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Birth Stories Thread

245

Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 767 ✭✭✭Hobbitfeet


    Julie your poor thing thats awful way to treat anyone in labour especially 1st time mum. Did you make a complaint? I would be making an official complaint if I was treated like that.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 79 ✭✭Julie London


    No i didnt. I think I just thought it was normal at the time. That thats the best care you can expect on the public system. It got even worse while trying to breatsfeed one nurse told me my aorela (cant think of correct spelling)were too small to feed my baby and that my baby was hungry. I gave up then and there as my hormones were loop the loop and the comment made me cry


  • Registered Users Posts: 463 ✭✭dollybird2


    Finally I get to add my story! Have been following this up to a few weeks ago when my little girl was finally born!

    I didn't have a very easy pregnancy, lots of sickness and high blood pressure. I was admitted with hypertension and threatened toxaemia a number of times but the hospital didn't want to induce as baby was very small and was thriving in the womb.

    Finally two weeks overdue by the hospital dates and three weeks by my dates I was due to be induced but went into labour myself the night before. Had a bloody show and lost mucus plug, which was yuck!, and spent from 8pm until 8am the following morning literally on the toilet. Went to the hospital, they checked and I was 3cm and progressing nicely. Refused all pain relief and contracted away in the delivery suite, pains coming regularly and lasting longer as time went on. I thought this is a breeze, not at all what I expected. Had my book & ipod, tens machine was on and I was guzzling gas & air and having fits of giggles with it.

    After reaching 7cm and enjoying my experience suddenly the sh*t hit the fan. Baby's heart stopped and then restarted slowly and then went erratic. I was hooked to monitors, people started filing into the room discussing me like I wasn't there and anytime I asked a question I was told to suck the gas & air. Hello, I want to know what is going on. I heard a doctor mention a section so I said that I wanted that to be a last resort as I was very near the end of labour at this stage. They put a monitor on the babys scalp, very horrible experience, and then tried to syringe blood from her head. I was in so much pain with the insertion of these and my husband was green watching what was going on. I asked for a section at this stage, 2.30pm.

    Suddenly my waters went, very strange sensation, loud pop and a gush. They were brown and at the same time the baby's heart stopped again. I was put straight onto a trolley and ran down the corridor while being put into a gown and having anti acid injected as I had eaten. We ran into theatre, so many people around the bed it was scary. There I was knocked out. It happened so fast that I kind of didn't register what was going on. I didn't even read the consent forms, just signed them. I had no choice re: anaesthetic as the epidural would have taken too long to kick in so the GA was the only way to go.

    Came around in recovery room totally confused. A nurse told me I'd had a girl and I remember thinking she was crazy and that I must be dreaming. When I was brought to the ward my husband came with our little woman and my God every single thing I had just gone through was so worth it, I'd have done it all again just for her. She is beautiful and amazing. She was born at 3pm - that's how fast it all happened! When born I was out of it and my husband wasnt permitted into theatre but in her notes I read that she was covered in meconium (hence the panic) and had a weak cry and had to be suctioned. Her cry is anything but weak now let me tell you!She weighed 6lb 9oz which is tiny for such an overdue baby.

    I was TERRIFIED of the thoughts of having a section as I have severe needle & medical phobias that caused issues throughout my pregnancy. However it really was okay and the recovery wasn't half as bad as I expected. I was up walking around the day after it - slowly! I lost a litre and half of blood in theatre so I did feel tired and weak. I left hospital after 4 days, could climb stairs and lift baby no problem. I was emotionally fragile but I think that's normal after a baby. I was driving after 3 weeks. What I did find hard and wasn't aware that it would be hard was going to the toilet, the numbness of your stomach after - still find this weird and still wearing high waisted trousers as I don't like anything on the lower part of my tummy now.

    So anyone worried about sections and issues don't waste your pregnancy thinking about them like I did. When in labour and/or nearing the end of your pregnancy there is an inner strength that comes through and carries you through and it is true that the minute you meet your child it all melts away. And even if you aren't "present" at your child's birth don't think it will ruin the bonding process. Yes it took me a bit longer to fully bond with my baby but a few weeks on I now feel that I have and the whole process was worth it.

    Sorry for rattling on!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 767 ✭✭✭Hobbitfeet


    So glad your both ok Dollybird. Well done :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,992 ✭✭✭dublinlady


    Amazing story dollybird - cant imagine how frightened you must have been - I was in tears only reading it! So glad everything is ok now , as you said you can have all the plans in the world - the bottom line is that you and the baby leave the hospital healthy - whatever it takes ! Well done and thanks for sharing!


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  • Registered Users Posts: 318 ✭✭littlemissfixit


    Great thread, before my first I kept googling "positive birth stories" to put me in the right mind set, well heres my own.

    Baby girl was born Oct 2010
    I had a 37wk ante-natal check up at Holles st, the midwife measured the bump and at the same time I felt a strong pain where she was putting pressure with the measuring tape (which I thought she was causing), I told her, but she measured again and again, to end up telling me I was measuring very big compare to the previous week (it was no news to me,
    I felt I had put a ton in only the last few days!) She checked with another midwife and booked me for a scan the following tuesday.

    Here's how not to follow your woman's instinct:
    Hubby was picking me up and we were due to spend the weekend in the new house in Cork, to finalise everything (after all every first mum goes overdue right, so 37wks was nowhere near the birth!)

    We went home to pick our stuff, I still had pain down below but I thought it was just my pelvis and hips a bit tired of the weight. One minute I was gonna stay in Dublin, since I didn't feel too well, the next I was gonna go to Cork cause it was only my imagination. Well, I dont believe it myself, \I decided to go to Cork anyway, my reasoning being, if its going to happen I'd rather be with hubby in Cork than by myself in Dublin. Telling him to stay in Dublin with me, strangely, didn't occur to me.

    Off we went, on the long and very uncomfortable journey down through the breath of Ireland (thank god for the motorway, on the old backroads I would have popped baba out before we'd got to Kildare!). On one of our stops, I thought there was slight pink show, but again, it wasn't proof enough for me.

    And here's how to not listen to your instinct and be over laid back on top of it:
    Down to the new house, the back was killing me and I said; if its still sore tomorrow, sure I'll just jump on the train back to Dublin again just to feel more secure and comfortable. See the logic? No, me neither!

    Next morning (Friday), the pain is no better so off we go to book train fare, and as Im checking the times, I just turn around and say; Actually, you know what, I'd rather we both drove back up to Dublin after all. So we waited for the eircom man to call around (the main reason for the journey, talk about priorities) and back up the road we went, and I started having what I know now were contractions, nothing too intense, every half hour or so.

    Got back to dub end of the day, contractions were every 12 min or so. Went to bed with a couple of paracetamol, woke up a couple hours later, had a very hot shower, 2 toasts and jam, went back to bed, woke up again, had another shower, went back to bed. Third time lucky, woke up at 4am, had another shower, contractions were every 6-7 min. Woke up hubby who had slept through the whole thing and we got ready to get to hospital.
    Jump in the car, as calm as anything, unlike hubby who drove us right in one ways the wrong way.
    Checked in at 6h15am, my waters had to be broken, put on the tens and started pacing down the corridor. Pains were very manageable I must say. about 2 hours later, I was brought to the delivery room, and my waters had to be broken again (mystery to me how that happened!).
    Used a bit of gas and air, moved around the room a lot and put in practice my yoga and self hypnosis. Must have worked, in a matter of a few contractions I told the midwife I needed to push, she told me it wasn't time yet, but I told her I couldn't help it. So she checked me and I was fully dilated.
    Back on the bed, I was so concentrated on the contractions that I forgot completely about gas and air and tens boost button. I remembered the midwife at ante-natal class saying first time mum will push for an hour, no less and very rarely more, so I just looked at the clock and counted down every contractions, after 1h baba arrived in my exhauted, delighted arms.

    Being relaxed was my best pain killer.
    Hope this second one (24 wks now) will be the same, although I will challenged myself to push this one out in much less than 1 hour!!

    Good luck to all!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,624 ✭✭✭wmpdd3


    Right so, baby no.2.
    On Saturday 28th of January, I was 39w 4d.

    I got up to find I had had a bloody show. Nothing major but atleast I knew I would probably have my baby by the 10th of Feb because I was really resigned to the fact I wasn’t going to go early and I was going to have an induction, even though I hadn’t even reached my due date of the 31st of Jan. Going at 37+4 last time meant I expected to be well gone by now.

    I didn’t get up until 12pm, as it was my turn for a lie in and my partners turn to get up with baby no 1 who’s 16 months. By the time I got up I felt a bit crampy but I spent the previous Sunday with cramps all day, but they disappeared in the evening.

    I went back to bed at 3pm when my daughter went for her nap and got up again at 5pn. I still had cramps but they were so light, not even as bad as period pains. Around 6pm I decided to check if they were regular. They were happening every 7 minutes and lasting about 30 seconds. If I didn’t have a daughter to sort out I would have ignored them and got on with the night, but I started to re-check the bag I had packed for her and the food I had ready to go with her.

    I didn’t really eat anything all day Saturday, I just had toast for breakfast, when I thought about it, I felt a bit nauseous, like morning sickness.

    At 7:45, I decided I’d call the hospital and see what they said. The midwife on the labour ward just asked me to get something to eat as I didn’t want to have hunger pains as well as everything else if I did go into labour. So I did. I told her the pains were less painful than period pains, she said things could go either way.

    At 9:00 I called my friend who was lined up to mind my daughter and arranged to call out to her. Cramps were a bit stronger now but I could still talk through them.

    We packed up the car and drove to my friend’s house to drop baby off. On the way I started breathing a bit deeply when the pains came and got through them OK. Once there I couldn’t get out of the car to say goodbye to my daughter, I just had to wave. I didn’t want to be sitting down in a seat, I wanted to be on all fours.

    On the way back we swung by the hospital and checked what entrance to go in as they are doing building work and have the usual maternity entrance blocked up, we left the hospital again and went home.

    We got back to the house at 10:15pm, I was now in a bit of pain and during the contractions I was breathing through them. They were still every 5 minutes and lasting about 20 seconds. I had a bath, I thought this would be really pain relieving but it was just OK. Even though the bath was full it didn’t cover all of me so the bits not in the water had no relief. Once out of the bath, I decided we had to go to the hospital NOW.

    It’s a 10 minute drive, we got there at 10:45, parked miles away from the door. The door we had to use after 10pm was a good bit away from the maternity ward. I had one contraction in the car, then made a run for it. My other half had put the baby carrier into the car to bring baby home but it had the strap of my hospital bag wrapped around it and the bag had to be left in the car. After loads of walking, I got to A&E and had another contraction bent over holding on to a bed in a corridor. I was offered a wheelchair by a poor porter but I couldn’t sit down, when it was over we just kept walking. At the entrance to the maternity ward I had another contraction; I fell onto a couch that was in the corridor and after that we went to the delivery suite. We got there just at 11:00pm.
    The midwife showed me to the assessment ward and asked me to give a urine sample, I went into the bathroom holding the bottle. Then another contraction hit and I went down on all fours doing my breathing on the floor. The midwife picked me up and said ‘OK, we’ll go straight to the delivery room’!

