Our little boy Dylan was conceived on our honeymoon and apart from initial morning sickness, or rather, ‘all day sickness’ My pregnancy was uneventful. I guess because my pregnancy was so easy, I expected to fulfil my wishes of a calm, stress free, drug free birth. Yeah right!
I had a bag of goodies packed ready for labour and waited patiently for the big day to arrive. As events turned out I didn’t end up need any of my carefully packed items!
At 41 weeks, and having suffered from a bout of -gastro’ and then flu in the 2 weeks previous, my obstetrician decided to induce me and I was booked into hospital for the following morning.
My husband and I went home, excited that our little one was going to definitely be born the next day. Trying to heed my doctor’s advice, I tried to get some sleep but was far too excited! Inducement was not something I wanted, but at 41 weeks I was just glad for it all to be over and to meet my baby at last.
We arrived at the hospital the next morning at 6:30am and we headed up to the labour ward. At 7am my obstetrician arrived and applied the gel for inducement. Minor contractions had started within 30 minutes.
Dylan is on his way
At 11am I was in a fair bit of pain and we relocated to the birthing suite. I was offered some gas which I readily accepted but didn’t find useful.
My midwife examined me at around 11am and found me to be only 2cm dilated — the same as when I had arrived that morning. She rang my obstetrician and decided that at 12pm my waters would be broken.
With my husband Ben helping, my waters were broken, the colour greenish. Both Ben and I started to worry as the midwife told us she was attaching a trace to our baby’s head as he had done a poo and was in distress.
The contractions were suddenly intense and when pethidine was offered, all memories of a planned drug free birth were long forgotten. In hind sight I wish I had not accepted the pethidine as it didn’t dull the pain and I had problems thinking clearly.
After a further examination at 1:30pm, I still hadn’t dilated and my baby was clearly in distress, his heart rate dropping frequently. My obstetrician decided to perform an emergency caesarean and by 2pm I was being prepped for theatre.
In my pre-natal class, I had listed having a Caesarean as a ‘worst possible scenario’ for the birth, and that I would be ‘very upset’ if this was to occur. During the operation however, I was surprisingly relieved that my It would all be over soon. My obstetrician told me that my labour would not have progressed as my baby’s head had become stuck.
With my husband Ben on one side holding my hand and the anaesthetist on the other stroking my hair, my son Dylan James Raymond Parton was born at 2:08pm weighing a healthy 8 pounds, 2 ounces. Daddy snuck in the first cuddle whilst I was being stitched up.
My ‘ideal’ birth didn’t go to plan, but I sure am thankful that our beautiful little boy arrived safely.
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