GemBaxter
1 Son, 1 Husband & 1 Bump
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Well Ben was born on 27th May 2009! As I prepare for my second birth I am finding the reflection on my first labour is making me realise how good it was for a first time. So I thought I would get the details down for others to see a good positive story.
26th May
It was a completely normal day. Hubby and I were going to spend the day running errands. We had to go to the city and sign paperwork for our new car so off we went at about 10am. On the way we went through an area of road works and the car got a tidal wave of what we thought was muddy water (turned out to be concrete!! Lots of damage to the tune of £2,500).
We arrived at the garage and signed all the paperwork and made plans to pick the car up a couple of days later once it was prepared and all finance in place. During the appointment my phone rang and it was my employer to tell me that my maternity cover had just been made redundant. That was a massive blow as I was already anxious about leaving my job in someone else's hands while gone.
Hubby and I decided that the morning's excitement (!!) needed a bit of lunch and he took me out for a lovely steak meal. We then went to Tesco to do our shop and to make sure the fridges were stocked. In the last freezer isle I felt the need to stop and grip the side. Hubby was very confused that I stopped at the chips as we didn't buy frozen chips
I went home thinking nothing of it, telling him it was just braxton hicks. I made a casserole to go in the freezer for the night I was in hospital so my husband still had a good meal to eat.
At around 8.30pm I was still having some cramping so I called my mum for a chat. I told her it would tail off and thought nothing of it. My husband had begun to secretly write down the timings of contractions because he felt I was now acting differently. They were lasting around 30-45 seconds and coming every 7-9 minutes.
At 11pm my husband decided it was best that we went through to bed just in case this was it.
27th May
I managed to get right off to sleep to be woken at 3am with cramping that I just couldn't sleep through any more. I told my husband but made him stay in bed as he needed to rest ready for the day ahead. I went through and watched some trashy TV and continued to monitor the contractions. They were now lasting around a minute each but only coming every 6-7 minutes.
By 5am I felt I needed some extra support. I called my husband and ask that he help me have a bath. I also called the birth centre who advised they were full but if I could hold out at home, a room would definitely be free that morning as both women were progressing well. I felt immediately relaxed that they thought I could continue at home and knew my place was "booked".
I got in the bath and managed to cope ok for about an hour. Then laying on my back and side became unbareable. My husband helped me out and I went and got dressed. We began timing the contractions again - stopping because I was in the bath and starting to get stressed doing it. My husband cooked us both a big breakfast and we made it to 8am.
I called the birth centre and advised we were packing final bits and would be on the way. The birth room was just being cleaned and would be ready for when I arrived. I called mum to say it was not a false alarm after all and then spent half an hour bent over the side of the cot directing the final bits into my labour bag.
We packed the car and set off. Hubby went out to clean the number plate off after the tidal wave the night before. Hubby did ask if we could stop by a car wash to which I replied with a string of explitives and he decided against it. Had I know it was concrete I would have in a heartbeat!
We got to the birth centre at 9am. I was booked in and had all my admission checks done. They found I was 3-4cms. I went through to the birth room and tried to bounce on the ball for a while but after one contraction I told them I couldn't do it. So they ran the pool and I got ready to get in.
By 10.30am I was in the pool and felt immediate relief. I managed to labour through the next hour and a half well if not noisily. I was then checked just after midday and found to be 5cms. Established labour and time for gas and air.
I began to struggle a little and had some midwives threaten me with transfer to the hospital for an epidural which they knew I didn't want. I felt a little let down at this point because all I needed was some guidance. I had a student midwife with me and I felt that had she had some better advice from the team, that she could have easily coached me through.
The gas and air really helped but it made me very sleepy. I was sleeping between contractions so my husband had to hold me up so I didn't slip under the water. Looking back I can see that I didn't use the gas and air properly. At the start of a contraction I just kept thinking I could sleep through the pain and then when I started it, it was too late.
During this time I noticed the clock was not changing very much. The battery in the clock had died so I managed to skip 2 hours of my labour. I am thinking of requesting that this time
After around 2 and a half hours I felt like I needed to push and kept holding my bits. I felt like I was going to fall apart. By this point my waters still had not broken. I was checked and they found me to be 9cms so had to stop myself pushing so I didn't go backwards.
