You hear from people that giving birth is something you always remember but still, tempt to lose all the details at the same time. Yeah right... And yes, it's right.
My story is a bit different. Let's say all my birth plans went out the window, but what can you do, eh?! If the little person inside you thinks different you just have to go with it.
(For the people's information whom do not normally read my blog; I was planning on an all natural water birth, preferably at home with Lee whom we had the same idea of not looking down below. Cause of my thyroid issue I wasn't able to have the home birth, but still was going to go for the anaesthetic free, water birth in the hospital.)
As I said below I had the sweep done on the Wednesday before, the 9th, three days after my due date. I've even written about feeling little period pains that night, but they were absolutely bearable, so I didn't think much of it. Must have been nothing to do with the pain, but the adrenaline keeping me awake that night. Either way, I couldn't sleep.
In fact, around 06am the following, Thursday morning I started to feel what I thought were real contractions. The lower bit of belly (Uterus.) hardened and softened around the baby every 3-4 minutes. Even though the time of the pains weren't 100% regular I called the hospital's delivery suit around 04pm that afternoon. They said, since my water hasn't yet broken I must be in false labour which prepares my body for the big work. They recommended to eat something, try and get some rest but stay active as well to help the baby move down. Also been said, in these cases the baby usually comes within the next 24 hours. By around midnight I got pretty upset, the contractions weren't regular enough to call it the 'real deal', but were constant.
Friday just past midnight Lee came home from work, after mentioning I'm not on the top emotionally, and well... We done the natural remedy of things. It did work though, by around 05am Friday morning my contractions got regular and quite painful, so I called the delivery suite again. They told me if it keeps up I shall go in, just in case. So that's what we done; Got all the bags together, called Lee's mum around 09am and went to the hospital. They examined me and told me I'm not at all dilated, so sent me home, saying the same thing, that it must be getting my body ready and so. Weird though, cause on Wednesday when I had the sweep done I was 1 cm dilated already, but as they said this closing up thing can happen sometimes... It seemed like though every time something 'went in' my pains got stronger. This time I could cry. I might even have, can't remember.
Mind that, it's Friday afternoon and I've been awake since Wednesday morning. Hello my biggest fear. I'm sure it's not just me feeling everything more painful when knackered, is it?!
Anyways, we went home, I pretty much laid in the bath all day, while Lee was worrying his pants off. I told him to go asleep cause there's no much point of him being awake. Bless him, he tried to help, giving me massage or just to cuddle me, but I couldn't bear his touch. Funny enough, I'm that person who begs for massage normally, so he kind of had a lucky few days. He then snuggled me, got the hot water bottle and some paracetamol ready, lit candles in the living room and tried to make me feel comfortable before going upstairs to bed, but by this point nothing helped. I was beyond tired, unbelievable upset of nothing happening and pissed off of the fact, that this baby of mine makes it so hard for me. I obviously couldn't sleep, was just staring the motives of the orange throw on the sofa, and strangled the pillow every times the contractions came.
Saturday morning it was when I had enough. Called the delivery suit again and screamed. Cried for help, begged them to perform a C section on me immediately cause I couldn't possibly handle it anymore. Bless the receptionist, she tried to calm me down but all she got was angry responses. And, while on the phone, it finally happened; Water started to trickle down my leg. She said to go in but promised nothing.
They took a sample of my water, nice clear ish fluid, examined me again (Only 2 cm! Baby's head still high up.) and sent me back home (Again!), saying that's that, since my water broke I considered to be in real labour, but still at the early stage so I shall call in when my contractions are 3-4 minutes apart and about a minute long. If this wasn't going to happen they would wanted me to go in the following, Sunday morning as all the water shall be gone by then, and there is a 24 hour 'infection' rule on the womb, so in this case they'd have to induce me.
So we went home again, Lee was counting the contractions for a few hours, then sent him to bed to have some rest and was doing it myself, while spent the day walking up and down in the living room, bouncing on my ball or standing under the shower. I was in so much agony, but every third minute, when the pain came I closed my eyes and was thinking of my baby wiggling herself down and getting closer to the big encounter. Was around midnight when I called the hospital and they told me to go in. Woke Lee, called our friend Bob, got the bags and we were on the way. The car ride was horrible, I couldn't bear any of the guys to talk or even to look at me, I just wanted to get over with this entire thing.
Arrived there just past midnight Sunday morning, but by then could hardly walk down the corridor. Was a queue in front of me and the receptionist didn't really seem to give a crap about me screaming, it was a random midwife walking past let the team know that I'm there in need of help. Still, it took them around an hour to get me a room and an other half (?) to get a doctor to examine me. Again! 3 cm... That's when I totally lost it. How can I be in labour for over 3 days, and my body doing nothing?! My baby clearly just playing up, sliding up and down whatever she feels like to do, giving me grief but nothing else is happening?!
The doctor who came to see me first was the same guy who done the sweep on Wednesday. I laughed and told him I hated him, and as he started he shall finish it too and get this baby out of me immediately. He said the baby has dropped down a little (Yay!) and he rather not perform a C section on me straight away, but put me on epidural and have a chat about things after it affected me, since I needed to be on it during a section anyway.
