Harvo
25-03-2007, 12:15 PM
Hi all,
Well being new here I thought I'd share Caitlin's birth story.
It started at about 2.30am one morning, eight days before my due date. Thinking it was just false labour, even though it really did hurt a lot, I didn't even bother to wake my husband. But about 1/2hr later realising that it may not be false labour I woke him up and we got up. But after no more contractions for 15 or so mins we went back to bed, only to get up again 1/2hr later. By now the contractions were lasting for almost a minute each and were about 5mins apart. I, however, was still in denial and still conviced it was just false labour. So we got out all our info sheets from prenatal classes and looked up labour. By 5.30am, still thinking they'd just send me home, my hubby rang the hospital and was told to come straight out. The contractions by now were a minute or more and barely 5mins apart.
The trip to the hospital, which is only about 10mins away took nearly 1/2hr because we had to pull over with every contraction. Up until that point both my husband and I had been joking around between contractions, and were both thinking wow this is ok. But once I got into the labour room it got worse. I was given gas to help, but it just made me vomit. So until the doctor came I just had to deal. I had always hoped to have a drug free labour but I just couldn't do it. By 8am, when to doctor finally arrived, I was getting pretty vocal with the pain, one midwife actually told me to be quiet which annoyed me but I just let it go. I was given a pethadine shot, which I didn't feel did much, but in hindsight realise it did take the 'peak' off the contaction.
By now I was 8cm, but my waters had yet to break. The doctor recommended to the midwives that they break them but I refused as in our prenatal classes we were told that once your waters break the pain intensifies ten fold, and often artificially breaking them is unnecessary. Finally at about 9.30am my waters broke naturally (though I was almost ready to let the midwives do it by this stage just to shut the one up that kept telling me it was for the best) and only 40 mins later little Caitlin came into the world with a hearty cry. Caitlin weighed 3130g and was absolutly perfect. :D
I needed no stitches and only had to stay in the hospital for three days.
On a side note, the second midwife who attended Caitlin's birth had actually been at our prenatal classes as well and came to see me later that day. She said she was so happy that I had not let them break my waters and thought I had been, whilst a little loud:o , very lucky with the entire labour and birth.
My husband stayed with me the entire time, just sitting where I could see him. For me this was perfect, he did exactly what I needed him to do and I am forever grateful to him for understanding I needed him to just let me do it.
If I could give any advice to expectant mums it would be to discuss all your options with your support person in detail, because it is not always easy to say no to the doctors and midwives when you are in labour so you may need your support person to do it for you. Make sure that your support person understands what you feel you are going to need of them and make them understand that no matter what they are helping you just by being there with you.
Well being new here I thought I'd share Caitlin's birth story.
It started at about 2.30am one morning, eight days before my due date. Thinking it was just false labour, even though it really did hurt a lot, I didn't even bother to wake my husband. But about 1/2hr later realising that it may not be false labour I woke him up and we got up. But after no more contractions for 15 or so mins we went back to bed, only to get up again 1/2hr later. By now the contractions were lasting for almost a minute each and were about 5mins apart. I, however, was still in denial and still conviced it was just false labour. So we got out all our info sheets from prenatal classes and looked up labour. By 5.30am, still thinking they'd just send me home, my hubby rang the hospital and was told to come straight out. The contractions by now were a minute or more and barely 5mins apart.
The trip to the hospital, which is only about 10mins away took nearly 1/2hr because we had to pull over with every contraction. Up until that point both my husband and I had been joking around between contractions, and were both thinking wow this is ok. But once I got into the labour room it got worse. I was given gas to help, but it just made me vomit. So until the doctor came I just had to deal. I had always hoped to have a drug free labour but I just couldn't do it. By 8am, when to doctor finally arrived, I was getting pretty vocal with the pain, one midwife actually told me to be quiet which annoyed me but I just let it go. I was given a pethadine shot, which I didn't feel did much, but in hindsight realise it did take the 'peak' off the contaction.
By now I was 8cm, but my waters had yet to break. The doctor recommended to the midwives that they break them but I refused as in our prenatal classes we were told that once your waters break the pain intensifies ten fold, and often artificially breaking them is unnecessary. Finally at about 9.30am my waters broke naturally (though I was almost ready to let the midwives do it by this stage just to shut the one up that kept telling me it was for the best) and only 40 mins later little Caitlin came into the world with a hearty cry. Caitlin weighed 3130g and was absolutly perfect. :D
I needed no stitches and only had to stay in the hospital for three days.
On a side note, the second midwife who attended Caitlin's birth had actually been at our prenatal classes as well and came to see me later that day. She said she was so happy that I had not let them break my waters and thought I had been, whilst a little loud:o , very lucky with the entire labour and birth.
My husband stayed with me the entire time, just sitting where I could see him. For me this was perfect, he did exactly what I needed him to do and I am forever grateful to him for understanding I needed him to just let me do it.
If I could give any advice to expectant mums it would be to discuss all your options with your support person in detail, because it is not always easy to say no to the doctors and midwives when you are in labour so you may need your support person to do it for you. Make sure that your support person understands what you feel you are going to need of them and make them understand that no matter what they are helping you just by being there with you.