*Kimmy*
17-07-2008, 22:02
I was 10 days overdue on Sunday 6th July, and up till this point had tried desperately to bring on a spontaneous labour, including 2 sessions of Induction Acupuncture. All to no avail, so I was booked in for an induction in the afternoon of the 6th and DH and I arrived promptly at 3.30pm, after dropping off DS at Nanna and Poppys and a tearful goodbye where I realised he'd no longer be my only baby :no:
The CTG was hooked up straight away to ensure the baby’s heart rate was strong enough to commence the induction. All was good, so the first lot of gels went in at 4pm. I waited patiently to feel something…anything…but nothing happened :rolleyes:.
2nd lot of gels went in at 10pm that night, and DH and I settled in for the night, which was a restless one filled with inconsistent, mild period like cramps. The next morning at 7am I was checked again, and was no further advanced and so a 3rd lot of gels was tried. I was pretty over the gels at this stage, but they insisted on giving it one last shot. After that I had stronger cramps, that were about 3-5 mins apart, and very tolerable. I walked heaps with DH and mum through the hospital, and was feeling very on top of things. Any wonder, at midday I was checked again, and was BARELY 2cms dilated, and I was totally disillusioned at this point. They were just able to break my waters, otherwise it could have been a VERY long wait! The contractions started from here, thick and fast, and they commenced 1st stage labour from this time.
By 1.30 when I was checked again the midwives decided the contractions were not strong enough, and decided pitocin was needed to speed things along. I was desperate to avoid this as I knew the statistics of requiring pain relief after having pitocin due to the unnatural strength and speed it bought to the contractions, but they assured me it was necessary. Biggest downside to this was needing to be monitored by the CTG from then on which I didn’t realise. I was worried I’d need to be strapped to the bed, but they assured me they had a wireless CTG machine and could remain mobile. All was good till a contraction hit, and because I’d need to lean forward or rock to cope with the pain, the CTG would lose the baby’s heart rate and pick up mine. The minute I stood upright again, the heartrate would come back strong. My midwife became concerned that they could not accurately monitor the heart rate and ensure all was well with the baby, so they decided I’d need to have fetal scalp monitoring. I adamantly refused this, as I’d done some research, and didn’t like the idea of anything being attached to my baby’s head, so I tried for almost an hour to stand upright during the pain, and not move, which meant the heart rate could still be seen, however this became physically impossible as the contractions became stronger and closer together (about 1 ½ min apart at this stage). The midwife told me in no uncertain terms that I really didn’t have an option anymore and c-section was inevitable if they couldn’t monitor the baby well enough. At 3.30 I succumbed and the scalp monitor was put on. I remember this being one of the worst experiences of the whole process – it was painful and really uncomfortable and immediately afterward, the remainder of my waters gushed out. Apparently due to the positioning of my cervix, the waters hadn’t broken totally first time round. They told me I was 4cms dilated at that stage.
Things got pretty intense after that – I got up and went to the toilet and remember coming out, and things being pretty blurry after that, as the contractions became suddenly unbearable, and I went from feeling like I was coping, to feeling totally out of control. I lasted another ½ hour, before starting to beg for an epidural, insisting I couldn’t cope anymore. I was almost climbing the walls, and I remember feeling so disappointed with myself for giving in, when I had wanted a natural childbirth, and was in the birthing centre for just that purpose. I would need to be transferred in order to have an epi, but the midwives were lovely, and seemed to think I’d lasted really well on the pitocin, having had 3 lots of gels, and coping with pains whilst standing upright and still for a lot of that! They assured me it was ok, and went to organise the epi while DH started frantically packing up our stuff from our room. When they came back with the wheelchair to wheel me around to the ‘higher risk’ area where I remember feeling a sense of panic that things were moving too slow, so I told everyone to hurry up….no one could work out why I was in such a hurry…
We got to the room, and I remember standing up, and getting ready to hop on the bed, when I experienced a massive pressure which felt like all my internal organs dropping to my pelvis, and then an intense burning sensation. I then told everyone I need to push, to which everyone looked at me like I had 3 heads. I looked at my mum and said ‘It’s burning’ and I think at that stage she realized I was serious, and so the midwife told me to get on the bed. I said ‘too bad I need to push’ and with one leg on the bed and the other on the floor I listened to my body and pushed as hard as I could. I remember thinking that I really didn’t have a choice in the matter, it was happening regardless! Whilst my mum was trying to help me get my other leg on the bed which happened to have the cord to my drip wrapped around it, DH returned from getting the remainder of our belongings from the other room, to a rather different scene… he’d left thinking it’d be a while as I was having the epi put in, and instead I had started pushing. Think I shocked him a bit poor thing!
Midwife examined me, and declared ‘we’re about to have a baby here’, and a push later the baby’s head emerged. I was able to feel my baby’s head at this stage, and it was possibly the most incredible feeling ever. I was overwhelmed, and suddenly had all the strength and motivation I needed to finish the job. 3 Big pushes later, Mia Lucy entered the world, with a small cry, and a very inquisitive look on her gorgeous face. She was round and healthy, and I remember the total gush of love that I felt for my son, which I had so worried would never be matched, came all over again. She went straight to my chest and stayed there for the next hour and never left my side after that. The skin contact we shared was just beautiful and she took to the breast like a champion about 15 mins after she was born. :cloud9:
I was overjoyed to have managed without pain relief in the end (though it was a close call!), but I know now why the last hour was so tough. I dilated from 4 – 10cms in less than an hour, and would have been going through transition right when I asked for the epi. The midwives didn’t even think to check me again because they didn’t think I would have advanced that much in such a short amount of time.
I feel totally empowered to handle anything life has to throw at me after this experience, and am more than a little in awe of the miracle of birth still. I wouldn’t change any moment of the experience :)
Mia Lucy
Born 4.33pm
Weighing 8pounds 6 ounces, 50cms long, head circ 35cms.
