The Birth of Harlee Cynthia-Joy

**Asparagus and Lemons** · July 1st, 2010, 02:24 PM

Finally our birth story, I had to recap with dh so I could get all the fact right.. his hearing has only just come back

So it all began on Monday 28th June at 2am, I woke to go to the toilet, and I noticed a discharge of clear liquid, and a bit of blood, I thought YaY! its begining! I went back to bed and tried to sleep, but I was getting quite alot of braxton hicks.. well so I thought. I layed in bed, waiting for them to pass, they were every 9-12 mins, they did not go away. It was 3.30 am when I needed to pee again, so I got up and I had aLOT of blood down there, and a LOT of liquid. I'm starting to think its happening very quickly, the contractions were not getting closer, but much more painful, I could not sleep through them, So I lay in bed, annoying dh with my moans and groans while I was having them.
We got up at 4am as I was in too much pain and dh couldn't sleep anymore because I was too distracting.
We were thinking dh should not go to work, but when 7pm came, the contractions were still not closer so I sent him off and told him to keep his phone on him as I will call when they are closer and it was time to go to the hospital.
I called the midwives and they say to wait at home and come when they are 4mins apart, so I wait, but they are getting much more painful. I have 8 bowel movements throughout the day, I have no idea where all that poo came from! Dh comes home at 12 because he was worried about me because nobody was with me. Again we call the midwives and say the contractions are really strong and painful but are not getting closer, they tell us to come when they are closer. So we wait.. at about 5pm they become 5-10 mins apart, and I am not screaming through them. There is still lots of liquid and lots of blood coming out, I sit on the toilet and as I contract , liquid falls out.
We call midwives again and they tell me to get in the bath and stay there and see what happens. So I do that. I sat in there till it was pretty much ice cold, once I got out it was full of blood and bits of skin looking bits. icky.
Finally at about 11pm Monday night after calling them so many times, they tell us I can finally come in. Yay. I am contracting every 5 mins now. They sit me in the birth suite on the ctg machine, and they asses me. 2cm dialated The midwife says I either have a very large show, or it is a hind water leak. But she cannot be too sure. I was in alot of pain and really worn out. She gave me sleeping pills and pain killers and told me to go home for rest. Well I get home and *try* to sleep. I probably slept about an hour, inbetween the contractions. They were so painful, but I was so tired. I ended up laying awake and screaming through them. The neighbours light was on and I know I must have been keeping everybody in the town awake. So we went to hospital. The birth centre was full so they made us go to delivery suite in the main ward. They asses me and I am 3cm dialted. They say I really should go home as I am not dialated enough, I tell them I am NOT comfortable with that, as I am in way too much pain and the trip home is 40 mins which is too long if things speed up.
So they leave me in this room, I get checked up on only every hour, which I didnt mind, as they were busy, and I had dh with me so he could run out if I needed somebody.
At about 12.30 I am reassesed again. Only 4cm dialated. Really annoyed I was! So much pain but I had not gotten far. I worry that the pain is going to get heaps worse. By now I had lost my voice and I was yelling so hard still I sounded like a dying camel. (apparently!)
So then a younger lady comes in and starts asking me questions, my address blah blah blah. Very hard to answer her when the contractions were so painful. They were lasting 2 mins each and were still only 5 minutes apart. She told me that I can stay, but they are very busy and do need the bed so I somehow need to 'hurry up' I told her I am NOT leaving! I said if I were to have this baby in 2 hours, I would not make it back to hospital. She gets annoyed but finally gives me a hospital tag. She then offers me pain releif (finally!) as nobody had yet.. and I was very loud.. so in obvious pain. So I got the gas on half strength, it wasnt good enough so she pumped it up to almost full. I could still feel EVERYTHING but I just felt drunk, which did help a bit..
This lady was upset that I refused to go but that was her problem really.
They offer me food, yucky hospital food, I grab the jelly and have a tiny mouthful inbetween contractions.
5 mins later 'POP' and gush! I tell dh 'get the nurse! that was my waters!' So in comes the same nurse and she says 'WHAT!?' and dh says its my waters, so the nurse cleans it up and walks out. it is 2pm at this stage. I still havnt finished my jelly but I really want it, but the contractions are so close I did not have time to pick up the spoon between them. So dh sat on the bed while I was on all 4's and gave me a tiny bit when I had my 3 second break between the contractions.
I am screaming at the top of my lungs. I have never screamed so much! Nor did I realise I had such a voice! In comes a midwife from the birth centre. The contractions do not stop anymore, I feel as if it is just one massive one. The midwife says.. 'they can hear you way down the hall, you need to stop yelling, it is distracting the other ladies in the ward!' I want to kick her in the face but I cant move. Instead I cry and say sorry, and then I scream louder for her

The midwife asks me how far apart the contactions are and I can only say 'there not' and dh says, 'she has not stopped contracting' The midwife also tells me 'stop pushing, you will make it harder when you need to push.'
I try to not scream through a contraction and I throw up down the back of the bed. Midwife did not see that so it will be a nice suprise later for her.
Midwife says, well she's only 4cm so she should be getting breaks still. She then makes me lay on my back which was very painful and I kick her in the arm. She asses me.. as she is up there she says 'wow.. oh my goodness.. my golly.. etc' 'you are 9cm dialated, you can throw eggs in my face if you like, you can push now, baby is well and truely ready!'
I look at dh and he is in tears, I laugh during my contraction, very hard to do by the way. He says, 'I hate to see you in so much pain. Im sorry for this.' I give him a kiss. I actually felt sorry for him for a split second!

