Isabelle Saige’s Birth Story
On Tuesday the 29th of November, a week after my due date, I had an appointment with my Dr. Prior to this (on my actual due date, the 22nd) we had discussed how far I would be willing to go overdue as he knew I was (desperately) gunning for a spontaneous labour (even tho my induction with DS was amazing, I really wanted to experience a normal, natural labour). I had told him I was comfortable going 10 days over, after this I start to feel a bit paranoid about placentas failing and for my own piece of mind I’d happily have an induction than take my chances. He agreed (as they do) and that was that. I was booked in to be induced on Thursday Dec 1st at 7am – which ended up being 9 days overdue (whatever, too fat to argue at this point!) as my hospital was booked full of elective c-sections on the 2nd – and much to my horror, my poor nephews 1st birthday was this day and I felt a bit horrible raining all over his parade!
So the date was set. I was booked in, ready to go. Oh, and I was also 3cm dilated at this appointment as well, on my due date of the 22nd I was 2cm’s.
Wednesday arrived and I had pretty much lost all hope by then. I spent the entire day sulking on the lounge, poor DS was terribly neglected and dumped in front of the TV and I didn’t leave the house, which is pretty rare for us! I was in the best bad mood ever! I made tea, ate it brudgingly and went to bed early (need a good nights sleep when you know you’ll be spending the day in labour, right?) with an extremely wriggly bub in my belly, (another sure sign that I thought there was no way I was beating this induction). Wriggly bub ended up keeping me up for a good portion of the night, that was how active s/he was being, which was also doing wonders for my best bad mood ever!
I think it was just before midnight I had woken up again (thanks to wriggly bub) with the worst stomach ache ever and a serious need to dash to the loo. I only just made it, and it wasn’t pretty. So on top of being annoyed at having to be induced, not getting any sleep because of my wriggly bub I also thought I had eaten something that had po’ed my belly. Resulting in even less sleep for me! Gawsh, I was gonna be tired before the induction even started Thursday Morning!
I went back to bed, and sulked myself back to sleep.
Only to wake up at 1.42am to what felt like a thud on my cervix and a nice little “Braxton hick” contraction. I got up and went to pee and went back to bed.
1.52am, again. *thud* and a nice little BH. I got up and grabbed a drink of water, checked on DS and then jumped back into bed. I had been experiencing BH’s a lot through the end of pregnancy, mostly when laying down and relaxed and I thought if I got up and did a little something they’d go away, as they usually would.
2.02am *thud*. At this point I decided on another trip to the loo (yeah, I needed to go anyway) and discovered a big glob of mucous with blood streaks… I was still pretty heavily in denial, but I woke up hubby anyway and shared my findings (as you do!) and we laid in bed together and wondered if this was the beginning of labour or not. We decided that if I had another 2 more “contractions” that I’d call the hospital and see what they had to say.
Lo and behond, another 2 came and went. I was still pretty much in denial but called them anyway, explained my “findings”, the timing of these “contractions” and how long they were lasting for and if I should come in. The midwife I spoke to said it sounded like I was in labour, my findings were my show and to keep an eye on everything and come in when the “contractions” for 5 minutes apart and regular. No worries. So, I snuggled in for a night of even less sleep and called my mum to give her to heads up (she was my other support person for labour) that she may be required earlier than we thought!
So we sat in our bed, hubby and I and timed these contractions while I sat around and grumbled about how they were probably going to fizzle out any minute now and hubby started getting a bit excited.
Then they dropped down to 8 minutes apart… then 6… then hubby suggested that perhaps I should go get ready to get to the hospital and called my mum - who was over in a flash, but still managed to blow dry her hair and dress in decent clothes for the occasion!
I got in the shower (as suggested by DH in his “get ready for the hospital” plan, and bless him, he suggested that a shower may help the contractions be less painful) and discovered more mucous, and more blood. By this stage I was pretty well convinced that I just might be in labour.
Got dressed *contraction* grabbed my stuff *contraction* walked out the door and stood on the front veranda *contraction* and had a bit of a laugh at how I couldn’t walk while I was having them. It made the getting to the hospital process a little slower! By this time we had also totally lost the timing of how far apart these things were!
