Mother Duck
25-06-2006, 20:44
Not that he is overdue or anything but my goodness....For those of you who don't know us I will indulge in the whole story! For the sake of peoples time I have colour coded for you!
If you want to skip to the 'good' bit just go to the orange text ;)
The middle bit is blue and the pre-amble just plain old text :)
This pregnancy (unlike my first) was a long and hard haul. I had ms right through, bp averaging 80/40, low blood sugar levels, constant symphysis pubis dysfunction since 24 weeks and the rest....
(still loved the fact that I had a baby in the belly I should add)
Anyway at 33 weeks little man tried to escape, after monitoring at the local hospital I was flown down to Bris, medicated to stop contractions, injected with steroids to help bubba, and looked after brilliantly by fellow hubbubbers while away from home
At 35 weeks they let me come home. Between then and Monday just gone I had six seperate nights of distinct contractions, ten mins apart by the clock exactly - but they would go away again each time. Became very drained and frustrated at the here it comes, oh no its not etc.
Last Monday night same again but they got very close together although spasmodic - I knew this lot was more intense and had just been told that the 'show' I was waiting for had in fact happened already as I had been losing mucous steadily over the last two weeks it just didn't have the colour I thought it would.
Just for a spanner in the works DH had a serious vomiting bug and couldn't move without being sick so I had to do all the 'tasks', sort out the toddler and make arrangements to get to the hospital by myself, Murphy's Law!
Fortunately I work with a Doula named Tracey (not our Doula Tracie but coincidence I thought!) - so I called on her to come with me to the hospital
Once again it all settled itself down although definately still getting contractions and had been checked and was at 3-4cm dilated so settled in for the night and got all of one or two hrs sleep.
DH was told he could come in for the birth 24 hours after he was last sick which was 7pm Tue night.
Although I had been having contractions since 33 weeks AND had dilated to nearly 4cm's the local hospital had a policy of no inducement before term and this included a simple strip and stretch (where the midwife tries to strecth the cervix a little further to get things going) so I had to just sit and wait, and wait, and wait :(
Tues morning still had contractions periodicly but mild. So I told the midwife on duty that I was going to walk into town and have myself a mighty fine breakfast with a real cup of coffee. Which I did!
They got a bit stronger but alas 4pm comes and still no real change...until my heroine Annelle the super midwife comes on board!
First she explains the pro's and con's of each type of inducement ranging from strip and stretch through to gels on the cervix or breaking the waters.
I decide to go with the S and S - see if it works and go home if not to wait.
She does the s & s at about 4:30 and tells me to get on my hands and knees and make a hammock of my belly and each time that I have a contraction rock to get bubba from offside to run along the belly across my belly button.
By 5:30pm he has moved over, hardly any, just from his back running along my side to along the front.
Whammo the first 'full on' contraction happens, hmm I think, the next one 3 mins later is enough to make me drop the phone (to DH) and that was that - called the midwife in who told me to get under the shower to ease the pain. This worked well for a while along with sitting on the lav with the shower head running over me (apparently this sitting posi encourages bubba down into the pelvic floor) - unfortunately I was by myself with Tracy on her way in but still in transit and DH still on his 24 hr curfew - I got freaked out. The pain was unbelievable and the intensity insane. I just kept thinking "I can't go through this for hours, OMG" - the midwife was off feeding a baby and doing ward stuff which she had to do ( I understood that) but by the time she came back I was really panicked and just kept saying "I can't do this" - my breathing and rocking rhythm had gone out the window
Around 6pm Tracy got there which was some comfort but I was a mess, I was already exhausted and unbelievably giddy, felt fevered and that I was going to be sick, just felt I had to lie down but couldn't - so intense - around 6:30 the midwife and Tracy walked me up the stairs to the labour rooms, with several contraction stops in the middle.
On the way up the hall the midwife has gone ahead and I stop Tracey and look her in the eyes to say "no really Trace, I just can't do this, I really just can't"
Like its going to stop!!!!
7pm gets there and sure enough DH arrives - by now I am laying on bed on my side - Annelle has given me the gas mask (upon my request) but I haven't used it as I can't even lift my head up by now, I'm just hanging on to the edge of the bed and chanting through the contractions.
I am now dilated to 8cm but have an anterior lip on the cervix so I'm being told not to push - very hard when your body wants to! - although I can't look up I just know DH is there "is that you" I say - yes he says and strokes my back - from there on was the first time that I could just breath through them without panicked talking and chants.
I feel I need to pee and am told to get up and go to the loo - my waters gushed out the minute I sat down followed immediately by another contraction, a bit different this time. Yep the anterior lip has come away.
Annelle gets me back to the bed, another pushing type contraction, she manages to get me up on the bed, another one, two or three more pushes and there he was (found out later my pushing time was three minutes!!!)
7:43 one Jacob Harry arrived into the world, cord around the neck, one hand on his face and the other fisted under his chin. (the cord slipped off easily)
Amazingly given his chosen entry position - no tears, just a couple of grazes. Immediate relief, all is forgiven and forgotten, my beautiful boy is here.
Straight to the breast, and within a minute or two having a good drink, not just a suckle but a good drink.
Just beautiful!!!
