Cooking a Pie, and having a VBAC - super dooper long!
So here is baby Pie's birth story.....It's not a very exciting birth story. But there are things which I guess I would have been interested in knowing when I was pregnant. So, here goes. Grab a cuppa, (or two) it's really, really long
* - There is a lot of before labour in here, cause it's stuff I would have wanted to know when I was PG. If you want to you can skip that bit - I will post in 2 parts.*
My first two labours although very different, were both spontaneous vaginal births. My third was an induction that ended in an emergency caesarean (due to some pretty major cord entanglement).
My CS was not overly pleasant and I found the recovery particularly tough after being up & about after my first two, so it was a no brainer - I would be having a VBAC. My GP was the first one who said I would need another CS - with no knowledge of my previous history, no knowledge of why I had had my CS, just that I had it - his comment 'oh well, you'll probably need another cs then' left me gobsmacked. For some reason I assumed that if that was how he felt, then that would also be how the hospital felt, and I went to my initial hospital appt prepared for a fight.
As it turned out I didn't need to worry. They asked if I wanted a repeat CS or a VBAC and gave me information to read. Over the next couple of months I did my own reading as well, and found BB I had an appt with an OB and discussed options for my labour.
They wanted to put a bung in my hand, this didn't worry me, needles aren't really a big deal and I figured I could let that one go.
Length of labour was a grey area. .. They didn't want to let things go too long without any progress but weren't going to put a time frame on it either. I was fortunate in that I had laboured before - my second labour was only 2.5 hours - and I wasn't too worried about watching the clock.
Monitoring in labour was another thing we discussed, my second labour had been fantastic & quite active, I spent a lot of time upright & in the shower using water & heat packs for pain relief. I was looking forward to doing this again but I couldn't do that with continual monitoring. They were not quite as agreeable here, it was her 'strong recommendation' that I had continual monitoring; but she did concede that it was up to me in the end. I left feeling that that was probably a argument to be had in the labour room seeing as I was a public patient & I had no idea who I would have.
I asked about delayed cord clamping & was told it would be left until it stopped pulsating, so I was happy with that too.
The biggest issue for me was time; all my previous babies had been 'late' and I knew that induction wasn't really an option. I wanted to have at least 42 weeks up my sleeve to go into labour, and I was told this would be ok (with some monitoring to ensure things were going ok). Also, all of my previous labours had started in hospital either induced or waiting for induction. I really wanted to go into labour at home this time.
All up, things looked fairly positive.
I continued working up until 38.5 weeks, and worked a bit from home after that. I figured it would keep me busy & give me something to do while I was waiting for baby. Plus I was taking unpaid leave, so the money would be handy.
At 40 weeks, I was pretty big. I had had a couple of weeks of pre-labour, Braxton Hicks contractions that had progressively gotten more & more uncomfortable. One night around 40 weeks, I was kept awake by hours of regular (10 - 12 minutes) contractions which went away around an hour or two after I got up that morning.
I was big & uncomfortable & fed up. Bub was still quite high & hadn't engaged but I wasn't worried, I knew that might not happen until I was in labour.
I was 'running' around the park with the kids, bouncing on the fit ball & having as much sex as I could handle (not really all that much ) I was up & down stairs, eating pineapple & curries, drinking RLT & using EPO orally & internally.
I had been having acupuncture for back pain & at 40 weeks started induction acupuncture. I kept telling myself that all that pre-labour would be doing wonders, my cervix was probably already dilating a bit, I was going to have a wonderful labour.
Tuesday the 21st my 41 week hospital appt came around, and I asked for a S&S. The Dr was agreeable and I was almost convinced that after all that pre-labour, he would pop his head up & say 'no need! you're already dilating, and waters are bulging! baby will be here tonight!'
...erm, no. My cervix was so high & tight he could barely find it.
This was not at all what I was expecting & I promptly burst into tears... I thought this baby was never going to come, everything I had been telling myself was wrong, it wasn't doing anything at all & I was going to go through all of this for nothing & end up with another CS.
Poor Dr was at a bit of a loss what to do with me. He went & got the head OB who was fantastic. He sat me down & gave me my options. I could go in for a CS tomorrow, if I wanted; they could admit me today. Or I could wait.
Normal pregnancy is 42 weeks, he reminded me. Things can change in a week. Do you want a VBAC?