    There were just two midwives with me in the room, one was a student, both were lovely.

    In there, she hooked my up to the monitoring machine. I had another contraction and was offered gas and air. There was now less than a minute between contractions. I got two sucks of gas while I confirmed my details. After the next contraction I said I had to push, she said do if you feel you have to.

    On the next contraction, I pushed and my waters broke. Next contraction I pushed and the head was visible, then after the next one the head was out. One more push and he was born.

    Last time I thought the epidural didn’t work as I could walk right after the birth, but I can confirm it def did work because this time I felt everything. The feeling of pushing was so weird, it was an all-encompassing urge but it still felt wrong, like I was injuring myself. I really think if I had needed to push for longer I would have freeked out and said I couldn’t.

    So,at 23:23, I had a 7ibs 3ox baby boy. No stitches, I had a shower a half hour after giving birth. Tried to breastfeed but my little man doesn’t like opening his mouth wide. We spent the rest of the night side by side in bed having a go at feeding.

    All in all, I couldn’t have asked for an easier birth!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,260 ✭✭✭Mink


    wmppd3 I'd literally give away a limb to have a birth like that! Fair play!


  • Registered Users Posts: 537 ✭✭✭angelll


    So i'll add my tuppence worth,love reading birth stories :D

    Baby no1,was due the 1st feb 2002. Had a normal pregnancy,no problems. On the 29th jan i noticed something brown and a bit streaky on my underwear,realised the mucus plug was coming out so it wouldn't be long til labour started. On the 30th i was getting mild back pains all day but brushed them off as being braxton hicks and thought no more of it. Got into bed at 1.15 am and literally 1 min later my waters went. I actually heard a 'pop' in my stomach,it was so strange. I didn't realise there would be so much of them,changed into 5 different pj bottoms before leaving the house. Got to the hospital at 2am and was checked and was 2 cm dialated. They put on the trace,checked the pad i was wearing and thought there may be a slight green tinge to the waters so i went straight to the labour ward. Things progressed at around a cm every 30 mins,at one stage they couldn't find the heartbeat so the midwife had to put a trace on the babies head (not nice at all) so i was stuck lying on the bed. I took gas and air and pethidine and was completely stoned. I barely take an aspirin for pain relief usually so it totally hit me. When i got to 10cms and started to push i found it quite hard. I was wrecked tired. The babies head kept coming into view and then slipping back and his heartbeat was decreasing. The mw decided to give me an episiotomy and gave me an injection to numb the site and got out a pair of scissors (really not what i expected to see!!!) After one small cut the babies head came out v easily and his body straight after and popped him onto my chest,he was born at 7.57 am. The mw gave me an injection of something (still don't know what) and pressed on my stomach slightly to bring out the placenta. My little boy was checked and weighed,apgar score of 9 & 9 when born and 10 2 minutes after,he was 7lbs 12 oz. I used the gas while i got 4 stitches and then vomited everywhere..also didn't expect that,nor that it would be dark brown :eek: Everything went smoothly though after that and i have a beautiful 10 yr old nutcase asleep atm :)
    Labour from waters to birth-7 hrs.

    My second pregnancy i was due the 10th april 2007. Had a horrific pregnancy with vomiting and bad heartburn throughout. Lost loads of weight on my body,as like a stick with a huge bump sticking out. On the 4th i started getting mild back pain and pressure,again v mild so didn't think anything of it. At around 1.15 am again my waters went just after i got into bed! (They don't like me to get sleep,lol). There wasn't as many as first time round but still a fair amount. Headed into hospital and got there at 2am. The midwife checked me and i was 2cm so after the trace in admissions they brought me up to a ward where another women was also in labour. We were left alone to deal with the contractions ourselves. At this stage i was getting really bad pains,the pressure was unreal. I was checked after an hr and i had gone to 4cm and they asked me to walk to labour ward,every single step was agony. Got to the labour ward and after an hr was 6cm and once again the heartbeat went awol so they had to put the trace on the babies head again. The midwife also had to break my hind waters (i hadn't realised there was a 2nd set ) as they hadn't gone with the others. Crept slowly up to 9cm and then the real pain started. I had decided to go without pain relief this time as i found it didn't agree with me the first time round. I was in agony,the mw asked did i need to push and i really didn't know,i just said ok,anything to get it over with. Once again the babies head kept slipping back,i couldn't push him out and they were once again urging me to push quickly as the heartbeat started to drop. I actually asked for the episiotomy but they refused...10 mins later i had 3 tears :mad: Finally got him out and he was all red and angry looking from being squashed in the birth canal,his apgar scores were 10 & 10 though and he weighed a huge 9lbs 5oz! (So that was the pressure!) Even the mw was shocked at how big he was. I'm only 5ft 5 and weighed 10 1/2 stone at full term. Placenta came out itself .This time round i was so clear headed as i had no drugs so i held him for ages skin to skin while the doctor came in and stitched me up. He used a continuous stitch but it was estimated i had about 40 stitches. He was born at 6.56 am and is a nutty 4 year old now :)
    Labour from waters to birth-6 hrs.

    I'm due no.3 in April and doctors are estimating it's another big one (and it's another boy :) ) so after my second labour i'm a bit nervous. I had no problems going again after my first...I'd like to try drug free labour again i think,there's really no need for epidural as i dialate so quickly. If at all possible i'd like to avoid having the trace put on the babies head as not only is it very uncomfortable,you are stuck lying down. I've read that going on all fours can help prevent tears so that would be my ideal,fingers crossed :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,073 ✭✭✭Rubberlegs


    Posted previously about my first 2 sections, both elective. Now finally get to post about the 3rd on Jan 18th:). Found that things had changed since 2000, most noticeably the length of the hospital stay. To my surprise I would only stay 4 nights in hospital, compared to 8 or 9 the first 2 times. Also I could go in on the morning of the op, rather than have to be admitted the night before. I had to be on the labour ward at 7.30am, so got up around 6am and had a shower, and packed a few last minute things.
    Myself and himself headed off just after 7, leaving our 2 daughters at home. Our eldest girl drives, so they followed us in a while later. I was admitted on to the ward, and told I was 3rd on the list. The first was taken down at 8am, so I estimated I'd be called around 11am. I was put on the monitor for awhile to check the baby's heart, and then it was a waiting game. Had to laugh when I was asked had I shaved down below. All I could do was apologise about the state of it, I hadn't seen it in quite awhile:o
    So we waited, and waited, and waited some more. Then we were told there was a couple of emergencies. Obviously they take priority. I actually began to forget what I was in there for. Eventually I was called at 14.20. Off I trotted down to the theatre, while himself gowned up. It's quite surreal climbing up onto the table fully in your senses. I'd to drink something utterly gross out of a little brown bottle, then the spinal block was administered. Very strange sensation! It's like something warm pouring down your legs. For some reason best known to myself, I'd kept my bra and knickers on, didn't occur to me to take them off. So off they came off at the last minute. You have to lie on the table with your right side on this kind of wedge, and your left arm strapped down, out straight. The only thing I didn't like was the oxygen mask I'd to wear. Like a big twat, I kept telling them I could still feel my legs, and not to start yet. You think I'd have remembered from the last time that you can feel sensation but no pain at all. Himself came in and sat beside me, which was great as he wasn't allowed in the last 2 times. In no time the nurses were telling me we'd have the baby any minute, and I could feel someone pressing hard on the top of my stomach. The next thing at 14.45, we could see a little blue body being held up, but neither of us could make out if it was a boy or a girl as the screen was blocking our view!! I think the surgeon was a bit on the short side! He held the baby up further, and we still couldn't see, so the nurse told us we'd girl no3:D. She was wrapped up and handed to Dad beside me for a few minutes, couldn't get over the full head of dark hair, actually about an inch long in places! She was taken off to be cleaned and weighed, could hear her crying mad. 7lbs exactly, and an apgar score of 9.5 at one minute, and 10 at 5 minutes. Some relief after girl no2 being born needing surgery, and being taken away from me. It takes awhile to be stitched back up again after, but you're on such a high you don't even realise it's happening. I was moved into recovery, where they placed herself under my nightdress, it was lovely:). Her 2 big sisters were snuck into meet her.
    Then it was back to the ward. After awhile I got tea and toast, I was so hungry after fasting since the night before. At about 10 that night, I was up out of the bed, and sitting in a chair for a bit, and managed to look after the baby overnight. The next morning, after my catheter was removed, I was walking about slowly. 3 days later I was discharged, to get my stitch out at the GP's on day 6. Unfortunately and to my disappointment I healed very slowly and it was actually day 20 when the continuous stitch was finally removed. I had been told healing would be quicker as I was cut across the way this time, as opposed to vertically the first 2 times. But in the grand scheme of things, baby is well, I'm well, and that's all that matters. I can honestly say that an elective c section is a very civilized experience, and nothing at all to be afraid of. Almost 4 weeks later, I'm fully back to myself again, apart from being knackered from lack of sleep:D


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,949 ✭✭✭✭IvyTheTerrible


    Here is my birth story, finally got a chance to write it all down!


    I was due on February 19th. February 1st, I lost the mucous plug, and on February 2nd, during my routine gyny appointment, I was told I was dilated to 2 cm. Thought the baby would arrive in a couple of days! But by the 17th of February, I was still waiting. I had a monitoring appointment with the midwife that day (over here we have a monitoring of fetal heartrate and contractions every week of the last month), and she told me to contact the gyny to organise an induction if he had not arrived by the 19th. (My gyny does not like his patients to go more than a few days over 41 weeks, as he thinks it’s harmful for the baby). So I did, and the gyny organised for me to go to the clinic on the Monday evening (the 20th) to be induced. It was actually a relief to have a definite final date, because I was starting to go a bit stir crazy! Did the final packing of my hospital bags (so much stuff!) on Monday afternoon and headed in. I was brought to a room in the labour ward. I started to get a bit apprehensive when the on-duty midwife examined me, as she was pretty rough. Took her ages to figure out how dilated I was (only 1 cm, didn’t know I could close up!!!). The baby’s heartbeat was monitored for an hour, and the midwife said they would put in the gel to start the induction that night, but then the gyny arrived, and said, no, he would prefer to put in the gel at 8am the next morning. He said it was important for me to get a good night’s sleep, because the labour after an induction can be longer (ie 24 hours!!!) and more painful, and that if he started it that night, I’d be nearly sure to have 2 very bad nights in a row! That was grand by me.



