Here is how our precious little one entered the world .
DD2 was conceived via IVF after a few miscarriages and a battle with infertility. DD1's birth was long and posterior and BF was an utter disaster. Anxiety about her birth, failure to breastfeed and depression from the journey to conceive was playing quite heavily on my mind for most of DD2's pregnancy. I was convinced it would be this hard all over again.
Around 30 weeks I had a small bleed and plug loss and went into birth suite to be checked out. All was normal so I came home. General aches and pains seemed to be much worse this time, and I constantly lost more and more plug and had spotting, so I went on maternity leave early.
Friday night, just past 35 weeks I stayed up late enjoying some “me” time, which I knew would end soon. I had period pain and as the night progressed I noticed some more plug loss, a bloody show, and eventually some pretty mild contractions 7 minutes apart but only 15 seconds long. I didn't sleep that night, as the cramping was too intense, but I tried to rest as much as I could.
The next morning I woke up and there was a fair amount of blood and some black clots. Went to my normal antenatal appointment for a check up and they admitted me to birth suite. Had a look, and decided to admit to me a ward for observation. There was discussion about inducing me in the morning or giving me a CS if the bleeds didn't stop. I was fairly insistent that if a trial of a VB were safe, I wanted to try rather than go straight to CS. I got a cannula (owwweeee) just incase I needed a transfusion.
While on the ward, I had another bleed, quite large, enough to soak through two maternity pads in 10 minutes, with heaps more clots. So, back to birth suite! I was still only having niggling aches and cramps, nothing resembling real contractions. I was monitored for another few hours, my parents visited and left, and when I stood up to pee, there was another blood loss.
By this time DH had returned, but while he was were there it was decided that it was time for DD2 to be born. They were worried that the placenta had started to lift away from the uterine wall. Thankfully my constant pleading for a trial of VB was heard, and they allowed me to trial an induced VB under some restricted conditions (constant monitoring, cannula, managed third stage, etc). They wanted to start synto straight away but we negotiated for a delay.
At that stage I was 2 cm dilated, 1 cm thick, -2 station. So they broke my waters, around 6.15 pm and I went straight into active labour, no need for synto! Ctx about 1 minute long, 3 minutes apart. An hour after AROM I was at 4 cm, 3 hours from AROM I was 7 cm and using gas like a crazy woman, and at 4 hours post AROM I was fully dilated and pushing. No time for an epidural! She was initially OP but turned during labour (good girl!). The whole time I was on my hands and knees. I couldn't use the bath or shower or walk around like I thought I would, but it turned out not to matter.
It was awesome to feel my body doing what it should do, to feel it dilate, feel the baby descend, feel the urge to push, and know that my body was doing what it should do for once! All those fears I had from DD1's labour were unfounded because my body was doing it right! The intensity of the urge to push freaked me out a little. For most of the pushing phase I had my back and bum to the room, leaning over the head of the bed, rocking my pelvis. Best position ever! I started to realise why women should NEVER choose to birth on their backs, because the pain those few times I had to be on my back was horrific.
The room filled with people because DD2 was a premmie. The sight of the crash cart was a little frightening. She was descending fine and crowning, but her heart rate started to fail to recover during contractions and they decided she need out and now, so I (owwwwwwe) flipped onto my back and had an epi without anesthetic, and her head was born the next push. The next contraction she was out!
From there I don't remember much because they were in a rush to deal with her. We tried a breastcrawl and breastfeed but she was too little to understand (though we got a few licks).
DD2 was born 5 weeks early, 5lb11oz, 48cm long, 32cm head, 4 hours and 4 minutes after AROM, using gas for pain relief. I loved her birth.
Congratulations Maruschke! I'm so happy for you. You have one determined little girl I'm so rapt that you got to experience that amazing feeling of your body taking over and you trusting it. Beautiful story.
Congratulations and well done!!!!!!!!! I know what a relief it is after having a long long labour first time around. So glad you had a great experience xx
Thank you for sharing your great story. You did an amazing job and I am so glad you were someone that seemed to listen to what you wanted and looked after you.
Reading your Birth story reminds me of my fave saying:
"Call to me and I shall answer you,
And show you great and mighty things which you do not know."
It's very nice to hear that your second birth was one with more pleasant and empowering memories to treasure for you all.
Enjoy learning to be a family of four, and all the best for your new future Marushcke xx
Congratulations again. Fantastic story. I'm so glad you had a positive experience compared to your first birth, in spite of all the things that didn't make it easy for you.
What a beautiful birth. So glad that they were open to working with your wishes and even more glad that you had a wonderful birth after such a rough time the first time 'round.
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DD2's birth
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I'm so rapt that you got to experience that amazing feeling of your body taking over and you trusting it. Beautiful story.
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