motherofboys
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On Sunday 20th October, 3 days past my 'due date', I began having some tightenings. I didn't think anything of it as I had been having them every day for weeks. They started around 3pm, while calmly sitting making Sock Monkeys with my boys. After all the time I spent walking, climbing the stairs, standing rocking from side to side, doing that cleaning dance you do when you play music while cleaning the house, I had done nothing the day before then just sat helping to sew socks to look like monkeys and things started happening!
As the day went on I noticed they were getting stronger, but they were not hurting and hadn't formed any pattern. They were anywhere from 3-10 minutes apart.
We did the usual bed time routine and I came down stairs and started chatting to some friends on line. I mentioned the tightenings and they got excited and I told them it would be nothing.
I was told to "pace, tweak your nipples, do the imaginary hula hoop, squat!"
About 10:30 I noticed that they were coming every 3 minutes, annoyingly I also needed to pee after every one and was getting a ridiculous amount of discharge with each one. When I later checked back over the conversation with my friends I saw it was at 10:35pm that I wrote "ok that one hurt" at 11pm I admitted I might actually be in labour. I left it another 10 minutes while DH brought down my home birth bag, and hospital bag just in case. Then I phoned the hospital for them to send a midwife, I had to try 3 times before getting an answer.
The lady I spoke to didn't seem to take me seriously. She questioned the fact I could still talk through my contractions and asked if I thought I was in established labour yet. I felt quite talked down to
She said she would contact the midwife and that the midwife would phone me, then would come out. (The midwives later told us the times each of them received phone calls, the lady had waited 10 minutes to call one and 20 minutes to call another)
At 11:15 my waters went. DH asked if he should get SIL as she lives 2 doors away. I said he could get her after but not before. I didn't want her seeing me half naked
DH phoned the hospital back about 11:30 as we still hadn't heard anything and the pains were really intense. They said if she hadn't called then she must have come straight out.
DH said to me it looked like we would be doing it alone and I told him to shut up. I started to get the burning pain down there and I really tried not to push. I didn't want to do it with out a midwife in case something was wrong. I also know that with all 3 of the others, I did do the tiniest bit of poo as their head came down. I didn't want DH to see that (although he probably did before and has just never mentioned it) Thankfully, I'd been on and off the toilet for the past few days so this time I didn't.
DH was ready and guided the baby out as I gave in and pushed. I looked down to take DS, and noticed the colour of the rest of my waters. I told DH the baby must have poo'd. I checked the clock and it was 11:45pm.
He phoned the hospital back and told them, passed me the phone so the lady could ask questions like had the baby cried (yes) and was there anything in his mouth (no) and what colour he was (pink)
DH fetched his sister, and then the phone rang, it was the midwife asking for directions, she was just round the corner. By the time she arrived I had been sitting on the sheet on the floor for 20 minutes holding my poo covered baby, with my SIL panicking next to me, trying to get me to let her find something to clamp and cut the cord!!!
The midwives, sorted the cord which had stopped pulsing, checked baby, wrapped him in fresh towels and gave him to DH then delivered the placenta and checked me. Weighed the baby (8lb 4oz) They then made me have some tea and toast while they phoned for me to be transferred to hospital because of the poo. DH dressed the baby and I fed him.
I had to go in an ambulance, with DH following, but because we were low risk, instead of going to the normal maternity ward I got put in the Birthing Centre. I was on a ward all by myself the whole night which was lovely, although I could hear someone giving birth down the hall so didn't get a lot of sleep.
DS had to be checked at 6 hours then again at 12 hours and finding him to have no problems we were discharged.
As the day went on I noticed they were getting stronger, but they were not hurting and hadn't formed any pattern. They were anywhere from 3-10 minutes apart.
We did the usual bed time routine and I came down stairs and started chatting to some friends on line. I mentioned the tightenings and they got excited and I told them it would be nothing.
I was told to "pace, tweak your nipples, do the imaginary hula hoop, squat!"
About 10:30 I noticed that they were coming every 3 minutes, annoyingly I also needed to pee after every one and was getting a ridiculous amount of discharge with each one. When I later checked back over the conversation with my friends I saw it was at 10:35pm that I wrote "ok that one hurt" at 11pm I admitted I might actually be in labour. I left it another 10 minutes while DH brought down my home birth bag, and hospital bag just in case. Then I phoned the hospital for them to send a midwife, I had to try 3 times before getting an answer.
The lady I spoke to didn't seem to take me seriously. She questioned the fact I could still talk through my contractions and asked if I thought I was in established labour yet. I felt quite talked down to
She said she would contact the midwife and that the midwife would phone me, then would come out. (The midwives later told us the times each of them received phone calls, the lady had waited 10 minutes to call one and 20 minutes to call another)At 11:15 my waters went. DH asked if he should get SIL as she lives 2 doors away. I said he could get her after but not before. I didn't want her seeing me half naked
DH phoned the hospital back about 11:30 as we still hadn't heard anything and the pains were really intense. They said if she hadn't called then she must have come straight out.
DH said to me it looked like we would be doing it alone and I told him to shut up. I started to get the burning pain down there and I really tried not to push. I didn't want to do it with out a midwife in case something was wrong. I also know that with all 3 of the others, I did do the tiniest bit of poo as their head came down. I didn't want DH to see that (although he probably did before and has just never mentioned it) Thankfully, I'd been on and off the toilet for the past few days so this time I didn't.
DH was ready and guided the baby out as I gave in and pushed. I looked down to take DS, and noticed the colour of the rest of my waters. I told DH the baby must have poo'd. I checked the clock and it was 11:45pm.
He phoned the hospital back and told them, passed me the phone so the lady could ask questions like had the baby cried (yes) and was there anything in his mouth (no) and what colour he was (pink)
DH fetched his sister, and then the phone rang, it was the midwife asking for directions, she was just round the corner. By the time she arrived I had been sitting on the sheet on the floor for 20 minutes holding my poo covered baby, with my SIL panicking next to me, trying to get me to let her find something to clamp and cut the cord!!!
The midwives, sorted the cord which had stopped pulsing, checked baby, wrapped him in fresh towels and gave him to DH then delivered the placenta and checked me. Weighed the baby (8lb 4oz) They then made me have some tea and toast while they phoned for me to be transferred to hospital because of the poo. DH dressed the baby and I fed him.
I had to go in an ambulance, with DH following, but because we were low risk, instead of going to the normal maternity ward I got put in the Birthing Centre. I was on a ward all by myself the whole night which was lovely, although I could hear someone giving birth down the hall so didn't get a lot of sleep.
DS had to be checked at 6 hours then again at 12 hours and finding him to have no problems we were discharged.
