becca74
04-09-2006, 15:13
My first baby was born in the UK.
I had a pretty straightforward pregnancy with my first, we found out we were having a boy pretty early on, and he was named Jak (which is short for Jakob) straight away. I attended ante-natal classes, and I bought a book about pregnancy, as I was obsessed with following his growth in my my womb from month to month. I just was not really interested in reading up about labour. I figured, he was going to come out eventually, and as I came from good 'child rearing stock' with no history of c/sections, I avoided the c/section chapter in my pregnancy book as I thought this might jinx me! I learnt about the different pain medications in my ante-natal classes, and decided that I would just go with the gas, and avoid all else as I wanted to avoid the negative effects it could have on me and my baby.
I had a show on the morning of his edd. this boy is a virgo, so I'm not surprised he came on schedule! I couldnt quite believe this was it, and my DH went off to work, I went off to hospital with my best friend, expecting to be sent home, even though contractions were regular and about 10 mins apart. got to hospital and had a VE, we were surprised to find out I was 4-5 cm dilated. This had been easy so far! I was offered the gas. At first I said I didnt need it, and then was encouraged by the hospy staff that I might as well have it, it doesnt hurt - so I giggled and had some. It was the funniest thing ever, and tho i didnt reallly need it, I used it for a laugh :laughing: . Soon DH arrived, and things started to get going. We were in pretty good spirits, but by about 7cm dilation, I was needing the gas, and sucked on it quite eagerly. I was getting back pain now, and after examination, the midwife got me to lean over the bed head as she'd discovered Jak was posterior. (in retrospect I now understand that this was obviously from slouching at my desk at work for my entire pregnancy! noone had explained optimal foetal positioning (OFP) to me during my pregancy, I wish they had!) (for more info on OFP, click here: http://www.spinningbabies.com/BellyMapping.html)
Suddenly the gas didnt seem to be working - it wasnt, I'd run out! and I'd simultaneously hit transition, as I was told I was fully dilated. this is when all hell broke loose! I was in immense pain. I honestly thought I was dying, it was so intense. They sought out more gas, but I, in the mean time, turned into raging wild amazonian woman/screaming banshee. My DH was in tears, my best friend was in tears, they were totally freaked out! (I feel guilty - my best friend went on to have her babies a couple of years later, and opted for elective c/secs because of the ordeal she witnessed me have - I have lost contact with her, and wish I could share my better birth experiences with her, as it really doesnt have to be that bad, I have now discovered!). I got so enraged, that as well as 'f-ing and blinding' with the most foul mouth you've ever witnessed, I thrashed about and kicked off the back of the hospital bed frame, and it shot off and smashed into the opposite wall! the bed was now on an angle on the floor. I think by now the obstetrician had had enough of me and my psycho behaviour, and he and the midwife started heated discussions about whether I should be just taken in for a c/section and be done with it. This midwife knew I wanted a vb, even though I hadnt gone to any lengths to stress it, she still knew it was my preference, so really fought my corner. my hospital bed was propped back up, and she got me to try pushing with the contractions. This only served to break my waters, and she kept checking, but he was still really high because he was posterior and trying to turn. She then began heated discussions with the Ob about possibly using the ventouse. He was only going to allow me 2 hours to push out bubs, and after that it was c/section. My midwife managed to buy me an extra 45 mins of pushing time, whilst still trying to argue using the ventouse to turn Jak, but the Ob won in the end.
I was getting very strong pushing urges as they wheeled me into the operating theatre. I was being told not to push, but I was getting a strong reflex to do so. I think I could feel him moving a bit. I was given a spinal block because they wanted to be quick, and I have to say, the relief was a guilty pleasure. Wow, I was going to have a baby and not feel the pain. I felt a bit like I was cheating now.
The operating theatre was dark, except for the giant light that was shining on where they were going to open me up. they had a music mix tape on, filled with cheesy lovey dovey songs. they were all silent, just whispering softly to me what was happening. DH was by my side. It was amazing at how quick it was. I could feel alot of tugging, like having giant tooth pulled from my pelvis. He'd gotten well stuck with all my pushing efforts. Out he was pulled, screaming his head off, with a cone head from his attempts at moving down my birth canal. After a few minutes they wrapped him up, and they laid him across my chest. It wasnt skin to skin, but I was holding my new baby, and all I could do was whisper 'precious.....precious....' over and over..... the song on the mix tape he was born to was Martine McCutcheon's "Perfect Moment"......never thought I'd love a cheesy song so much!!