    Next morning, I was up bright and early, 8 came and went, gyny arrived at 8.30 to bring me to the same room to get the gel in (he said the reason he was late was because there was a woman in the labour ward delivering her baby without an epidural and she was making lots of noise and he didn’t want to scare me!!!). It was like a little strip of paper attached to a Tampax string. Then I got monitored in my room every 3 hours for an hour. For most of the day, I didn’t actually feel any contractions, but I could see contractions were getting more frequent from the display on the monitoring machine. I went for regular walks to try to speed things up. Then around 8 pm I really started to feel contractions, and especially a lot of pain in my back. Also, going for a pee got much more difficult, I could really feel the baby’s head was down!



    Once the contractions started, I tried walking as I had read and been told that this was good for easing the pain, but to be honest, walking did not help at all. Because most of the pain was in my back, I found lying on my side, doing my breathing exercises and having my partner massage my lower back was the only way to get any relief. I think it was about 10 o’clock when I was brought for a monitoring in the labour ward, that my waters broke on the examination table. I was at 2 cm at that stage, and they took out the gel then. The contractions started getting much stronger (still not feeling much in my stomach) and I ended up getting sick over myself L. Went back to my room and things really kicked off then, I had half an hour of pretty continuous contractions, decided then I couldn’t hack it without an epidural, but the problem was I couldn’t move when the contractions were going. Got sick AGAIN. Decide to go back to the labour ward in a short pause between contractions, praying I was at 3 cm so I could have the epidural. I was examined and I was at 5 cm already! (in the space of one hour I had dilated from 2 to 5!). So the midwife (oh what was great was, the shift changed at 8, and the midwife that looked after me then was the midwife I did my antenatal courses with!) called the anaesthetist straight away, brought me to the delivery room and sent the boyfriend off to get my delivery room bag (not sure why, but they prefer if the partner is not there for the insertion of the epidural). Anaesthesist was lovely, he had to put the epidural in nearly straight after the local anaesthetic because the contractions were so close together. I noticed a shortening of the contractions almost straight away, though I could still feel a bit of pain in my back. I was examined straight after and I was at 7cm! So I was really lucky to have gotten the epidural when I did, otherwise it would have been too late. This was about 11.30pm, and things slowed down a good bit after that, I could see the trace from the table and the contractions were only coming every 5 mins or so. I even had little sleeps in between contractions! I still did my breathing exercises when I could feel a contraction, to help move the baby down. The midwife examined me every half hour or so, and I got to 10 cm at around 3.30, but the baby still wasn’t completely down, so she waited til 4 to call the gyny. Things were getting kinda painful again at this stage.



    Gyny arrived at 4.15, examined me and found that the baby’s head was almost at the entrance! (he even got me to put my hand down and feel it!!) At 4.30, they said I could start pushing, the first push wasn’t great, I was pushing from my jaw rather than my stomach but the next one was better. It was a strange sensation to be numb but to feel the head. They were saying things like “Oh you’re doing great” and I thought they were just encouraging me, but the baby’s head was out at between 4.45 and 4.50! And baby was born at 4.50. He started crying straight away, but not for very long. They cut the cord, and put the baby on my chest. The gyny injected me with something to make the placenta come out quicker, so that was out in five minutes (didn’t notice it coming out). Apparently, I had to be cut at the end, so I needed two stitches, didn’t even notice that either!! (The funny thing, the main thing that struck me, was how I could see my bits for the first time in months!). We stayed in the delivery room for two hours so they could keep an eye on us, and then we were brought to my room. All in all it was a lovely experience and much less scary than I expected.

    EDIT: Oh yeah funny thing I just remembered, the minute he came out, he pooed all over the gyny! :) Little divil!


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,128 ✭✭✭cynder


    Since a few here have posted birth stories from a while ago i'll give it a shot.

    1st born sept 1999

    pregnancy was rough, have morning sickness all the was through was hospitalised 3 times. I went in for my check up on a Wednesday my bp was high so they sent me into hospital. I was just 39 weeks, on the way at around 2 give or take an hour my contractions started. When i arrived in they said my bp had returned to normal but they would keep me in as i was having regular contractions every 5 mins. I never slept a wink all night walked the halls.

    At 9am they said i could go to the labour ward as i was heading down my partner arrived and he came with me (took the day of college). I was 4cm dilated when i arrived in, i had a shot of pethidine, by 4pm i was still only 4cm dilated so they decided to give me a chemical to hurry up labour and also broke my waters. The pain after that was unreal, gas and air didn't work and i was having contraction start in the middle of another contraction so i had no break. they told me to have the epidural, after 30 mins i gave in and had it.... It was the best thing ever.

    At 8pm i started pushing as i was 10cms. She was bobbing in and out but eventually after 51 mins i pushed her out (20.51). She was 1 week early and weighed in at 9lb 1oz. She was perfect. The offered me tea and toast but i couldn't eat, they kept me in the labour ward for 2 hours as i went very pale and weak and they were concerned, i was fine. I had stitches lots of internal ones for grazing, they made no cuts and i didn't need any other intervention with her birth. She was breast fed in the labour ward.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,128 ✭✭✭cynder


    Baby 2 born July 2005 was due August 2005.

    Pregnancy was great, no issues.

    I was just gone 35 weeks and I was having a dream, in that dream i wet myself, i woke up and found i was soaked it was 1am. I thought OH NO i couldn't of wet my self. Any way i needed another pee. I then felt a contraction. thought nothing of it, then i needed another pee and another and another, i was wetting a small amount each time. I thought this never happened to me before i couldn't pee this much and then i had another contraction 20 mins later. i started timing the contractions and they were getting closer and closer together by 5 am i was 2 mins apart, woke my boyfriend (dad of my other baby) and he phoned his sister and she came over. we got to the hospital at around 6am.

    They checked me and told me i wasnt having contractions, i told them i could bloody well feel them and i was. she then set up a trace and that picked up the contractions (she couldn't feel them by hand) i told her i thought my waters went but wasnt sure due to having control over them. she brushed me off and at around 7 she tested for them (the duty doctor had not arrived yet to examine me) she didn't even have to stick the stick up it changed colour before entering me, so she sent me up, just then the doctor arrived. Typical... contractions were still 2 mins apart.

    I was up in the labour ward at around 7.40 and i asked for an epidural i was 5cm dilated. at around 8.50am i had the epidural, still contractions were 2 mins apart. They checked me again as i had the urge to push and i was 10 cm so they said i could, the epidural didn't kick in and i felt everything , i pushed once and then contraction was over i had to wait another 2 mins, pushed again and had to wait another 2 mins, pushed again and had to wait another 2 mins, pushed again he crowned had to wait another 2 mins, pushed again and he he came flying out full force and ripped me with his shoulder, he was badly bruised from his traumatic quick birth (9.15am) covered in the white stuff, plastered in it, there was 5 or so people in the room as he was a premature baby. (during the 5 pushes i screamed the place down as i could feel everything, yes it hurt) They rubbed the white stuff off him and then he peed all over the pediatrician.

    I was torn quite badly, a 3rd degree tear. took an hour for them to stitch me up and my little one had a feed (bottle ) and after his feed his blood sugars were low so they put him in an incubator to keep him warm (heat keeps the blood sugars up) He was 7lb 6 oz and 5 weeks premature. He was the only baby in the ward wearing a hat he had to wear it to keep his blood sugars up.

    We were transfered to the ward at 11 and we were released 24 hours later. I had a rugged placenta and my womb took longer than average to shrink, other than that all good.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,128 ✭✭✭cynder


    Baby 3

    Due January 2007 born December 2006, 1 week early

    Woke up at around 3 am with uncomfortable contractions, they were 4 mins apart, left for hospital at 5am. When i got there i was 5cm dilated, the labour ward was full so i had to walk the halls until 7am, i was 7cm dilated and they said that the epidural wouldn't kick if i had it, i told them i wanted it anyway, they then said the anaesthetist was going off duty but he made an exception for me and and stayed longer. I had the epidural at around 8.30 and they broke my waters.

    It was around just before 10 i felt the urge to push, they told me that my little guys heart rate was dropping and to PUSH him out (they shouted at me to push him out) i did and then they told me to stop i said i cant and they shouted at me to stop so i did, then all of a sudden there were lots of people in the room all taking a look at me, i started to panic something was wrong with my baby, so i asked them what was wrong and they said i was tearing quite bad and that i had to push gently otherwise i would do some damage. after a few gentle pushed he came out (10.22am), he was 4kgs ( 8 lb 15oz ) and very healthy.

    Took them ages to stitch me up ( my old wound from my previous baby had burst open with the pressure and did more damage) and i was sore for a while after. I was lucky i didn't get a 4th degree tear... Chances are if i ever have another one i will be looking for a section as i was warned that because i have big babies that another baby could do more damage, ending in a 4th degree tear... However i have no plans for baby number 4....


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,624 ✭✭✭wmpdd3


    Brilliant stories,
    (during the 5 pushes i screamed the place down as i could feel everything, yes it hurt)

    second this!!, but I only had a tiny tear this time, it was just the feeling of pushing him out that i found soo odd! its amazing how your body makes you push even though you are tearing yourself.

    7ibs 6oz was some weight for 35 weeks!


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,128 ✭✭✭cynder


    wmpdd3 wrote: »
    Brilliant stories,



    second this!!, but I only had a tiny tear this time, it was just the feeling of pushing him out that i found soo odd! its amazing how your body makes you push even though you are tearing yourself.

    7ibs 6oz was some weight for 35 weeks!

    The feeling was vert odd and painful so I really pushed. He ended up flying out unexpectedly and he was very bruised and his eyes were sheets of blood from the force if being pushed out at the speed of a bullet... The sensation is really weird and I was so embarrassed that I screamed. It just came out.


    He was supposed to be 10lb and they refused to give me a section. Told me if I could push out a 9 pounder I could push out a 10 pounder. Thank goodness he arrived early.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,624 ✭✭✭wmpdd3


    They were obviously wrong!


  • Registered Users Posts: 314 ✭✭LashingLady


    I had to dig out my birth story after reading some of these. Apologies for the novel but I wrote in soon after the birth so it’s pretty detailed!

    I was due on Sat 14th June 2008. I had been trying all the "natural" ways of bringing on labour ;-) over that weekend, and had been having almost constant BH's so was thinking that labour wasn't far off.

    Tuesday 17th June
    At 3am Tuesday morning I woke with a feeling of wetness. I went to the loo and I was all wet with a pinky discharge. It wasn't a gush by any means but I had heard that your waters can break and just leak a little so I called Holles St and they told me to come in and get it checked out. We got there and went to Unit 3 (aka purgatory). They couldn't tell if it was my waters so they did a trace on the baby and would check for my waters when docs did rounds in the morning. The trace showed that I was having mild contractions and I was starting to feel period like pains.

