Tattoo
Mum of 2 girls
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2010
- Messages
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My baby girl was due December 1st, but my due date had been and gone! I had two sweeps and was hoping they'd work, as I really wanted to give birth at the MLU and was desperate not to end up being induced!
On the evening of Monday 10th December, at nine days overdue, I started having some contractions. They were fairly close together, and painful! But had no real pattern. My husband phoned the MLU and we were told to stay at home, relax, try to rest and wait until the contractions were coming regularly (no further apart than five minutes) and lasting a minute per contraction. The contractions continued through the evening, so we checked the hospital bags (for the 284628036th time!) and went to bed feeling excited! Our baby was on the way! She'd be here soon!
I woke up on Tuesday morning and........Nothing! Not a single contraction, no bloody show, no signs of labour! GUTTED!!! I sulked for a bit, and my husband suggested we take a trip into town, walk around for a while, have some lunch, see if things got going again. He'd started his leave from work that day, so it seemed a nice way to kick off our time together. We got in the car and drove into town. Husband parked up in the multi-story and we got out the car. As I was walking towards the lift I felt something...something warm, and wet.
"We need to go home. Right now!"
"Why? What's up?"
"My waters have gone!"
My underwear and leggings were soaked and I could feel the fluid trickling down my legs! So it was back in the car, drive home, change clothes, ring the MLU. I was asked to go in so the midwife could check the state of the fluid and make sure everything was ok so far. When I was checked the midwife confirmed that my waters had indeed broked, the fluid was completely clear (save for a few streaks of blood) and my cervix was about 4cm dilated. Finally things were on the move! But I was now on countdown- if I hadn't delivered the baby by 9am the following morning, I would have to give birth in hospital instead of the MLU. We were sent home and told to relax, wait for the contractions and call if anything changed.
We drove home and as I walked through the front door BAM! Contraction hit! Within 15 minutes the contractions were on top of each other, incredibly painful, and lasting over a minute each! So husband gets on the phone to the MLU, and we go back in.
I'm checked over and I'm now 5cm dilated and in (very!) active labour!
I was admitted to the MLU and the midwives started filling in paperwork, filling the birthing pool, and got me some gas and air for pain relief. By the way, gas and air is amazing! It instantly made me feel better and more able to cope. Husband phoned my mum while the midwives helped me get undressed.
After about twenty minutes my mum arrived and the pool was ready for me. I got in the pool and stayed there then until the baby was born. I laboured for about three hours, with gas and air, before it was time to push. The midwives were fantastic- they never tried to tell me what to do, just let me follow what my body needed to do. Consequently I felt fully in control of what was happening When I felt my body push, I pushed. It took just twenty minutes and three big pushes to deliver 9lb 9.5oz Robyn Rachel! Apparently I crowned her head with one push, then it went back inside, with the next push her head was delivered, but then there was a gap of more than five minutes before the next and final contraction and push which virthed her body. My husband said it was terrifying, seeing his daughter's head just dangling there underwater! I can imagine it was scary, but of course she was totally fine because she hadn't started to breathe yet.
She was handed to me immediately after she was born, husband and mum both burst into tears! Once the cord was cut (delayed cord clamping is the norm at Solihull MLU), Robyn was taken to be checked over and I got out the pool. I had the injection to induce delivery of the placenta, but it actually arrived too fast. It literally FLEW out of me!
During the birth, and particularly during the third stage, I lost a lot of blood. I hadn't eaten since 8am and Robyn was born at 6:34pm, so I didn't feel too good. I also vomited, which meant I ended up very dehydrated. My blood pressure and temperature both shot up. I needed stitches to repair a second degree tear and also had to be catheterised. All in all, I was feeling rough! In fact, the first few hours after Robyn's birth were the worst I've ever felt physically. Fortunately, I'd breastfed her straight after birth, before I'd been sick. And over the next few hours I recovered enough to remain on the MLU overnight and didn't need a hospital transfer.
Robyn, my husband and I all stayed that night. Robyn was fine to be discharged the following morning, but I needed blood tests to check I was ok after losing so much blood so quickly, so we had to remain in the unit until the evening. My bloods came back a-ok, and we were discharged around 5pm. We were home before Robyn was 24 hours old.
She's thirteen days now, and doing great. She feeds really well, every two-three hours during the day, and sleeps for between four and six hours straight at night! I'm doing well too, I feel almost back to normal now- I even put on make up yesterday!