After about 10 minutes, my DH and Jak were taken into the recovery room to wait for me to be stitched up. The Ob and midwife all were so positive and encouraging to me, keeping me aware of what was going on. I 'rested' for the 20 mins it took until I too was wheeled into recovery. Immediately upon arrival, Jak was handed straight to me. I cooed over him a bit for a few minutes, then asked the recovery nurse "when do I give him his first feed?" "Whenever you want,he's your baby" she smiled and said. So I immediately latched him on, and he took to it like he'd been breastfeeding forever. After about an hour, I was wheeled down to the maternity ward, cuddling my little bubs. The midwife and nurse both said to me "dont worry, you will do it naturally next time if you want". And with that, I never felt any disappointment at ending up with a c/section, and felt it was merely a hitch in my birthing journeys.
I slept with him in my bed, as it was too difficult to move around for the first 24 hours....and during our first night in the hospital, I bent my knees and made a cradle between my legs. he slept there, and I would reach down and pull him up to me to feed. The midwives thought this was the cutest thing they'd ever seen....
After a day, I got alot of pain, and the maternity ward was busier. My best friend had to plead a few times for me to have painkillers, but I was on a schedule, and wasnt due them for a couple of hours. She stayed and watched Jak whilst I slept for about 2 hours.
I was up and about no trouble, just bent over and trying not to laugh! I struggled with breastfeeding on about the 2nd night, as I was utterly exhausted, and I developed a cracked nipple which made b/feeding painful for about a month. But the stubborn cow I am, I persisted, and went onto b/feed him for a year, before he decided he didnt want anymore.
My mum flew over from Israel for the first week I was home to help me, and then when she left, my grandmother flew over from Australia to spend 6 weeks with me. I couldnt have coped without them!
All in all, this ceasarean experience was made as positive as possible for me. In retrospect, i wish I'd taken more interest in childbirth, and learnt about it, and got myself informed. I may have avoided that caesarean altogether, especially If I'd known about OFP! As it was, I literally went into it blind, and believed my birth experience was something I was going to be a 'victim' to no matter what. I have since learnt that this is not the case......;)
I had a pretty straightforward pregnancy with my first, we found out we were having a boy pretty early on, and he was named Jak (which is short for Jakob) straight away. I attended ante-natal classes, and I bought a book about pregnancy, as I was obsessed with following his growth in my my womb from month to month. I just was not really interested in reading up about labour. I figured, he was going to come out eventually, and as I came from good 'child rearing stock' with no history of c/sections, I avoided the c/section chapter in my pregnancy book as I thought this might jinx me! I learnt about the different pain medications in my ante-natal classes, and decided that I would just go with the gas, and avoid all else as I wanted to avoid the negative effects it could have on me and my baby.
I had a show on the morning of his edd. this boy is a virgo, so I'm not surprised he came on schedule! I couldnt quite believe this was it, and my DH went off to work, I went off to hospital with my best friend, expecting to be sent home, even though contractions were regular and about 10 mins apart. got to hospital and had a VE, we were surprised to find out I was 4-5 cm dilated. This had been easy so far! I was offered the gas. At first I said I didnt need it, and then was encouraged by the hospy staff that I might as well have it, it doesnt hurt - so I giggled and had some. It was the funniest thing ever, and tho i didnt reallly need it, I used it for a laugh :laughing: . Soon DH arrived, and things started to get going. We were in pretty good spirits, but by about 7cm dilation, I was needing the gas, and sucked on it quite eagerly. I was getting back pain now, and after examination, the midwife got me to lean over the bed head as she'd discovered Jak was posterior. (in retrospect I now understand that this was obviously from slouching at my desk at work for my entire pregnancy! noone had explained optimal foetal positioning (OFP) to me during my pregancy, I wish they had!) (for more info on OFP, click here: http://www.spinningbabies.com/BellyMapping.html)
Suddenly the gas didnt seem to be working - it wasnt, I'd run out! and I'd simultaneously hit transition, as I was told I was fully dilated. this is when all hell broke loose! I was in immense pain. I honestly thought I was dying, it was so intense. They sought out more gas, but I, in the mean time, turned into raging wild amazonian woman/screaming banshee. My DH was in tears, my best friend was in tears, they were totally freaked out! (I feel guilty - my best friend went on to have her babies a couple of years later, and opted for elective c/secs because of the ordeal she witnessed me have - I have lost contact with her, and wish I could share my better birth experiences with her, as it really doesnt have to be that bad, I have now discovered!). I got so enraged, that as well as 'f-ing and blinding' with the most foul mouth you've ever witnessed, I thrashed about and kicked off the back of the hospital bed frame, and it shot off and smashed into the opposite wall! the bed was now on an angle on the floor. I think by now the obstetrician had had enough of me and my psycho behaviour, and he and the midwife started heated discussions about whether I should be just taken in for a c/section and be done with it. This midwife knew I wanted a vb, even though I hadnt gone to any lengths to stress it, she still knew it was my preference, so really fought my corner. my hospital bed was propped back up, and she got me to try pushing with the contractions. This only served to break my waters, and she kept checking, but he was still really high because he was posterior and trying to turn. She then began heated discussions with the Ob about possibly using the ventouse. He was only going to allow me 2 hours to push out bubs, and after that it was c/section. My midwife managed to buy me an extra 45 mins of pushing time, whilst still trying to argue using the ventouse to turn Jak, but the Ob won in the end.