I think I ended up getting to the hospital at about 3am-ish. I had 3 contractions in the car (it’s a 10 minute drive to my hospital), one while I was waiting for the midwives to let me into the ward and then one down the hallway. Mum and I had another giggle about how I couldn’t walk while I had them (yes, I was laughing, I was in labour ON MY OWN!) and DH trotted ahead and took all my stuff to my room.
When we finally made it to my room it was suggested that I be monitored for 20 minutes, just to check how bubs was going, make sure s/he wasn’t stressed. It was basically the longest 20 minutes of my life. I was getting pretty jacked off that I couldn’t move around how I wanted and thankfully bubs was peachy keen, and the ctg was put away! I had a few more contractions, went to the loo (more blood and gooey stuff, yummo!) and was asked if I would like to have an internal. I am one of those people that is as curious as all hell to see how I progress so I said yes straight up. I had two contractions during that the midwife (Her name was Gemma) quickly stopped the examination for (bless her) But she said she needed a second opinion and asked me if I minded. She thought I felt about 6-7cm’s dilated but she was pretty sure she was wrong. I agreed and she went and fetched another middy.
Middy number 2 came (I don’t remember her name ) And checked, and straight up said I was 9cm’s and that I could basically start pushing this baby out any time now “BUT NOT IN THIS ROOM!” I don’t think I have ever been booted out of a room so fast. I was ushered down the hall way where I quite literally ran, in my singlet and knickers, toward the delivery room. N’yeah, we may have still been having a giggle at how quick this was all progressing!
Once then I started pacing around to get bubs to drop, I had absolutely no urge to push so we thought this might get it going (and boy was I right) I had a contraction and I could feel my waters bulging. Meanwhile Gemma and midwife # 2 are running around in the background like headless chooks getting things ready to catch my baby. I do vaguely recall a few “hang on’s we need to get XYZ before that baby comes!”
Next contraction I had to hang of DH, and I could really start to feel the urge to push.
Next contraction it was really there, and I hung off DH and I mentioned something about making sure I missed his shoes ^^;
Third contraction I was leaning against the bed and I couldn’t help it, baby was coming! And I let myself go. I felt baby start to come, and wrenched my knickers off – and then someone yelled “take off your undies” – already done love! I jumped up on the bed (I could have probably stayed standing, but I felt more comfortable on the bed, where baby would land on a mattress and not floorboards ) My body was in such a rush to get bubby out that I was told to breath and slow everything down by Gemma and push s l o w l y.
I felt the head crown, and pop out it was followed by shoulders with a little arm in the way (tsk tsk)
The next minute I knew, at 4:57am I had this little slimey baby girl land on me with a full head of jet black hair. DH shouted “and it’s a girl!” but I still had to check (I had a $50 bet on with him that we were baking another boy, he was adamant there was a girl in there because I had been a moody so and so the entire pregnancy (so he reckons ) and the little gem has been here before because she’s an old pro at breastfeeding.
I think the pushing stage only lasted about 5 minutes if it was lucky, and poor Isabelle Saige had been pushed down and out so quickly she was a little startled, and her poor chin was a little bruised but otherwise she was completely fine (and perfect) with an awesome set of lungs on her!
Despite how fast delivery was I had to tearing, just a graze thanks to little miss not keeping her hands out of the way. And after keeping us all waiting she ended up being in quite a hurry to start her little life on the outside.
So that is my birthstory. Hubby is yet again disappointed that I didn’t use gas and he couldn’t have a shot, and I am stoked that I got my spontaneous labour, which was all kinds of amazing <3
Oh, and I’m glad that it wasn’t me who ended up raining on my little nephews first birthday. He’s going to have to take that one up with his little cousin
Oh such a wonderful story and huge congratulations! So glad your little miss got to pick her own birthday, even if she took her own sweet time about it
YOU are all kinds of amazing Such a joyous birth story. Congrats on the spontaneous labour too! Nyanya to that induction. And welcome to your little DD. Loving this
The Birth of Isabelle Saige
) My body was in such a rush to get bubby out that I was told to breath and slow everything down by Gemma and push s l o w l y.
) and the little gem has been here before because she’s an old pro at breastfeeding.
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