    In the morning the docs came and did an exam to see if it was my waters and also an internal to check if I was dilated. It turned out not to be my waters (still for the life of me don't know what it was cos it certainly wasn't mucousy like the show! - must have wet myself for the first time ever!!) She said after internal that cervix was stilled closed but starting to efface. I have to say I got the fright of my life when she did the internal as it was horrible!! I was planning a natural birth and had been doing hypnotherapy and was thinking Jeez if I can't handle this bloody internal how can I manage labour!!!
    ASIDE - turns out internals are actually THE worst part of labour - particularly if you're not dilated. RUMMAGE is the only word I can think to the describe it!!

    Hubby came and brought me home and got some sleep. When I woke that afternoon the period pains I had been feeling were getting stronger and coming every 15 mins or so. I was sitting on the ball and walking around the apartment to see if they were getting any more frequent or stronger. My mam and sis came over for the evening and my pains were getting stronger and coming every 8-10 mins - fine just breathing through them though.

    Wednesday 18th June
    That night I got a few hours sleep by listening to my hypnotherapy relaxation cds. The pains were getting stronger and I got up at around 5 and was walking the apt and breathing through them and timing them. They were coming every 6 mins at this stage.
    I remember feeling nervous that we would get stuck in rush hour traffic (LOL in hindsight) so woke hubby and told him that I thought we would be going to hosp soon. In pure his style he was very laid back about the whole thing but started to get himself ready. I relaxed a bit and kept through the pains and rush hour came and went. At around 10.30 they were coming every 5 mins and lasting around 40 secs so we decided to go in (as they tell you in classes!)

    We got to HS and I waited in the lobby while DP parked the car. The pains seemed to get stronger as soon as I arrived at the hosp and I really had to concentrate on my relaxation and breathing to help with them. We were brought up to the delivery ward to be assessed. The lovely midwife gave me another exam and then told me she was very sorry to tell me that I wasn't in labour!!! I was gutted! She did a trace on the baby and afterwards said that it was obvious that I was getting labour pains so we should go and walk the corridors for an hour or two and then she would check again. We did that and at this stage I couldn't think about walking or talking through them and had to stop and lean against the wall for each pain. After about two hours she did another exam but I STILL wasn't in labour!! She said that she thought we should go to Unit 3 for the day. We agreed as we felt that we just wouldn't know when to come in if we went home....

    So we went to Unit 3 and spent the afternoon walking the corridors and sitting on the birthing ball. The pains were still coming every 4 mins or so and were pretty painful, especially in my back. I was having a flip through my chart and noticed the mw from the morning had written "patient is back to back". I asked another midwife if this meant that the baby was in the posterior position she said yes (THANKS FOR TELLING ME EARLIER!!). I spent an hour or two on the bed on all fours wiggling my hips as I heard this was good for getting baby to turn.

    Our two mams came to visit that evening and about 9pm the pains were starting to come every two mins so I called a midwife over and told her and asked when I would be checked again. She sat me down and told me "I can tell you now - you're not in labour luvvey! I can see how you're dealing with the pains, you'll know when you're in labour! You're cervix has a lot of work to do you know!!". I was SO frustrated!! As far as I was concerned these pains were bad. I had thought I was coping well with them because I was using my relaxation and breathing (BREATHING IS THE KEY!!). I had had two friends who gave birth recently and they got pains, went to hosp and had a baby - none of this Unit 3 nonsense!! I didn't know what to do. I wanted to go home to my comfortable apartment, but again didn’t think we would know when to come back, and knew I wouldn't get any sleep with the pains, especially as it was getting worse in my back. If I stayed the night in Unit 3 I could get pethidine which would help me to sleep.

    Thursday 19th June
    I got the pethidine injection just after midnight and settled into bed and S went home. At first when I got the injection I felt drowsy and thought this is great I'll be able to sleep tonight. About ten mins later I felt a pain. They kept coming every 8 mins. And lying on my side wasn't helping them, I needed to be walking or on all fours (which of course didn't help with the sleep). I was so frustrated and got up and had a walk and asked the bitchy night midwife if I could get a hot pack (I had been told to ask for one) for my back. She was a complete wagon and snapped back at me that she was on her own and had to look after the whole ward. I said to her that I was only asking for it! She was a F**king b*tch!! Eventually a nice midwife brought me a hot pack and I tried to sleep again, think I managed about an hour with my relaxation CD's. When I couldn't stay in bed any more I decided to go have a shower. I spent about an hour in there. It was such a help. After the shower I tried to sleep again, then had to go walking again. I met another midwife and asked her if I could get some more pethidine (even though it was pretty crap to be honest). She said there was no way after only 5 hours. I couldn't stop watching the clock dying for when the lights would turn on again and when hubby would be back in to me - I felt it was the longest night of my life! Eventually the morning came and that bitchy midwife came to check my vitals. I told her I wanted to go home for the day and she said it was a good idea. She gave me the impression that she thought I shouldn't be there at all and she was a right cow about it. I was so pissed off with them telling me I wasn't in labour when I knew I was. I got the stage where I was doubting myself and my ability to cope with labour. If I wasn't in labour now and I was finding it tough did I have a really low pain threshold? How the hell was I going to cope with "real labour"?

    I went out the corridor to phone my mam. Before I called I had a pain and was standing against the wall breathing through it and some one tapped me on the shoulder and told me that she was the matron of the hosp and I was doing great with my breathing. Finally! Some one acknowledging what I was going through!! I got through to my mam and we agreed that we'd spend the day at home maybe got to the beach. Then I just burst into incontrollable tears on the phone to her, not from the pain, but from the sheer frustration of the whole situation. It had been 48 hours since I had got my first pain, three nights where I had had feck all sleep and I felt like I was never going to get into "real" labour".

    S arrived and I was due to have a trace before I went home. During the trace the contractions were whoppers and you could see them hitting the top of the scale. A nice midwife came in to check on me and she said "a couple more contractions like those and you'll be on your way." She said she'd do an internal before I went just to check. She did and said she did a sweep aswell and said that she reckoned I'd be in labour in 12 hours. Finally someone putting a time on it. The way some of the other midwifes were talking it could have been WEEKS before I had this baby.

    I was due to go home so hubby and I packed up and were leaving when I started feeling really shaky and sick. I felt terrible so we decided to stay and have a shower. They admited me to another bed and I went and spent two hours in the shower. When we got out I went to the new bed and saw that it was sharing a curtain with some one else. I didn't fancy another day in Unit 3 labouring beside someone else so I decided to go home after all. I was in my dressing gown and pyjamas and hubby had to get the car from Merrion Square so I waited across the road from the hosp with the bags hoping that DP would hurry up. I was leaning against the rails having a pain when people starting pouring out of the building. A bloody fire drill. I felt like a fekcing eejit!! And to top it off a girl I went to school with worked in the office, I was mortified!

    We finally got home and I took two pain killers (LOL) and lay down with my hypno tapes for an hour. I actually managed to get some sleep. In the meantime my mam was running around Dublin trying to get me a TENS machine and getting a Homeopathic Kit for Labour from her friend as we were going to try a remedy to try to get the baby to move (I'd try anything to get things along at this stage!!)
    I spent the day on the ball, on my hands and knees and doing exercises to try to get baby to move. I found the TENS machine a good for helping with the pain. To be honest I was coping well with the pain all along, it was just the sheer exhaustion that was getting to me. I was longing to get into labour so that I could get some pain relief and get some rest. I decided that I would go with the epidural at this stage (hadn't originally planned to have it) cos it would mean that I could get some sleep. I was also getting worried about how long it would take once I did get into labour, as it was taking so long to get there!!

    Friday 20th June
    That night I lay down for a couple of hours with a hot water bottle against my back and listening to my CD's. I didn't get any sleep but the relaxation helped me. I was trying to eat muesli bars and fruit to give me some energy. I woke Himself around 5 as the contractions started changing in intensity (this is what the MW told me to look out for). He told me that I still seemed to be coping well with the contractions and we shouldn't go yet. But I had had enough. These bloody pains were coming stronger than ever and I wanted pain relief as soon as I could get it so I could get some sleep!!

    We headed into HS at 6.30am and up to delivery ward again to be "assessed". Another nightmare of an internal exam and I was told I still wasn't in F***ING labour!!! The midwife left and we heard the lady in the next room give birth. When I heard the baby I just burst into tears. I WAS NEVER GOING TO HAVE THIS BABY, IT WAS JUST NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.
    The midwife came back and put on a trace again. She said I would prob have to go home as Unit 3 was full. S was saying there was no way we were going home again - for what? To spend an hour having pains and then come back in??? At the shift change we got a new midwife and as soon as she introduced herself I felt better! She was German and just so lovely. She told me that I wasn't going home, that we'd have this baby today. At 9.30 a consultant came to give me another exam. When I heard her say "amniohook" and broke my waters I could have hugged her!! I didn't care about my Birth plan (which was sitting at home) which had asked for no Breaking of Waters and no oxytocin!!! I had had enough and I wanted this baby out as soon as possible. I told her I wanted the epidural and they could hook me up to the drip if they wanted!! DP burst into tears when they said I was in labour. It was like we would never get there. Obviously though this was just the beginning!!

    The angel of a midwife was getting me set up for the epidural and she was having problems finding a vain for the canular when the anaesthetist came in. She wasn't very happy with the way I was sitting and the mess with the canulars... She asked me a couple of questions, then she asked "Have you taken aspirin in the last 10 days?" The only answer I could give was "Yes" - I had taken two anidin on Tuesday as it was all that my friend had and we had no paracetemol at home!! The anaesthetist said "WELL THEN I CAN'T GIVE YOU THE EPIDURAL", then gave me a lecture about taking aspirin, and then WALKED OUT!!! I was stunned. I didn't know what to say. DP had a face of horror - he didn't want to see me in this pain. The midwife just said "We'll be fine, we'll get through it", and that really helped. She was going to help me through it! She said that she would give me pethidine. I said let's wait til later but she said I would need it as I was getting the drip. Again, I wanted to say that I didn't want oxytocin but I knew it would speed things up so went with it. The midwife snuck me in a glass of orange juice which gave me a little bit of energy aswell.

    The pethidine barely touched the pain, just made me feel really drowsy, and the oxytocin really gave the pains a cruel edge. They were coming on top of eachother aswell - 7 pains every 15 mins. The pain in my back was excruciating. DP was on the phone to my mam to find out what remedies to use under these circumstances. We were both popping rescue remedy and other pills I can't remember the name of now. Not sure if they helped!! I was coping with the pain by using my relaxation, breathing, and the idea that each contraction would be over and they I would have a break. I was getting more and more uncomfortable though and couldn't sit on the ball or lie on the bed. The only positions that I could deal with were standing and kneeling on the bed with my hands on the headboard. Unfortunately I had monitoring belts which kept slipping, and baby wasn't cooperating so had to keep trying lying down to see if he would wake up.