So I push, like my body had already tried to do. I could feel everything as the midwife had taken the gas off me..AND WALKED OUT. I felt the crowning of the head, it felt like I had half a poo hanging out, but it was the head, I say to dh, its coming its coming!! he has a look.. almost passes out but I tell him not to tell me how far out as I dont want to be dissapointed. But at this stage dh says the head was half out. I push for a while longer. The midwife comes back. She looks and says, you probably should take off your socks as they may get a tad wet. I say 'No! Worst pain, but I knew it was worth it. Then I had a massive push and from being half head out, out came our little baby.
I was on my knees and dh 'was' sitting next to me but had to jump up as I flooded the bed. The midwife passes our baby through my legs and I roll onto my back to hold her, she cried straight away for a tiny moment and then was interested in everything around her. Dh says 'what is it?!' (he is also in tears at this moment!) I say A GIRL!! I am so happy!
I have a 3rd degree tear and a graze. Midwife also gets frustrated with the blood that kept pouring out. She said it was about 800ml I lost.
They bring in a special doctor to stitch me up and that was painful. I give our little girl to dh and widwife takes her off him. I tell dh, 'go hold her, she needs you!'
I then went to the birth suite to rest, and we went home in the morning.
Harlee Cynthia-Joy (Cynthia-Joy being her grandmothers name)
8lb 1oz
51cm
Born at 3.50pm 29th of June (on her Uncles 18th Birthday!)
SUPER CUTE!

**~clover~** · July 1st, 2010, 03:27 PM

Congratulations. You did well for someone who was basically neglected!
Be proud of yourself

BTW - I love the name. I want to use Harlee, but DH won't give in! I wanted it weeks ago!

**Kel001** · July 1st, 2010, 03:35 PM

That is totally awesome - well done you!!
Gorgeous name! Enjoy your new baby cuddles

**Just Me** · July 1st, 2010, 03:38 PM

Wow ... what a story!!! You did incredibly well.

What a horrible experience though as far as the staff go. I feel very angry reading about the way that you were treated. How awful.

I hope you are enjoying your baby girl and having lots of cuddles.

Thanks for sharing your amazing birth story. Congratulations!

**human bean** · July 1st, 2010, 03:59 PM

Huge congratulations on the birth of your little girl, pity the hospital staff knocked some of the shine off such an amazing experience for you! Thanks for sharing and enjoy all those cuddles

**Cassius2** · July 1st, 2010, 04:40 PM

Congratulations on the arrival of Harlee!

what an amazing and long haul effort! you did so well despite all the (hospital!) odds! and YAY for your DH being so supportive and excited at that time too: so special! xx

diotima · July 1st, 2010, 05:08 PM

Absolutely - what an amazing effort. You and your DH made a great team. Congratulations on the safe arrival of your little girl!

smiles4u · July 1st, 2010, 06:21 PM

8lb 1oz
51cm
(on her uncles 18th birthday!)

..................... OMG poopie !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

............. here i am you P.I.G and your head is gonna spin when i tell you this but my DD was born on her Uncle's 18th Birthday too, and she was 51cm and she was 8lb (not the 1ounce )

... and i yelled like a banchee they had to remove the pregnant woman in the room next to me, my throat was sooooooo sore i almost couldn't speak too

poopie all i can say after your birth story is one thing " You ARE the real Wonderwoman "

**kristi14** · July 1st, 2010, 06:29 PM

You did an awesome job

The staff sound a bit undesirable though.

Well done and Congratulations

***Beema*** · July 1st, 2010, 09:49 PM

WTG poopie what a fabulous job you did

, and the hospital staff aurgghhhhh they made me angry

!!!!!
Congratulations on the safe arrival of Harlee

**chepie** · July 2nd, 2010, 10:12 AM

Congrats to you and Dh you did an amazing job!!! Welcome gorgeous girl..... sorry to hear about the terrible treatment you received from the hospital

**sas85** · July 5th, 2010, 01:00 PM

Well your hospital staff sound like a bunch of evil wenches who have forgotten that not everyone births as per their precious textbook and I too am mad reading about how unsupportive they were!! BUT you and your DH sound did SOOOOOO well and what a precious little girl, happy for all of you!