Yes, I did. After all my thinking I would have to fight to get that 42 weeks, here was the OB reminding me I still had a week up my sleeve!
He was so lovely. When he said I could go in the following Monday if nothing had changed, I asked for it to be a Tuesday so I could have the full 42 weeks. And young Dr said 'Well, the scheduled caesareans are Monday & Wednesday' but Dr C says 'well I guess if she hasn't gone into labour on Tuesday we can just call it an emergency can't we " - and in doing so, he gave me another day.
I left my appointment feeling better, went home & packed up all my work stuff, took it into work & told them 'no more work'. I needed to chill out & relax & let this baby come.
Thursday afternoon DS1 had footy practice. I paced up & down the side of the field while I called friends & family to let them know what was happening (not much!) We had a busy weekend ahead of us with football, and DD1 had a physie comp on Saturday. At this stage I was actually hoping not to go into labour until Sunday, but I said to my Dad it would probably happen at the most inconvenient time!
Friday morning I woke at around 2 am with more uncomfortable BH contractions. I tossed & turned in bed until a bit after 5, then gave up & got up. I went on Facebook & BB for a bit, and then started getting the kids ready for school.
I was still getting contractions but didn't want to get my hopes up too much - this had been going on for weeks & weeks. It wasn't until I stopped in the middle of sandwich prep & leaned over the kitchen bench that I thought hmmm... the kids asking 'are you ok mum?' & I replied though gritted teeth 'I'd better be in bloody labour, I'm not going through this for nothing!'
I had a hospital appt for monitoring at 10am that morning. I called DH & told him he'd better come home.. he asked if I was sure I was in labour and I replied nope but in any case, I can't drive like this! The kids left for school around 8 & I went to the toilet & there was a bloody show. I was so excited, in all my previous pregnancies & labours I had never had a show before! at that moment DH walked in the door & I told him I think this might be it. I timed my contractions on the way & they were about 5 minutes apart.
We arrived at hospital & I went to the antenatal monitoring room, got hooked up, sat down... and my contractions stopped.
And here came the tears again, I couldn't believe that after all that, it had stopped again! The midwife made me sit there for an hour and I had a few little tightenings, but nothing like I had experienced that morning.
When the hour was up DH had to leave; we had an appt at 11:30 to have a car capsule fitted (nothing like leaving things until after the last minute!) I figured I would go with him, but no; they wanted to keep me for a bit, 'Just in case you are in labour'. I figured if I had to stay I wasn't going to just sit there & wait, and once DH left I went for a walk.
Once I got moving, they started up again. I wandered around the hospital & made my way outside, where I made a couple of phone calls, breathed in some fresh air & walked a bit more. I called my friend M who was coming in as a support person & let her know it might be time to come in. Things started becoming quite uncomfortable then so I went back inside.
They had moved my things into the maternity ward. I hadn't been back inside long at all when DH arrived back, right as I was in the middle of a contraction; I was leaning over the bed, rocking & swaying my hips & I heard the midwife say to him quietly 'looks like this is the real thing!' I went to the toilet & had another show, and they decided to move me to the delivery suite.
We arrived at the delivery suite at around 1pm. My midwife immediately went to put the monitor on. 'I'm not having that thing on the whole time!' I said straight way. She replied 'let's just have a little look at what's happening & then we'll see.' I figured right, I'll give her half an hour - then I'm getting up again! As it happened I didn't get the option.
MW examined me & wowee - I was 9cm dilated already! I was over the moon, thinking this kid is going to be out any minute now! She then told us that because bub was still very high & my waters intact, I would have to hop up on the bed; she was concerned about the risk of cord prolapse. This wasn't a scenario any of us had considered, in all of my reading & preparation for my VBAC, I hadn't even thought about being bed-bound for some other reason. I didn't even know if it was necessary but I understood what a serious situation cord prolapse would be if it did happen; so on the bed I stayed.
So... there I was, 9cm dilated, contractions still 5 minutes apart, reclined on the bed with a monitor strapped to my waist. Not quite how I had pictured my VBAC! I was coping quite well with the contractions, whenever I felt one coming I would call for a hand and DH or M would be there, offering a hand for me to squish. I poured all of my focus into that hand until it eased, and in this way I got through almost my entire labour.
