ButterflyMama
09-05-2007, 10:31
After attending my 41-week appointment at the hospital to discuss induction methods and failing to get a later date, at 9 days overdue I reluctantly headed into the hospital to be induced by prostaglandin gel. My first dose was given at 10am, I was sent up to the Maternity ward and by 1pm I was experiencing mild contractions which progressed and got worse and by 4:30pm I headed back down to the Birth Suite. Upon checking to see how I was going it was found that I was 2cm dilated and I had my waters broken an hour later.
For the next 6 hours I was labouring with the support of my Mum and my amazing husband Chris, using hydrotherapy, listening and dancing to the radio, pelvic rocking, heat packs and an Opti-ball to help manage my pain. The pain was getting worse and worse, I was so exhausted. I tried using gas and air to help with the pain but it became ineffective due to the pain being so bad so after some thought I decided to have an epidural administered, after being checked I was 5cm dilated. Soon after I was hooked up to a Syntocin drip to make sure that the contractions continued and increased in intensity. The next few hours are quite blurry but it got to be around midnight and I was told by my midwife Leanne to start pushing. I pushed for 90 minutes without making any progression and it was then discovered that my baby was Occipital Posterior presentation which explained why I had gotten no where.
It was around 1:30am now; I was so exhausted, leaning against the head rest of the bed in between pushing with all my might to get my little girl out. Her heart-rate began to drop and she was showing signs of distress so Leanne decided to put a monitor on her head – she was that low, Leanne could touch her head. Every time her heart-rate dropped Chris would talk to her, saying “hello baby! We love you Squirt we’re gonna see you soon!” and each time he did this her heart rate would return to normal. Leanne was so fascinated that she called in another few midwives to watch Chris perform this little routine with his unborn daughter. Every time she dropped, he would chat to her and she would be OK again. We both think this has to do with the fact that Chris began talking to my belly when I was 4 weeks pregnant so our lil girl became very much accustomed and fond of his voice.
I kept pushing with every contraction, getting in about 3 huge pushes in each time – feeling as though my bottom was about to explode and desperately wanting to go to sleep and deliriously wanting someone else to give birth for me. Finally at about 2am it had gotten to a stage where I was so exhausted, crying my eyes out from doing so much physically but not making any progress – that an obstetrician was called in to help. We waited for about twenty minutes for her to arrive and as soon as she walked in the door I hit rock bottom – it was the same OB that I had the misfortune of getting a week previous when I had come into the hospital with suspected broken waters – the same OB who had done an internal examination on me without using any lubricant and then told me to “relax” when I was all stiff. But I was far too exhausted to dispute anything so I let it go.
After her telling me that she had just finished a 3 hour retraction and not to get a mess on her scrubs, it was decided by the OB that I was to have an assisted Ventouse delivery and an episiotomy; otherwise our little girl was not going to budge. I lay back devastated; Chris holding my hand, while my legs were positioned into stirrups and the OB performed the episiotomy and attached the suction cap of the Ventouse to my lil girl’s head.
After 3 huge pushes which seemed never ending, our daughter arrived into the world at 2:47am on Sunday the 29th April. Chris cut her cord. Upon being asked by a midwife of her name, Chris and I both looked at each other and said “Scarlett Neve”. She was taken straight over to the resusc-i-table where she was given a little bit of oxygen and was quickly examined by the paediatrician.
Soon after she was wrapped up and handed to Chris, who tried to place her on my chest but the OB would not allow it until she had finished suturing me. Every time I flinched she told me to “shut up” and “relax” and that the sooner I let her get on with her job, the sooner I could hold my baby. This process ended up taking close to 40 minutes. The midwives were walking around in the background in utter shock, muttering for her to hurry up. The OB didn’t allow enough time for the anaesthetic to kick in before she began stitching me up, so I felt every stitch go in. I tried not to flinch but it was very hard, I was overtired and just wanted my little girl in my arms. I was bleeding quite heavily and my uterus was not contracting down so while the OB palpated my stomach as though it was pizza dough on a kitchen bench, she also stuffed me with rags to stop the bleeding. I felt like a chicken being stuffed for a roast dinner.
Finally after what seemed like an eternity Chris handed me our little girl, placed her naked on my bare chest and I got to hold her against me, Chris sitting beside me in a chair holding my hand. We stayed like that for 3 hours until Scarlett was finally weighed and came in at a hefty 8lbs13oz, wrapped up, placed back into my arms and we were taken up to the maternity ward for some much needed rest and family cuddle time.
Overall it was definitely not the type of birth I had neither envisioned nor thought possible. I feel like I was robbed of critical bonding time with my daughter and I also felt like a victim of the public health system – not having much say in my choices at all and generally being treated like just another “job”.
Of course in the end it was all worth it and I would do it all over again if I had to, but the next time I give birth it’s going to be a very different experience.
10 days on, it still brings tears to my eyes when I think about what I had to experience. I’m looking forward to the day when I can talk about my birth without crying. However, I think it just goes to show that some of the hardest things you ever have to go through in life also hold the biggest rewards. Our little girl is absolutely precious, and we are both absolutely besotted.