I was getting very strong pushing urges as they wheeled me into the operating theatre. I was being told not to push, but I was getting a strong reflex to do so. I think I could feel him moving a bit. I was given a spinal block because they wanted to be quick, and I have to say, the relief was a guilty pleasure. Wow, I was going to have a baby and not feel the pain. I felt a bit like I was cheating now.
The operating theatre was dark, except for the giant light that was shining on where they were going to open me up. they had a music mix tape on, filled with cheesy lovey dovey songs. they were all silent, just whispering softly to me what was happening. DH was by my side. It was amazing at how quick it was. I could feel alot of tugging, like having giant tooth pulled from my pelvis. He'd gotten well stuck with all my pushing efforts. Out he was pulled, screaming his head off, with a cone head from his attempts at moving down my birth canal. After a few minutes they wrapped him up, and they laid him across my chest. It wasnt skin to skin, but I was holding my new baby, and all I could do was whisper 'precious.....precious....' over and over..... the song on the mix tape he was born to was Martine McCutcheon's "Perfect Moment"......never thought I'd love a cheesy song so much!!
After about 10 minutes, my DH and Jak were taken into the recovery room to wait for me to be stitched up. The Ob and midwife all were so positive and encouraging to me, keeping me aware of what was going on. I 'rested' for the 20 mins it took until I too was wheeled into recovery. Immediately upon arrival, Jak was handed straight to me. I cooed over him a bit for a few minutes, then asked the recovery nurse "when do I give him his first feed?" "Whenever you want,he's your baby" she smiled and said. So I immediately latched him on, and he took to it like he'd been breastfeeding forever. After about an hour, I was wheeled down to the maternity ward, cuddling my little bubs. The midwife and nurse both said to me "dont worry, you will do it naturally next time if you want". And with that, I never felt any disappointment at ending up with a c/section, and felt it was merely a hitch in my birthing journeys.
I slept with him in my bed, as it was too difficult to move around for the first 24 hours....and during our first night in the hospital, I bent my knees and made a cradle between my legs. he slept there, and I would reach down and pull him up to me to feed. The midwives thought this was the cutest thing they'd ever seen....
After a day, I got alot of pain, and the maternity ward was busier. My best friend had to plead a few times for me to have painkillers, but I was on a schedule, and wasnt due them for a couple of hours. She stayed and watched Jak whilst I slept for about 2 hours.
I was up and about no trouble, just bent over and trying not to laugh! I struggled with breastfeeding on about the 2nd night, as I was utterly exhausted, and I developed a cracked nipple which made b/feeding painful for about a month. But the stubborn cow I am, I persisted, and went onto b/feed him for a year, before he decided he didnt want anymore.
My mum flew over from Israel for the first week I was home to help me, and then when she left, my grandmother flew over from Australia to spend 6 weeks with me. I couldnt have coped without them!
All in all, this ceasarean experience was made as positive as possible for me. In retrospect, i wish I'd taken more interest in childbirth, and learnt about it, and got myself informed. I may have avoided that caesarean altogether, especially If I'd known about OFP! As it was, I literally went into it blind, and believed my birth experience was something I was going to be a 'victim' to no matter what. I have since learnt that this is not the case......;)