I was due to have an Induction today (28.02.2008) due to basically feeling really down and fed up with being pregnant, luckily I had a fantastic consultant who offered to do a sweep in the meantime to try and get things moving, and it worked! When the Midwife performed the sweep she said I was 1-2cms, waters were bulging and she could feel babys head. I had alot of my plug come out in the hours after the sweep and a few twinges here and there but nothing came of it that day.
The next morning I woke up at 7:30am and had terrible lower backache and period pains, which still hadn't eased by about 9ish so I took some paracetemol and had a shower which seemed to help, but I still didn't feel right in myself and phoned up my OH in tears for no reason atall..after that I just relaxed on my bed with the TV on playing Sodoku on my DS for hours, and I was vaguely aware of tightenings in my tummy, not painful so I just thought they were BH's.
At about 3:30, I realised they were regular and were starting to hurt so started timing them and phoned the Labour Ward for advice who said it sounded like things were starting and to come in when I feel I needed to.
OH got back from work at about 4:30pm, I'd already phoned him but I don't think he believed me!
I had a small bath and just leant over the bed on my laptop which helped the pain, aswell as OH rubbing my back aswell. My Mum arrived at 8:30pm on her way back from work, but had to go again to take my brother home and in the 30mins she was gone the pain had got worse so we decided to go to the hospital..I was already in the car by the time she got back.
We got to the hospital and they put the monitor on me for a bit to time contractions and when the Midwives came back they did an internal and told me I was 1-2cms....still
I was so annoyed that I hadnt progressed I burst into tears. They were going to move me to Ante-Natal but decided against it for some reason. I had a shot of Pethidine and was told to rest...Pethidine, in my opinion, is horrible stuff. I was shattered and it made me really drowsy, was dozing off in between contractions then as soon as one hit it is just the same pain and really woke me up!! I had a bath which helped me to sleep for a while. Then at around 5:30/6
0am I was advised to go on the birthing ball because baby was back to back. I was also given 2 Co-Codamol tablets and I felt so much better, bouncing through a contraction was a good distraction and instead of whining through pain, I smiled lol.
I was given another internal at 90am and was told I was only 2cms, stretching to 3. But I was comfortable on the ball so wasn't too annoyed.
After more bouncing on the ball they did another internal about 100am I think and I was finally 3cms..So decided to be a wimp and asked for an Epidural and really wish I hadnt! The Anaesthetist came and put it in and it was fine, was expecting it to really hurt but the only uncomfortable bit was the electric shock kind of sensation going down my back. Once that was done I got back onto the bed relieved I could finally get some rest, when to my horror I realised that the Epi had only worked on my left side 
I could feel the pains on my right side which was awful, they tried putting me on my right side to help it filter through which didnt work, then the midwife topped it up about 3 times and all it did was numb my legs more but nothing further up. In the meantime at around 110am I had my waters broken because the labour wasnt progressing quickly enough. The contractions were getting really bad by this point and I was screaming really loud, crying and asking why nobody wanted to help me My Mum had to leave the room because she was getting upset that nobody was paying any attention to the fact that I was in pain..it just seemed that the Midwife just wanted to get to the end of her shift, and Im glad when she finally went. The first thing the new Midwife said to me was Do you want to try some gas and air? Which I happily accepted and shut up from that point! Its really good stuff, they told me that contractions are more painful following a failed Epidural so if Id have been offered G&A earlier I may not have needed the Epi at all.
They told me they would do an internal at 3, leave me for an hour and let baby come down on her own as far as possible, but it got to 2:50pm and I was getting really tired, so was baby and they decided I was to start pushing then. I dont know how long I was pushing for, maybe half an hour but we werent getting anywhere, my contractions were really irregular so they had to intervene. Before I knew it my legs were in stirrups and they said they were going to use forceps and do an episiotomy. I pushed so hard with the next contraction and suddenly her head was out, then for some reason the contractions were on a go-slow, it was ages before the next one! Not the most dignified position! Eventually it came and she was put straight onto my tummy..All I felt was total shock, I couldnt even cry. Aswell as the cut, I had a 2nd degree tear because she had her arm up by her face, that's why I couldn't push her out myself. They took her away and she had to have oxygen because her lungs were a bit sticky, the Paediatrician said she would need to go to SCBU but thankfully after a 2nd opinion she didnt go! She weighed 7lbs 8oz and is absolutely beautiful. I am loving being a Mum, even breastfeeding is great and she has taken to it so well I won't be doing it again though!!
