Welcoming William Robert into the world ~ 21/10/09 *long!*
Just a lil bit of back information (I will also be coming back to add stuff as it's 1:30am and am sure I'll forget SOMETHING!) below.
I had been given 3 different due dates, 10th Oct 09 according to my LMP, 16th Oct 09 according to the 12wk scan + 19th Oct 09 according to my 6wk and 19wk scan... So we just stuck with that! After all three dates had been and gone, we were anxiously awaiting his arrival! Little did we know, it wouldn't be that long to wait!
A lil further back.
Sunday 18th Oct 09
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We had friends over, and these friends come over once a fortnight for a fornightly game of 'Rummy' which we have a running scoreboard of. Anyway, we were about half way through the lot of games (Had dinner bout 7:30pm, started playing at 8pm) when I started getting pretty bad pains.. Pains that I had to stop and hold my breathe for because they'd hit suddenly and go as quickly as they came. I started timing them thinking something was happening. The first 3/4 came at exactly 10 minutes apart and when that happened, I gave DH a look of 'they're exactly 10 mins apart!' I then kept timing and it went down to the next 4 being 9 minutes, then the next 4 being 8 minutes, the next 4 being 7, then 3 at 6 minutes before nothing for an hour or two after that. Our friends left at 11:30pm and thats when the pattern had started again.. The exact same way too. DH asked if I wanted to call the hospital and I said no because they kept disappearing therefore they weren't the contractions and I told DH that I'd ask my Ob about it at the appt (which was on the Tuesday).. He mumbled 'If you get that far'
Monday 19th October - Due Date #3
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Went shopping with my MIL and bought a few games for my Nintendo DS (which, sadly enough, I still haven't touched!) for when I was in hospital. Still having the same pattern of pain as before. Was trying to get some walking in, but felt too much like a beached whale to do too much, so went walking around one shop, picked up a Boost Juice and went back to the ILs house, where I'd slept most of the day away!
Also had found out another friend of mine had her little boy today, on my due date - but she was 10 days overdue
Tuesday 20th October
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Obs Appt - 9am
First cab off the rank at the Obs appt, my MIL took me, and he wanted to check how things were going, and he did an internal.. The one and only internal I had done while I was pg. He said things were feeling right on the mark and that now it was just a waiting game - but he booked me into the hospital for the 29th of October as a just in case he didn't come along sooner. He then said he wanted to try and get it moving just a bit and did a stretch and sweep. (I remember posting this on Facebook and having SO many people wondering why he did it at only 1 day overdue - I don't know what his thinking was, but he's the Ob and I just agreed to whatever he needed to do/needed me to do!) He said he was trying to push the sack away from the walls so the waters would break and that bub would start coming. He said bub seemed happy in there and that there wasn't anything to worry about, he just wanted bub to come sooner rather than later.
Left the dr appt feeling soooooo sore! It was the most uncomfortable feeling I'd ever had (and never wanna have again!)
We went to the shops again, I can't remember what for this time - I think it was to check on a Nintendo DS game I missed getting the day before, but we went back to the ILs house again and again I slept most of the day - but this was because I was feeling so ill and so nauseous that sleeping was the only thing that was making me feel better.
I was also getting really dull aching low down in my belly so laying down was what made me feel sooo much better. DH picked me up from his parents place after he finished work (DH, MIL and FIL had said that after the 16th, they weren't letting me out of any of their sights, in case anything had happened - hence the reason for always being at the ILs house all the time - something I didn't mind) and we went back home. This is where the fun begins (well, not so fun for me!)
6-6:30pm
When we got home, I found a game I bought on eBay had arrived (for my N64 - yes, I'm a nerd who still loves to play computer games!) so I decided to put it on, but not till after a shower.
6:45pm
Had a shower while DH cooked dinner. While in the shower, I had to sit down as the pain in my stomach started to get only a little bit stronger. Told DH and he asked if we needed to go to the hospital. I said no, I'm fine, it's just like it was on Sunday - so I expected it to go away and come back.
7:45pm
Ate dinner and played a little bit of the game (The game I was playing is actually still sitting in the N64 - haven't touched it since he was born) when the pains started getting stronger.
9:15pm
Walked into the bedroom after playing the game and sat on the bed watching whatever DH was watching on TV at the time - I think it was near the end of Packed To The Rafters - and eating an entire big bag of BBQ chips. I said to DH that the pain was getting pretty bad, like strong pain from when you've held onto a number 2 for too long (sorry to make the worst thoughts for everyone!) He was wondering if I was ok and I said I think I am.
10pm
Walked around the house a little bit, pain again coming on pretty strong. Didn't start timing because I'd been told that it'd tire you out more if you did
10:15pm
Decided to have another shower, as it was starting to get pretty bad. Jumped in, almost clothes and all and I could just feel it getting worse. After jumping out, I was sending SMSs to my MIL because I had a feeling it was almost time. The shower was somewhat a relief at the time, which was great.