    After 4 hours the midwife did an exam. I was 4cm. Part of me was delighted that I had got there but the other part of me didn't know where I was going to find the energy for the next 6cm and for the pushing part. I had to push that out of my mind and just try to cope with each pain as it came. The pain was getting excruciating at this stage. I was sucking on the gas and air, and was quite out of it a lot of the time. I was listening to my hypno relaxation which was helping me stay focussed. Hubby said that I was falling asleep between each pain and then waking up for the next one. I remember at one stage looking at the midwife and him and wondering why the hell this was happening to me and not them!! I could also hear other women giving birth, and was thinking of myself here, half naked on the bed groaning through these pains, and how far removed it was from putting on a suit and going to work and sitting in front of my laptop and going to meetings. This was so primal, so real, and somewhere inside me I felt privileged to be part of it, even if it was descending into hell.

    At around 3.30pm (I know that some are in labour for longer than this, but it was feeling like an eternity to me, I was so exhausted and in so much pain, with no option to relieve it) the pain in my back was so bad that I was starting to groan through it to help me cope. I heard the consultant come in and say that was sounding very loud we should do another exam. I had dreams of being told that I had dilated really quickly and that it was time to push. But alas! The midwife said that she didn't even think I was at 4cm and that the baby's head was still very high. I would have broke down at this stage but had to stay focussed or wouldn't have been able to deal with the pain. S stepped in and told the midwife that he thought I had had enough, that she would have to talk to the consultant to get me a section. She asked me if that was what I wanted and I said that I couldn't go on like this. She went off to find the consultant and seemed to be gone forever. Finally a doctor came back with her and stood in front of me and said "Ashing - I really think we can achieve a natural delivery here". I said to her that I wasn't one of these girls screaming for a section as soon as I got in the door. I had been trying for a natural birth, doing hypnotherapy, hadn't even wanted the epidural, but I had been having pains now for nearly four days, hadn't had any sleep all week and had HAD ENOUGH!! The midwife told her that I wasn't dilating and that she couldn't feel the baby's head. As soon as the consultant did the exam her face changed and she just agreed that they would do a section. The relief!! This would be over within hours!!! One more consultant had to agree before the oxytocin was switched off. Then we had to wait another hour before the theatre was free. S told me that he thought I was amazing for dealing with this and no one could ever tell me I had a low pain threshold again!

    I think it was at this point that he realised he was going to have a baby, and the idea that he was going to have to look after him for an hour on his own while I was in recovery had him sucking on the gas and air along with me!! I was of course still getting pains but nothing like with the oxytocin, and gas and air was taking the edge off no problem.
    We were brought up to theatre. My mother in law was sitting outside the delivery ward at this stage, so he was happy to know she would be there with him and the baby at the start. When we got to theatre, lo and behold it was the same anaesthetist from that morning. I think she felt a little guilty about how she had been as she was nice as pie to me, and did a spinal tap so I would be awake for the operation. When that was all working S came in his scrubs and sat beside me. I remember reading that some women can get shaken and stressed out just before a section but I didn't feel like that at all. I was just happy and relieved that the ordeal was over and I would finally meet my baby!! I know I had a big smile on my face all through it!!

    The section was so quick I think it’s funny – three days of labour relieved by a ten minute operation. It’s a very strange sensation because you can feel lots of poking and pushing and pressure in your tummy. Sharif looked over the curtain and said “oh I just saw a face!”. The doctor exclaimed “Oh, he’s looking up at the stars!” This was a reference to the fact that the baby was posterior presentation, he was facing up when they took him out. The baby was presented to us to have a quick look before being whipped away. Our memory was that he looked like a “little gorilla”! He gave a cry soon afterwards and we relaxed. The doctor shouted over to us “does this child have a name?” That felt a bit weird cos we hadn’t seen him properly yet, but had decided to call him Zain. He was brought over to us and I remember thinking how perfect and calm he was. He hadn’t been affected at all by the drama that had gone on outside.

    Afterwards I did some research on the posterior presentation and how it can affect labour. The painful, unproductive back labour that I experienced seemed to be a fairly common occurrence where the baby’s back is against the mother’s back instead of to the front. My second was also posterior and I am of the opinion now that it’s the shape of my pelvis and I’m lucky that sections are now so safe as my babies wouldn’t have been getting out of me otherwise....


  • Registered Users Posts: 537 ✭✭✭angelll


    I know these aren't here to comment on really but just had to say you poor thing! I had 2 posterior births and they only lasted 6 & 7 hrs from waters breaking at home to finish! And due my third in april and for once baby is facing the right way :) Had my second 5 years ago and have found smears v painful since as my uterus had tilted a bit since so maybe that has something to do with the position changing this time....I will say though that the pain of back labour with an op baby is the most intense,back breaking pain i have ever experienced, don't know how you went through 72 hrs of it :( Did you have a section on your second then too?


  • Registered Users Posts: 314 ✭✭LashingLady


    I look back and don't know how I managed it and have a semi-positive view of the whole thing. Afterwards I remember thinking that as bad as it was I would do it all again!

    For my second I was planning on going for a normal delivery and my consultant was pretty confident that if the position was good etc it should be fine. When I was overdue by 10 days on my second I had an appointment where they scheduled me in for a section at 12 days. I was pretty sure that she was posterior again, could feel all limbs at the front. That night I started to get pains and it was the same all in the back. They were really intense and I was throwing up etc so I decided to go in evne though I'd only had them a few hours. I was convinced taht second labour would be quicker etc but when I got in they did an internal and it was the same again not even effaced, baby's head still had a long way to come down. So I was in there having pains, and the section was scheduled for the next day and they wouldn't entertain the idea of me having the section early. I did a few hours of walking the corridors and got them to check me in the early afternoon and there was no change whatsoever. I just got a few pethidine injections and kept going for hot showers to deal with the pains. They had kinda died down I think because I wasn't doing anythign like walking or bouncing to help them along, but it was always in my back, that horrible burning pressure in the bottom of your back..... Labour pains are very intolerable when you know that they are not doing anything for you!

    And to make it worse the day of the section I think they forgot about me and I didn't end up going up until 5pm! I had been fasting since the night before and I wasn't even supposed to drink water. I had those sponge lollipop things to rinse out my mouth and i was taking sneaky sips.... When they took her out they told me she was posterior again. Her ears were flattened against her head like folded pieces of paper, which made me thing that her head had been wedged in my pelvis in the same position for a long time. I've kinda come to the conclusion that the shape of my pelvis meant that they settled in the posterior position. If I have any more I'll be having a section at 39 weeks!

    I'm always a little torn when I'm telling my birth stories. While the first was long and horrible and the second wasn't what I was hoping for, I got through both of them and I wasn't traumatised or anything like that. To be honest, the first time round I felt that *they* don't really prepare you for just how long it can be. Nowadays I tell anyone that says "oh I'm going to get the epidural" that you could have a whole lot of labour before you can get the epidural! If I hadn't been doing the hypno the first time round, and I was really focussed on my breathing, I don't think I would have managed as well....

    So if anyone read the story and got freaked out, I would say, don't freak out, just be prepared. Be prepared that you might have a long labour where you're not officially "in labour" so you'll be responsible for your pain relief - breathing, breathing, breathing, relaxation, hot showers, tens machine, walking, positive visualisation, affirmations, have them all in your inventory. And during it there'll be times when you mgiht doubt yourself and your ability to get through it. YOU WILL GET THROUGH IT, and you'll have yourr gorgeous snuggly baby at the end of it and the pain and hard work of the labour will just melt away.

    Promise :-)


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  • Registered Users Posts: 862 ✭✭✭red fraggle


    wmpdd3 wrote: »
    Brilliant stories,



    second this!!, but I only had a tiny tear this time, it was just the feeling of pushing him out that i found soo odd! its amazing how your body makes you push even though you are tearing yourself.

    7

    its mad isnt it? i tghink i screamed during the pushes too. its a feeling that is hard to describe. it hurts but et u feel like you have to do it and thats it. very mad!!! not sure how ill deal with it next time now i know what im in for!!! next time wont b for a while yet!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,339 ✭✭✭How Strange


    I might as well put mine up too although I think I posted elsewhere.

    Sat-6 days before my due date
    I woke up with the most awful heartburn and I couldn't sleep. I'd had very strong Braxton hicks for the few days before and I was fed up bring huge. I met a friend for coffee in Dundrum and took the opportunity to buy my nursing bras in M&S. My husband wanted to go for a meal ?!? (I was wearing the one pair of trousers and top that still fit and had been for a few days). I said we could go to Eddie Rockets and the cinema after. All I could think of was a huge milkshake for my relentless heartburn.

    We came home from the cinema at 12 am and I went to bed. I bent over to unplug something and I heard a pop. I didn't move for a second as I didn't know exactly what had popped and then the trickle started. I waddled (in my mind I ran) up to my husband and said it was starting. The water was flowing out so he was coming after me with towels. I couldn't stand because I kept leaking but if I sat the water came out but a little slower. So there we were, two antenatal courses done, panicking and googling to see what we should do.

    I rang the hospital and was told to come straight in but I remembered a midwife unofficially telling me that you're better staying at home in your own environment and as you're in the clock as soon as you go through the door it's better to wait a few hours if you want an intervention free labour. So we went to bed and I got a couple of hours sleep. Around 4.30am the period like pains started and I thought about how my man always had quick labours so I said perhaps we should head to the hospital. I had a shower, some toast and a cup of tea and we arrived in hospital at 7am.

    I was put on a trace and I had an internal exam (horrendous) and I could see the contractions. They were actually quite strong but irregular. I was admitted to the ward at 8.30am and put down for induction at 7am the next morning. My husband went home as it was outside visiting hours and I tried to get some sleep.

    I turned my tens machine on and the contractions started and stopped throughout the day. My husband came during visiting hours and by 5.30pm the contractions had started again and didn't stop. My husband had to leave at 8.30pm and wouldn't be allowed back that night unless I was in labour. By 9pm I knew things were happening. The lovely day midwives were finished and I felt so alone and scared. I tried to keep it together but went into the toilet and cried my eyes out. Then I remembered that being upset could stop the contractions so I concentrated on my breathing. I walked the corridors and had to lean against the wall every time I had a contraction. I begged for my husband to come in but they said no way. They examined me at 10pm and said I wasn't in labour and to give it another hour. God the examine was horrendous. I held out for two hours where I mooed like a cow, wailed, moaned, walked when I could and at 12am a midwife checked and said I was in labour. I text my husband and I was brought to the delivery suite.

    The midwives were great and they hooked me up to the gas and air and I was much calmer when my husband came in. The worst part was the pains in my thighs. It felt like they were being torn open when I got contractions. I couldn't use a birthing ball because of the pressure and eventually I got 'comfortable' on all fours and holding onto the headboard. Some of the contractions were so intense that I thought I'd break in two and even the midwives winced but the gas and air and my yoga breathing got me through.