Sorry about the long post
The next morning I woke up at 7:30am and had terrible lower backache and period pains, which still hadn't eased by about 9ish so I took some paracetemol and had a shower which seemed to help, but I still didn't feel right in myself and phoned up my OH in tears for no reason atall..after that I just relaxed on my bed with the TV on playing Sodoku on my DS for hours, and I was vaguely aware of tightenings in my tummy, not painful so I just thought they were BH's.
At about 3:30, I realised they were regular and were starting to hurt so started timing them and phoned the Labour Ward for advice who said it sounded like things were starting and to come in when I feel I needed to.
OH got back from work at about 4:30pm, I'd already phoned him but I don't think he believed me!
I had a small bath and just leant over the bed on my laptop which helped the pain, aswell as OH rubbing my back aswell. My Mum arrived at 8:30pm on her way back from work, but had to go again to take my brother home and in the 30mins she was gone the pain had got worse so we decided to go to the hospital..I was already in the car by the time she got back.
We got to the hospital and they put the monitor on me for a bit to time contractions and when the Midwives came back they did an internal and told me I was 1-2cms....still
I was so annoyed that I hadnt progressed I burst into tears. They were going to move me to Ante-Natal but decided against it for some reason. I had a shot of Pethidine and was told to rest...Pethidine, in my opinion, is horrible stuff. I was shattered and it made me really drowsy, was dozing off in between contractions then as soon as one hit it is just the same pain and really woke me up!! I had a bath which helped me to sleep for a while. Then at around 5:30/60am I was advised to go on the birthing ball because baby was back to back. I was also given 2 Co-Codamol tablets and I felt so much better, bouncing through a contraction was a good distraction and instead of whining through pain, I smiled lol.I was given another internal at 9
0am and was told I was only 2cms, stretching to 3. But I was comfortable on the ball so wasn't too annoyed. After more bouncing on the ball they did another internal about 10
0am I think and I was finally 3cms..So decided to be a wimp and asked for an Epidural and really wish I hadnt! The Anaesthetist came and put it in and it was fine, was expecting it to really hurt but the only uncomfortable bit was the electric shock kind of sensation going down my back. Once that was done I got back onto the bed relieved I could finally get some rest, when to my horror I realised that the Epi had only worked on my left side I could feel the pains on my right side which was awful, they tried putting me on my right side to help it filter through which didnt work, then the midwife topped it up about 3 times and all it did was numb my legs more but nothing further up. In the meantime at around 110am I had my waters broken because the labour wasnt progressing quickly enough. The contractions were getting really bad by this point and I was screaming really loud, crying and asking why nobody wanted to help me My Mum had to leave the room because she was getting upset that nobody was paying any attention to the fact that I was in pain..it just seemed that the Midwife just wanted to get to the end of her shift, and Im glad when she finally went. The first thing the new Midwife said to me was Do you want to try some gas and air? Which I happily accepted and shut up from that point! Its really good stuff, they told me that contractions are more painful following a failed Epidural so if Id have been offered G&A earlier I may not have needed the Epi at all.They told me they would do an internal at 3, leave me for an hour and let baby come down on her own as far as possible, but it got to 2:50pm and I was getting really tired, so was baby and they decided I was to start pushing then. I dont know how long I was pushing for, maybe half an hour but we werent getting anywhere, my contractions were really irregular so they had to intervene. Before I knew it my legs were in stirrups and they said they were going to use forceps and do an episiotomy. I pushed so hard with the next contraction and suddenly her head was out, then for some reason the contractions were on a go-slow, it was ages before the next one! Not the most dignified position! Eventually it came and she was put straight onto my tummy..All I felt was total shock, I couldnt even cry. Aswell as the cut, I had a 2nd degree tear because she had her arm up by her face, that's why I couldn't push her out myself. They took her away and she had to have oxygen because her lungs were a bit sticky, the Paediatrician said she would need to go to SCBU but thankfully after a 2nd opinion she didnt go! She weighed 7lbs 8oz and is absolutely beautiful. I am loving being a Mum, even breastfeeding is great and she has taken to it so well
I won't be doing it again though!! Sorry about the long post
Glad she arrived safe and sound in the end.... well done hun!