1st stage - 3.55hrs
2nd stage - 8 mins
3rd stage - 18 mins
The CTG was hooked up straight away to ensure the baby’s heart rate was strong enough to commence the induction. All was good, so the first lot of gels went in at 4pm. I waited patiently to feel something…anything…but nothing happened :rolleyes:.
2nd lot of gels went in at 10pm that night, and DH and I settled in for the night, which was a restless one filled with inconsistent, mild period like cramps. The next morning at 7am I was checked again, and was no further advanced and so a 3rd lot of gels was tried. I was pretty over the gels at this stage, but they insisted on giving it one last shot. After that I had stronger cramps, that were about 3-5 mins apart, and very tolerable. I walked heaps with DH and mum through the hospital, and was feeling very on top of things. Any wonder, at midday I was checked again, and was BARELY 2cms dilated, and I was totally disillusioned at this point. They were just able to break my waters, otherwise it could have been a VERY long wait! The contractions started from here, thick and fast, and they commenced 1st stage labour from this time.
By 1.30 when I was checked again the midwives decided the contractions were not strong enough, and decided pitocin was needed to speed things along. I was desperate to avoid this as I knew the statistics of requiring pain relief after having pitocin due to the unnatural strength and speed it bought to the contractions, but they assured me it was necessary. Biggest downside to this was needing to be monitored by the CTG from then on which I didn’t realise. I was worried I’d need to be strapped to the bed, but they assured me they had a wireless CTG machine and could remain mobile. All was good till a contraction hit, and because I’d need to lean forward or rock to cope with the pain, the CTG would lose the baby’s heart rate and pick up mine. The minute I stood upright again, the heartrate would come back strong. My midwife became concerned that they could not accurately monitor the heart rate and ensure all was well with the baby, so they decided I’d need to have fetal scalp monitoring. I adamantly refused this, as I’d done some research, and didn’t like the idea of anything being attached to my baby’s head, so I tried for almost an hour to stand upright during the pain, and not move, which meant the heart rate could still be seen, however this became physically impossible as the contractions became stronger and closer together (about 1 ½ min apart at this stage). The midwife told me in no uncertain terms that I really didn’t have an option anymore and c-section was inevitable if they couldn’t monitor the baby well enough. At 3.30 I succumbed and the scalp monitor was put on. I remember this being one of the worst experiences of the whole process – it was painful and really uncomfortable and immediately afterward, the remainder of my waters gushed out. Apparently due to the positioning of my cervix, the waters hadn’t broken totally first time round. They told me I was 4cms dilated at that stage.
Things got pretty intense after that – I got up and went to the toilet and remember coming out, and things being pretty blurry after that, as the contractions became suddenly unbearable, and I went from feeling like I was coping, to feeling totally out of control. I lasted another ½ hour, before starting to beg for an epidural, insisting I couldn’t cope anymore. I was almost climbing the walls, and I remember feeling so disappointed with myself for giving in, when I had wanted a natural childbirth, and was in the birthing centre for just that purpose. I would need to be transferred in order to have an epi, but the midwives were lovely, and seemed to think I’d lasted really well on the pitocin, having had 3 lots of gels, and coping with pains whilst standing upright and still for a lot of that! They assured me it was ok, and went to organise the epi while DH started frantically packing up our stuff from our room. When they came back with the wheelchair to wheel me around to the ‘higher risk’ area where I remember feeling a sense of panic that things were moving too slow, so I told everyone to hurry up….no one could work out why I was in such a hurry…
We got to the room, and I remember standing up, and getting ready to hop on the bed, when I experienced a massive pressure which felt like all my internal organs dropping to my pelvis, and then an intense burning sensation. I then told everyone I need to push, to which everyone looked at me like I had 3 heads. I looked at my mum and said ‘It’s burning’ and I think at that stage she realized I was serious, and so the midwife told me to get on the bed. I said ‘too bad I need to push’ and with one leg on the bed and the other on the floor I listened to my body and pushed as hard as I could. I remember thinking that I really didn’t have a choice in the matter, it was happening regardless! Whilst my mum was trying to help me get my other leg on the bed which happened to have the cord to my drip wrapped around it, DH returned from getting the remainder of our belongings from the other room, to a rather different scene… he’d left thinking it’d be a while as I was having the epi put in, and instead I had started pushing. Think I shocked him a bit poor thing!
Midwife examined me, and declared ‘we’re about to have a baby here’, and a push later the baby’s head emerged. I was able to feel my baby’s head at this stage, and it was possibly the most incredible feeling ever. I was overwhelmed, and suddenly had all the strength and motivation I needed to finish the job. 3 Big pushes later, Mia Lucy entered the world, with a small cry, and a very inquisitive look on her gorgeous face. She was round and healthy, and I remember the total gush of love that I felt for my son, which I had so worried would never be matched, came all over again. She went straight to my chest and stayed there for the next hour and never left my side after that. The skin contact we shared was just beautiful and she took to the breast like a champion about 15 mins after she was born. :cloud9:
I was overjoyed to have managed without pain relief in the end (though it was a close call!), but I know now why the last hour was so tough. I dilated from 4 – 10cms in less than an hour, and would have been going through transition right when I asked for the epi. The midwives didn’t even think to check me again because they didn’t think I would have advanced that much in such a short amount of time.
I feel totally empowered to handle anything life has to throw at me after this experience, and am more than a little in awe of the miracle of birth still. I wouldn’t change any moment of the experience :)
Mia Lucy
Born 4.33pm
Weighing 8pounds 6 ounces, 50cms long, head circ 35cms.
1st stage - 3.55hrs
2nd stage - 8 mins
3rd stage - 18 mins