Getting the epidural put in wasn't as painful as I thought it would be, the local anaesthetic beforehand was, but was mainly hard keeping myself straight and still, in the same position while contractions came and went. Especially cause the midwife who supposed to help the doctor, was wandering in and out of the room, ain't got a clue what was she thinking... Apart from that, the drip put in my hand (Incorrectly just to say, bloody, and which from my hand swell to twice a size.) by the midwife was worse than getting a tube put in my spine. This was about 03am and the pain was entirely gone around 05-06am.
The morning came, I got put on a different kind of CTG machine which is basically a wire attached to the baby's head, cause she was moving around a lot and they kept losing track of her heartbeat. The morning staff has arrived, I got a really nice and young midwife, Lee was next to me pretty much all day and since I couldn't feel much from wait down I could get a couple of hours rest as well. Just about time!
I still had water dripping out of me, but at least was dilating slowly. Ain't going to lie, I felt a little uncomfortable with having to have the catheter used on me and all that, but since the midwife was so friendly I could get over it. Still, I don't want to get old and be defenceless for years, this state for long must be horrible.
The doctors have explained they rather have me giving birth naturally cause I won't feel much anyway, maybe some pushing pains if that, but since they are monitoring my contractions they are able to tell me when to push. Perfect!
It was around 04pm when I got transferred to a bigger room and my midwife left to have her lunch break. It only supposed to be her helping me giving birth and she even said to Lee, if all went well he can be the one performing the actual birth. While she was away the doctor have popped in, a middle age woman, I told her it was time for my epidural top up cause alright that this gas & air is fun (Basically the same stuff they sell in balloons on parties, but I obviously just heard about it...), I'm in quite a bit of pain, but she wanted to examine me before. So lucky she did! I was fully dilated by then and my baby's head was half way down, so she requested to give her a push or two, to see if my baby was moving down with them. She was.
At 0415pm she explained how to push and when. I was confused, it happened way too quick and my pains weren't half as bad as in the past few days. All I could say looking at Lee and the doctor 'Is this us, having a baby? Now? Really?' but there was pushing time again.
I think I pushed through three, maybe four contractions. With the first one we got her head down lower; That's when her heart rate dropped drastically and way too quick, ain't going to lie, for a second thought the normally quick beeping I was listening to in the past 13 hours, going to stop. The buzzer went off and 6-8 people have ran in the room, doctors and midwives, shouting, grabbing my leg, twisting me around, placing me here and there, all very quick. Was scarily like an episode from ER, however I wasn't at all panicking cause I knew we can pull this together. In fact, I was quite amazed how all these people came to help only me, one person.
And I pushed. And they encouraged me. And I squeezed Lee's hand, who couldn't help, but looking what's going on down there. The lady didn't want to come, that was going down, so the doctor got the ventouse, a little vacuum device attached to the baby's head which they were pulling while I'm pushing. I would have preferred to have the forceps used really, I mean it grabs the baby's entire head not just the scalp, but the end of the day as long as it helps... So the doctor said, with the next push the bubba is going to be out, but she needed to snap me before (Here I got scared from the size of the scissors, but felt nothing at the end.) cause I already have tore a little. I asked if it was going to be just the head or the entire baby; She gave me a pity smile and said just the head. But it was the entire baby.
She came out nice and pink and tiny. It felt really weird, for a second you'd think your entire body will split in pieces, than the relief of feeling her body sliding out, than a little wrinkly crying thing on your stomach. I thought I won't shed a tear, but I did. I think Lee did as well, both of us laughing and crying at the same time. 0431pm.
The placenta has pretty much flew out of me, before the doctor even had the chance to put my girl on me. It wasn't even like the umbilical cord stretching and pulling it out, the cord was all saggy. By the sound of it I though it was my newborn has pooed herself with a big noise (It's quite common after birth.) but nah, it was the entire placenta, my body didn't need it anymore and threw it out. Lucky thing the doctor has some reflex and could catch it, if she waited another split second it would've hit her straight on the face. She said she never seen anything like this before.
Then, as someone who loses interest in a toy, stopped being nice or caring, stitched me up not so quickly but quite painfully, put me on a drip and left me there with Lee, the baby and some food.
Lee can handle gore but said the amount of blood came out of me was horrendous but 450 mls - 4.5 dls ain't too bad I reckon.
I ate finally, after days, the midwife showed how to latch my girl properly (No luck.), Lee's mum popped up to see us, then another midwife came, helped me up (Very weak legs.) and pushed all the remaining blood out of me, I had a shower, she put me in a wheelchair and transferred me to the maternity ward around 10pm, where I had to spend two painful days.
So that's how Lileeva Jean Rothwell-Vatai made her appearance, absolutely opposite of how I planned to have her. (But yes, I'm thankful for not choosing to stay home at the end, don't even want to think about what would have happened with her if I did. I was also close to have a blood transfusion after, but it's another story for another time.)
Szüléstörténet magyarul. Katt.