Then for transition!! I paniced and just kept crying for my mum. She lived 3 hours away and we knew she wouldn't get there even if I called. My husband reassured me and the team did really well at telling me I could do it. It was great when they said this was a really good sign and wanted to do an internal. I was happy but the pain was excrutiating. I was really pulling away and cried and how awful it felt. At this point I felt a pop and was told my waters had gone. I felt some immediate relief that lasted until the next contraction. They asked if I wanted to get out to deliver as per my birth plan but I said I really couldn't move so stayed put.
Time to push. I don't remember much of this except they took my gas and air away which I really could have done with but because I was not using it correctly they felt it was not necessary. Crowning was horrible and I am dreading that bit again. I was asked if I wanted to see in a mirror as per my birth plan but I didn't feel emotionally ready so declined. I was not coached through this bit particularly well. When both midwives turned around to make notes I gave a massive push and out came the head. With the next push I delivered the body. My husband said he shot out so quickly he bashed his head on the side of the pool. I didn't see this bit as I looked at my husband. I wanted to see his face right as he saw our son for the first time.
I looked downand lifted Ben up. I had no idea what to do and didn't feel anything. I was told to keep him low in the water. He didn't cry and I remember asking why and what was wrong but it was because I felt I should ask. He was very alert. Then he pee'd on me which just made me laugh! I then started crying and just saying oh my god over and over. I think I was in a little shock.
The midwives left me to it for a minute while the cord stopped pulsing. They then asked my husband to cut the cord something he only did in the heat of the moment but is very glad he did it. My son was then passed to my husband and the pool empited. I couldn't stand so asked if I could deliver the placenta in the now empty pool. This came out well apart from the alien vs preditor style explosion of it right at the last push. My membranes were ragged but otherwise stage 3 went well.
I was then helped shakily out of the pool and onto the bed to be stitched. I had a 2nd degree tear of the perinium.
My labour lasted for the following:
1st Stage - 3 hours
2nd Stage - 38 minutes
3rd Stage - 23 minutes
Total - 4hours and 1 minute
It was a brilliant quick labour and my son was born at 1608hrs on 27th May 2009 weighing 6lb 15ozs.
Thanks for reading and hope to put my next one on soon!
26th May
It was a completely normal day. Hubby and I were going to spend the day running errands. We had to go to the city and sign paperwork for our new car so off we went at about 10am. On the way we went through an area of road works and the car got a tidal wave of what we thought was muddy water (turned out to be concrete!! Lots of damage to the tune of £2,500).
We arrived at the garage and signed all the paperwork and made plans to pick the car up a couple of days later once it was prepared and all finance in place. During the appointment my phone rang and it was my employer to tell me that my maternity cover had just been made redundant. That was a massive blow as I was already anxious about leaving my job in someone else's hands while gone.
Hubby and I decided that the morning's excitement (!!) needed a bit of lunch and he took me out for a lovely steak meal. We then went to Tesco to do our shop and to make sure the fridges were stocked. In the last freezer isle I felt the need to stop and grip the side. Hubby was very confused that I stopped at the chips as we didn't buy frozen chips
I went home thinking nothing of it, telling him it was just braxton hicks. I made a casserole to go in the freezer for the night I was in hospital so my husband still had a good meal to eat.
At around 8.30pm I was still having some cramping so I called my mum for a chat. I told her it would tail off and thought nothing of it. My husband had begun to secretly write down the timings of contractions because he felt I was now acting differently. They were lasting around 30-45 seconds and coming every 7-9 minutes.
At 11pm my husband decided it was best that we went through to bed just in case this was it.
27th May
I managed to get right off to sleep to be woken at 3am with cramping that I just couldn't sleep through any more. I told my husband but made him stay in bed as he needed to rest ready for the day ahead. I went through and watched some trashy TV and continued to monitor the contractions. They were now lasting around a minute each but only coming every 6-7 minutes.
By 5am I felt I needed some extra support. I called my husband and ask that he help me have a bath. I also called the birth centre who advised they were full but if I could hold out at home, a room would definitely be free that morning as both women were progressing well. I felt immediately relaxed that they thought I could continue at home and knew my place was "booked".
