Jackeroos Grand Entrance (Gel, drips and ceasers galore!)

[Michelle_N]

Well this is my birth story. I have been looking at this thread for a while and now seems like a good time to write about what happened.

I was 41 weeks, 1 week overdue, and had to go into hospital to have the gel put in to help start labour. So in I go on Tuesday 5.00pm and the insert the gel. Nothing really much was happening so DP went home at about 11.30. I settled into bed hoping to get some rest when I started getting contractions. The midwide did say that if I started to feel some pain that I just needed to buzz her and she would give me some panadol...so I did and she did but it didnt really do anything for me. At about 3.30am the contractions was getting stronger and the midwife moved me to the birthing suite and called DP to come in.

I was maybe getting contractions every 15mins and they were becoming painful enough that I thought I better get on the gas. DP and I lay in the bed taking breaths of gas and having a blast. It was a really fun couple of hours (in between contractions) where we just giggled and tried to relax.

The midwives kept hooking me up to the machine to make sure Jack was ok.

Then at 8.00am the doc came in and checked and I was only 1cm dialated (after all night!!!) so he said he would come and check in another couple of hours to see how things went. (And boy when they do those checks its bloody painful!)

So at 10amish the doc checked again and I was only 2cm dialated. The doc said if I havent moved any further by lunchtime I will need to go on the drip and he will break my waters.

At 12pmish they checked again and I was still only 2cms, in pain but not too bad. As in, I could cope through the pain fine by walking, sitting on the ball, etc. They then broke my waters and the doc said he would let me go for another hour to see if that would move anything....and it didnt.

So at 1.00pm they put the drip in and about half an hour later the labour ramped up.....and my god the contractions were horrific. They HUUUUUURRRRRT! I tried the pethadine as I was in so much pain and that only worked for about half an hour and the contractions were getting worse and worse. I was contracting for 1 minute every 30 seconds. So after about an hour I called for the epidural. Originally I didnt want an epi or the peth but its funny what you do when you are in pain.

Problem was the anathesiologist (sp?) was not available so I had to wait another 4 hours in excrutiating pain until the called another one in from another hospital.

So the put the epi in by 6pm and the doc came in and checked and I was only 4cms dialated after all that. By that stage the doc said we could let you go another 24 hours but the baby is starting to get distressed and we cant guarantee that in 24 hours you will be fully dialated. So I had to have a ceaser and had to go to theater.

When the midwives were transferring me from the bed to the trolley one of the pulled out the epi and once its out you cant put it back in so I was told I was going to need a spinal block.

In theater they gave me the block (same as an epi but it completely blocks out all feelign whereas an epi can still give you some feeling if you lessen the dosage as its in a constant drip and a clock is one injection straight in the spine).

One the block had been injected they lowered me back on the bed and as I am lying there I was starting to find it harder and harder to breath. They put a mask on and I am saying to the doc,"I cant breath" and he is like "You will be fine, you can breath but cant feel it because of the block". But I just couldnt breath. I looked at me DP who was on the other side and gasped out , "I cant breath" and that is the last I remember of my ceaser.

Usually my DP takes over the story now but I have heard it a few times so I have the gist of it.

I passed out and stopped breathing. The machines that I was hooked up to started the flatline beeeeeeeeeeep and they ushered DP down to my belly to look at them take Jack out while the put a tube down my throat and started bagging me. The when Jack as out (its so quick apparently) the took DP and Jack outside whilst they worked on me for about 40mins and then they wheeled me out. I was groggy and had no idea what had happened, just that I couldnt breath and all of a sudden I had a baby.

I asked my doc what had happened and he said that there was too much epi and spinal block in my spinal column and when they lay me flat teh drug travelled too far and stopped my lungs from working. He never went as far to say if I died or not, just saying, "lets not think about that and concentrate on the birth of your boy".

It does make be sad that I never witnessed the birth of my son and spent that first hour with him and my DP and giving him his first feed which they say is so important.

But I guess I am alive and my beautiful Jackeroo is perfect!

So thats my story....next one will be a planned ceaser. I aint mucking about with a 23 hour labour and 4 hours of it in hellish pain.

But if anyone reads this and they are going to give birth soon please dont let this freak you out. Millions of women do this daily and as hard and painful as it can be you do forget. Hell its only been 6 months and I cant wait for another. And labour does hurt but if you break a leg it hurts too...just a different pain. But if you can do this.....you can do anything!

Cheers

Michelle

[Oscar's mum]

OMG what a horrible experience you had. I see it hasn't put you off having another bub, so I think you are an amazing person.

[Michelle_N]

Thank you but I think we are all amazing (corny but true!). They say birth is a natural experience but it aint pleasant and to think that we make these little miracles. It blows my mind!!

But its true we are all amazing!

Michelle

[Pixie]

Wow slow, slow eh kept thinking you were dilating and nope lol

I am sooo glad I am not getting an epi!!
thanks for sharing!

[Oscar's mum]

Originally Posted by MichelleNowakowski

Thank you but I think we are all amazing (corny but true!). They say birth is a natural experience but it aint pleasant and to think that we make these little miracles. It blows my mind!!

But its true we are all amazing!

Michelle

Not corny at all, very sweet.

[reAllytee]

Wow what an entrance !
I dont remember much towards the end of my bubs birth as i wasnt well at all & even after he was born i kept passing out so my partner held bubs most of the time. Its ok though they bonded which was great but bubs is still a mamma's boy !
My story was nowhere near as harrowing as yours so well done to you mamma !!
Your an amazing lady & strong to boot !

[Trix]

Wow Michelle, that is crazy!!

I'm so glad it all worked out in the end and you and beautiful baby are doing great.

How was your DP during all this?? He must have been absolutely terrified, what an awful experience for him to go through. He would have been torn between worrying about you and seeing your new baby. Did he ever tell you about those moments?

Just unbelievable. Its moments like this that would make you appreciate your partner so much!!

[Michelle_N]

Thanks everyone for your kind words. I think the whole thing pregnancy. labour and birth can be a hugely harrowing experience for everyone - even if lots of bad things dont happen. Like its meant to be this wonderful life affirming experience but why the hell does it have to hurt so much!

But Trix, yes DP did have a horrible time as as he was waiting the 40 mins for me to get out of theatre, holding DS and thinking that I was either dead or dying as noone would tell him what was going on.

A couple of weeks after we were home he broke down (and would kill me if he knew I was telling everyone this) and cried. It was really really hard for him...the whole thing was as during labour I was in so much pain for so long and he couldnt help me and then the ceaser experience! Well one thing is for certain we are closer then ever before. He is an amazing man....I guess one day I will have to marry him!

Michelle