This pregnancy was a bit of a surprise. I had been feeling a little off in the mornings, got car sick whilst only driving in the city, so my Mum suggested I do a test. I didn't think there was any point because it was next to impossible that we could have conceived (guess that's why there is no 100% success in an contraception concept...). Well once again mother is always right....two pink lines!
We were currently living with my parents whilst renovating our house and planning on going overseas in the next couple of weeks. Talk about a busy nine months! I had morning sickness start while we were in Asia, but apart from that it was a pretty uneventful, text book start.
I did however start getting really bad pelvic pain as the pregnancy progressed. I started regular physio, but it just couldn't be fixed.
At 38 weeks my ob gave me an internal. I was 2 cm dilated. I felt ready to go. In fact, from about 36 weeks I was ready. It just felt like I was ready to pop. I'd been having Braxton hicks from 20 weeks, the baby was low, I was sure she was going to be like her sister and come early. He have me a stretch and sweep at my request and he's said he'll see me next week if not before (little did I know I'd hear that 2 more times...). I started losing some of my plug the next day, no bloody show, just plug.
At 39 weeks I requested another stretch and sweep just to move things along. Braxton hicks were getting more intense but no sign of a baby.
At 40 weeks I told him not to worry about another stretch and sweep because I figured the last two hadn't done anything. I was booked in for an induction at 41+1 weeks. I was petrified of being induced. I had such a fantastic birth with my first baby that I didn't want to end up on a drip and with an epidural. I tried practically every known natural induction method apart from ingesting castor oil (I did apply it externally though). We had extreme heat that week, which frustrated me to no end because I couldn't get out and walk as much as is wanted to. I booked in for two sessions of acupuncture to see if that could get things going. After my Monday appointment I was getting some decent contractions. By Monday night I was having contractions of mild intensity (but more than Braxton hicks) 10 min apart for about 3 hours and then they stopped. I was booked in for the induction Tuesday morning at 7.00am. I was sure determined to beat that appointment but little chicken had a different idea. Over night I had more contractions, but nothing regular.
The Birth
I had made peace with the induction and I woke up excited that today would be the day I would finally meet our little chicken. We arrived at 7.00 am to the hospital. In itself I found that a weird experience, going into the labour wars, not in labour. I got changed, sat on the bed and waited for my ob. The midwife (who was AMAZING) , took down all the necessary details and did my half hour of monitoring. My lovely ob arrived, made a joke about how I had told him so many times I wouldn't be needing this appointment, and did an internal. Well looks like the pain the night before wasn't for nothing, as I was a lovely 5cm dilated. I told him I thought I would go into labour naturally today anyway. He asked if I wanted to come back later then (as a joke. Dh said he nearly died though because he knew i would have taken it as an option lol).
Ob ruptured my membranes at 7.30am. It was just a small trickle, no big gush as he was hoping apparently the gush is what helps stimulate the uterus to start contracting. He said he had to go to his clinic appointments but he'd come back at lunch time if nothing had happened and discuss the next plan.
Breakfast was then bought in for dh and I. I was getting the occasional contraction but nothing that said "labour". After breakfast I had a random sneeze which pushed a bit more of the waters out. Midwife said I was free to move about and get things going. She hooked me up to the wireless monitoring system and I was free to walk around. At 9.00am the contractions started. 3 min apart. By 9.30am they were down to a minute apart. I actually really liked the monitoring system because it would indicate when the contractions as starting and the intensity of it. To me it was a bit like a Richter scale telling me of the earthquakes going on inside my belly.
The contractions were relentless and intense. I had to keep mentally chastising myself to not give up, keep going, you can take this pain. I said to dh after, it was the first time I even considered an epidural would be good. I kept walking, trying to groan through the pain. Breathe as best as I could to process each contraction. By 10.00 am I asked the midwife if she could get the gas machine ready in case I needed it. She got it out and also did an internal at my request. I was 7cm. To be honest, I actually felt deflated. The pain was so intense and encompassing I felt sure I was closer to pushing. I found that I felt more comfortable on my side on the bed at that point and she got me comfortable with pillows for support. After a few minutes though I knew I had to get back up and move.
I was constantly drinking water, which meant I had to use the bathroom a lot. I remember telling dh to warn me if a contraction was coming because I was in another room. I just remember it hitting me and having to deal with it on the toilet. When i came back in I said to him "you were supposed to warn me!!" He just said "sorry it came too quick so I figured it was too late". After that we had a system. That as soon as the "Richter scale" would increase to about 60 he would tell me to start the gas so that by the time it peaked at 130 it was blurring the lines a little for me.
I was now at the point where I was getting a slight pushing feeling with the contractions so I told my midwife and she contacted my ob. She checked me and she said I just had a small lip to go and it would be all ready.
My ob arrived in transition. It was a surreal feeling laying there on the bed, for the first time in the last hour+, not in pain, the ob on the end of the bed chatting to me about his morning. I remember thinking that he better not be waiting for a contraction to put his hands in. Well I was right. The contraction started and in he went. I kept my words to myself as he and the midwife started instructing me how to push.
This labour was so much more intense than my first. I felt out of control and didn't feel like I had the strength to push. I just wanted to yell in the pain. The midwife had removed the gas from me, which I realised after was so that I could focus on the job at hand. She was telling me to stop yelling and to focus my voice into the push. I remember her telling me to put my chin down and push into my bottom. She was the most fantastic coach for me. She was a voice of reason in my pain. My ob was helping guide my baby out. He then started telling me to give some little pushes and then finally a big push.
I heard him tell my dh to put his gloves on because he was going to deliver our baby. Next thing I hear is them telling me to reach down and get our baby as she was coming out. The relief as those little feet finally came out and I pulled her up onto my chest was amazing. I held her in my arms against me and thought of everything she had just been through too. It was 10.48am
Dh cut the cord and the placenta was birthed. We had our cuddles and looked at each other for ages.
Little chicken was then weighed and checked. My baby was a lovely 4.200 kg (no wonder I'd been having pelvic pain and it later found out had a 4 finger stomach separation.) She had to have a little bit of oxygen to clear her airways and then she was good to go.
She had a lovely feed on both sides. She was hungry and ready to go, none of this suckling business.
Dd1 came in to meet her little sister. She was smitten like both of us and has remained her biggest fan.
Details
Weight: 4.200 kg or 9 pound 4 oz
Length: 51cm
Head: 34.5 cm
Champion! Well done hun. Reminded me alot of how my induced second labour went. I was nodding along with you when you were explaining the whole richter scale explination, it's the only way I got through the peaks of the contractions too.
The Birth of Little_o's Little Chicken
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