I got in the bath and managed to cope ok for about an hour. Then laying on my back and side became unbareable. My husband helped me out and I went and got dressed. We began timing the contractions again - stopping because I was in the bath and starting to get stressed doing it. My husband cooked us both a big breakfast and we made it to 8am.
I called the birth centre and advised we were packing final bits and would be on the way. The birth room was just being cleaned and would be ready for when I arrived. I called mum to say it was not a false alarm after all and then spent half an hour bent over the side of the cot directing the final bits into my labour bag.
We packed the car and set off. Hubby went out to clean the number plate off after the tidal wave the night before. Hubby did ask if we could stop by a car wash to which I replied with a string of explitives and he decided against it. Had I know it was concrete I would have in a heartbeat!
We got to the birth centre at 9am. I was booked in and had all my admission checks done. They found I was 3-4cms. I went through to the birth room and tried to bounce on the ball for a while but after one contraction I told them I couldn't do it. So they ran the pool and I got ready to get in.
By 10.30am I was in the pool and felt immediate relief. I managed to labour through the next hour and a half well if not noisily. I was then checked just after midday and found to be 5cms. Established labour and time for gas and air.
I began to struggle a little and had some midwives threaten me with transfer to the hospital for an epidural which they knew I didn't want. I felt a little let down at this point because all I needed was some guidance. I had a student midwife with me and I felt that had she had some better advice from the team, that she could have easily coached me through.
The gas and air really helped but it made me very sleepy. I was sleeping between contractions so my husband had to hold me up so I didn't slip under the water. Looking back I can see that I didn't use the gas and air properly. At the start of a contraction I just kept thinking I could sleep through the pain and then when I started it, it was too late.
During this time I noticed the clock was not changing very much. The battery in the clock had died so I managed to skip 2 hours of my labour. I am thinking of requesting that this time
After around 2 and a half hours I felt like I needed to push and kept holding my bits. I felt like I was going to fall apart. By this point my waters still had not broken. I was checked and they found me to be 9cms so had to stop myself pushing so I didn't go backwards.
Then for transition!! I paniced and just kept crying for my mum. She lived 3 hours away and we knew she wouldn't get there even if I called. My husband reassured me and the team did really well at telling me I could do it. It was great when they said this was a really good sign and wanted to do an internal. I was happy but the pain was excrutiating. I was really pulling away and cried and how awful it felt. At this point I felt a pop and was told my waters had gone. I felt some immediate relief that lasted until the next contraction. They asked if I wanted to get out to deliver as per my birth plan but I said I really couldn't move so stayed put.
Time to push. I don't remember much of this except they took my gas and air away which I really could have done with but because I was not using it correctly they felt it was not necessary. Crowning was horrible and I am dreading that bit again. I was asked if I wanted to see in a mirror as per my birth plan but I didn't feel emotionally ready so declined. I was not coached through this bit particularly well. When both midwives turned around to make notes I gave a massive push and out came the head. With the next push I delivered the body. My husband said he shot out so quickly he bashed his head on the side of the pool. I didn't see this bit as I looked at my husband. I wanted to see his face right as he saw our son for the first time.
I looked downand lifted Ben up. I had no idea what to do and didn't feel anything. I was told to keep him low in the water. He didn't cry and I remember asking why and what was wrong but it was because I felt I should ask. He was very alert. Then he pee'd on me which just made me laugh! I then started crying and just saying oh my god over and over. I think I was in a little shock.
The midwives left me to it for a minute while the cord stopped pulsing. They then asked my husband to cut the cord something he only did in the heat of the moment but is very glad he did it. My son was then passed to my husband and the pool empited. I couldn't stand so asked if I could deliver the placenta in the now empty pool. This came out well apart from the alien vs preditor style explosion of it right at the last push. My membranes were ragged but otherwise stage 3 went well.
I was then helped shakily out of the pool and onto the bed to be stitched. I had a 2nd degree tear of the perinium.
My labour lasted for the following:
1st Stage - 3 hours
2nd Stage - 38 minutes
3rd Stage - 23 minutes
Total - 4hours and 1 minute
It was a brilliant quick labour and my son was born at 1608hrs on 27th May 2009 weighing 6lb 15ozs.
Thanks for reading and hope to put my next one on soon!