My goodness this birthing and baby brewing thing is truly a miracle :smiliedance:
And might I add - THANK YOU - to all of you gorgeous bub hubbers who have been with me every step of the way - through the mc's to here - THANK YOU
If you want to skip to the 'good' bit just go to the orange text ;)
The middle bit is blue and the pre-amble just plain old text :)
This pregnancy (unlike my first) was a long and hard haul. I had ms right through, bp averaging 80/40, low blood sugar levels, constant symphysis pubis dysfunction since 24 weeks and the rest....
(still loved the fact that I had a baby in the belly I should add)
Anyway at 33 weeks little man tried to escape, after monitoring at the local hospital I was flown down to Bris, medicated to stop contractions, injected with steroids to help bubba, and looked after brilliantly by fellow hubbubbers while away from home
At 35 weeks they let me come home. Between then and Monday just gone I had six seperate nights of distinct contractions, ten mins apart by the clock exactly - but they would go away again each time. Became very drained and frustrated at the here it comes, oh no its not etc.
Last Monday night same again but they got very close together although spasmodic - I knew this lot was more intense and had just been told that the 'show' I was waiting for had in fact happened already as I had been losing mucous steadily over the last two weeks it just didn't have the colour I thought it would.
Just for a spanner in the works DH had a serious vomiting bug and couldn't move without being sick so I had to do all the 'tasks', sort out the toddler and make arrangements to get to the hospital by myself, Murphy's Law!
Fortunately I work with a Doula named Tracey (not our Doula Tracie but coincidence I thought!) - so I called on her to come with me to the hospital
Once again it all settled itself down although definately still getting contractions and had been checked and was at 3-4cm dilated so settled in for the night and got all of one or two hrs sleep.
DH was told he could come in for the birth 24 hours after he was last sick which was 7pm Tue night.
Although I had been having contractions since 33 weeks AND had dilated to nearly 4cm's the local hospital had a policy of no inducement before term and this included a simple strip and stretch (where the midwife tries to strecth the cervix a little further to get things going) so I had to just sit and wait, and wait, and wait :(
Tues morning still had contractions periodicly but mild. So I told the midwife on duty that I was going to walk into town and have myself a mighty fine breakfast with a real cup of coffee. Which I did!
They got a bit stronger but alas 4pm comes and still no real change...until my heroine Annelle the super midwife comes on board!
First she explains the pro's and con's of each type of inducement ranging from strip and stretch through to gels on the cervix or breaking the waters.
I decide to go with the S and S - see if it works and go home if not to wait.
She does the s & s at about 4:30 and tells me to get on my hands and knees and make a hammock of my belly and each time that I have a contraction rock to get bubba from offside to run along the belly across my belly button.
By 5:30pm he has moved over, hardly any, just from his back running along my side to along the front.
Whammo the first 'full on' contraction happens, hmm I think, the next one 3 mins later is enough to make me drop the phone (to DH) and that was that - called the midwife in who told me to get under the shower to ease the pain. This worked well for a while along with sitting on the lav with the shower head running over me (apparently this sitting posi encourages bubba down into the pelvic floor) - unfortunately I was by myself with Tracy on her way in but still in transit and DH still on his 24 hr curfew - I got freaked out. The pain was unbelievable and the intensity insane. I just kept thinking "I can't go through this for hours, OMG" - the midwife was off feeding a baby and doing ward stuff which she had to do ( I understood that) but by the time she came back I was really panicked and just kept saying "I can't do this" - my breathing and rocking rhythm had gone out the window
Around 6pm Tracy got there which was some comfort but I was a mess, I was already exhausted and unbelievably giddy, felt fevered and that I was going to be sick, just felt I had to lie down but couldn't - so intense - around 6:30 the midwife and Tracy walked me up the stairs to the labour rooms, with several contraction stops in the middle.
On the way up the hall the midwife has gone ahead and I stop Tracey and look her in the eyes to say "no really Trace, I just can't do this, I really just can't"
Like its going to stop!!!!
7pm gets there and sure enough DH arrives - by now I am laying on bed on my side - Annelle has given me the gas mask (upon my request) but I haven't used it as I can't even lift my head up by now, I'm just hanging on to the edge of the bed and chanting through the contractions.
I am now dilated to 8cm but have an anterior lip on the cervix so I'm being told not to push - very hard when your body wants to! - although I can't look up I just know DH is there "is that you" I say - yes he says and strokes my back - from there on was the first time that I could just breath through them without panicked talking and chants.
I feel I need to pee and am told to get up and go to the loo - my waters gushed out the minute I sat down followed immediately by another contraction, a bit different this time. Yep the anterior lip has come away.
Annelle gets me back to the bed, another pushing type contraction, she manages to get me up on the bed, another one, two or three more pushes and there he was (found out later my pushing time was three minutes!!!)
7:43 one Jacob Harry arrived into the world, cord around the neck, one hand on his face and the other fisted under his chin. (the cord slipped off easily)
Amazingly given his chosen entry position - no tears, just a couple of grazes. Immediate relief, all is forgiven and forgotten, my beautiful boy is here.
Straight to the breast, and within a minute or two having a good drink, not just a suckle but a good drink.
Just beautiful!!!
My goodness this birthing and baby brewing thing is truly a miracle :smiliedance:
And might I add - THANK YOU - to all of you gorgeous bub hubbers who have been with me every step of the way - through the mc's to here - THANK YOU