around 10:15pm and when I got back the midwives said Sean couldn't enter the ward as they'd turned the lights off and the women were sleeping. Bullshit. They had lamps on by their beds... so I was made to pick up all my bags whilst having contractions and Sean could only watch from the doorway
Our neighbour came to pick us up from the hospital. By this point the pain was so bad I was pacing like a caged animal. I wouldn't talk to anyone, I wouldn't stop moving, I kept going back and forth, round in circles breathing and trying not to cry. The ride home was awful. I held onto the car door handle as hard as I could and rocked my hips whenever I got a contraction.
We got home around 11:30pm maybe. Sean ran me a bath and whilst I laid in it he poured warm water over my belly. Wasn't working. I flipped over onto my knees and he poured water on my back. Wasn't helping. I gave up and got out and sat naked on my birthing ball, bouncing through contractions. I was ok for a little while, then I had one that made me scream and told Sean I couldn't take it anymore I had to go back to hospital. He rang labour ward for me and they could tell by my tone that I needed to come back.
Sean's dad picked up us, took one look at me and said there was no way I'd be coming back home and that I would have the baby by 7am. I didn't believe him. I had only been 1-2cm a few hours before and thought I was in for the long haul.
When we got back to the hospital we had to walk through A&E which normally would have embarrassed me, but I didn't care. I stormed through almost without seeing people and almost ran into maternity ward, got myself on a bed and demanded an internal.
As it was I was only 3cm but I was happy. I was progressing and best of all I wasn't going to be sent home!
The midwife who saw to me was lovely and ran me another bath. It didn't help but it was sort of relaxing.
I got back into my bed and laboured for another half an hour or so before the midwife offered me pethidine. I leapt at the chance. I was so against it in pregnancy but at that point I was in so much pain I didn't think about it. The midwife told me to get some rest but it only took away the smaller contractions. Poor Sean was falling asleep in the chair next to my bed but always woke up and held my hand when I needed him to.
Two hours after being back on the ward I was transferred down to delivery. I would have gone sooner but they'd had about 4 or 5 babies before Thomas was born so they had no room. I was exmained when I got there and I was 6-7cm!! I couldn't believe how quickly I progressed!
I found the gas and air before it was even offered to me and chugged away like a pro, then promptly freaked out at how it made me feel. It changed my voice, went straight to my head and I lost control of who I was. I didn't believe I was me and swore I was someone else
I was ok to take the gas and air through the 'smaller' (haha) contractions but the really big ones I just couldn't. The midwives kept telling me to breathe through them using the gas and air and I tried my best but as the pain built so did the screams in the back of my throat until I let rip. Was a very scary time if I'm honest.
I kept getting fucking monitored which pissed me off until no end and it was only when I shouted 'STOP FUCKING MONITORING ME YOU ****S' that they actually left me to it. I knew Thomas was fine but I could not BEAR being touched at that point. I only held Sean's hand when I wanted to and when he tried to wet my face I almost took his fingers off with my teeth.
My legs were all over the place. I remember saying I was going to kick through the bottom of the bed and I think I actually broke a bit of it. I know I definitely tore the matress with my teeth when I was pushing on my knees anyway!
I started thinking I needed to poo... turns out Thomas' head was right there! At first the pain wasn't so bad, it hurt but there was no ring of fire that everyone had talked about.
And then.
He started crowning and OMFG PAIN LIKE YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE.
It hurt so bad, I can't even begin to describe it. It's something you definitely need to experience to be able to talk about but the pain is MORE than worth it!
His head felt like it would never stop coming and every time I pushed and got too tired it felt like he was either slipping back in or getting stuck. They offered me a mirror to see him (I did have a feel but didn't believe it) and according to Sean I asked him to take a picture with his iPhone! There is an actual picture on there. One I won't share here lest I disturb anyone too much but it's an amazing photo and I won't ever get rid of it. Or maybe I'm just a freak.
I hit the point where you think you can't push anymore... I only pushed for 57 minutes (which is meant to be good for a first time mum) but I honestly thought I was going to die... and when I thought the pain couldn't get any worse I gave one big push and he came tumbling out of me. No 'stop now and do little pants' I just went for it!! He came out the 'proper' way, and was screaming his little head off.
I couldn't believe it, I was in shock... and after saying 'oh my god' one too many times I realised he had an extra thumb and in my gas and air induced state freaked out even more! But I soon got over it and had some lovely skin to skin with my little man.
