A
angelsgirl
Guest
Ok, so finally I had the chance to sit down and write out my birth story!
On Tuesday the 6th May, I had been having contractions (not bad ones) from about 10am. I had an OB appointment that arvo, which ended up being pushed back and back and back!!! I finally got in to see him at about 2pm. He did an internal and said that I was 2cm dilated and fully effaced. And that I was in early labour. He thought that I would have the baby within a couple of days. So I was really very excited.
I went home and continued to nest... i was cleaning and the such for most of the afternoon. The contractions were starting to get worse and lasting for longer and coming more frequently.
Our hot water system had died the weekend before so we were showering at my in-laws, and we stayed for dinner that night. All through dinner I was having more and more contractions... and they were really starting to hurt. I wasn't joining in with the discussions around the dinner table like i used to. My appetite was pretty much gone. I forced some food down, cause I knew i was going to be needing my strength later on.
We got home at about 9pm. I was completely exhausted. I tried to relax and sleep but I couldn't. At that stage I was really wishing that we had hot water so I could go and have a shower. It was really bad not being able to shower. I started with the heat packs as I couldn't shower. They helped for a little bit. I noticed that the contractions were coming very quickly at about 9.30pm... So i decided to start timing them. They were coming at about 3 mins apart and lasting for at least 45secs . My husband suggested that I call the hospital and see what we should do at 11pm. So I did and they said to come in.
The midwife hooked me up to the machine thingy that monitors the baby and the contractions. She said that the way I was going I would have a baby in the morning.
But... (there is always a but!!!) Maddie had other ideas! The contractions slowed down at about 5.30am... So they moved me out of the delivery suite and up into the post-natal ward (in with all the people who HAD their babies... very mean!!!) We were there all day. My contractions were not at all regular in the morning, but they sure were painful and they were lasting what felt like eternity. They started to get more regular after lunch. Then at about 4pm I was told that they were moving me back down to the birthing suites to look at me and see if my OB wanted to break my waters. At this point I was completely exhausted, I hadn't slept in over a day and a bit. So I was keen to get things moving!
My OB broke my waters after I had been in the bath and the shower for about an hour and found that I was 7cm dilated!!! Which I was really happy with!!! They broke my waters at about 5ish i think. And seriously... the pain after the waters were broken was SO intense. Seriously... it was so much worse than I had ever anticipated!!! I started on the gas... which made me really dizzy, but it was good cause it kept me breathing. I think at about 6.30 I asked for pethidine (I was under NO circumstances going to have an epidural, so the pethidine was meant to be the last thing i would have). It made me loopy, I don't remember much from that point on. My husband tells me that I would be almost sleeping in between contractions and during contractions I alternated between sucking down the gas (which is what i should have been doing the whole time) and yelling at him to get me an epidural!!!
I finally got the epidural... and oh my goodness... It was like pure bliss not to have the pain anymore. I felt like I was floating. At that point my Mum rang the hospital to see how I was doing, and they came in and asked if i wanted to speak to her. I did... I think she thought I was mad! I think I was slurring my words!
At 11pm my OB came in to see how I was going and to check how far dilated I was. I was still only 7cm... all that time and all those contractions... It felt like they were for nothing!!! He told me that the baby was face up instead of face down, and she was in an awkward position and was stuck. He suggested a c-section, I wasn't keen. Then he had a look at the monitor, and saw that baby's heartbeat was getting all irregular and it was showing that bubs was in distress. He told us this and left my husband and I to make a desicion, whether to keep going with the labour or to have a c-section. My husband wanted to have the caeser... I didn't. But then I thought about my little baby, and I knew that I had to get her out. It wasn't the way that I wanted to give birth, but I wanted my baby to be healthy and not be all unwell when born.
So we decided to have the caeser. It was seriously the weirdest feeling. I couldn't feel pain, but i could feel them poking around in me!!! Weird!
At 12.15am on the 8th May, my beautiful baby girl, Madeleine was born. She was wide eyed and barely cried when she was born. She was very alert, looking around wondering (i'm sure) what happened and where am I! She only cried a bit when they gave her the needle. My husband cut the cord. And got to go with her and get weighed and all that stuff. I was stitched up and taken to recovery, where Maddie was brought in so I could be with her. She had her first breastfeed in recovery. It was so nice to be with my baby girl!
I was so sure that I was going to have a boy, and was shocked when they lowered the sheet so I could see her. I remember looking at her thinking... there is no penis... what does that mean... Is she really a girl!!! I was still so out of it from the pethidine i think!
My whole family as well as my husbands were waiting in the hospital foyer to hear the news... they got to see me and Maddie as we were put onto the lift, with enough time for me to tell them she was a girl. They were allowed one by one to come up and see me and Maddie (at this time it was after 2am!).
She was 7 pound 12, 51cm long and is absolutely perfect in every way!!!
I spent the next 5 days in hospital... surprisingly I didn't have alot of pain with the wound from the caeser. I expected alot more pain.
I wished I could've had a vaginal birth, but the main thing is that I have a healthy baby girl. It doesn't matter how she came out!!! I'm hoping for the next one I can have a vaginal birth, so we'll see!
