Thanks everybody for your congratulations messages.
Isaac and I are finally home from hospital after nearly 2 weeks.
It's all been a bit of a shock to be honest. My waters broke on the 1st of June when I got up to go to work. I felt a bit of water leak when I turned over in bed in the early hours but as I didn't feel like I needed to empty my bladder I just put it down to a bit of pregnancy related leakage.
However, when I got up, lots of water came out as though I was weeing myself. I rushed to the loo and just thought that it was urine at that point as it was a mixture of wee and waters going. I carried on getting ready for work and realised that I was still leaking water. I changed my panty liner which was soaked. I mentioned to my husband casually that I was leaking water, he got up in a panic. I think I changed my panty liner again and then noticed that I had also had a show.
My husband suggested perhaps I should ring the midwife, I did so but still thought I'd be off to work at this point and that it wasn't my waters breaking
Called the midwife who told me to ring the hospital as I would need to be checked out to see if it's my waters that had gone. Called the hospital at about 7.30 and of course first thing they asked was if I was sure it wasn't a urine - blooming biggest wee ever it was!!! I said I didn't think so but wasn't 100% sure as this was my first baby. She sounded more reassuring then and said I'd done the right thing and could I get to the hospital straight away to be checked out.
I was still pretty calm at this point and my husband was a bit more panicked by it. By the time we left it was soaking through my sanitary towel - completey forget about my maternity pads! Doh. It was also soaking through my jeans, so it began to sink in that it was my waters and not wee by this time.
Got to hospital and they confirmed that it was my waters and I was also having mild - moderate contractions which felt like braxton hicks to me but they were also in my back. So it looked as though I was in early labour.
Except the contractions then stopped.
I got moved to the ante natal ward but still thought I might be going home that day. We were both a bit shell shocked.
We then were told that I wouldn't be going home until baby was born. They wanted to keep me going until 35 weeks at least unless I went into labour myself or I developed an infection in which case I would need to be induced.
They gave me antibiotics and steroid injections for babys lungs. I had contractions all the while on and off, some days stronger than others until finally on the 6th of June, I got somebodys slot to be induced as they hadn't turned up (probably because of the date 6-6-06).
Got taken down to the Labour suite at about 11.00 am and discovered that I was 2-3 cm dilated, cervix was open but still a little thick. So they decided to put me straight onto the drip. I also had to have antibiotics throughout labour as my waters had gone. I was still able to get out of bed and bounce on the birthing ball which was a nice relief from being in the bed.
I intended to use a TENS machine in early labour but hadn't yet ordered one, thankfully the hospital had a spare one so I used that. Though manufacturers don't let you have them until 37 weeks the hospital let you use them before that. It was fantastic, it really worked for me and I ended up using it until quite late on.
Anyway, I don't think they examined me again until late on in the evening or well into the night and after hours of being in labour and having contractions I was still only 3cm dilated. I was really despondent at this stage because I was convinced that I would end up needing a c-section which I really wanted to avoid.
So they upped the drip to over the max threshold, the midwife kept disappearing for ages at a time as she was looking after another lady in labour who was cracking on unlike me. But the contractions were getting stronger and were in my back but also in my pelvic region. Up until that point I was just using my breathing technique that I'd learnt in Yoga and then tens machine.
The yoga breathing helped me get control of the pain from the start. The midwives all commented on how in control I was and was I normally this calm - never!
The only pain relief I could have was diamorphine as technically I wasn't in established labour and they wouldn't be able to examine me for another 4 hours from the time that I'd been having these strong contractions. I didn't really want diamorphine because it makes you and baby drowsy but I needed something to take the edge off the pain, so I had it.
Along with my breathing, I managed to cope with the contractions. They were painful but I coped. I did have a weak moment during this time when I told my husband I wanted to go home and that I wanted an epidural as soon as possible.
When it was time they examined me and I was then 5-6cm dilated which really boosted my spirits as I was sure that nothing would have changed. I could then use gas and air. The first time I used it I felt very merry. But then I got used to it and had another shot of diamorphine and so used the gas and air. I didn't use it for each contraction, I used my breathing for some of them. So long as you use the gas and air properly it really does help, so long as it doesn't make you feel sick.
