Charlotte & Georgia's Mummy
12-09-2008, 03:50 PM
Well here it is finally........
I saw my OB Tuesday the 19th of August, when it was decided that I would be induced on Thursday the 21st of August if I hadn't gone into labour before then. I was 40 weeks and 3 days. I think my OB may have done a stretch and sweep while he was "checking things out". So I had 2 days to prepare myself for this baby's arrival.
I woke up Wednesday morning with a bit of a stitch pain in my side, and some period type pain in my belly. I didn't really think much of it, as I took some panadol and the pain seemed to disappear within a few hours.
My mum arrived around lunch time (she lives 2 1/2 hrs away and it was decided she could come and babysit DD1 on the Thursday while we were busy at the hospital!) and treated us to McDonalds for lunch.....DD1 was very happy with that.
It was a pretty uneventful day, until at about 5:20 I realised that I was having these pains in my tummy, and that I thought they were coming at a regular interval. I wasn't sure how long they'd been happening for as I hadn't been paying any attention to them. So I decided to quietly time them without telling DH or my mum what was happening.
By 6pm I'd worked out the pains were coming every 10min and lasting about 40sec. Mum had just cooked dinner, so I thought I'd better let the others know what was going on. Mum asked what I wanted to do, and I said I'd wait a while and see how they went before ringing the hospital. But come 7pm
I decided to call the hospital as when I had DD1 my labour lasted 8 1/2 hrs only, and I got to the hospital with her when I was 3cm dilated, sat in a bath for 2 hrs before they realised I was fully dilated and ready to push.
Needless to say I didn't really want to find that I was still at home and ready to push, so I called them and said I wanted to come in so they could assess my situation. I was happy to go home if it was looking like it would be awhile, I just wanted some re assurance.
So we went to the hospital, was assesed, and discovered I was only 3cm dilated and that the baby was still sitting very high and my waters hadn't broken. I decided to head home again and wait it out with instructions on when to call the midwives again.
When we got home I ran a bath and sat in there for an hour or so. When the water got too cold, and it was too hard to keep reheating it I got out and sat on my fitball to try and move things along a little.
I started to time my contratcions again and found that there was no regularity to the interval or length of them. DH decided at 10:30 that he needed to try and get some sleep, and my mum headed to bed at 11.
I had just decided at that time to lay on the couch and try and rest my eyes in betweens contractions, thinking that I would still be there in the morning when DH and my mum got up. I think I had been on the couch for no more than 3 min when I felt a popping sensation in my lower belly. When I mananged to roll myself off the couch and stand up I found that I had a little gush of fluid which I presumed to be my waters!!
I went in to speak to my mum about it (as she is a retired midwife!) and we decided I would wait a bit longer and see what happened before ringing the hospital again.
I lasted 20 min, was having contractions every 5 min lasting about a minute before I decided that the pain was getting to be too much and that I needed to ring the hospital. Up until then I had managed ok, but after my waters broke the pain suddenly got very intense.
When I spoke to the midwife on the phone she asked what could they do for me at the hospital that I couldn't do at home, to this I replied....."You can give me the gas!"
So I woke up DH (who asked if I'd stained the couch when my waters broke, LOL) and said it was time to go to the hospital. I wasn't even able to bend over and put my sneakers on by this stage, as the pain was rather intense. By the time we got to the hospital I found I was having trouble even walking.
We were shown to our room, and after much questioning by the midwife as to what sort of birth experience I was after (the whole time I was thinking just give me the gas and I'll answer any questions!!") I finally got the gas and the midwife ran off to run me a nice deep bath.
I was shown how to use the mouthpiece for the gas and what noise to listen for. DH and I sat and waited when he told me to try the gas and make sure it worked. I had been waiting for a contraction before trying it, so I was glad he'd suggested it when I
found that the tank was empty!?!?! We called the midwife back, she bought in another tank, only to find that after 3 breaths this tank was empty too!!!
I said to DH "you'd better get the nurse cos this tank is empty too and I think I'm ready" I'd had one contraction that made me want to bear down and push.