10:40pm
Out of the shower, DH got me a hot water bottle to put on my stomach. Only now we actually started timing them, and found them to be about 4 and a half minutes apart and lasting from 15 to 25 seconds.
11:30pm
Laying down, trying to sleep. It wasn't easy while being in so much pain! They started coming pretty heavy now.. So much so that I was letting our little tears after each one. Gone to being 3 and a half minutes apart, I still tried to last it out.
Tuesday 21st October 2009
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1am
Not bearing it anymore, I'd had the 3rd shower of the night, but this time I was in there for almost an hour, and this time there was NO relief whatsoever. Waters still hadn't broken at the time so I wasn't too sure.. I mean, I was so very sure that bub was saying he was ready, but I wasn't too sure if it was the real deal because, as I'd said, my waters hadn't broken. At this point, I'd decided once I got out, I'd try to sleep
1:40am
Got out the shower, resembling a wrinkly old prune, and attempted to sit on a big ball I'd gotten from my MIL to see if that would help.. Not one position on the ball that I had researched had helped and I was getting frustrated now, as the pains were now between 2 and a half and 1 and a half minutes apart with them lasting a good solid 30 to 45 seconds.
2am
Gritting my teeth, I laid on the bed and tried to sleep with the hot water bottle on my tummy.. No go - that didn't even make me feel any better! By this time, DH is saying to me 'Do you wanna ring the midwives at the hospital now?' Through a contraction, I'd nodded and said through more gritted teeth 'Yes, I think I should now'
Problem : The Maternity ward had changed their number and I'd lost the new one :wall:
Silly me! So I just rang through to emergency, who transferred me through and when they'd asked me how far everything was, and I told them, they basically screamed down the phone 'WHY HAVEN'T YOU GOTTEN IN SOONER?! Come in! They'll be expecting you in emergency!'
2:15am
I hadn't gotten dressed from the third shower, and was still naked, so I had to get the nearest clothes to put on. It took me a solid 15 minutes to do that, as I'd had at least 5 contractions in that space of time. At 2:15am we'd left home. DH called his mum and dad and said we were on the way to the hospital, while I was biting down on a towel I had left in the car (in case the waters broke in there) stopping myself from screaming.
2:30am
Arrived at the hospital - thank goodness for living so close! MIL and FIL were there with my hospital bag (I had accidently left it at their place - but their place was only 5 minutes away from the hospital so it didn't matter) and the contractions were at least 2 minutes apart by now and excrusiating (sp?) MIL helped me out the car in the middle of a contraction and there I was still biting down on a towel. Nurses behind the desk of the emergency dept brought me out a wheelchair and I had to answer all the questions through the contractions.. I felt like saying to them 'Now is not a good time to ask questions, I can barely talk through these!'
2:45am
In the labour ward, the midwife hooked me up to the monitoring machine and told me to press a button whenever I'd felt bub move.. which wasn't often. I was laying there with my eyeballs hanging out my head as I hadn't had ANY sleep whatsoever! I remember in the antenatal classes the midwives saying that it's common for a contraction to come along, the lady is screaming or grinding her teeth or whatever during it, and then the next minute, they're fast asleep... And I remember saying 'That's impossible' to DH. Well, I understand now that it's TOTALLY possible! It's exactly what I did. DH describes it as 'One minute she's writhing around in pain, the next minute there's a freight train passing through where the pain had come from' In other words, I was snoring! Out to it, asleep.
3am
The midwife had to check on someone else that had come in and seemed further along than myself and whos waters had actually broken, but had came back to me. She finally did an internal and checked how far along I was.. 3cm dialated. I was annoyed because it had felt like so much more. She said 'Look, usually I'd send you home because your waters haven't broken yet - but I can see how much pain your in so we'll keep you in'
They asked if I needed any pain killers and I said that the Obs had perscribed pethadine and that I wanted that, so 10 minutes later she was back with the pethadine. After putting the pethadine in my rear end, they put a drip in. I'm actually still healing from the drip they put in, because they put it in a horrible place that was painful just to touch. MIL and FIL had left after they did the first internal and they said they'd be in first thing in the morning.
4:30am
After 2 and a half hours of sheer and utter pain, they transferred me to the delivery suite and did another internal.. 4 cms.. I'd only progressed 1cm in 2 hours. I wanted to bawl my eyes out, because I just wanted the pain to be over and to be holding the lil man that was causing me the pain. I had to keep reminding myself that after all this pain, something worth while comes out in the end.
They offered me gas, and I took it. Oh boy was I happy! I distinctly remember the midwife telling me that only I was allowed to use it and not DH. I kinda figured he wasn't allowed to seeing I was the patient! I was still sleeping in between contractions and although they were painful, I think I was numb from how much pain I had already been in, I wasn't feeling them too much now.
This is when everything started to happen that made me pray.
4:40am
Midwives and nurses come in to check how bub has been going with movement.. And they're faces say it all. They turned to each other and said 'Can you call her Obstetrician in?' I remember the sheer horror on my DHs face when they were talking amongst themselves. I really don't remember much of what was going on, because of the combination of lack of sleep, pethadine and gas, but I do remember my Obs arriving.
