The birth of my little boy

[AliBaby]

I was so excited to find out that I was pregnant. I had craved being a mummy to another child and knew I had more love to give.

My pregnancy was smooth. No complications. Just terrible morning sickness that hit me on and off throughout the entire pregnancy.

As it got closer to the due date, we found out we had to move. I was so stressed but in hindsight, it was a great way to de-clutter, nest and keep busy during the last few weeks of pregnancy.

40 weeks came and went. 41 weeks came and went. Finally at 9 days overdue, I went in to hospital for monitoring and for them to talk induction dates to me. I wanted to meet my little boy so much but knew I wanted to give him a chance at coming on his own (after all DD was 13 days late and came on her own). The hospital agreed as everything was fine. I was booked in for an induction for 42 weeks. Little did I know, that the ‘pains’ I had been feeling were going to ramp up and turn into labour pretty quickly.

I went home and did a few jobs around the house. I sat down to watch tv and noticed that the pains (like period pain) were sticking around. By midnight they were 10 minutes apart but I could still sit down through them. I thought to myself, this baby is coming tomorrow. How exciting. I decided to go to bed as I knew I would need some sleep. DH was on night/morning shift so I texted him that he may be coming home from work early tomorrow but not to come home straight away as things could still be a fair way off and that I was going to bed to get some sleep. My first mistake right there!!!

I went to bed and realised that more than 10 minutes had passed and no contraction had happened. Oh well. I was use to waiting. What was another day?

Much to my surprise, another 10 minutes after that, I felt another contraction! Then by about 2am, I could no longer lie down through the contractions and they were back to 9-10 minutes apart. I started walking around the house. I don’t know why, but I didn’t call DH straight away. I guess I thought I still had lots of time. I didn’t want him to come home for no reason and then things fizzle out.

I continued to labour at home. My 4 year old DD soon woke up and asked me what was wrong (as she could hear me moaning and breathing through contractions). I told her (with a big smile on my face) that I was getting pains, but they were good pains as it means that her baby brother would be born tomorrow. Her face lit up and I could see her excitement. My gorgeous little girl then told me that I could just have some medicine and my pains would go away. Bless.

She followed me around for a little while and wanted to use my phone to press the button when contractions started and finished. I let her do this for a while and then she got a bit bored and told me she was going to watch tv. She put a Peppa Pig DVD on all by herself and I continued to labour away leaning over different surfaces moaning and groaning whilst timing contractions. Suddenly I realised that things were getting a move on! They were 5 minutes apart at 3:30am. Things were progressing quicker than I thought. At 4am I vomited uncontrollably. Now I was scared. Really scared. I knew from this baby was not far off entering the world.

I called hubby and told him to come home ASAP as things had progressed really quickly and I didn’t want to be alone anymore. DH was still over an hours drive from home so I decided to call mum (by this stage it was about 4:20am). I didn’t want to be alone anymore and thought if I had my mum with me until hubby got home, I would be okay. She was going to be coming over to look after Ash anyway. I gave her a call and told her to come.

Things were really painful now and contractions were all of a sudden 3 minutes apart. I knew I wouldn’t be able to wait for hubby to drive me to hospital now. Panic! I decided to call mum back and tell her to bring dad. This was at 4:30am. I needed him to drive me to hospital ASAP.

Mum and Dad arrived at 4:45am and I jumped into the car with dad while mum stayed with Ash. Mum called hubby and told him to meet us at the hospital and for him to drive straight there. Contractions were now 2 minutes apart. Poor dad. His daughter screaming in the front seat of the car as contractions hit, almost one after the other. He was holding my hand, speeding down the freeway telling me we were almost there and to just hang on (I think he thought I was going to have the baby on the side of the road)!

We arrived at the hospital at 5:15am. I was admitted straight away and went straight into one of the birthing suites. My midwife Cassie wanted to do an exam to see where I was at. I was happy to have it as I needed to know where I was at. I was 6 cm. Okay that is good, but things were so painful, more painful than what I remember with my first birth. Hubby arrived 10 minutes later. Yes! He made it! Dad went home after the midwife told him, it is usually a cm an hour so she thought the baby might be born around lunchtime.

I decided to hop in the shower. That worked so well with DD’s birth and I wanted the hot water for pain relief. It wasn’t working. It was hurting so much.

Cassie offered to fill up the bath and asked me if I would like to try that. I didn’t know what I wanted. I didn’t know if it would work but decided to give it a go as if it didn’t work, I could always get out. The bath was run and I got in. I lasted in the bath for about 4 or 5 contractions in there and just screamed that I couldn’t handle it anymore. I was now screaming for an epidural! I kept telling my husband and Cassie that I couldn’t do it and I needed the epidural NOW!

