well no-one said it was going to be easy and b*gger me were they right!!! But he's here and he's well and it still doesn't seem very real - but birth story attached.
Woke up on 3rd February Saturday morning with mild twinges about 3.00am - which by 9.00am we were timing and they were a minute apart!! Hey hey we thought - nice quick labour - called the hospital and in we went. Examination and found I was only 2 cm, but they did a sweep and sent me home with "have a nice warm bath and an aspirin"....
By 11.00am I was screaming on the bed at Dave, crying and telling him I couldn't make it. The contractions were right on top of each other and the urge to push was over-whelming. So back to the hospital with a wild woman in the passenger seat - when I got there only 3cm dilated!! So they helpfully told me not to push as I'd do myself real injury if I did. So I got onto the gas and air - that is FANTASTIC stuff - and I managed to puff my way until 3.30pm when I was only 4 cms and the urge to push was the only thing I could think about.
I was on all fours on the bed, Dave knelt in front of me at eye level, growling like a cavewoman and glaring at Dave around the gas mask with real hatred in my eyes - he said later it was actually quite funny but didn't think it appropriate to mention it at the time.
Finally it turned out Connor had turned back to back and his head was turned to the right so he was pressing unevenly on my cervix and not helping himself out at all.
They read my birth plan (waste of time) and said I was going to have to have an epidural to stop the pushing urge. So - of course - I said YES!! and they set on up - the contractions were coming right on top of each other and I couldn't sit still so they had to give me an injection straight into the spine first to stop the immediate pain - that was the ONLY time I swore, but according to Dave it was a howler.
They got the epidural in and the relief was immense. I was human again - Dave even took a smiley photo of me whereas 20 mins before I would have shoved the camera down his throat.
So from 4.00pm until 10.00pm we were waiting and my progress was about 1 cm per hour so they were happy I'd be at 10 cms and ready to deliver about 10.00pm. But Connor's heart monitors keep dipping and they were a bit concerned so they got some blood from his scalp while he was still inside me. He was so low and ready to come that they told me he had dark hair which made me go all wobbly. They had to do it three times, but I was so numbed up I didn't care that I looked like an extra from "All Creatures Great and Small" with strangers with rubber gloves rummaging about.
By 10.00am I was 8 cms, but his heart rate was all over the place, so they got set up for a section - Dave put on his Dr's outfit - I have a photo!!! And they all come to get me - but then his heart rate came back up and so they decided to wait as I was so close to being fully dilated.
At 12.00 midnight I was 9.5 cm dilated, another 20 mins or so and he would have been born - but the Doctor was not happy and just said "that's enough we need to get him out".
So he was born at 00.44am on Sunday 4th February by c-section, a little blue and shell shocked but once he'd had oxygen was yelling the place down and they gave him to daddy to hold while they were stitching me up. The surgery was actually fine - although a little surreal. Dave and the bloke doing the anasthectic were having a nice chat about computers over my head with me going every now and then "err, sorry to interrupt but have they finished yet!!" Dave says my scar looks like a "smiley face" - FREAK.
So we're back home now and I feel happy, shattered, terrified and lots of other things.
Byeee for now - off for milking.
Woke up on 3rd February Saturday morning with mild twinges about 3.00am - which by 9.00am we were timing and they were a minute apart!! Hey hey we thought - nice quick labour - called the hospital and in we went. Examination and found I was only 2 cm, but they did a sweep and sent me home with "have a nice warm bath and an aspirin"....
By 11.00am I was screaming on the bed at Dave, crying and telling him I couldn't make it. The contractions were right on top of each other and the urge to push was over-whelming. So back to the hospital with a wild woman in the passenger seat - when I got there only 3cm dilated!! So they helpfully told me not to push as I'd do myself real injury if I did. So I got onto the gas and air - that is FANTASTIC stuff - and I managed to puff my way until 3.30pm when I was only 4 cms and the urge to push was the only thing I could think about.
I was on all fours on the bed, Dave knelt in front of me at eye level, growling like a cavewoman and glaring at Dave around the gas mask with real hatred in my eyes - he said later it was actually quite funny but didn't think it appropriate to mention it at the time.
Finally it turned out Connor had turned back to back and his head was turned to the right so he was pressing unevenly on my cervix and not helping himself out at all.
They read my birth plan (waste of time) and said I was going to have to have an epidural to stop the pushing urge. So - of course - I said YES!! and they set on up - the contractions were coming right on top of each other and I couldn't sit still so they had to give me an injection straight into the spine first to stop the immediate pain - that was the ONLY time I swore, but according to Dave it was a howler.
They got the epidural in and the relief was immense. I was human again - Dave even took a smiley photo of me whereas 20 mins before I would have shoved the camera down his throat.
So from 4.00pm until 10.00pm we were waiting and my progress was about 1 cm per hour so they were happy I'd be at 10 cms and ready to deliver about 10.00pm. But Connor's heart monitors keep dipping and they were a bit concerned so they got some blood from his scalp while he was still inside me. He was so low and ready to come that they told me he had dark hair which made me go all wobbly. They had to do it three times, but I was so numbed up I didn't care that I looked like an extra from "All Creatures Great and Small" with strangers with rubber gloves rummaging about.
By 10.00am I was 8 cms, but his heart rate was all over the place, so they got set up for a section - Dave put on his Dr's outfit - I have a photo!!! And they all come to get me - but then his heart rate came back up and so they decided to wait as I was so close to being fully dilated.
At 12.00 midnight I was 9.5 cm dilated, another 20 mins or so and he would have been born - but the Doctor was not happy and just said "that's enough we need to get him out".
So he was born at 00.44am on Sunday 4th February by c-section, a little blue and shell shocked but once he'd had oxygen was yelling the place down and they gave him to daddy to hold while they were stitching me up. The surgery was actually fine - although a little surreal. Dave and the bloke doing the anasthectic were having a nice chat about computers over my head with me going every now and then "err, sorry to interrupt but have they finished yet!!" Dave says my scar looks like a "smiley face" - FREAK.
So we're back home now and I feel happy, shattered, terrified and lots of other things.
Byeee for now - off for milking.
I can relate to that! hehe