    At 3am the midwife checked and said I was fully dilated and ready to push. I was coping well on gas and air until then although i was totalllt and utterly exhausted. I asked the midwife, apparently in a very calm voice, how long pushing would take and when she said an hour I nearly lost the plot. I tried to get off the bed and said I'd had enough and I was going home!

    The pushing which was the worst part of the whole labour took an hour and my little man was born at 4.02am weighing 7lb 2. I didn't tear very much so had a few stitches, my son was taken away for a blood test, I had a shower, we were given tea and toast and the midwife then latched my son on for feeding. The worst part of me was my face as I burst loads of blood vessels.

    I know in hindsight that I was so lucky to have a relatively quick labour and delivery with the fantastic midwives in the Coombe.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,880 ✭✭✭caprilicious


    I went overdue with my son. At my scheduled hospital appointment at 40w+4d a scan showed fluid was a little low around baby, so an induction was booked for the following morning.

    I arrived in the hospital next morning & a consultant gave me a sweep. Baby was still a bit high up so they couldn't offer any induction gel/pessary.
    The sweep was uncomfortable at the time, but I was grand within a little while of having it.
    At 3pm contractions started to kick in, but were fairly mild & baby was still high, I walked laps of the hospital grounds to kill time/try encourage baby down.
    We calculated after that I'd covered 4km with all the walking!

    It wasn't until about 1am that the contractions started to kick in properly.
    At this point the midwife gave me a sleeping tablet so I could try sleep through them til they got stronger.

    2 hours later the contractions woke me again as they were much stronger, so they gave me an injection of Pethidine pain killer.
    This knocked me out for the count & let me sleep through a few more hours.

    When the consultant did the rounds the following morning at about 10:30am, they brought me down and broke my waters.

    When pregnant with my daughter, she was born within an hour of my waters being broken. The labour came on so fast that there just wasn't time for me to get the epidural.
    I was sure I wanted it this time so started requesting it from the minute they broke my waters.

    I could have gladly kissed the anaesthetist who administered it, it kicked in within a few minutes & it was game on from there!
    My son arrived within an hour of my waters being broken.

    The main difference I found this labour compared to my last was that because of the epidural & absence of pain, I was a lot more in control of the pushing when the time came.
    As a result he was out in 6 pushes! No tears/stitches and very few piles.

    I gave birth in Kilkenny hospital & the staff were just amazing each & every one of them.
    They just could not help enough & were always on hand with advice.

    Great experience overall, though not sure I'd want to repeat it again any time soon :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 634 ✭✭✭staticdoor71


    Friday 13th April i was booked in for induction. 13 days overdue. first baby.

    arrived at the hospital at 6am. brought into a little room for tracing and bp. was totally sh1tting my pants scared.

    brought into a diff room where i was given the gel and told not to sit up for at least a half hour.

    after this we were shown to what would become ny bed on the ward for the duration of my stay.

    around 12midday i started getting some pains.. around 3 i was checked by doc and was at 2cm. the pains were getting worse and all in my lower back. i walked the halls of the hospital until about six when a bed became available on the delivery ward.

    when we got into a delivery room it was so much bigger cool airy and comfy than the normal wards. first off i was checked and at 3cm. then the pains started getting worse so i used the birthing ball and gas and air.
    it was then that i was told baby was presenting back to back and that was why all the pain was in my back. it was also when the midwife terrified me and said it would b a tight fit :)

    anyway.. next up i had pethadine. and at one stage i was kneeling up on the bed with my arse out swinging my hips trying to get baby to turn!! lost all my inhibitions!!!

    around 11pm. pains worsened. i asked for epidural. no one around to give it.. two emergencies. then out of nowhere at around midnight an angel called Diana arrived with my epidural and i nearly married her! i was 5cm when this was given. after this they broke my waters and things flew!!!!

    i started pushing around 1. and baby was born at 2am on April 14th weighing 8lbs 12.5oz.
    no stitches but i did loose about 600mls of blood delivering the placenta. and developed an infection which left me on iv antibiotics.

    however. i cannot sign praises highly enough to the midwife that delivered and helped us through in castlebar hospital... they are an amazing bunch of women.

    would i do it again??? at the time i said no way, but now? of course. its ALL worth every second!!! :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 537 ✭✭✭angelll


    angelll wrote: »
    So i'll add my tuppence worth,love reading birth stories :D

    Baby no1,was due the 1st feb 2002. Had a normal pregnancy,no problems. On the 29th jan i noticed something brown and a bit streaky on my underwear,realised the mucus plug was coming out so it wouldn't be long til labour started. On the 30th i was getting mild back pains all day but brushed them off as being braxton hicks and thought no more of it. Got into bed at 1.15 am and literally 1 min later my waters went. I actually heard a 'pop' in my stomach,it was so strange. I didn't realise there would be so much of them,changed into 5 different pj bottoms before leaving the house. Got to the hospital at 2am and was checked and was 2 cm dialated. They put on the trace,checked the pad i was wearing and thought there may be a slight green tinge to the waters so i went straight to the labour ward. Things progressed at around a cm every 30 mins,at one stage they couldn't find the heartbeat so the midwife had to put a trace on the babies head (not nice at all) so i was stuck lying on the bed. I took gas and air and pethidine and was completely stoned. I barely take an aspirin for pain relief usually so it totally hit me. When i got to 10cms and started to push i found it quite hard. I was wrecked tired. The babies head kept coming into view and then slipping back and his heartbeat was decreasing. The mw decided to give me an episiotomy and gave me an injection to numb the site and got out a pair of scissors (really not what i expected to see!!!) After one small cut the babies head came out v easily and his body straight after and popped him onto my chest,he was born at 7.57 am. The mw gave me an injection of something (still don't know what) and pressed on my stomach slightly to bring out the placenta. My little boy was checked and weighed,apgar score of 9 & 9 when born and 10 2 minutes after,he was 7lbs 12 oz. I used the gas while i got 4 stitches and then vomited everywhere..also didn't expect that,nor that it would be dark brown :eek: Everything went smoothly though after that and i have a beautiful 10 yr old nutcase asleep atm :)
    Labour from waters to birth-7 hrs.

    My second pregnancy i was due the 10th april 2007. Had a horrific pregnancy with vomiting and bad heartburn throughout. Lost loads of weight on my body,as like a stick with a huge bump sticking out. On the 4th i started getting mild back pain and pressure,again v mild so didn't think anything of it. At around 1.15 am again my waters went just after i got into bed! (They don't like me to get sleep,lol). There wasn't as many as first time round but still a fair amount. Headed into hospital and got there at 2am. The midwife checked me and i was 2cm so after the trace in admissions they brought me up to a ward where another women was also in labour. We were left alone to deal with the contractions ourselves. At this stage i was getting really bad pains,the pressure was unreal. I was checked after an hr and i had gone to 4cm and they asked me to walk to labour ward,every single step was agony. Got to the labour ward and after an hr was 6cm and once again the heartbeat went awol so they had to put the trace on the babies head again. The midwife also had to break my hind waters (i hadn't realised there was a 2nd set ) as they hadn't gone with the others. Crept slowly up to 9cm and then the real pain started. I had decided to go without pain relief this time as i found it didn't agree with me the first time round. I was in agony,the mw asked did i need to push and i really didn't know,i just said ok,anything to get it over with. Once again the babies head kept slipping back,i couldn't push him out and they were once again urging me to push quickly as the heartbeat started to drop. I actually asked for the episiotomy but they refused...10 mins later i had 3 tears :mad: Finally got him out and he was all red and angry looking from being squashed in the birth canal,his apgar scores were 10 & 10 though and he weighed a huge 9lbs 5oz! (So that was the pressure!) Even the mw was shocked at how big he was. I'm only 5ft 5 and weighed 10 1/2 stone at full term. Placenta came out itself .This time round i was so clear headed as i had no drugs so i held him for ages skin to skin while the doctor came in and stitched me up. He used a continuous stitch but it was estimated i had about 40 stitches. He was born at 6.56 am and is a nutty 4 year old now :)
    Labour from waters to birth-6 hrs.

    I'm due no.3 in April and doctors are estimating it's another big one (and it's another boy :) ) so after my second labour i'm a bit nervous. I had no problems going again after my first...I'd like to try drug free labour again i think,there's really no need for epidural as i dialate so quickly. If at all possible i'd like to avoid having the trace put on the babies head as not only is it very uncomfortable,you are stuck lying down. I've read that going on all fours can help prevent tears so that would be my ideal,fingers crossed :)

    So here's no.3's story...wow what a different birth. I started getting strong braxton hicks/contractions on the 20th march. Wasn't due til the 16th april. These continued on and off for almost a month,twice i was nearly kept in the hospital as was contracting but both times i wasn't dialating. On the 12th April i got v v strong pains,i was doubled over on the couch at hoime and i thought 'finally something is def happening'. Went into hospital and was at 2cm which i had been 2 weeks beforehand when i was checked so not dialating again and babies head was still quite high. They say on your third you're automatically at 2cm anyway near the end. So while i was on the trace the baby's hb dropped suddenly from 140 to 60 for about 5 seconds,the midwife said that's it,you're staying in now. I was still getting strong contractions in my back but they weren't showing up on trace,they finally stopped around 2am that morning. Consultant came in at 10am and looked at my chart and decided to induce me,i was 39+5. He administered the gel at 10.15 am and even though i started getting a few pains on and off nothing much happened. As i was 2cm he had said they would break my waters next if gel didn't work so at 7pm i was taken down to labour ward. Waters broken approx 7.30 pm and contractions started v hot & heavy within 5 mins. I was sitting on a birthing ball beside the bed rotating my hips to try and move baby down. By 9.55pm the contractions were continuous with barely 20 secs between them,i had started on the gas around 9.30pm. I asked midwife to do exam and i was ....2 cm still! I thought feck that and asked for epidural. As you can see from my other 2 births i never had one but there was no way on earth i was continuing on at 2cm for the next 12 hrs. Midwife did say there was a chance that i may not get epidural if i suddenly dialated but i didn't believe i was ever going to,lol. So the doc came in and started me on the fluid drip which i would have to get for 20 mins before epidural. About 5 mins into it my body started to push a little,asked midwife to check me and i was 5cm :O I knelt up against the back of the bed and started to push down. Around 11pm midwife could see the head and said 'lie down on your back and this baby will be born' So at 11.06 pm on the 13th my little man popped out with only a few pushes,weighing 7lbs 10 oz and giving his mum no stitches whatsoever,yay,once again born with just gas and air but i can really see now why people ask for the epi,especially with long labours!! Great birth and prob my last so delighted to have had such a good experience. He had also been back to back before my waters went but came out the right way round so i'm convinced i only started dialating after he turned.


