The waiting game - Alexander Gabriel's arrival (kinda long)
After having had DD induced at 38 weeks because of reduction in movements and then a non-reactive CTG result, I was hoping to avoid the need for induction and was looking forward to having as natural a birth as possible with my little Penguin. The pregnancy had been mostly uneventful, one brief scare with a migraine/high blood pressure had scored me a night in hospital but other than that things were all cruising along nicely.
My due date came and went, I had an appointment with my OB the next day - the last few appointments my blood pressure had been creeping upwards a little and he wasn't really keen on my going too far overdue as a result. An internal showed I was still definitely closed and cervix was high - no where near ready to pop. We'd been talking previously about inducing if I went a week over because of my bp, so we made an appointment for another checkup the next week, which was a Tuesday, and a tentative booking for the hospital for the day after. I was disappointed to say the least, but still hopeful things would start off on their own in the meantime.
Slowly the days passed, bub was obviously comfy in there as he was quite active (reassuring given DD's shenanigans) and whilst uncomfortable I was coping well by spending my days swimming at the local pools and pottering around the house getting last minute things ready. I told DH to let his work know that he would be needing his time off starting Tuesday if not before. Monday night we decided to go out for dinner to a nice restaurant as it was probably going to be our last chance for a while, then Tuesday rocked up for my OB appointment. Still high and closed, though softening, so we're booked in the next morning to start induction with a dose of gel.
7am Wednesday we arrive at the hospital, are greeted by the midwives (Nicole and Brooke) and shown into the birth suite for some monitoring before my OB arrives to apply the gel. We're happy and bouncing around, joking and chatting with the midwives who have plenty of time as we're the only ones there that day. OB gets in, applies the gel (which feels gross, btw) and I'm hooked onto the monitors for 45 minutes before being released to go prowl the grounds with DH and told to be back in about an hour for some more monitoring. I'm feeling a few slightly painful tightenings by this stage, but quite irregular and more than manageable. We gladly vamoose outside to go walk around the lake and gardens.
After the hour, we head back upstairs for some more monitoring, I'm having increasing tightenings about every 10-15 mins by now and so while on the monitor I flip through a magazine and discuss the finer points of the day's menu selections with DH - Brooke laughs and suggests a cold lunch so that if things do kick off it can be put in the fridge for later. I'm released again and decide to try out the fitball for a while, get bored of that and head back outside to prowl around some more. We stop and buy a poppy for Remembrance Day from the older gentleman selling them at the main entrance, he watches me pause during a slightly stronger contraction and wishes me luck. A few laps of the grounds later I'm having to sway and breathe through increasingly stronger contractions that are coming every 5 mins or so, we head back upstairs and I'm back on the monitor for a few minutes, OB will be back in around 1pm so I decide to head into the shower - the pain is starting to be felt in my back and I figure that a bit of hot water might be the go.
Things start to really ramp up in the shower, soon I'm grunting through contractions every 2-3 minutes and call DH into the shower to come man the hose attachment while I use the rails for support. Brooke pops her head in and asks me where I'm feeling the pressure and reminds me if I feel I need to poo or my legs start go weak I need to get out as there's not enough room in there for delivery. We're all excited as I seem to progressing really well and with only one dose of gel. I decide to get out and make use of the bed, leaning over the head on my knees and growling with the intense back pains that are now getting quite strong. Nicole suggests an internal as I'm starting to bear down with the pressure - so I reluctantly flip over and lay down. My OB arrives a few moments later, I'm still high and closed, no progress at all despite the pain. Argh! We go ahead with the next lot of gels, and I'm back on the monitor for another 45 mins.
Just after my OB leaves, Brooke and Nicole's shift ends and they wish us luck, promising to come see us on the ward the next day. I'm introduced to the next shift, Marie and a student, Rachel. The problem though, is that everything has evaporated. I'm laying there on the monitors and back to just the slightest of tightenings, certainly not the full on contractions of the morning. Once I'm off the monitors, I go back into the shower then spend some time bouncing on the fitball trying to get things going again. Nothing. This continues for most of the afternoon, until around 7pm when my OB comes back for a quick check on how I'm going. I'm sitting there eating dinner and chatting, he suggests if nothing happens by around 9pm that we sort out a bed on the ward and will try again tomorrow.
9pm comes and goes, I get settled up on the ward with no more than a few mild tightenings and DH decides to head home for the night with promises that if anything kicks off overnight we'll call him. Marie and Rachel leave for the night, Rachel is back the next morning so says she'll see me then and I'm left with the midwives on the ward who other than checking blood pressure and some brief stints with the monitor leave me to sleep - which I do, surprisingly enough.