And Sean's dad was almost right... his guess was 7am. Thomas was born at 7:42am. His dad was born on the same day 27 years earlier
https://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/185329_2348265671251_1388356992_2752305_2750186_n.jpg
https://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/198807_2348269231340_1388356992_2752308_330443_n.jpg
Sean didn't want to cut the cord so I gave it a go. Cords are really thick!! I managed to cut through but not all the way. I was then given the injection to deliver my placenta... and the cord snapped off so my placenta was stuck inside me
Instead of having more skin to skin with Thomas I spent the next 25 minutes sat on a bedpan trying to push the bloody thing out. Except I couldn't feel anything because I'd just pushed Thomas out. I was terrified, they kept saying to me if I didn't push it out I would go to theatre, have a spinal and someone would stick their hand up me to get it out but thankfully gravity helped it along and it flopped out of me.
Placentas are also huge!! Mine was big, red and juicy, a very healthy placenta if I do say so myself
I asked why there was a tear in and apparently the baby is also encased inside the placenta, how cool is that!!!
After that Thomas was weighed - I guessed 7lbs 3oz but he was 6lbs 8.5oz so I was quite a bit out I suppose
Calypso you were only have an ounce out in your guess!
I don't really remember what happened after that. I think Sean's dad came into see us, we had tea and toast then I went for a shower (lovely!) and I was then transferred down to the maternity ward with our little bundle of joy.
I'm not sure I could do it again but I will never regret the pain and the months of problems we went through. I am tired as hell now but it's so worth it to see my little man fast asleep and content
https://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/198690_2348151148388_1388356992_2752245_4748139_n.jpg
Thomas is now a week old, I can't believe it!
https://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/228933_2352341693149_1388356992_2758204_3493260_n.jpg
They started getting a bit regular (or regular to me anyway) on the 4th so I rang my local birthing centre who said they would send a midwife round to see how I was. Well the midwife never turned up, she got caught up in a birth. I rang the birthing centre back and told them I had an appointment with a midwife that day anyway so I would just go see her.
My midwife wasn't concerned at all. She said my contractions were too irregular but it was looking good.
They were still irregular on the 5th but were getting more painful slowly. This is such a tiny part, I can't even remember what I did on the 5th! I lost a day!
I woke up at 5am on the 6th crying in pain. I told Sean we had to go to hospital so he rang his dad who took us and by 7am I was on a trace in the maternity ward. Thomas was a naughty little boy and moved so they had to rush me down to delivery and do a trace down there. I was fine, he was fine, so I was moved back to maternity ward.
Throughout the day my contractions were getting stronger but I was always told they were too irregular. The midwives so incompetent. I asked for paracetamol and Sean had to ask them himself around 3 times before I got any.
I kept getting told to go for walks. On one walk I had 12 contractions in 45 minutes but they still weren't regular enough??
The day wore on and I had no sleep. I was having around 3 every 10 minutes and the only position that helped was sitting on the birthing ball in front of Sean, holding his hands and bouncing. I seemed to be the only one in early labour on the ward, the other few women there were overdue and due to be induced.
The midwives kept asking me if I wanted to go home, and I held off for as long as I could. I didn't want to go home because I knew it was going to get worse but in the end I gave in. I finally got someone to examine me and I was 1-2cm dilated. We went for one last walk at around 10:15pm and when I got back the midwives said Sean couldn't enter the ward as they'd turned the lights off and the women were sleeping. Bullshit. They had lamps on by their beds... so I was made to pick up all my bags whilst having contractions and Sean could only watch from the doorway
Our neighbour came to pick us up from the hospital. By this point the pain was so bad I was pacing like a caged animal. I wouldn't talk to anyone, I wouldn't stop moving, I kept going back and forth, round in circles breathing and trying not to cry. The ride home was awful. I held onto the car door handle as hard as I could and rocked my hips whenever I got a contraction.
We got home around 11:30pm maybe. Sean ran me a bath and whilst I laid in it he poured warm water over my belly. Wasn't working. I flipped over onto my knees and he poured water on my back. Wasn't helping. I gave up and got out and sat naked on my birthing ball, bouncing through contractions. I was ok for a little while, then I had one that made me scream and told Sean I couldn't take it anymore I had to go back to hospital. He rang labour ward for me and they could tell by my tone that I needed to come back.
Sean's dad picked up us, took one look at me and said there was no way I'd be coming back home and that I would have the baby by 7am. I didn't believe him. I had only been 1-2cm a few hours before and thought I was in for the long haul.
When we got back to the hospital we had to walk through A&E which normally would have embarrassed me, but I didn't care. I stormed through almost without seeing people and almost ran into maternity ward, got myself on a bed and demanded an internal.
As it was I was only 3cm but I was happy. I was progressing and best of all I wasn't going to be sent home!