The midwife came back and checked and said the tank wasn't empty (we found out later that it actually was) but that I was fully dilated (with a little lip of cervix still present) and ready to start pushing.
It was around 12:20 am by this stage, so the midwife rang my OB, while I grunted my way through contractions. This labour was different to my first as I'd only had bad period pain that didn't vary in intensity. This time I could feel them starting and easing off. I wasn't enjoying the experience very much at all, and didn't think I would last very long.
I also had very sharp pains in my outer thighs in exactly the same spot on both legs. It didn't seem to go away between contractions, but I guess it did distract me a little from the pain of my contracitons as I was too busy worrying about the pain in my legs!!!
My OB arrived at around 12:50am, and I was shifted into the labour room. I got up on the bed and was told to bear down against my DH and OB who stood either side of me when I needed to push.
This lasted about 20min or so when it was found that the baby's heartbeat dropped in between contractions. The decision was made to "help" the baby out, so I had an episiotomy and von touse. The epi felt awful this time......I thought the baby's head and suction cap had gotten stuck halfway out after a contraction. I felt like I was being torn apart, and was told later that it was the epi being done that I felt. I had the same procedure with DD1 (epi and von touse as her shoulders got stuck!) and I don't recall feeling it at all.
Georgia Beth made her appearance at 01:23am Thursday 21st of August.
DH was asked if he would like to cut the cord, which he didn't so my OB asked if I wanted to. I said "Sure", and then found that I had no strength to uas the scissors, so it took a little longer than it should!
Georgia was placed on my chest, and within 5 min had worked her way across and latched onto my breast. We stayed this way for probably close to an hour, while I was stitched back together. DH then took Georgia back to my room while I had a shower.
DH finally went home to bed at 3:30am with the promise to bring DD1 back in the morning. He woke my mum and told her, then went to bed.
I was unable to sleep, so spent the early hours of the morning cuddling my new baby, waiting to be able to call and share the news. I didn't get any sleep (apart from a 20min nap at 11am) until 10:30 that night. But it was one of the best days of my life, I was so happy, it was matched only by my wedding day and the birth of DD2.
I saw my OB Tuesday the 19th of August, when it was decided that I would be induced on Thursday the 21st of August if I hadn't gone into labour before then. I was 40 weeks and 3 days. I think my OB may have done a stretch and sweep while he was "checking things out". So I had 2 days to prepare myself for this baby's arrival.
I woke up Wednesday morning with a bit of a stitch pain in my side, and some period type pain in my belly. I didn't really think much of it, as I took some panadol and the pain seemed to disappear within a few hours.
My mum arrived around lunch time (she lives 2 1/2 hrs away and it was decided she could come and babysit DD1 on the Thursday while we were busy at the hospital!) and treated us to McDonalds for lunch.....DD1 was very happy with that.
It was a pretty uneventful day, until at about 5:20 I realised that I was having these pains in my tummy, and that I thought they were coming at a regular interval. I wasn't sure how long they'd been happening for as I hadn't been paying any attention to them. So I decided to quietly time them without telling DH or my mum what was happening.
By 6pm I'd worked out the pains were coming every 10min and lasting about 40sec. Mum had just cooked dinner, so I thought I'd better let the others know what was going on. Mum asked what I wanted to do, and I said I'd wait a while and see how they went before ringing the hospital. But come 7pm
I decided to call the hospital as when I had DD1 my labour lasted 8 1/2 hrs only, and I got to the hospital with her when I was 3cm dilated, sat in a bath for 2 hrs before they realised I was fully dilated and ready to push.
Needless to say I didn't really want to find that I was still at home and ready to push, so I called them and said I wanted to come in so they could assess my situation. I was happy to go home if it was looking like it would be awhile, I just wanted some re assurance.
So we went to the hospital, was assesed, and discovered I was only 3cm dilated and that the baby was still sitting very high and my waters hadn't broken. I decided to head home again and wait it out with instructions on when to call the midwives again.
When we got home I ran a bath and sat in there for an hour or so. When the water got too cold, and it was too hard to keep reheating it I got out and sat on my fitball to try and move things along a little.