I could not have gotten through any of it without my amazing husband Chris – who supported me throughout my entire pregnancy, was my rock during labour and remains the best Daddy ever to our daughter. I didn’t think I could possibly love him anymore but boy was I wrong, I’ve fallen in love with him all over again but on a totally new level. Thank you for our beautiful daughter Scarlett Neve, baby. She’s the best thing we’ve ever done.
Jessie
For the next 6 hours I was labouring with the support of my Mum and my amazing husband Chris, using hydrotherapy, listening and dancing to the radio, pelvic rocking, heat packs and an Opti-ball to help manage my pain. The pain was getting worse and worse, I was so exhausted. I tried using gas and air to help with the pain but it became ineffective due to the pain being so bad so after some thought I decided to have an epidural administered, after being checked I was 5cm dilated. Soon after I was hooked up to a Syntocin drip to make sure that the contractions continued and increased in intensity. The next few hours are quite blurry but it got to be around midnight and I was told by my midwife Leanne to start pushing. I pushed for 90 minutes without making any progression and it was then discovered that my baby was Occipital Posterior presentation which explained why I had gotten no where.
It was around 1:30am now; I was so exhausted, leaning against the head rest of the bed in between pushing with all my might to get my little girl out. Her heart-rate began to drop and she was showing signs of distress so Leanne decided to put a monitor on her head – she was that low, Leanne could touch her head. Every time her heart-rate dropped Chris would talk to her, saying “hello baby! We love you Squirt we’re gonna see you soon!” and each time he did this her heart rate would return to normal. Leanne was so fascinated that she called in another few midwives to watch Chris perform this little routine with his unborn daughter. Every time she dropped, he would chat to her and she would be OK again. We both think this has to do with the fact that Chris began talking to my belly when I was 4 weeks pregnant so our lil girl became very much accustomed and fond of his voice.
I kept pushing with every contraction, getting in about 3 huge pushes in each time – feeling as though my bottom was about to explode and desperately wanting to go to sleep and deliriously wanting someone else to give birth for me. Finally at about 2am it had gotten to a stage where I was so exhausted, crying my eyes out from doing so much physically but not making any progress – that an obstetrician was called in to help. We waited for about twenty minutes for her to arrive and as soon as she walked in the door I hit rock bottom – it was the same OB that I had the misfortune of getting a week previous when I had come into the hospital with suspected broken waters – the same OB who had done an internal examination on me without using any lubricant and then told me to “relax” when I was all stiff. But I was far too exhausted to dispute anything so I let it go.
After her telling me that she had just finished a 3 hour retraction and not to get a mess on her scrubs, it was decided by the OB that I was to have an assisted Ventouse delivery and an episiotomy; otherwise our little girl was not going to budge. I lay back devastated; Chris holding my hand, while my legs were positioned into stirrups and the OB performed the episiotomy and attached the suction cap of the Ventouse to my lil girl’s head.
After 3 huge pushes which seemed never ending, our daughter arrived into the world at 2:47am on Sunday the 29th April. Chris cut her cord. Upon being asked by a midwife of her name, Chris and I both looked at each other and said “Scarlett Neve”. She was taken straight over to the resusc-i-table where she was given a little bit of oxygen and was quickly examined by the paediatrician.
Soon after she was wrapped up and handed to Chris, who tried to place her on my chest but the OB would not allow it until she had finished suturing me. Every time I flinched she told me to “shut up” and “relax” and that the sooner I let her get on with her job, the sooner I could hold my baby. This process ended up taking close to 40 minutes. The midwives were walking around in the background in utter shock, muttering for her to hurry up. The OB didn’t allow enough time for the anaesthetic to kick in before she began stitching me up, so I felt every stitch go in. I tried not to flinch but it was very hard, I was overtired and just wanted my little girl in my arms. I was bleeding quite heavily and my uterus was not contracting down so while the OB palpated my stomach as though it was pizza dough on a kitchen bench, she also stuffed me with rags to stop the bleeding. I felt like a chicken being stuffed for a roast dinner.
Finally after what seemed like an eternity Chris handed me our little girl, placed her naked on my bare chest and I got to hold her against me, Chris sitting beside me in a chair holding my hand. We stayed like that for 3 hours until Scarlett was finally weighed and came in at a hefty 8lbs13oz, wrapped up, placed back into my arms and we were taken up to the maternity ward for some much needed rest and family cuddle time.
Overall it was definitely not the type of birth I had neither envisioned nor thought possible. I feel like I was robbed of critical bonding time with my daughter and I also felt like a victim of the public health system – not having much say in my choices at all and generally being treated like just another “job”.
Of course in the end it was all worth it and I would do it all over again if I had to, but the next time I give birth it’s going to be a very different experience.
10 days on, it still brings tears to my eyes when I think about what I had to experience. I’m looking forward to the day when I can talk about my birth without crying. However, I think it just goes to show that some of the hardest things you ever have to go through in life also hold the biggest rewards. Our little girl is absolutely precious, and we are both absolutely besotted.
I could not have gotten through any of it without my amazing husband Chris – who supported me throughout my entire pregnancy, was my rock during labour and remains the best Daddy ever to our daughter. I didn’t think I could possibly love him anymore but boy was I wrong, I’ve fallen in love with him all over again but on a totally new level. Thank you for our beautiful daughter Scarlett Neve, baby. She’s the best thing we’ve ever done.
Jessie