Joshua Samuel – born at 3.31am on 23/08/08 – 8 days early
Wednesday evening 20th I lost what I thought were some waters – just a small amount but enough to start to worry me, esp when I lost some more thursday morning and then again thursday evening and when I went to bed thursday I started getting pains. I didn't think anything of them until I realised that the last 3 had been 10 mins apart. Cue a very long night of no sleep and pains coming every 5/6 mins for a while and then every 10 mins and then back to 5/6. had a shower and went for a walk at 5am to see if it would either ease them or kick start something! By 11am friday they were every 4 mins and I phoned my midwife who asked me to go to hosp to get checked out since we weren't sure if I had lost waters or not. I was a bit upset by this stage as the 22nd was the 1st anniversary of my aunt's (like a 2nd mother) death and I didn't really want to give birth on that date. Up we went to the hosp where they hooked me up to the fetal heart and contractions monitors and checked my blood pressure which had been up to 95 or so since 34 weeks. After an internal (I was 1cm by this stage) and 2 hours of monitoring I got told by the midwife that I wasn't really in labour and that the “tightenings” weren't really reading on the monitor and that I would likely go on like this for the next 2 weeks! A Dr then came to tell me in her very patronising manner that
“i wasn't in labour at all” and to go home and have a bath.
So of we went home at 5pm and I got into the bath and all of a sudden my pain went from 7-10 in about 5 mins. I managed to stick it out for about 3 hours walking around, squeezing dh hand and bouncing on my ball until I told him to phone the hosp – we were coming back as I couldn't deal with the pain on my own anymore.
Got to the hosp about 9pm and the midwife told me I was 6cm and most certainly in labour!!!
By this stage the pain was immense and they wouldn't let me go into the home from home unit where the water pools are due to my blood pressure being so high so I tried the gas and air to see if it would be any good. I couldn't get my rhythm right and so I would suck the g+a at the wrong time so ended up feeling the full contraction and then being totally off my face in between 
. I started talking a lot of crap at this stage and was determined I didn't want pethidine or anything that crossed the placenta so I went for an epi. I had got to 7cm by the time the epi went in (twice as it only worked on one side the 1st time) and was lying on my side to let it work up the right leg and then they realised it had worked a little too well and was up over my boobs!! they made me sit up then and my blood pressure went up and the little mans heart rate down and I was sick everywhere! 
2.30am and I was ready for pushing but midwife wanted me to wait an hour as little man had still not fully engaged! After a half hour she just said ok lets go and you'll just have to push that bit extra to get him down. Half an hour of pushing and simultaneously , he was out. Bizarrely I didn't feel the head but felt the body slithering out! I think the sickness was a cross between my blood pressure and not having slept or eaten for 36hrs
Dh had wanted to cut the cord but didn't get a chance as it had been round his neck – my one greatest fear.
One more push and out came placenta – I had been determined not to look at it but I had to have a look at it, kind of like a cross between a liver and a jellyfish!
They took him away to weigh him and I was so shocked when they told me how light he was – i'd been predicted a 10lber. He is however 56cm with the longest legs ive seen!!
Got home the next day and loving being a mummy
Wednesday evening 20th I lost what I thought were some waters – just a small amount but enough to start to worry me, esp when I lost some more thursday morning and then again thursday evening and when I went to bed thursday I started getting pains. I didn't think anything of them until I realised that the last 3 had been 10 mins apart. Cue a very long night of no sleep and pains coming every 5/6 mins for a while and then every 10 mins and then back to 5/6. had a shower and went for a walk at 5am to see if it would either ease them or kick start something! By 11am friday they were every 4 mins and I phoned my midwife who asked me to go to hosp to get checked out since we weren't sure if I had lost waters or not. I was a bit upset by this stage as the 22nd was the 1st anniversary of my aunt's (like a 2nd mother) death and I didn't really want to give birth on that date. Up we went to the hosp where they hooked me up to the fetal heart and contractions monitors and checked my blood pressure which had been up to 95 or so since 34 weeks. After an internal (I was 1cm by this stage) and 2 hours of monitoring I got told by the midwife that I wasn't really in labour and that the “tightenings” weren't really reading on the monitor and that I would likely go on like this for the next 2 weeks! A Dr then came to tell me in her very patronising manner that
“i wasn't in labour at all” and to go home and have a bath.So of we went home at 5pm and I got into the bath and all of a sudden my pain went from 7-10 in about 5 mins. I managed to stick it out for about 3 hours walking around, squeezing dh hand and bouncing on my ball until I told him to phone the hosp – we were coming back as I couldn't deal with the pain on my own anymore.
Got to the hosp about 9pm and the midwife told me I was 6cm and most certainly in labour!!!
By this stage the pain was immense and they wouldn't let me go into the home from home unit where the water pools are due to my blood pressure being so high so I tried the gas and air to see if it would be any good. I couldn't get my rhythm right and so I would suck the g+a at the wrong time so ended up feeling the full contraction and then being totally off my face in between . I started talking a lot of crap at this stage and was determined I didn't want pethidine or anything that crossed the placenta so I went for an epi. I had got to 7cm by the time the epi went in (twice as it only worked on one side the 1st time) and was lying on my side to let it work up the right leg and then they realised it had worked a little too well and was up over my boobs!! they made me sit up then and my blood pressure went up and the little mans heart rate down and I was sick everywhere! 2.30am and I was ready for pushing but midwife wanted me to wait an hour as little man had still not fully engaged! After a half hour she just said ok lets go and you'll just have to push that bit extra to get him down. Half an hour of pushing and simultaneously
, he was out. Bizarrely I didn't feel the head but felt the body slithering out! I think the sickness was a cross between my blood pressure and not having slept or eaten for 36hrsDh had wanted to cut the cord but didn't get a chance as it had been round his neck – my one greatest fear.
One more push and out came placenta – I had been determined not to look at it but I had to have a look at it, kind of like a cross between a liver and a jellyfish!
They took him away to weigh him and I was so shocked when they told me how light he was – i'd been predicted a 10lber. He is however 56cm with the longest legs ive seen!!
Got home the next day and loving being a mummy
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