I started to time my contratcions again and found that there was no regularity to the interval or length of them. DH decided at 10:30 that he needed to try and get some sleep, and my mum headed to bed at 11.
I had just decided at that time to lay on the couch and try and rest my eyes in betweens contractions, thinking that I would still be there in the morning when DH and my mum got up. I think I had been on the couch for no more than 3 min when I felt a popping sensation in my lower belly. When I mananged to roll myself off the couch and stand up I found that I had a little gush of fluid which I presumed to be my waters!!
I went in to speak to my mum about it (as she is a retired midwife!) and we decided I would wait a bit longer and see what happened before ringing the hospital again.
I lasted 20 min, was having contractions every 5 min lasting about a minute before I decided that the pain was getting to be too much and that I needed to ring the hospital. Up until then I had managed ok, but after my waters broke the pain suddenly got very intense.
When I spoke to the midwife on the phone she asked what could they do for me at the hospital that I couldn't do at home, to this I replied....."You can give me the gas!"
So I woke up DH (who asked if I'd stained the couch when my waters broke, LOL) and said it was time to go to the hospital. I wasn't even able to bend over and put my sneakers on by this stage, as the pain was rather intense. By the time we got to the hospital I found I was having trouble even walking.
We were shown to our room, and after much questioning by the midwife as to what sort of birth experience I was after (the whole time I was thinking just give me the gas and I'll answer any questions!!") I finally got the gas and the midwife ran off to run me a nice deep bath.
I was shown how to use the mouthpiece for the gas and what noise to listen for. DH and I sat and waited when he told me to try the gas and make sure it worked. I had been waiting for a contraction before trying it, so I was glad he'd suggested it when I
found that the tank was empty!?!?! We called the midwife back, she bought in another tank, only to find that after 3 breaths this tank was empty too!!!
I said to DH "you'd better get the nurse cos this tank is empty too and I think I'm ready" I'd had one contraction that made me want to bear down and push.
The midwife came back and checked and said the tank wasn't empty (we found out later that it actually was) but that I was fully dilated (with a little lip of cervix still present) and ready to start pushing.
It was around 12:20 am by this stage, so the midwife rang my OB, while I grunted my way through contractions. This labour was different to my first as I'd only had bad period pain that didn't vary in intensity. This time I could feel them starting and easing off. I wasn't enjoying the experience very much at all, and didn't think I would last very long.
I also had very sharp pains in my outer thighs in exactly the same spot on both legs. It didn't seem to go away between contractions, but I guess it did distract me a little from the pain of my contracitons as I was too busy worrying about the pain in my legs!!!
My OB arrived at around 12:50am, and I was shifted into the labour room. I got up on the bed and was told to bear down against my DH and OB who stood either side of me when I needed to push.
This lasted about 20min or so when it was found that the baby's heartbeat dropped in between contractions. The decision was made to "help" the baby out, so I had an episiotomy and von touse. The epi felt awful this time......I thought the baby's head and suction cap had gotten stuck halfway out after a contraction. I felt like I was being torn apart, and was told later that it was the epi being done that I felt. I had the same procedure with DD1 (epi and von touse as her shoulders got stuck!) and I don't recall feeling it at all.
Georgia Beth made her appearance at 01:23am Thursday 21st of August.
DH was asked if he would like to cut the cord, which he didn't so my OB asked if I wanted to. I said "Sure", and then found that I had no strength to uas the scissors, so it took a little longer than it should!
Georgia was placed on my chest, and within 5 min had worked her way across and latched onto my breast. We stayed this way for probably close to an hour, while I was stitched back together. DH then took Georgia back to my room while I had a shower.
DH finally went home to bed at 3:30am with the promise to bring DD1 back in the morning. He woke my mum and told her, then went to bed.
I was unable to sleep, so spent the early hours of the morning cuddling my new baby, waiting to be able to call and share the news. I didn't get any sleep (apart from a 20min nap at 11am) until 10:30 that night. But it was one of the best days of my life, I was so happy, it was matched only by my wedding day and the birth of DD2.