The Birth of Kaitlyn Isabella
I went into the antenatal clinic for my 37 week check, only to find I had developed pre eclampsia, so I was immediately taken to the ante natal ward and monitored for 48hrs before it was decided they couldn't risk putting it off anymore. I was to be induced.
The first lot of gel went in at 2pm on sat 13th and another lot was put in at 9pm. I spent that night having contractions that were not quite painful, but uncomfortable enough I could not sleep despite having been given panadine forte and sleeping tablets.
4:30am I was trying to settle in bed on my side when I felt a tiny pop. I thought I must have imagined it, but I got up to the bathroom just incase. Sure enough there was a small leak of fluid and so I walked down to tell the nurses (I had been pacing all night due to the contractions). They told me to lie in bed, buzz them and they'd come check. By the time I got back to my room to buzz, the flow had increased, I buzzed and headed for the bathroom (not wanting to leave a mess). I didn't make it. I left a huge trail of fluid from one side of my bed, to the door of the room.
My hubby was called for and the labour ward notified and I changed my nightdress and waited to be taken downstairs to labour ward. Hubby took only 20 mins to get up, shower and drive the 15mins into the hosp. I was taken downstairs and found to be 2cms dialated.
They put up a sintocin drip to really bring on the contractions and I was hooked up to the CTG. The problem was that due to the amount of swelling They had to put an electrode onto bubs head to get the heartbeat so I was chained to the bed from then on. My mother arrived soon after.
I was doing really well, breathing thru the contractions. They upped the sintocin to 80 and I started finding it hard to cope with the pain. By 1:30pm I was finding it really hard to cope and they hadn't put it up to full stregnth. Dr suggested eppidural due to blood pressure and they wanted it up full so after discussing it with support ppl and trying to breathe thru the next contraction, I agreed. I was only 5cms dilated.
The epidural worked wonders, they upped the sintocin to 120 and I fell asleep (kinda....was snoring but still aware of ppl around me talking) an hr later, I started getting break thru pain on one side so they turned me onto my side. It did nothing, they ended up turning up the epidural to max stregnth and I couldn't move my legs any longer.
About 20 mins later I started to need to poo during the contractions. The midwife did not believe me, she told me I couldn't be fully dilated yet. My hubby had also noted that bubs heart rate was dropping quite badly during the contractions and the nurse watched for a while, then called the dr who reluctantly agreed to do an internal. I was fully Dilated and ready to push, but bubs head was not quite in the right position and her heartrate was dropping and so I was given only 5 contractions to push her out. I pushed and pushed and pushed, they used the vaccume to help her along, but her head was in the wrong position and her heart rate kept dropping to dangerous levels so I was carted off for ceaser. I was later told that if I had another hr I could have done it naturally, but bub was distressed and it wasn't untill her cord blood was measured that they found out just how distressed she had been.
Well, the ceaser went as it usually does, but Kaitlyn didn't breathe very well, so I didn't even get to hold her. I hardly even saw her. They flashed her to me and took her off. I sent Hubby with her and I was closed and taken to recovery. From there I went to Special care nursery to say hello to bubs....she was perfect....and then onto post natal ward.
Next morning I was woken at 6am to shower and start walking around etc. Kaitlyn was discharged from SCN and brought up to me. I was soooo happy.
Later that day I started having terrible pain on pee'ing. The nurses dismissed it as being scraped by the two catheters. It got worse and worse and worse over the next few days untill it became more painful than the stitches. MUCH more painful. Eventually after 4 days of complaining about it and trying to get them to do something about it, a Gyno took my word and put me on anti biotics, the next day results showed a severe UTI.
Because of the pain and the needing to go every five minutes, I couldn't sit long enough to feed my baby.....I developed a touch of PND and my milk went on a trip and is yet to fully return. I am having to express constantly and mix with Karicare. Kaitlyn was also diagnosed with jaundice and put onto a billy bed for 30+ hrs before levels dropped enough for her to be allowed to come off it. I was discharged a week after I had Kaitlyn and am home now with her. I am happier than I ever have been.
Even after all the pain, all the problems I had with this pregnancy, there is not a doubt in my mind. It was worth it. Kaitlyn Isabella hardly cries, she is soooo with it, looking around and taking it all in. She is my little angel and I am mesmerised by her.