5:10am
Obs arrives and checks bubs stats.. It's not looking good. Ob says that he's distressed and needs to come out as soon as possible. No progression in the dialation worried the Ob and he started asking the midwives and nurses to call specific people as they had to prep an operating room.
The Ob explained that on the sheet of paper, at the top, was bubs movement and how he was in general. Now, in labour, it should still have a steady 'heartbeat' looking pattern to it.. Well, this one looked like little waves, and that worried him as it seemed bub was in distress.
Midwives gave me something to stop the contractions through the drip, again, can't remember the name of it. It didn't stop them, it just dulled them, but I still really remember not caring because of how I was on the gas (Never give a person that's having contractions at 1 and a half minutes apart the gas!) They then had to insert a catheter (sp?) in - now, it was probably the most comfortable thing I had felt in the entire time we were there!
5:50am
Everyone that was needed had arrived, and had come in to see me, so it was off to the OR to get bub out. DH followed along behind the Obs, and when they wheeled me into the recovery room to get ready and sign paperwork, my Ob took DH to get some sterile clothing on so he could be in there with me. I remember now being a bit frightened with what was going to happen, but I was borderline delirious by now that it was more a state of panic than fright.
As they had got me to sign everything and such, they took me into the theater where I'd met the anesthesiologist (yes, I had to google the right spelling!) and the assistant.
6:10am
Leaning over a pillow in the middle of a contraction, they gave me the epidural (though it resembled more of a spinal block that an epi) and instantly I felt a tingling in my toes and legs, so before they went completely numb, I had to fling my legs back up and move over the beds.
I still distinctly remember them moving me sideways to get something underneath me then moved me over to the other side and each time they turned me, I remember saying 'Weeeeee!'
The anesthesiologists assistant said 'In the 5 years I've worked here, I've never heard anyone say that!' I'm just glad I made it fun for them!
6:20am
DH is all scrubbed up and looking almost like part of the surgical team, and he's now finally sitting next to where I was laying. The drs test if the epi/spinal block has worked and ask me to lift my legs - to which I replied that I couldn't (in the middle of a chuckle for some stupid reason.. Oh wait! THE GAS!) They then put the sheet up and began.
6:25 - 6:30am (by now, I'd lost all sense of what time it was)
I felt a coldness on my stomach and I remember saying 'Guessing that's the paint you put on my tummy?' to which they'd said 'Yeah, it sure is'
They talked me through it, there was the cut, and them saying I may feel sick - they pressed on something and I had an instant wave of nausea.. I REALLY wanted to throw up (Damn those BBQ chips!) but didn't. I still remember DH stroking my forehead and whispering in my ear - though don't remember what he was whispering.
6:55am
The drs announce that he's almost out. They said just before they got him out that there was alot of meconium in the amniotic fluid (excuse the spelling, I've been writing this for over an hour now!) and that he'd swallowed some - so they'll need to do test immediately after he's born.
6:56am
We hear a small cry - And there he is! William Robert offically comes into the world.
Afterwards
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8am
He has had his first feed in the recovery room and is now being wheeled down to the rooms laying next to an exhausted mum. DH had sent out heaps of messages on my phone and when I got back I'd had 25 new messages from people wishing us congrats.
He is welcomed by his proud grandparents - my MIL and FIL and you can just see the glow in their faces
2 days later, it's touch and go. He had lost ALOT of weight, and of course they had mentioned this after I'd hit the baby blues stage. The night before the 'touch and go' time, a midwife was trying to get me to feed him - and ever half hour came back to make sure he was feeding - by 8am of the morning of the 'touch and go' stage, I was drained - literally.. So BFing was very traumatic for me because of that.
DS had jaundice and severe dehydration. I'd felt like such a failure because of the baby blues that I would just cry, even when people were there.
They put a nasal tube in him and fed him top ups of formula and he was thriving - he put on over 200g in 24hrs and in the end got discharged at only 80g down from his birth weight.
We were told that we could have lost DS because he'd swallowed the meconium, but all tests came back clear so we were thrilled with that.
We were also told that they were surprised he had come sooner as he had been stuck in the birth canal (that was the cause of the distress) for a lil over 3 days (so, for all I know, those contractions on the Sunday might have been the real things IF he didn't get stuck!) He had two big haematomas on the back of his head, which have now gone down (and DH playfully called them DSs devil horns)
Went home at 5 days old - on the 26th October 2009 just after lunch
Thankyou all for reading the birth story - it's about time I got to writing it! And, I think you deserve an award for getting this far!
Stats
Name : William Robert Boyne
DOB : 21st October 2009 - Due Date 19th October 2009
TOB : 6:56am
Arrived Via : Emergency C-Section
Weight : 3.180kg OR 3180g OR 7 lb 0.17 oz
Length : 49cm
HC : 35cm
Apgar Scores : 8 + 9
