[Julie London]

First Baby Story

06th Oct evening I had a bloody show, knew it would be soon now so started straightening my hair! and doing my nails! so I would look good going to hospital! (FIRST BABY ! GUYS I HAD NO SENSE!)
07th Oct 2pm, started having mild pains. like period pains.
By 3pm, the pains were worse and in my back my hubby came home from work and my waters broke at home.
In the car and arrived at the Regional by 4.30pm, in pain but bearable pain.

After a long wait, They checked me over and said I was 2cm dilated and to sit in the waiting room until a bed was available. Once I got to waiting room the pains were coming fast and hard and were horrendous. I was left waiting room in front of every visitor for onew hour until one nurse took notice and took me up to the ward. It was now 8pm.
On the ward , covered in blood that was dripping out of me ( a ward where i was put in with mothers who had their babies and loads of men were in visiting) a nurse said she wopuld check me again but as my chart said i was 2cm and first baby i was making a fuss over nothing.
On checking me she jumped back and said oh my god your 8cm, im going to kill that nurse who said you were 2cm. I was rushed straight to delivery.

Laboured in there for about one hour and half and at 21.47 my lovely daughter was born naturally. I needed an episiotomy - which wasant as horrendous as I thought it would be.
Found the hosiptal experienece degarding and stressful and left as soon as I could and went home.

[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.

[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

[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!

[Hobbitfeet]

So glad your both ok Dollybird. Well done

[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!

[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!!

[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!

[Mink]

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

[angelll]

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

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 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 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

[73Cat]

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
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. 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

[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!

[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.

[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.

[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....