  • Registered Users Posts: 157 ✭✭CeNedra


    Baby number 1
    8 days overdue. Sitting on couch watching tv with husband. He had an important meeting next morning and I joked I might ruin his plans as I was getting Braxton hicks constantly. Went to bed but could not sleep and started to realize it might not be Braxton hicks!! Not regular though. Husband got up around 1 and I was still not sure if real or not. We decided to go in about 3.30. I still was not sure and was embarrassed to be wrong so told my husband to leave the bag in the car.
    Went in and lovely mid wife put me on monitor. She could see I was having contractions and checked me. I was 6cm with basically very little pain! I was delighted!! Into delivery room and held off getting epidural for some stupid reason. Got it at 9cm and it was a waste of time. Will never forget the pushing. Agony. Ended up with kiwi vacuum. Hell. Delivery at 6.30am 3 hours after I arrived in hospital. A beautiful result.

    Baby 2

    3 weeks before I was due, husband was at a 30 th party and I was home with my 20 month old. She threw up so I was feeling sorry for myself as I was on my knees cleaning up. Sat down to watch outbreak and started feeling sick myself. Tummy bug .... Great!!!! Threw up a few times while my toddler slept and next thing I am getting pains. Worse than I remembered on my first. Paced the floor and was not a happy camper!! Called my husband who was 1.5 hours away and told him to come home and called my mother to stay over with my little one. By the time the husband arrived home at 4 in morning I just grabbed the bag and got into the car. Straight to hospital. Car was hell. Pain intense. I was certain I was really well along. However when I got in and was checked I had hardly started. Could not believe it. Gutted.

    Pain continued and within a couple of hours I was 3cm and active. Got epidural straight away. Best thing ever. Very calm room. While my husband slept I chatted to midwives who were fab. Pushing stage arrived and it was so calm and so easy towards my first. My baby was born and straight into my arms and it went fine. Soon after the room cleared out and we were there having tea and toast and calling parents etc. Just us 3. What a cute baby.

    While I started breast feeding I was talking to my sister and looked down at my baby and realized she had turned completely blue. I dropped phone called my husband to get the doctor and flipped my baby over and rubbed her back. I felt a flicker in her chest. A midwife arrived and sucked out the baby airways and color returned. Hell for a few minutes. A mucus plug got stuck in her airways and stopped her breathing. It actually took months for me to recover from the fright. My baby is now a toddler full of energy and full of life but I feel like we had a close one.


    2 very different labours and two beautiful children. Just found out number 3 is on the way and I am fully expecting a completely different experience this time!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 110 ✭✭Shuwaaah


    Summarised version:
    12 hour labour
    contractions 3 mins apart whole way through
    back to back baby
    got epidural 6 hours in so didn't feel the 2nd half of the labour
    15 mins pushing
    episiotomy and tearing
    beautiful baby boy, no regrets, would do it all again in the blink of an eye :)


    I tend to ramble on so I'll try to keep this as coherent as possible :D

    Baby was due monday 23rd April, first pregnancy. On Saturday evening (21st) I started getting lots of niggly little aches and pains in my back and in the pubic area, and weird shooting pains in my thighs, but thought nothing of them as they weren't that sore and I didn't have any pain in my bump. Went to bed at midnight and at 1am started getting cramps, just like mild period cramps, I put them down to Braxton Hicks. (I thought I'd download a contraction timer app on my phone at this point, just in case, and BOY did I use it hehe)

    By 2am the cramps were quite strong, like cramps on the worst day of your period, and were coming 3-5 minutes apart. I had taken panadol an hour earlier and it hadn't helped, so was breathing through the pains and woke up my boyfriend with my puffing and panting. My back pain started getting worse so I started bouncing on the gym ball and kept breathing through the pains. It didn't really help so I got in the bath for a wee while, which gave me some relief, and I went back to the gym ball. At this point, the back pain was constant and getting very intense along with each contraction, which made me think babs was back to back, and the pains weren't getting any closer together or further apart, but were varying in intensity.
    Because they weren't following the 'normal pattern' of progression of contractions, I was convinced I was just having awful braxton hicks, but I rang the hospital to be on the safe side, and was told that I was welcome to come in anytime but to try and cope in the comfort of my own home for as long as I could.

    Tried getting into bed and it made my back far worse, tried different positions to no avail, so kept at the gym ball and the breathing until just after 4am when I couldn't take any more. The back pain was nothing short of excruciating, I needed proper pain relief, contractions were still 3 mins apart. Still managed to find time to hop into the shower and de-fuzz my armpits before we left for the hospital because I didn't want people to think I lived like a caveman :o

    By the time we arrived at the hospital, the back pain had eased somewhat but pains were still coming thick and fast. Got examined and I was 2cms dilated, I couldn't believe it, I was in complete awe of the fact that the time had come. Baby was back to back as expected though. Went straight on the gas and air and the TENS machine and the gym ball all at once (the boyfriend had to aid me in my multitasking, I nearly fell off the ball a couple of times), and I coped like this till 6.30 or so. Got the pethidine and it didnt' really do much apart from make me a bit merry. I could have probably coped for another hour in that fashion but we all knew it would take a lot longer so I got the epidural, I was 4cm dilated at this point. (8am)

    The back pain made getting the epidural quite difficult, I had to bend very far forward which exacerbated the pain and trying to keep that position and stay perfectly still and breathe as little as possible through the contractions while it was being administered was a nightmare. But SO worth it.
    Epidural was starting to kick in at about 8.30am, and my contractions started to slow down. They broke my waters at that point but the contractions didn't progress so they put me on a drip and the pains were back to 3 minutes apart. I couldn't feel any pain but I could still feel the sensation of the contractions and could still move my legs to a certain degree which was nice.

    By 10am I was fully dilated.The midwife said there was no point in trying to push until the baby was well down, that because of the position the labour would be longer so it was better to hold off on pushing and risking injuring myself for as long as possible. At one pm she said we'd try pushing at half one, and that the baby would be born at a quarter to two. Adam was born at 1.46 pm :D

    The pushing itself was easier than I expected, I was worried about pushing from the wrong place etc but I was able to push him out fairly quick. I had a small internal tear, they gave me an episiotomy, but ended up with a 2nd degree bilateral tear as well (which I could feel happening through the epidural. Not the pain, but I was aware I had damaged myself)

    With the last bit of pushing I started shaking like a leaf, I looked like I was having a fit, and when my baby popped out I just started bawling my eyes out, I just couldn't stop. I couldn't believe he was here. They spent 40 minutes stitching me up, during which I got sick from the shock and the shaking started to calm down, and the reality of it all hit me. I was amazed, I was responsible for this little person, he was mine and my boyfriend's, and he was perfect.

    I think my labour sounds a lot worse than it was, but the epidural made the world of difference. I have serious, serious respect for women who manage to do it without painkillers, I just wasn't able for it and if I had actually felt all those tears happening, I would never want to have children again. I had a great experience though, the best day of my life, and I can't wait to do it all again in a year or two. :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,115 ✭✭✭Ms2011


    I went in to hospital at 40+6 for a checkup, the doctor wasn't happy with the fluid around the baby so I was given a sweep & booked in for an induction 3 days later if nothing happened.

    Well nothing did happen so I arrived at the hospital the day before my induction to get the gel which it turned out I didn't need in the end. The following day was induced at 11am, contractions started 10mins later & I had my waters broke. I handled the contractions for 4 hours drug free, by then the doctors upped the drip as I wasn't dilating but instead of making the contrations more effective it just gave me one long continious contraction with little or no break. At this stage I started using the gas & air. After an hour of this the doctors became concerned as the baby wasn't tolerating the contractions & I wasn't dilating.

    At 4:10pm the doctor called it a day & recommended an emergancy c-section. I was rushed up to theatre & my beautiful son was born at 4:18pm.

    The birth was overwhelming & so far away from the drug free birth I wanted. But after my son had a health scare soon after birth how he was born seemed unimportant & I'm just glad he's here & thriving :-)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12,449 ✭✭✭✭pwurple


    Pregnancy was good except for the last 8 weeks. Got morning(all day) sickness for that part of it. Could only keep down water crackers and water. Lost weight over those weeks, which made me v tired.

    Had a scan at 40 + 2. Scanned again at 40 + 10. Come back next week. Did not sleep more for more than 30 minutes from that scan on.

    On the sunday night I threw up, as usual, and started having period pains every hour or so. thought it was braxton hicks... Bounced on ball. Continued alternating bouncing on ball and lying down until tuesday evening, when i was totally exhausted. Had a bath. I had called the hospital, who said come in when they get to 10 mins apart. They were 11 mins apart after the bath, but i needed some kind of rest.

    Went in and was 2 cm. i was sent upstairs to a ward and offered gas and air, which i refused as i had reacted badly to gas years previously. I took the pethidine, asked for an epidural and tried to get some sleep. No chance. Pethidine was more like LSD or something. I got really confused, hub said I was asking for my childhood dog and trying to get out the window. and i could still feel all the pain. Such a disorienting feeling, hope to never experience it again. After 4 hours i was told a labour room was free. Asked for epi again. Moved down to labour room, asked for epi. Messed about with the bed for a bit, crying from exhaustion, trying to get comfy in between pains. Measured at 4cm. Asked for epi again. Finally it arrived! In it went and holy majoly it is the best thing ever invented.

    I slept for 3 whole hours. Longer than anytime in the previous 8 weeks. Woke up fresh as a daisy and ready for action! midwife told me I had not progressed at all and they were going for the oxytocin. Might be another 6 hours or so she thought. I said great, but lets top up that epidural first. Pain relief Topped up, magazine in hand, told hub to go home for rest and I would call when to come back in. 1 hour later i started throwing up and feeling pressure (like I needed to poop!) Midwife checked and I was at 10 cm. Quickly phoned him, and started pushing away. 40 mins later he got there about 30 seconds before baby was out. No pain at all for it, just pressure.

    I think I would have been a section story if i hadn't got that rest on the epidural.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 569 ✭✭✭Funnyonion79


    Hi - I'm due my second baby on 13th November this year but thought I'd share the birth story of my first baby with you all...

    I was due my first baby on 27th November 2009 and had planned a homebirth.

    I was exactly 37 weeks on Friday, 6th November 2009 and went to bed early to read. Earlier that evening I had been practising for the first time with my epi-no (this is a device that helps prevent tearing by getting your vagina used to being expanded, the way it will when you give birth, but you're not allowed to use it until 37 weeks - google it - well worth buying).

    Anyway, my husband came down to bed (we have a duplex apt) but decided to sleep in the spare room as I was very uncomfortable and was propped up with a million pillows and he was getting up early to go to Newry to do some early Christmas shopping with his mam. I found it really hard to sleep that night and kept picturing scenarios of: what if I went into labour, would my husband make it back in time from Newry - all mad things! Anyway, about 3am I gave up tossing and turning (my brain was going 90) and started reading. I read til about 4.30am and fell asleep then. I woke up at 8am the next morning and went to go for a pee. When I finished, I stood up and heard a slight pop - and started peeing again. I sat back down again and thought that maybe whatever way I'd been sitting, the baby had squashed part of my bladder and I had more to pee but then I thought about the pop and wondered if this was actually my waters that had broken. I stood up again whilst I was peeing and tried to stop peeing - it lessened a little bit but still kept going so I really thought, OMG - this is it. Then it stopped again. So up I got and I ran into the spare room to tell my husband. He was conked out in the bed and I burst in shouting "my waters have broken" and while I was saying this, I could feel myself leaking again so I ran into the ensuite whilst my husband leapt out of bed in shock!!!

