Post by phild09 on Sept 1, 2008 21:07:34 GMT
Hi everyone, I thought I would share my 4 month old's birth story.
Though I didn't have a hard time as some people do, I do think about it quite a lot. Am unsure whether it's related to my PNI, but I don't think it is. But still have a few issues with it.
8 days before my baby was born, at term +3 I had an appointment with a different midwife to usual. I had a very well pregnancy & felt great all through apart from a bit of bad sickness which was gone by 3 months. I was HUGE, all bump, but not much weight gain, but still very active and going walking and swimming when overdue!
Anyway this new midwife confirmed worst fears...That baby was not engaged (as was previously thought), was back to back, and at least 9lbs! Sent me for a growth scan ASAP which proved this. I was given a sweep at the hospital and given my induction date for 40+9.
I had no signs or braxton hicks, so I knew I would hold out till then and enjoyed my last days of freedom. I went to be induced at 8.30am, spent some time on the CTG monitor and had the first pessary (prostin?!). Mild contractions started a couple of hours later. 6 hours later, when the next one was due, the contractions were too strong so the midwife told me to have a bath, take some painkillers, and then they would give me the next one. At this point I was 1-2cm dilated.
They gave me the 2nd pessary and overnight the contractions became increasingly painful. The woman in the next bed from me had her waters break and was taken to the delivery suite. I cried my eyes out on the phone to OH (who'd had to go at 9pm) and later on the midwife. I was SO upset it wasn't me having my lo! Hormones probably had something to do with that.
I got no sleep at all as was obsessively timing contractions and they were uncomfortable. By 6am I was having to breathe through them and it was agony. Midwife told me to have another bath which made them hurt even more as I was lying down. I was out in a minute hopping up and down! I have heard some women like to keep mobile in labour as they feel it helps the pain, I tried this but nearly collapsed when a contraction came on. OH wasn't allowed back until 11am. I couldn't lie down or move. The only position that was mildly comfortable was sitting up, dead upright, in a hard chair!
It was quite embarrassing as I was sitting in the dayroom (trying) to have breakfast when a lady who'd just had her LO came in to chat to me, she was lovely but had to break to breathe for the contractions! I've never felt such pain, it felt my stomach was going to explode. Midwife helped me with my breathing and it helped soooo much, but it was very hard to resist the temptation to SCREAM and bugger breathing full stop!
OH arrived at 11am and I was examined, and was 3cm dilated. The examination was so painful and I screamed through it. Midwife got me some Gas and air, and told me I would soon be taken up to have my waters broken. I said NO way is anyone breaking my waters with a hook-thingy. She ignored me though. The gas and air helped me, as well as squeezing OHs hand sooo tight. It made it bearable as I felt so "drunk" and happy after a contraction ended.
At around noon I was taken to have the waters broken, after hoping to god I could make it being wheeled upstairs (to the del. suite) without a contraction coming on. Having my waters broke wasnt painful at all - it felt nice. There was blood in them but they said that was OK.
I was on gas and air until they put me on a drip to increase contractions, then I asked for an epidural. The anaesthetist came to put it all in. When she put the canula in, blood went EVERYWHERE...I have juicy veins she said. It was quite painful. The drip was turned up to the maximum but I was still only 3cm dilated. At 9pm, I was still 3cm dilated, and my epidural seemed to have stopped working so I had it "topped up". At around 10pm the midwives swapped shifts and I started to get an unbearable pressure down below like I needed a poo. I couldn't go to the loo as was hooked up to drip, monitor, and had epidural. I'm very embarassed about this kind of thing (like all of us I suppose) and I refused to use a bedpan! Midwife said she needed to examine me and I sent OH out as I was scared I would poo while she was doing it! I cried all through it (yet again) but she said it was the baby's head, and that I was 7cm dilated.
I had slipped down off the bed and was getting hysterical as epi not working again! I HAD to be sat upright but my legs kept giving way. OH and midwife had to haul me up, I felt like a dead weight. She topped up my epi to shut me up, I imagine!