If anyone in the Midlands is considering Solihull MLU for their delivery I say DO IT!!! It's completely lovely.
On the evening of Monday 10th December, at nine days overdue, I started having some contractions. They were fairly close together, and painful! But had no real pattern. My husband phoned the MLU and we were told to stay at home, relax, try to rest and wait until the contractions were coming regularly (no further apart than five minutes) and lasting a minute per contraction. The contractions continued through the evening, so we checked the hospital bags (for the 284628036th time!) and went to bed feeling excited! Our baby was on the way! She'd be here soon!
I woke up on Tuesday morning and........Nothing! Not a single contraction, no bloody show, no signs of labour! GUTTED!!! I sulked for a bit, and my husband suggested we take a trip into town, walk around for a while, have some lunch, see if things got going again. He'd started his leave from work that day, so it seemed a nice way to kick off our time together. We got in the car and drove into town. Husband parked up in the multi-story and we got out the car. As I was walking towards the lift I felt something...something warm, and wet.
"We need to go home. Right now!"
"Why? What's up?"
"My waters have gone!"
My underwear and leggings were soaked and I could feel the fluid trickling down my legs! So it was back in the car, drive home, change clothes, ring the MLU. I was asked to go in so the midwife could check the state of the fluid and make sure everything was ok so far. When I was checked the midwife confirmed that my waters had indeed broked, the fluid was completely clear (save for a few streaks of blood) and my cervix was about 4cm dilated. Finally things were on the move! But I was now on countdown- if I hadn't delivered the baby by 9am the following morning, I would have to give birth in hospital instead of the MLU. We were sent home and told to relax, wait for the contractions and call if anything changed.
We drove home and as I walked through the front door BAM! Contraction hit! Within 15 minutes the contractions were on top of each other, incredibly painful, and lasting over a minute each! So husband gets on the phone to the MLU, and we go back in.
I'm checked over and I'm now 5cm dilated and in (very!) active labour!
I was admitted to the MLU and the midwives started filling in paperwork, filling the birthing pool, and got me some gas and air for pain relief. By the way, gas and air is amazing! It instantly made me feel better and more able to cope. Husband phoned my mum while the midwives helped me get undressed.
After about twenty minutes my mum arrived and the pool was ready for me. I got in the pool and stayed there then until the baby was born. I laboured for about three hours, with gas and air, before it was time to push. The midwives were fantastic- they never tried to tell me what to do, just let me follow what my body needed to do. Consequently I felt fully in control of what was happening When I felt my body push, I pushed. It took just twenty minutes and three big pushes to deliver 9lb 9.5oz Robyn Rachel! Apparently I crowned her head with one push, then it went back inside, with the next push her head was delivered, but then there was a gap of more than five minutes before the next and final contraction and push which virthed her body. My husband said it was terrifying, seeing his daughter's head just dangling there underwater! I can imagine it was scary, but of course she was totally fine because she hadn't started to breathe yet.
She was handed to me immediately after she was born, husband and mum both burst into tears! Once the cord was cut (delayed cord clamping is the norm at Solihull MLU), Robyn was taken to be checked over and I got out the pool. I had the injection to induce delivery of the placenta, but it actually arrived too fast. It literally FLEW out of me!
During the birth, and particularly during the third stage, I lost a lot of blood. I hadn't eaten since 8am and Robyn was born at 6:34pm, so I didn't feel too good. I also vomited, which meant I ended up very dehydrated. My blood pressure and temperature both shot up. I needed stitches to repair a second degree tear and also had to be catheterised. All in all, I was feeling rough! In fact, the first few hours after Robyn's birth were the worst I've ever felt physically. Fortunately, I'd breastfed her straight after birth, before I'd been sick. And over the next few hours I recovered enough to remain on the MLU overnight and didn't need a hospital transfer.
Robyn, my husband and I all stayed that night. Robyn was fine to be discharged the following morning, but I needed blood tests to check I was ok after losing so much blood so quickly, so we had to remain in the unit until the evening. My bloods came back a-ok, and we were discharged around 5pm. We were home before Robyn was 24 hours old.
She's thirteen days now, and doing great. She feeds really well, every two-three hours during the day, and sleeps for between four and six hours straight at night! I'm doing well too, I feel almost back to normal now- I even put on make up yesterday!
If anyone in the Midlands is considering Solihull MLU for their delivery I say DO IT!!! It's completely lovely.
Congratulations!! I aspire to be you - that birth sounds like my ideal. 