Things progressed quite quickly after that. I could feel the head moving down. But we were still on our own. I had to get my husband to call the midwife back as I had a strong urge to push. She came back and babies head was there.
I started pushing, it took a while to get used to not having to breathe to learning to push right down in your bottom and not into your stomach. I think I was pushing for about an hour and he was born.
The funny thing is, I was really tired and drowsy. I even fell asleep in between pushes and was snoring but as soon as I got an urge to push I was wide awake!
The placenta wouldn't deliver despite having the injection. I also had to be cut to get baby out. The doctors wanted to take me to theatre but the midwife demanded that we had more time to get the placenta out as I'd come all this way without an epidural. We finally got it out.
I lost 800 ml of blood though from the cut and was completely out of it for the next day or two. I hardly touched my baby as I couldn't do anything. I was completely knocked for six, very breathless and weak. I had to have a blood transfusion in the end which I initally declined but then realised that I needed to have it if I wanted to look after my baby any time soon.
Isaac struggled to feed due to lack of sucking relfex due to him being early. He was tube and cup fed for quite a few days. He then got jaundiced and had to go down to neo natal for 24 hours, I then had my blood transfusion.
Finally, he turned a corner on Tuesday when he started to wake himself up for feeds. He's still feeding slowly and is asleep for much of it but he's getting there.
We're having to bottle feed him which wasn't my intention so I've been through the upset of that as well. I'm expressing what I can and we're trying him on the breast but he's not too interested at the moment. The main thing is that he's feeding.
I'll post some pics soon.
Despite all the blood loss which made the end of labour a bit blurry for me. The experience was very positive, I got the natural labour I wanted with only diamorphine and gas and air.
To any first time mums waiting to have their babies, please don't be afraid of labour. Go with it and you'll amaze yourselves at how well you cope. I'm really proud of myself and my little boy and my husband really helped me through the pushing stages. It was fab.
Sorry for the epic!!!
Isaac and I are finally home from hospital after nearly 2 weeks.
It's all been a bit of a shock to be honest. My waters broke on the 1st of June when I got up to go to work. I felt a bit of water leak when I turned over in bed in the early hours but as I didn't feel like I needed to empty my bladder I just put it down to a bit of pregnancy related leakage.
However, when I got up, lots of water came out as though I was weeing myself. I rushed to the loo and just thought that it was urine at that point as it was a mixture of wee and waters going. I carried on getting ready for work and realised that I was still leaking water. I changed my panty liner which was soaked. I mentioned to my husband casually that I was leaking water, he got up in a panic. I think I changed my panty liner again and then noticed that I had also had a show.
My husband suggested perhaps I should ring the midwife, I did so but still thought I'd be off to work at this point and that it wasn't my waters breaking
Called the midwife who told me to ring the hospital as I would need to be checked out to see if it's my waters that had gone. Called the hospital at about 7.30 and of course first thing they asked was if I was sure it wasn't a urine - blooming biggest wee ever it was!!! I said I didn't think so but wasn't 100% sure as this was my first baby. She sounded more reassuring then and said I'd done the right thing and could I get to the hospital straight away to be checked out.
I was still pretty calm at this point and my husband was a bit more panicked by it. By the time we left it was soaking through my sanitary towel - completey forget about my maternity pads! Doh. It was also soaking through my jeans, so it began to sink in that it was my waters and not wee by this time.
Got to hospital and they confirmed that it was my waters and I was also having mild - moderate contractions which felt like braxton hicks to me but they were also in my back. So it looked as though I was in early labour.
Except the contractions then stopped.
I got moved to the ante natal ward but still thought I might be going home that day. We were both a bit shell shocked.We then were told that I wouldn't be going home until baby was born. They wanted to keep me going until 35 weeks at least unless I went into labour myself or I developed an infection in which case I would need to be induced.