The midwife who saw to me was lovely and ran me another bath. It didn't help but it was sort of relaxing.I got back into my bed and laboured for another half an hour or so before the midwife offered me pethidine. I leapt at the chance. I was so against it in pregnancy but at that point I was in so much pain I didn't think about it. The midwife told me to get some rest but it only took away the smaller contractions. Poor Sean was falling asleep in the chair next to my bed but always woke up and held my hand when I needed him to.
Two hours after being back on the ward I was transferred down to delivery. I would have gone sooner but they'd had about 4 or 5 babies before Thomas was born so they had no room. I was exmained when I got there and I was 6-7cm!! I couldn't believe how quickly I progressed!
I found the gas and air before it was even offered to me and chugged away like a pro, then promptly freaked out at how it made me feel. It changed my voice, went straight to my head and I lost control of who I was. I didn't believe I was me and swore I was someone else
I was ok to take the gas and air through the 'smaller' (haha) contractions but the really big ones I just couldn't. The midwives kept telling me to breathe through them using the gas and air and I tried my best but as the pain built so did the screams in the back of my throat until I let rip. Was a very scary time if I'm honest.I kept getting fucking monitored which pissed me off until no end and it was only when I shouted 'STOP FUCKING MONITORING ME YOU ****S' that they actually left me to it. I knew Thomas was fine but I could not BEAR being touched at that point. I only held Sean's hand when I wanted to and when he tried to wet my face I almost took his fingers off with my teeth.
My legs were all over the place. I remember saying I was going to kick through the bottom of the bed and I think I actually broke a bit of it. I know I definitely tore the matress with my teeth when I was pushing on my knees anyway!
I started thinking I needed to poo... turns out Thomas' head was right there! At first the pain wasn't so bad, it hurt but there was no ring of fire that everyone had talked about.
And then.
He started crowning and OMFG PAIN LIKE YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE.
It hurt so bad, I can't even begin to describe it. It's something you definitely need to experience to be able to talk about but the pain is MORE than worth it!His head felt like it would never stop coming and every time I pushed and got too tired it felt like he was either slipping back in or getting stuck. They offered me a mirror to see him (I did have a feel but didn't believe it) and according to Sean I asked him to take a picture with his iPhone! There is an actual picture on there. One I won't share here lest I disturb anyone too much but it's an amazing photo and I won't ever get rid of it. Or maybe I'm just a freak.
I hit the point where you think you can't push anymore... I only pushed for 57 minutes (which is meant to be good for a first time mum) but I honestly thought I was going to die... and when I thought the pain couldn't get any worse I gave one big push and he came tumbling out of me. No 'stop now and do little pants' I just went for it!! He came out the 'proper' way, and was screaming his little head off.
I couldn't believe it, I was in shock... and after saying 'oh my god' one too many times I realised he had an extra thumb and in my gas and air induced state freaked out even more! But I soon got over it and had some lovely skin to skin with my little man.
And Sean's dad was almost right... his guess was 7am. Thomas was born at 7:42am. His dad was born on the same day 27 years earlier
https://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/185329_2348265671251_1388356992_2752305_2750186_n.jpg
https://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/198807_2348269231340_1388356992_2752308_330443_n.jpg
Sean didn't want to cut the cord so I gave it a go. Cords are really thick!! I managed to cut through but not all the way. I was then given the injection to deliver my placenta... and the cord snapped off so my placenta was stuck inside me
Instead of having more skin to skin with Thomas I spent the next 25 minutes sat on a bedpan trying to push the bloody thing out. Except I couldn't feel anything because I'd just pushed Thomas out. I was terrified, they kept saying to me if I didn't push it out I would go to theatre, have a spinal and someone would stick their hand up me to get it out but thankfully gravity helped it along and it flopped out of me. Placentas are also huge!! Mine was big, red and juicy, a very healthy placenta if I do say so myself
I asked why there was a tear in and apparently the baby is also encased inside the placenta, how cool is that!!!After that Thomas was weighed - I guessed 7lbs 3oz but he was 6lbs 8.5oz so I was quite a bit out I suppose
Calypso you were only have an ounce out in your guess!I don't really remember what happened after that. I think Sean's dad came into see us, we had tea and toast then I went for a shower (lovely!) and I was then transferred down to the maternity ward with our little bundle of joy.
I'm not sure I could do it again but I will never regret the pain and the months of problems we went through. I am tired as hell now but it's so worth it to see my little man fast asleep and content
https://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/198690_2348151148388_1388356992_2752245_4748139_n.jpg
Thomas is now a week old, I can't believe it!
https://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/228933_2352341693149_1388356992_2758204_3493260_n.jpg
Thomas is gorgeous.Congratulations to you and Sean x x
they were asking for it I really did not want to be touched and everytime I stopped pushing they whipped a monitor on me. 