From then on I felt great as she kept topping up my epidural at regular intervals. I felt very "out of it", but really good. I was joking to OH, wondering what side of midnight LO would be born on. Time seemed to be passing in a blur. I was chatting away feeling very blissful and at peace if that makes sense. I felt no pain even though I did have the odd puff of G&A anytime I felt a twinge. When the midwife checked my BP etc, my temperature was quite high, so I was given paracetamol to bring it down, antibiotics on a drip, and had some blood taken for testing. About 1/2 hour later a doctor came in saying the blood had been labelled wrong so they took quite a LOT more! I started feeling very shivery and sick at one point but otherwise felt OK.
I even managed to sleep for a bit after that and had to be woke, to be examined. My OH had been so great, he is usually a pain but was so patient and calm. On examination, I was still only 7cm dilated, and a doctor (male this time) came in with a consent form, to do a c-section.
I was taken down to theatre shaking as I was so nervous! Bliss feeling had left and I was feeling very sick again. I couldnt stop shaking even though it was a VERY hot weekend. It was 3am. I had my epidural topped up yet again, but when they poked me in the tummy and asked if I could feel anything, I could, so I asked them to do a spinal. The anaesthetist said I was "An awkward one!" quite affectionately...I hope! Anyway I was ready to go. After a LOT of pulling and tugging (quite painful but not nearly as bad as the contractions) he was out! We knew we were having a boy, so got a shock when the staff said "It's a boy...oh wait it's a girl...Oh, no, definitely a boy!" (PHEW!)
I heard a tiny cry and he was taken off to be cleaned and weighed, lots of explanations of what a BIG baby he was. Everyone sounded pratically freaked out by the size so I kept saying "Oh my god what does he weigh?", imagining he would be 12lb!
He was 9lb 1oz, so not quite that big.
He was given to my OH to hold, I was too scared to hold him yet as I am nervous with babies, but that night was so perfect, OH was kicked out (should have protested looking back but was so out of it), and I gave LO (Gabriel) his first bottle after BF not going well. He was so hungry and took 60ml. Midwife put him back in his plastic cot and he slept and I stared at him all night. I felt like we had a special bond.
Since then I've been suffering quite badly with PNI, since he was about 10 weeks. But I thought I would share my birth story to show that a c-section isnt always so bad. I was recovered within 4 hours walking around!
I think what does still haunt me about the birth is the pain, as I honestly believed birth would be a magical experience and the pain would be positive, but it wasn't.......
Though I didn't have a hard time as some people do, I do think about it quite a lot. Am unsure whether it's related to my PNI, but I don't think it is. But still have a few issues with it.
8 days before my baby was born, at term +3 I had an appointment with a different midwife to usual. I had a very well pregnancy & felt great all through apart from a bit of bad sickness which was gone by 3 months. I was HUGE, all bump, but not much weight gain, but still very active and going walking and swimming when overdue!
Anyway this new midwife confirmed worst fears...That baby was not engaged (as was previously thought), was back to back, and at least 9lbs! Sent me for a growth scan ASAP which proved this. I was given a sweep at the hospital and given my induction date for 40+9.
I had no signs or braxton hicks, so I knew I would hold out till then and enjoyed my last days of freedom. I went to be induced at 8.30am, spent some time on the CTG monitor and had the first pessary (prostin?!). Mild contractions started a couple of hours later. 6 hours later, when the next one was due, the contractions were too strong so the midwife told me to have a bath, take some painkillers, and then they would give me the next one. At this point I was 1-2cm dilated.
They gave me the 2nd pessary and overnight the contractions became increasingly painful. The woman in the next bed from me had her waters break and was taken to the delivery suite. I cried my eyes out on the phone to OH (who'd had to go at 9pm) and later on the midwife. I was SO upset it wasn't me having my lo! Hormones probably had something to do with that.
I got no sleep at all as was obsessively timing contractions and they were uncomfortable. By 6am I was having to breathe through them and it was agony. Midwife told me to have another bath which made them hurt even more as I was lying down. I was out in a minute hopping up and down! I have heard some women like to keep mobile in labour as they feel it helps the pain, I tried this but nearly collapsed when a contraction came on. OH wasn't allowed back until 11am. I couldn't lie down or move. The only position that was mildly comfortable was sitting up, dead upright, in a hard chair!
It was quite embarrassing as I was sitting in the dayroom (trying) to have breakfast when a lady who'd just had her LO came in to chat to me, she was lovely but had to break to breathe for the contractions! I've never felt such pain, it felt my stomach was going to explode. Midwife helped me with my breathing and it helped soooo much, but it was very hard to resist the temptation to SCREAM and bugger breathing full stop!