7am rolls around on the Thursday, I'm taken back over to the birth suite and DH arrives, my OB isn't far behind for the next lot of gels. Surely *something* has to happen today! More monitoring and then we're released and head off for a few laps of the grounds before spending a quiet morning bouncing on the fitball while reading a Top Gear magazine. My OB and I had discussed that he'd come back that afternoon to see if he could break my waters and start the drip unless I started contracting well on my own in the meantime. I'm in the shower when he comes back, still nothing much happening so he returns again at around 3pm for an internal to see how things are going. FINALLY he can break my waters as I've dilated to 1 whole cm but also has the news that the only bit of bub's head he can touch is the forehead - little beggar is jammed in there face first, which is why I hadn't gone on my own and was having all the pain in my back.
I've had my membranes ruptured before and know it hurts plus with a past history of abuse am scared I'm going to flip out when he does it - so agree that an epidural is probably a good idea *before* he starts. While waiting for the anaesthetist there's another change of shifts for the midwives, I say good bye to Marie and Rachel and meet Donna and another student, Leah. I comment at this point that thus far, Rachel was the only one that had warm hands - it's become something of a fascination to me...which they think is hilarious.
The epidural goes in without a hitch, OB breaks my waters, grins and says he'll see me at about 9pm then I'm hooked up to the synto drip and back on the CTG - they're not going to let me off it now. A good thing too, as not long after the drip starts at 30mL/hr I start contracting, bub's heartrate which had been really good up until now takes a sudden nosedive...I'm laid flat and rolled onto my side, freaking out as Donna asks Leah to hit the emergency button and switches off the drip. Straightaway another midwife Vicki is by my side as Donna calls my OB, by now the heartrate is coming back up well so they think he's gotten into a possie where his cord is being pinched. Unfortunately with the synto off, my contractions die off as well, becoming weaker and less regular. My OB suggests we go for a lower dose as during this time bub has been happy enough, so we start off again at 15mL - which seems to be fine, contractions start up again and heartrate stays steady. After a little while, the drip is gradually increased, bub is monitored closely and my epidural is topped up as it's starting to wear off. I can still get up though, so try the fitball for a while but it's too hard to keep a good contact on bub's heart - which is now really important to everyone. He has a few more scary drops and the synto is switched off while I'm put on my side, then back on again once his heartrate stabilises - I briefly discuss with DH that if I need a caesar I'm not so opposed to it now, I just want him out and safe.
Donna stays with me while Vicki and Leah alternate between me and another lady who is very close to birth, they occasionally switch around but I'm barely aware of it at this point. I'm starting to feel a lot of pressure below, Donna is telling me to breathe through it as I'm wanting to push but am not ready yet - an internal shows I'm at 7cm so not far away, but I'm over it at this point and burst into tears that I want to go home I don't want to do this anymore....the epidural is rapidly wearing off so I'm offered the gas, a few sucks and I throw it away in disgust as it's just not doing it for me.
My epidural is topped up, Vicki does another internal which shows 9cm with a lip but the head has gone back up a bit and seems to now be presenting a lot better - he'd gone back up and was coming back down with his chin finally tucked under. Donna rings my OB to get him here as I *really* want to push at this stage - bub's heart rate had been mostly steady with the odd drop which comes back nicely after the contraction passes. My OB was apparently already in the stairwell on his way back - it's 9pm! Right at that point, when I'm finally given the go-ahead to start pushing, things go a little crazy. The heartrate is plummeting with each contraction/push and it's clear the cord is being badly squeezed - my OB decides he has to come out asap, so out comes the vacuum and I'm put in stirrups, pushing for dear life...
3 massive pushes and his head is finally out, followed a short pause and two more pushes later by his body - his cord had been around his neck, but that's dealt with quickly and he's up on my chest, gasping and crying. He has an egg on his head from the suction and his face is bruised from being mashed into my cervix but we couldn't care less, DH and I are enthralled as he quietens, opening his eyes and looking at us. I've torn quite badly so my OB is busy down below for a good while, but Penguin is such a good distraction I barely notice as I'm stitched up. We agree on the name we'd been keeping secret for so long despite our family's best efforts and check all his little bits and pieces.
My OB congratulates us, and leaves for the night as we're getting settled for his first feed, the midwives are all congratulating me, even Brooke who'd just finished a shift on the ward pokes her head in to say hi. He's taken after a bit for weighing and so on, coming in at 3754g or 8pd 7oz and 52cm long with head circumference of 36cm.
So after making us wait not only an extra week and a bit, but also a day and a half of trying to get into labour, Alexander Gabriel is finally here and we couldn't be happier
Well done, you did an amazing job! Hey I had a student midwife named Rachel too, I wonder if its the same one!
I hope little Alexander is settling in well
The waiting game - Alexander Gabriel's arrival (kinda long)
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