Wow, that was long! I don't think I left anything out!!!
On Tuesday the 6th May, I had been having contractions (not bad ones) from about 10am. I had an OB appointment that arvo, which ended up being pushed back and back and back!!! I finally got in to see him at about 2pm. He did an internal and said that I was 2cm dilated and fully effaced. And that I was in early labour. He thought that I would have the baby within a couple of days. So I was really very excited.
I went home and continued to nest... i was cleaning and the such for most of the afternoon. The contractions were starting to get worse and lasting for longer and coming more frequently.
Our hot water system had died the weekend before so we were showering at my in-laws, and we stayed for dinner that night. All through dinner I was having more and more contractions... and they were really starting to hurt. I wasn't joining in with the discussions around the dinner table like i used to. My appetite was pretty much gone. I forced some food down, cause I knew i was going to be needing my strength later on.
We got home at about 9pm. I was completely exhausted. I tried to relax and sleep but I couldn't. At that stage I was really wishing that we had hot water so I could go and have a shower. It was really bad not being able to shower. I started with the heat packs as I couldn't shower. They helped for a little bit. I noticed that the contractions were coming very quickly at about 9.30pm... So i decided to start timing them. They were coming at about 3 mins apart and lasting for at least 45secs . My husband suggested that I call the hospital and see what we should do at 11pm. So I did and they said to come in.
The midwife hooked me up to the machine thingy that monitors the baby and the contractions. She said that the way I was going I would have a baby in the morning.
But... (there is always a but!!!) Maddie had other ideas! The contractions slowed down at about 5.30am... So they moved me out of the delivery suite and up into the post-natal ward (in with all the people who HAD their babies... very mean!!!) We were there all day. My contractions were not at all regular in the morning, but they sure were painful and they were lasting what felt like eternity. They started to get more regular after lunch. Then at about 4pm I was told that they were moving me back down to the birthing suites to look at me and see if my OB wanted to break my waters. At this point I was completely exhausted, I hadn't slept in over a day and a bit. So I was keen to get things moving!
My OB broke my waters after I had been in the bath and the shower for about an hour and found that I was 7cm dilated!!! Which I was really happy with!!! They broke my waters at about 5ish i think. And seriously... the pain after the waters were broken was SO intense. Seriously... it was so much worse than I had ever anticipated!!! I started on the gas... which made me really dizzy, but it was good cause it kept me breathing. I think at about 6.30 I asked for pethidine (I was under NO circumstances going to have an epidural, so the pethidine was meant to be the last thing i would have). It made me loopy, I don't remember much from that point on. My husband tells me that I would be almost sleeping in between contractions and during contractions I alternated between sucking down the gas (which is what i should have been doing the whole time) and yelling at him to get me an epidural!!!
I finally got the epidural... and oh my goodness... It was like pure bliss not to have the pain anymore. I felt like I was floating. At that point my Mum rang the hospital to see how I was doing, and they came in and asked if i wanted to speak to her. I did... I think she thought I was mad! I think I was slurring my words!
At 11pm my OB came in to see how I was going and to check how far dilated I was. I was still only 7cm... all that time and all those contractions... It felt like they were for nothing!!! He told me that the baby was face up instead of face down, and she was in an awkward position and was stuck. He suggested a c-section, I wasn't keen. Then he had a look at the monitor, and saw that baby's heartbeat was getting all irregular and it was showing that bubs was in distress. He told us this and left my husband and I to make a desicion, whether to keep going with the labour or to have a c-section. My husband wanted to have the caeser... I didn't. But then I thought about my little baby, and I knew that I had to get her out. It wasn't the way that I wanted to give birth, but I wanted my baby to be healthy and not be all unwell when born.
So we decided to have the caeser. It was seriously the weirdest feeling. I couldn't feel pain, but i could feel them poking around in me!!! Weird!
At 12.15am on the 8th May, my beautiful baby girl, Madeleine was born. She was wide eyed and barely cried when she was born. She was very alert, looking around wondering (i'm sure) what happened and where am I! She only cried a bit when they gave her the needle. My husband cut the cord. And got to go with her and get weighed and all that stuff. I was stitched up and taken to recovery, where Maddie was brought in so I could be with her. She had her first breastfeed in recovery. It was so nice to be with my baby girl!
I was so sure that I was going to have a boy, and was shocked when they lowered the sheet so I could see her. I remember looking at her thinking... there is no penis... what does that mean... Is she really a girl!!! I was still so out of it from the pethidine i think!
My whole family as well as my husbands were waiting in the hospital foyer to hear the news... they got to see me and Maddie as we were put onto the lift, with enough time for me to tell them she was a girl. They were allowed one by one to come up and see me and Maddie (at this time it was after 2am!).
She was 7 pound 12, 51cm long and is absolutely perfect in every way!!!
I spent the next 5 days in hospital... surprisingly I didn't have alot of pain with the wound from the caeser. I expected alot more pain.
I wished I could've had a vaginal birth, but the main thing is that I have a healthy baby girl. It doesn't matter how she came out!!! I'm hoping for the next one I can have a vaginal birth, so we'll see!
Wow, that was long! I don't think I left anything out!!!