I wasn't allowed off the bed even to go to the toilet - MW thought the risk of my waters breaking & cord prolapse was too great, so a bed pan it was. I'm not sure if that was more of a PITA for me or her - seemed like she would leave the room & every 5 minutes we'd be calling her back because I needed to pee again
We asked MW a few times what happens next, and got the same answer each time... we wait, either for baby to descend, or your waters to break.
We had one contraction when bub's heart rate dipped, and took a few seconds to come back up. This caused a fair amount of anxiety, as we had gone through hours of this in my third labour before my CS. But it only happened the once; after an hour or so of anxiously watching the monitor I began to relax a bit again.
Apart from that, it seemed I spent my labour waiting... waiting.... contractions still 5 minutes apart... painful , but I was still coping really well. I felt a bit frustrated, because I thought if I had been up & moving, bub would have arrived hours ago, but on the other hand they didn't seem to worried about how long it was taking & there was no talk of a CS which was good.
Around 5pm they started to become quite a bit more uncomfortable. I was no longer just squeezing fingers; I was shifting on the bed, I really wanted to rotate my hips but it was so hard being reclined on the bed. Contractions were still 5 minutes apart but becoming steadily more uncomfortable and by 6:00 I was writhing and starting to get a bit noisy.
A bit after 6 I decided to use the gas, squeezing fingers & wriggling on the bed just wasn't cutting it anymore. I got through three contractions with the gas, and DH took a phone call from DD1. She had her competition the next day & I *should* have been home curling her hair; she was freaking out about what to do and he was trying to calm her down, when I had another contraction. M was there ready with her hand, when I felt enormous pressure; in one huge contraction, baby moved down the birth canal, I roared, my waters burst, and I yelled 'My waters broke!' (well, dur )
DH yelled to DD ' Can you hear that? That's your mother, I have to go!' and came to my side.
Things are a bit foggy after that.. I was pushing pretty much right from that moment , and I remember the MW reclined the head of the bed so that I was on my back... never my favourite position to be labouring in, let alone pushing but I was kind of out of it & didn't even think to object.
M had the camera and was at the foot of the bed, DH was at my head encouraging me, MW was down by the foot of the bed coaching me to push, push, push harder... and I was lying on my back, eyes shut tight, saying 'I can't, I can't!' I do distinctly remember saying to DH quietly at one point 'I cannot do this. She's not coming out!'
But I was doing it, and come out she did... I felt her head come out, and MW had my legs bent & shoved hard up as far as they would go (I think they had been that way for a bit).
I very clearly recall MW taking my baby, and twisting & pulling... I almost want to say wrenching... I yelled, and my daughter was born.
She was placed straight onto my tummy, as far as they could get her with a very short cord; she couldn't quite reach my breasts. And she lay there and squalled, and i cried tears of happiness and relief and joy.
After a while the cord stopped pulsating and was cut, and we discussed her size... a new MW was with us (had come in during second stage) and wanted to know how big were my other babies? I told her my largest was 9lb13 / 4410g. 'She's not that big I don't think,' said the MW, and I agreed, no she's a delicate, pretty looking little thing.
She was eventually lifted onto the scales and MW did a double take & said 'Uh, I need to weigh her again...' no mistake, my delicate little baby girl weighed 10lb8, or 4710g! I suffered a pretty good tear, and Pie had her first breastfeed while I was being stitched up.
Arlea Rose was born at 6:31pm, gestation 41+3, after how many hours of labour, who knows... weeks of pre-labour, 14 hours from first niggles, roughly 7 or so hours of established labour and 5 hours of laying-on-my-back-labour... nothing about her has been to plan, not her conception, the labour & birth, first days, or feeding.. but she has taught me to embrace every little bit of this particular parenting journey for what it is, not what I want it to be. She has come and changed our lives in such a magical way and I am so privileged to be her mother.
And if you made it all the way through that, give yourself a pat on the back and thanks for sharing it with me.
oh that was gorgeous
It makes me so clucky and I want to be giving birth again. It hurts like nothing else but man it is such an amazing empowering experience isnt it???
Well done you write so beautifully
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Cooking a Pie, and having a VBAC - super dooper long!
- I will post in 2 parts.*
) I was up & down stairs, eating pineapple & curries, drinking RLT & using EPO orally & internally.
Particularly a VBAC!
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