Aimee Elizabeth Summer - 4th August - 8lbs 5oz

JoAnn&Aimee

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I was booked in to be induced on the 3rd August at 2pm. I was a tad annoyed as it meant I was going to miss the Hungarian Grand Prix but I managed to catch the first 3 laps as my dad was driving us to the hospital. Before we left I was sick due to nerves and the realisation that I was having a baby hit me.

I got settled into my bed, got bloods taken, blood pressure checked and bump felt. I hate getting internals done as I tense up so much that they can't do them so the midwife held my hand while telling me that once she went for a smear test and forgot to take her underwear off. Made me laugh and I relaxed enough for the prostaglandin to be placed. Doctor told me I was already 1cm dilated. After that I put on the Patient Line TV and caught the end of the Grand Prix so I was happy!

Ewan had to leave at 8pm so I was pretty bored for the rest of the night. I was getting MILD MILD period like pains but nothing major. Next morning I had some blood on my pad, felt a tinge of excitement. I got another internal to see if I needed another prostaglandin but was told that I was ready for the labour suite but would need my waters broken and to phone Ewan to let him know.

I was taken to my labour suite and asked if they could wait for Ewan and my mum to arrive before they broke my waters because I would relax easier during the internal which they were happy with so they made me some tea and toast while we waited! :D

After they arrived it was time to begin. Doctor said it might help for me to have some Gas & Air when they break my waters. Because I had to hold my legs they gave Ewan the Gas & Air to hold for me. He nearly choked me when I moaned as he shoved it in my mouth. The actual breaking of the waters didn't hurt but the sensation of the break gave me a fright and I screamed a bit. It felt so weird with all the water pouring out, felt like I had wee'd! They also attached a clip to her head to monitor her heartrate as they were having difficulty tracing it on through the belt and gave up with it. The drip had to be put in 3 different veins which hurt sooooo much, they ended up getting the anesthetist in for it. She got it in within seconds and gave me a quick injection to stop the pain from it.

After an hour I went to the toilet and my plug went right on the bathroom floor with a massive SPLAT noise! Midwife had to clean it up and I kept apologising while sat on the toilet peeing. Got back into bed and contractions started slowly, weren't that bad, just felt like really bad period cramp. By 12pm the contractions started getting more intense and closer together, asked for Gas & Air which helped but made me so drowsy. I said some weird things during it including 'I am away with the fairies and I love it!!' and while my mum and Ewan were talking to the midwife I said 'talk talk talk, that is all I hear' while laughing. It was great stuff but made me feel soooo tired. At 1.30pm the midwife, Dot, went for her break and a nice midwife filled in for her. It started getting to me and I was crying, she asked if I wanted pethidine which I accepted and while she went to get it I burst into tears saying to Ewan and my mum that I felt like a failure for having so much pain relief. Midwife came back and told me I was doing well which kept my spirits up for a while. At 2.15pm my contractions were practically on top of one another and I could barely breathe. Dot had returned from her break by this point and said it sounded like I was pushing as I was growling through the contractions. I told her the growling was me trying my hardest NOT to push so she suggested an epidural. I wanted to wait as epidural was my last resort but by 3pm I gave in and got it.

It was the same anesthetist that put the drip in so I felt comfortable. Ewan was asked to leave as he was classed as a 'faint risk' as he nearly fainted when I got my waters broke due to seeing me screaming (not in pain!). Just as the anesthetist arrived I was sick but as I'd been drinking water all day it was a water sick with nothing in it. Started crying again as I thought it meant they wouldn't give me the epidural but midwife reassured me that it was normal to be sick and it was probably just my nerves. I had to swing my legs over the side of the bed, rest them on a chair next to the bed and had my mum infront of me. I was getting contractions during it and had to stay perfectly still which was a challenge but I did it. My mum felt a bit faint and had to sit down. I was crying again going 'I made my mum faint!!' while the anesthetist asked me to stay still as she was still working. They got it fitted and attempted to administer the drug but the tube had kinked and they had to refit it. This time my mum had to leave the room so I was alone... with 5 midwifes! lol Epidural was fitted and worked.

The next few hours was just me lying in bed! I managed to get a sleep. At 8pm Dot's shift finished and my next midwife was Suranne, who was lovely! Dot did an internal before she left and saw I was 10cm. They said they were going to leave me until 9pm to give the contractions an hour to push the baby further down before I would start to push. As 9pm arrived I started to feel nervous as it meant it was coming to an end and I would be holding Aimee soon. I just wanted it to be Ewan and I during the pushing so my mum went downstairs to wait.

Just as I was ready to push Suranne went for a break and another midwife came in. She was lovely as well and I ended up talking to her about me wanting to study to become a midwife between pushes. I was growling through the pushes as it helped me to feel like I was pushing. When I was silent I felt stupid, pushing and being mute! I honestly didn't feel anything but about 20 minutes in I started to smell something funny and the midwife took away my mat which made me realise I had poo'd! This had been my fear during my pregnancy. I asked the midwife if I'd poo'd, she'd said no and I said 'tell me the truth, I've poo'd haven't i?' and she nodded, I just laughed and said 'oh well, shit happens I suppose!' I think I was still high on the gas & air from earlier!