OH arrived at 11am and I was examined, and was 3cm dilated. The examination was so painful and I screamed through it. Midwife got me some Gas and air, and told me I would soon be taken up to have my waters broken. I said NO way is anyone breaking my waters with a hook-thingy. She ignored me though. The gas and air helped me, as well as squeezing OHs hand sooo tight. It made it bearable as I felt so "drunk" and happy after a contraction ended.
At around noon I was taken to have the waters broken, after hoping to god I could make it being wheeled upstairs (to the del. suite) without a contraction coming on. Having my waters broke wasnt painful at all - it felt nice. There was blood in them but they said that was OK.
I was on gas and air until they put me on a drip to increase contractions, then I asked for an epidural. The anaesthetist came to put it all in. When she put the canula in, blood went EVERYWHERE...I have juicy veins she said. It was quite painful. The drip was turned up to the maximum but I was still only 3cm dilated. At 9pm, I was still 3cm dilated, and my epidural seemed to have stopped working so I had it "topped up". At around 10pm the midwives swapped shifts and I started to get an unbearable pressure down below like I needed a poo. I couldn't go to the loo as was hooked up to drip, monitor, and had epidural. I'm very embarassed about this kind of thing (like all of us I suppose) and I refused to use a bedpan! Midwife said she needed to examine me and I sent OH out as I was scared I would poo while she was doing it! I cried all through it (yet again) but she said it was the baby's head, and that I was 7cm dilated.
I had slipped down off the bed and was getting hysterical as epi not working again! I HAD to be sat upright but my legs kept giving way. OH and midwife had to haul me up, I felt like a dead weight. She topped up my epi to shut me up, I imagine!
From then on I felt great as she kept topping up my epidural at regular intervals. I felt very "out of it", but really good. I was joking to OH, wondering what side of midnight LO would be born on. Time seemed to be passing in a blur. I was chatting away feeling very blissful and at peace if that makes sense. I felt no pain even though I did have the odd puff of G&A anytime I felt a twinge. When the midwife checked my BP etc, my temperature was quite high, so I was given paracetamol to bring it down, antibiotics on a drip, and had some blood taken for testing. About 1/2 hour later a doctor came in saying the blood had been labelled wrong so they took quite a LOT more! I started feeling very shivery and sick at one point but otherwise felt OK.
I even managed to sleep for a bit after that and had to be woke, to be examined. My OH had been so great, he is usually a pain but was so patient and calm. On examination, I was still only 7cm dilated, and a doctor (male this time) came in with a consent form, to do a c-section.
I was taken down to theatre shaking as I was so nervous! Bliss feeling had left and I was feeling very sick again. I couldnt stop shaking even though it was a VERY hot weekend. It was 3am. I had my epidural topped up yet again, but when they poked me in the tummy and asked if I could feel anything, I could, so I asked them to do a spinal. The anaesthetist said I was "An awkward one!" quite affectionately...I hope! Anyway I was ready to go. After a LOT of pulling and tugging (quite painful but not nearly as bad as the contractions) he was out! We knew we were having a boy, so got a shock when the staff said "It's a boy...oh wait it's a girl...Oh, no, definitely a boy!" (PHEW!)
I heard a tiny cry and he was taken off to be cleaned and weighed, lots of explanations of what a BIG baby he was. Everyone sounded pratically freaked out by the size so I kept saying "Oh my god what does he weigh?", imagining he would be 12lb!
He was 9lb 1oz, so not quite that big.
He was given to my OH to hold, I was too scared to hold him yet as I am nervous with babies, but that night was so perfect, OH was kicked out (should have protested looking back but was so out of it), and I gave LO (Gabriel) his first bottle after BF not going well. He was so hungry and took 60ml. Midwife put him back in his plastic cot and he slept and I stared at him all night. I felt like we had a special bond.
Since then I've been suffering quite badly with PNI, since he was about 10 weeks. But I thought I would share my birth story to show that a c-section isnt always so bad. I was recovered within 4 hours walking around!
I think what does still haunt me about the birth is the pain, as I honestly believed birth would be a magical experience and the pain would be positive, but it wasn't.......