    About 20 mins after my waters broke I started to get contractions - just very mild tightening pains - like mild period cramps - barely noticeable. I rang my Mam and told her and she told me that labour was a long way off cos once I could talk through a contraction, I was grand. I decided then I'd have a shower and just try to calm down a bit cos I was both excited and terrified at the same time.

    After my shower we rang Kate, my midwife who said she'd be over about 10.30am and told me to get into bed and try to relax. My contractions were every 20 mins at this stage but barely noticable. I didn't feel like I wanted to get into bed as I had too much adrenaline and couldn't sit still but when Kate came over, she made me get into bed and made me comfortable with lots of pillows and told me to try and rest cos I'd need my strength for later.

    My Mam and Dad called over about 12.30pm to take our cats over to their house and at this stage the contractions had gotten stronger. I was blowing out through the contractions so I wouldn't feel the pain and sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning forward onto my husbands thighs whilst he sat on a stool in front of me. My Mam went and got a hot water bottle and started rubbing the bottom of my back with it and it felt like heaven. It was only then I realised that my lower back was aching and the hot water bottle worked wonders. Because that felt so good, my Dad ended up taking the cats away and my Mam ended up staying with me and my husband (not something she'd originally planned to do - she had flatly refused when I asked her before if she would like to be there for the birth as she said she'd hate to watch me in pain).

    I moved from the bed to my birthing ball and bounced on that during the contractions which by 4pm, were about 7 minutes apart. Kate, my Mam and my husband were all talking around me while I had my eyes closed, listening to my Gentlebirth cds and tried to concentrate on not being afraid of the pain and blowing it away with each contraction.

    By about 5.30pm I asked Kate to examine me to see how much I had dilated and I knew by her that she was reluctant to do this. I insisted and she examined me and to my dismay, we discovered that I was only 1cm and my cervix was still effacing/thinning out. Until it thinned fully, only then would I start to dilate. I was gutted. All this time concentrating and getting to grips with my contractions and I was only 1cm!

    Still, it didn't deter me. In my head, I had a rough timeline of at least 12 hours for a first labour and I knew that it could start slowly and then all of a sudden you could go from 6-10cm in an hour! So I kept the faith. The contractions were getting more and more intense and were lasting much longer and were much more difficult to deal with but I kept my cool and my concentration and although it was tough going, I was handling them well.

    I remember Jedward were on the X-Factor performing GhostBusters and that was on in the background. I asked Kate to examine me again about 9.30pm and I was only 3cm. She also gave me a sweep as well to see if that would help move things along. It was 13.5 hours since my waters had broken that morning and I was starting to lose hope. Kate gave me some gas and air and I remember thinking " I don't need this yet" because even though my contractions were very painful, I felt that I was managing them well so looking back, I wish I'd held off on the gas and air for a bit longer until I felt I really needed it.

    I begged Kate to let me upstairs into my birthing pool but she wouldn't because she said that less than 5cm and the pool can slow you down, so we kept on going downstairs. Kate figured that my baby's head was down, but she was back to back with me (so if she was born, she'd come out face up inside of face down) and this was why everything was so slow and why most of my pain was in my lower back. So she gave me some positions to try on the ball to try and get my baby to turn.

    At about 12.30am I had gotten to 4cm so Kate finally agreed to allow me upstairs to the birthing pool - more for a change of scenery I think, than anything else, as the atmosphere down in the bedroom had become stale and negative cos my labour was progressing so slowly. She said that my baby had started to turn but now was turning back again so she reckoned it might've had a short cord and when it tried to turn, it was choking so it was turning back again. Babies that are back to back with the mother have much much longer labours and it's quite common in a first timer as well.

    My Dad had been to a gig and called in on his way home to see how I was doing and he was upstairs in the kitchen making tea when I got the all clear to go up to my pool. I had planned on wearing a bikini but I was just so happy and excited to be allowed into the pool, I tore off my clothes and bounded like a gazelle, up the stairs completely starkers!! Not caring at all if he walked out of the kitchen and seen me! Luckily he didn't – imagine his face!!

    Into the pool I got and it was heaven. It was so warm and welcoming and immediately I felt my whole body start to relax. By this stage my contractions were coming every 3 minutes and lasting 1.5 minutes so it was very intense. At about 2.30am, Kate started to suggest that I think about transferring to hospital. I didn't want to but Kate pointed out that I was very tired and there was still a long way to go plus, I had already gone through 2 cannisters of gas and air and was almost finished the 3rd one (my husband had been sent to Colette Donnelly's house to fetch the third one) and she was afraid that we'd run out. Then I started to develop a slight temperature so Kate said that she thought I should go to hospital and have an epidural so I could relax a bit and get some rest and a break from the contractions.

    Looking back, the only thing that made me go to hospital was the thoughts of running out of gas and air -that had become like a crutch for me and I didn't think I'd be able to do without it. So I gave in and agreed to go to hospital. My husband started to look for change for carparking and I flatly told him we weren't going by car cos I was in too much pain to be fluting around with change and looking for spaces - ring the ambulance. So he did. At this stage, knowing that I was going to hospital and knowing that my pain was almost at an end, I started to lose control. It was like mentally, I'd kept it together for so long and was so in control for so many hours - now that I was so near to having the pain stop –it weakened my resolve and made me snap. When the ambulance arrived to take me, they wanted to put me on the stretcher and while we were all standing discussing this and whether I’d walk or be carried down the stairs of the apartment building, all of a sudden a contraction gripped me so bad, it was like somebody had cut the knees from under me and I was screaming for the gas and air. Up to this, I'd been so calm and in control but now I’d lost my focus and the contraction had taken me by surprise, so to speak. I hadn’t been prepared for it so it hurt more.

    Once the contraction passed, I returned to being a normal person again and went in the ambulance with my husband and my Mam and Dad and Kate followed us in. It was 3.20am. I was taken to the examination room where I impatiently told the midwife that I didn't need to be examined, I was 5cm and could I please have an epidural. Of course she wouldn't take my word for it and examined me, only to discover I was indeed 5cm and sent me up to the delivery suite as I had started to bang on the wall of the examination room whilst in the middle of a contraction, wailing "epidural, epidural". I was like a crazy person! Mam waited in reception for a while and Kate and my Dad went back to my house to clear up a bit. Then Kate went home and my Dad collected my Mam who was really upset cos she'd seen me like a crazed person being taken into the hospital and they wouldn't tell her anything.

    Meanwhile up in the delivery suite a midwife tried to convince me that I'd come so far on my own, I didn't need the epidural but then after a big breath of gas and air mixed with bad heartburn, I started vomiting so she went and got the anaesthetist.

    When he arrived, I remember him telling me to stay still and to expect to feel a pinch and I remember being in so much agonising pain, that I told him to “stick that needle so hard into my back so that I feel every inch of it”, because I just wanted to feel something else for a second, instead of the agony I was in. Imagine saying that? Makes me sound crazy!!

    About 20 mins later, it kicked in and OMG - the relief. I could literally feel every muscle in my body stretching out and uncurling itself from all the tension it had endured over the past 20 hours. My husband lay down on the floor and went to sleep and even I managed about an hour's sleep as well - it was bliss. The midwife was telling me I was still contracting but I couldn't feel a thing, although I could move my legs around.

    My baby's heartbeat was good and strong but the trace on my tummy kept missing beats so they put an internal trace on instead which meant I had to stay lying on my back in the bed. I also had a catheter in because of the epidural and an IV in my hand.

    The midwife came in and told me that I'd reached 10cm and that we'd start pushing about 8.30am. She said the epidural had slowed my contractions back down again so she wanted to give me oxytocin to speed them up a bit. I told her no, because I was afraid she'd give me too much and the baby would go into distress and I'd end up with a section. She promised to only give me a very tiny amount and monitor it closely to see if it made a little difference so I agreed. Sure enough the contractions got a little more regular and I could feel them again a bit at this stage cos the epidural was wearing off and they wanted me to be able to feel them to help me to push. She told me that I had 20 mins to push but again I said that if I'm happy to keep going, I want to keep going, so she said she'd have to check with the doc. Anyway we started pushing with each contraction but nothing was happening. My baby was too high up and was refusing to budge. I managed 1.5 hours of "purple pushing" and when she told me that still, nothing was happening I asked her to get the doc and to pull the baby out.

    I'd had enough at that stage - I would've kept pushing if something had been happening but it appeared that I was banging my head against a brick wall. The doc came in and told me he'd have to cut me (episiotomy) in order to use the forceps and I started crying because the epidural had worn off and I was terrified that it would hurt. I remember clearly, that was the first time in the whole labour that I was actually terrified because a cut would be a different kind of pain and I wasn’t ready for that. I begged him “please don't hurt me, please” and then poof – it was done! I didn't even know he had done it until he told me!!! 3 pushes/pulls later - out popped my beautiful baby girl Daisy. She weighed in at 5lbs 10oz at 10.33am on Sunday 8th November 2009 and she was perfect!

    Sorry for being so long-winded and I hope I haven't put you off with my story. Looking back, I wish I had walked/moved around more during labour - gravity might've helped move things along. I wish I had been more mentally prepared for a long labour because I felt that I handled it well mentally but once it went on for so long, I started to doubt my own ability and once that happened, my mind broke. I wish I had maintained my control and not lost it when I was being transferred to hospital. But overall I'm happy with my birth and how it went and I'm very proud of myself.

    Tips and advice for you - make sure you have gaviscon cos I had awful awful heartburn all through my labour - never suffered in pregnancy. It was really uncomfortable, especially when taking the gas and air.

    The contractions will become very painful but you can manage the pain well - the key is to stay in your zone and stay focused and calm. Don't watch the clock and get too ahead of yourself. Just take every minute as it comes. Don't think about how long you have to go etc. It just breaks your mental strength down.

    Very important: Labour isn't about your physical strength - it's your mental strength - I didn't realise this. You can do it and it will come to an end.

    Have vaseline or lip balm - I could barely smile when Daisy was born cos my lips had become so dry, they were cracking!

    Pack a hospital bag - just in case. We hadn't one packed and my husband ended up grabbing bits and bobs and had to go back home to get more stuff!

    It's the most amazing feeling after you give birth - you feel like the proudest woman in the world and you feel like you're superwoman. You look around at other mothers and think to yourself, aha now I'm in the secret club. It's the most earth-shattering, life-changing experience of your life and if only you could bottle the high you feel afterwards. Enjoy it!


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