Cassie then offered to break my waters as she thought I was getting close (due to my mannerisms changing so much) and that if my membranes were broken it would speed things along. She warned me it would make things more intense though. I yelled that I don’t think things can get any more intense then what they were now. She told me she would need me to get out of the bath to break my waters. I didn’t like it in the bath but I didn’t think I would make it to the bed. After about 3 contractions I finally made it onto the bed. I was 8cm and my waters were broken.

My student midwife (who was amazing) arrived straight after my waters were broken. She wanted me to get up from the lying down position I was in from the examination and the waters being broken but I felt like I was frozen from pain and I didn’t want to move. They were trying to get me to get back in the shower or hop in the bath as laying down was the worst position I could be in. knew this but found it so hard to move through the pain. I was terrified of the pain. They managed to pull me up and I got off the bed but fell to my knees on the floor next to the bed as the most intense contraction hit. Everyone gathered around me on the floor to support me as I almost fell back. I felt an almost out of body experience. I couldn’t talk or make a sound, I couldn’t support myself on my knees. I was relying completely on my support group from keeping me upright and not falling back or to the side an smashing my head. My student midwife told me she saw my eyes roll back in my head and she knew I was in transition. I felt my waters leak out of me and onto the floor. There was no way I was making it to the shower. They got me back on the bed and leaning over the back of the bed (as it was upright). I was screaming in pain now and felt all pushy. I could feel my baby moving down the birth canal. I told them I could feel his head coming down.

They told me I could birth on my knees leaning over the bed if I wanted to but I needed to sit upright in the same position I birthed DD as that is how I felt safe.

I knew how to push properly this time and use all my energy and the contractions to push downwards (like doing a number 2) and not let energy come out of my mouth through noise. I needed all my strength to push down. My husband had one hand on my leg and his other hand on my shoulder and there was one point where he moved it from my shoulder and I quickly demanded he put his hand back exactly where it was straight away. I had my eyes closed the entire time and I felt secure and safe knowing he was right there but I had to feel him.

Another contraction and I could feel my baby crowning. That burning ring of fire! OH my goodness I forgot how bad it was!!!! I tried so hard to just do little breaths and blow out the candles so to speak but I could only do this for so long before I was just wanting the pain to stop. There was a point where I told the midwives to get the baby out and I put my hands down there to try and stretch the skin open so his head would pop out. Another contraction hit and I pushed his head out. Relief but I still felt stingy. Next contraction and shoulders were out and my baby boy was placed onto my chest.

Oh my son was here…..I could not believe it. Here he was, lying on my chest, his beautiful eyes looking at the world and he was all ours. How did we get so lucky?! Such an incredible feeling. DH had tears and so did I. I birthed the placenta which was all in tact. I then had to be assessed for any damage. I had a 2nd degree perenial tear and a muscular tear that needed stitching. I was petrified of this due to a horrible experience with stitching where there was no local anaesthetic with DD’s birth. All went well though and I got through it.

We had our first breastfeed and my little boy breastfed like a champ. After a couple of hours, they weighed and measured him and then I had a shower while DH had cuddles.

My little boy has just been a dream. I can’t stop looking at him and we are so in love.

Stats:
1st stage onset of established labour at 2am
Membranes ruptured at 6:40am
2nd stage onset at 6:55am
DS born at 7:07am (5- 6 hours total labour)
Apgars- 9 and 9
Weight- 3775grams
Length- 50cm
HC- 35cm

[OceanPrincess]

What a wonderful birth story Hun huge congrats again and welcome little man!!!

PS, how's your dad after that fun car ride??

[~Hestia~]

Aw beautiful, thanks for sharing.

[Ladylove]

What a great story. Congratulations.

[Mrs O'M]

Congratulations and welcome to your little man!

[Mrs P]

Lovely birth story - how sweet is your DD

[Jaycee]

Great birth story, very intense! Congratulations!

[Joeve]

Beautiful story very brave!
Love that you wanted to stretch things to get him out yourself xx lol

[~TT40~]

thank you ror sharing your fantastic story

[tellytubby]

Oh wow! Fantastic! Well done and congratulations

[Heaven]

I have been waiting for this story!! Beautiful. Thank you for sharing with us. He is just divine xx

[Rouge]

Absolutely beautiful! Congratulations!

[Catastrophic]

Beautiful story ! Congrats!!!!

[Beautiful Disaster]

Just beautiful congrats Ali

[Cassius2]

that is so cool! what a birth story!

Love that your Dad was holding your hand to try and comfort you...that is so sweet!

[sahbear]

Beautiful birth story, congratulations!

[AliBaby]

Thanks so much everyone.

It is so lovely to write it all down. My little boy's birth, my little girl's birth and the day I married my DH will always remain the best days of my life so it is wonderful to have this special memory documented.

What a wonderful birth story Hun huge congrats again and welcome little man!!!

PS, how's your dad after that fun car ride??

I think Dad was really honoured to be part of such a special time in my life. He is my stepdad but very much a real dad to me and I feel like it connected us even more. He apparently went to work that day after dropping me to hosptial and was telling all his work collegues about what his morning entailed. So cute!