They gave me antibiotics and steroid injections for babys lungs. I had contractions all the while on and off, some days stronger than others until finally on the 6th of June, I got somebodys slot to be induced as they hadn't turned up (probably because of the date 6-6-06).
Got taken down to the Labour suite at about 11.00 am and discovered that I was 2-3 cm dilated, cervix was open but still a little thick. So they decided to put me straight onto the drip. I also had to have antibiotics throughout labour as my waters had gone. I was still able to get out of bed and bounce on the birthing ball which was a nice relief from being in the bed.
I intended to use a TENS machine in early labour but hadn't yet ordered one, thankfully the hospital had a spare one so I used that. Though manufacturers don't let you have them until 37 weeks the hospital let you use them before that. It was fantastic, it really worked for me and I ended up using it until quite late on.
Anyway, I don't think they examined me again until late on in the evening or well into the night and after hours of being in labour and having contractions I was still only 3cm dilated. I was really despondent at this stage because I was convinced that I would end up needing a c-section which I really wanted to avoid.
So they upped the drip to over the max threshold, the midwife kept disappearing for ages at a time as she was looking after another lady in labour who was cracking on unlike me. But the contractions were getting stronger and were in my back but also in my pelvic region. Up until that point I was just using my breathing technique that I'd learnt in Yoga and then tens machine.
The yoga breathing helped me get control of the pain from the start. The midwives all commented on how in control I was and was I normally this calm - never!
The only pain relief I could have was diamorphine as technically I wasn't in established labour and they wouldn't be able to examine me for another 4 hours from the time that I'd been having these strong contractions. I didn't really want diamorphine because it makes you and baby drowsy but I needed something to take the edge off the pain, so I had it.
Along with my breathing, I managed to cope with the contractions. They were painful but I coped. I did have a weak moment during this time when I told my husband I wanted to go home and that I wanted an epidural as soon as possible.
When it was time they examined me and I was then 5-6cm dilated which really boosted my spirits as I was sure that nothing would have changed. I could then use gas and air. The first time I used it I felt very merry. But then I got used to it and had another shot of diamorphine and so used the gas and air. I didn't use it for each contraction, I used my breathing for some of them. So long as you use the gas and air properly it really does help, so long as it doesn't make you feel sick.
Things progressed quite quickly after that. I could feel the head moving down. But we were still on our own. I had to get my husband to call the midwife back as I had a strong urge to push. She came back and babies head was there.
I started pushing, it took a while to get used to not having to breathe to learning to push right down in your bottom and not into your stomach. I think I was pushing for about an hour and he was born.
The funny thing is, I was really tired and drowsy. I even fell asleep in between pushes and was snoring but as soon as I got an urge to push I was wide awake!
The placenta wouldn't deliver despite having the injection. I also had to be cut to get baby out. The doctors wanted to take me to theatre but the midwife demanded that we had more time to get the placenta out as I'd come all this way without an epidural. We finally got it out.
I lost 800 ml of blood though from the cut and was completely out of it for the next day or two. I hardly touched my baby as I couldn't do anything. I was completely knocked for six, very breathless and weak. I had to have a blood transfusion in the end which I initally declined but then realised that I needed to have it if I wanted to look after my baby any time soon.
Isaac struggled to feed due to lack of sucking relfex due to him being early. He was tube and cup fed for quite a few days. He then got jaundiced and had to go down to neo natal for 24 hours, I then had my blood transfusion.
Finally, he turned a corner on Tuesday when he started to wake himself up for feeds. He's still feeding slowly and is asleep for much of it but he's getting there.
We're having to bottle feed him which wasn't my intention so I've been through the upset of that as well. I'm expressing what I can and we're trying him on the breast but he's not too interested at the moment. The main thing is that he's feeding.
I'll post some pics soon.
Despite all the blood loss which made the end of labour a bit blurry for me. The experience was very positive, I got the natural labour I wanted with only diamorphine and gas and air.
To any first time mums waiting to have their babies, please don't be afraid of labour. Go with it and you'll amaze yourselves at how well you cope. I'm really proud of myself and my little boy and my husband really helped me through the pushing stages. It was fab.
Sorry for the epic!!!