Suranne came back at 9.30pm and I kept pushing until 10.30pm. Nothing was happening so she got the doctor to have a look while I was pushing. Her head was coming out ok but when I stopped pushing it just went back in. It was hard working out the contractions as I was numb from the boobs down and couldn't feel like, just a slight tight feeling in my belly. Doctor decided that my best option was a forceps delivery but she wanted to take me into the theatre and prep me for a c-section incase Aimee wasn't able to get out naturally. It was a different anesthetist this time and as she was preparing the new epidural I had the watery sick again due to the nerves.

The new epidural was much stronger and I couldn't move my legs at all so when I arrived in the theatre I couldn't move over from the bed to the table myself and 4 people have to slide me over, I kept apologising and saying 'I know I am not the lightest person!'. They got me all prepped and Ewan came in wearing a gown, cap and those funny shoes. I wanted to laugh when I saw him but I was still scared about possibly getting a c-section. Suranne had to hold my bump and tell me when my contractions were so I could push as I could not feel a thing. When I pushed I didn't feel like I was pushing at all so I said 'sorry for not pushing' but everyone assured me I had pushed. The second push I actually felt my bump go down and my lungs suddenly cleared. I had had trouble breathing in the last month and it was an amazing relief to suddenly breathe. On the third push as I could breathe easier I gave the biggest push ever with my eyes closed as I was concentrating. When I opened my eyes Aimee was on my chest just staring at me not making a noise. I had got such a fright from seeing her that I went 'oh my fucking god!!' and immediately started crying. They took her over to the corner to be checked and she still wasn't crying. Within 30 seconds she let out the biggest scream ever and it made me cry even more.

I kept saying to Ewan 'I love you'. I also said 'I think I will have another kid!'. As I was shaking so much I couldn't hold her and ordered Ewan to go over and see her. When he came back over he was holding her which made me cry even harder. I honestly don't think I stopped crying for 30 minutes while they stitched me up due to the episiotomy and inserted a catheter. I had been in the theatre for 79 minutes and was wheeled around to the recovery ward while Suranne entered the details for the birth into the computer. Ewan went to get my mum from downstairs and we all got tea and toast. Everyone told me that it would be the best tea and toast ever... it was! :D

Aimee and I were then taken to a ward that we were only staying in for the night as the ward I was meant to be going to was understaffed and they couldn't deal with a new arrival as it was 2am by this point. I wanted to sleep so badly but I couldn't take my eyes off Aimee as she slept in her cot next to me. A midwife came about 2.30am and said she was taking Aimee away for a feed and a bath. Within seconds I fell asleep and woke up at 6am to see Aimee beside me. I wanted to cry again at the sight of her. I was amazed that she was beside me and not in my belly anymore. A midwife came round to see me and I asked if I could get my catheter taken out as I had the feelings in my legs back. It was the weirdest feeling, again felt like I had wee'd everywhere. She asked if I wanted to go for a shower while they gave Aimee another feed. I only popped in for 2 minutes as I was desperate to get back to her. It was another 20 minutes before she came back and I just wanted to pick her up.

A nurse came round about 8am and told me I was being moved upstairs now. I was in agony from the stitches and the catheter but I had to walk. I was in a ward with 3 other women, all had boys. By 10am the woman next to me had gotten moved to a private room so I was left with 2 other women who turned out to be drug addicts. Their boys were withdrawing from drugs and I will never forget those poor babies screams. It was heartbreaking. For the next 3 days all I heard was those screams, day and night. The mothers kept leaving to go downstairs for cigarettes but they were gone for hours at a time and kept asking me to watch their kids for them. The midwifes were run ragged by them as they had to keep coming into the room and tending to the babies. It meant that I wasn't tended to very often. I felt very neglected by most of the staff but when I saw how much work they were doing with those 2 babies I could understand why but I was still a bit miffed.

The day I got released a lovely woman arrived on the ward with her 3rd baby. It turned out she lives in the same town as me and we got along very well. She even gave me her mobile number as well as times for the mother and toddler groups she attends in the area. She suffers from depression and anxiety as well and it was lovely to meet someone who I could relate to. As it was her 3rd baby and there was no complications during her birth she was released at 2.30pm, I left at 4pm and felt like running from the place screaming. I was desperate to just get home, away from those heartbreaking screams of the withdrawing babies and be with Aimee and Ewan.

aimee-first-pic.jpg


Sorry for such a long birth story! It took a while to write as everytime I started it Aimee would need a feed or a change. Nearly 2 weeks later I finally got it done! :D
 
Thanks for posting that hun :hug: Aimee is beautiful :cheer:

How sad about those two poor babies going through withdrawal though :( Think that would have broken my heart if I'd been there, poor little things :(
 
Aww! You did great! It's great you made a new friend in there too! And the fact you said "I think I might have another kid" made me laugh! Gives me hope that it hasn't put you off for life!!

Although it was pretty dragged out and you had to go through all the stopping and starting before your induction, Aimee is a gorgeous little princess and was well worth it I bet!! :cheer:

You did brilliantly, well done hun! :hug: xxx
 
congratulations joann :hug:

aimee is gorgeous :D glad you had a good birth and didn't need a section hun :hug:
 
Congratulations!! It seems we were going through pretty much the same things at the same time!!! I did get to watch the grand prix in hospital though :D

Aimee is lovely...Her names were also seriously considered for our little girl.
 
Big congrats hun!!

Feel so sad for those other babies though :(

Amiee looks gorgeous! Adorable piccie!! xx
 

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