Help - what to expect?

[sarahg]

Hi ladies - I am due today and getting a little nervous about what to expect really regarding the hospital. I have been told I am not allowed a water birth and so am not really sure what happens - I am aware of waiting until contractions are every five minutes etc but after that I am a bit clueless! Can someone fill me in please - do you have your own room, what happens when you are admitted, does the midwife stay with you, what happens when you have given birth, how long do you stay? Sorry I think the panic is setting in!!

 

[Daggers]

Hi Sarah! Firstly I probably think that each hospital in different so this ain't gospel by any means! Unfortunately I was 11 days late so I was induced. I had to go to the hospital to be induced (at 11am) and was put on a ward with four other beds (at the time there was only one other lady on the ward). Fortunately for me things progressed fairly quickly and was taken to the delievery suite by around 4:30ish. While on the ward after initially being checked and strapped up to a baby heart rate monitor and having the MW insert the induction pill (whatever it was called!) I (we -OH half was with me) was then left alone, the MW would check up on me every so often or like when my waters broke I did buzz them! I could move around, go for a walk about, have a bath etc.
While in the delievery suite we had the MW with us throughout the whole labour (plus a student doctor), we were fortunate with this as I know this is not always the case, in some hospitals due to staff shortages the MW may have two or even three labours to monitor in one go !
Hope this answers some of your concerns, good luck hun! And trust me you'll know when you go into labour - I actually posted the same question on the forum when I was about as far gone as you! GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[swan1]

I was 4 days late with Charlie, i went in at 9.30 on the wednesday night
contractions were approx 4 minutes apart, this continued but i wasnt dilating properly so was sent to a ward to "sleep" and see how things progressed. this was at 3am, by 8am i was really toiling with the pain so was re - examined taken to my own delivery room and given gas and air. I managed on that until about 2pm when they put me on the drip to speed things along and i needed diamorphine, great stuff but with hindsite would like to avoid it if i have another one as quite out of it at time of delivery and all still hazy. i hd Charlie at 4.50pm on the thursday afternoon. Was moved to my own room about 7pm ( I had paid for this in advance and was a godsend as total privacy and own bathroom). I stayed for 2 nights and was home saturday morning.

 

[Sassyminx]

with my 1st, i went in when my contractions were approx 5mins apart, which was about 3am in the morning.
went to the delivery suite, where i was examined and at 2cms dilated, was needing gas and air as in quite a lot of pain, but they tailed off and stopped so i was sent home to see how i got on after that.
i went back in the early hours of the following day as i continued having pains all day, and i had progressed to 3cms ( once your 3cms they tend to keep you there as your in established labour).
I was given my own delivery room and an internal exam, and put on a foetal monitor to get a trace to see how my contractions were coming along.
Opted for an epidural when i got to about 5cms, and i had Bethany a few hours after that, she was back to back though so i tore quite badly and had a few stitches, had a shower after a few hours when i got feeling back in my legs, and was transferred to the ward, where i stayed for 2 days before going home as this was my 1st baby they wouldnt let me go home until i had bathed her and been shown how to correctly do it, and also so i had got the hang of breastfeeding.

 

[kristal]

Hi

I was always worrying about labour but you do know when you are starting! I ended up one day over and my waters broke at 1am and straight away my contractions were two and a half to three minutes apart lasting for thirty seconds, by the time I got to the hospital at about 2am I was 2cm, I was hooked up to monitor to keep eye on babies hearbeat and contractions, I was given a meptid (couldnt have anything else at that point as baby had opened bowels inside me) and though there were about ten beds in the ward there was only me and another woman (with our OH's) the nurse kept coming to check on me, after a bit I was transferred to the delivery suite (you have own room) where they tried getting me to have gas and air (which I didnt want) but after a while the pain became unbearable so I asked for a epidural but the guy who gave it was running late! I think I was about 8cm by the time I had it, and midwife was there through it all (apart from popping out now and again) I was in labour for 15 hours so ended up having two midwifes (they swapped shifts) after pushing for two and a half hours I had to have a ventouse (if you think you cant push anymore, trust me, push more!) after having my little girl I was then transferred back to ward after a few hours, I was lucky I had my own room and toilet, but most of the time you are put on a ward with other women. I was lucky that I had my girl at three in the afternoon and I left the hospital at four the next day. The nurses on the ward will help you with baby if you need it (mine wouldnt get wind up and I was wrecked, so I asked one of the nurses for a little help, and she got my LO to sleep only for her to wake up twenty minutes later!) but if you want you can have a shower or bath.
Good luck with it!
Sorry went a bit off on one then didnt I?!

 

[cassi]

I think everyone has said anything I would of said same sort of experiences except after birth I was washed down by the midwife cause i was immobile due to the epidural and sick.

Try not too worry too much hun its really not too bad

 

[sarahg]

Now I think I'm more scared! Nothing happening yet but I like to be all organised and know exactly what is happening and when, so this for me is a bit stressful! Thank you for all your responses though as it gives me a good idea of what to expect. Cassi you and I would be in the same hospital - were you happy with the midwives etc? I had to be admitted for a night with contractions at about 27 weeks and found the ward a bit disorganised!

 

[cassi]

I was really happy with the midwives during labour they were lovely, also at the ring of a bell i got alot of support with breastfeeding..however its probably my fault because I should of said something but I was bleeding ALOT after birth, it was really gushing out and I was lying in that for the rest of the night, with a catheter in I was so upset and the catheter was hurting and i felt disgusting lying in my own blood I couldnt sleep a wink last night and Jakob was waking up and I found it really hard to move as my pelvic floor had completely gone during labour...I really dont think you should be scared hun I was the only person on the ward that seemed like I was in pain and couldnt walk or sit down without it taking ages, all the other women seemed happy as larry getting up and down....And the sick thing, well i think that is just me, but they gave me a jab for that....

When jakob was dehydrated and jaundiced we went back into dolphin kids ward for a week and i stayed with him the whole time, i was on a little bed at the side of his cot and they were great! so supportive! I think without that support I would of broken down every day, I only broke down once in that whole week! which is good when you have had no sleep a nany that wont feed, that has tubes in his nose and has to have jabs every day while you have to express bm every hour!! il never forget that!

So at the end of my novel all in all i would say it was a great hospital...a few things as i have said that could be worked on with the after birth care but otherwise they know where their priorities lie!

 

[sarahg]

Thanks Cassi - they do sound great. I think I am just bad at asking for help so must remember to do this! I am glad you are all sorted now - sounded a bit of a nightmare for you! Thank you for the info though it has really reassured me