Cooper's birth story (pretty long)

This is really just for my own sake, as it helps to get it down, as it was such a long labour and definitely far from my birth plan. So here goes...

Well, I went to bed on the Sunday night feeling a bit weird. I was having pains but didn't think too much of it, just that I was a little uncomfortable, so I went and tried to sleep in the spare bed. At 2:30 Monday morning I thought my waters had broken. I then had a show so called the hospital and they told me to go in to emergency and get checked out. We were there for a few hours and I was told to go back home and wait it out. Contractions were regular and five minutes for most of the day. Then they went all over the place, but painful. Monday night I was in so much pain I called the labour ward and they told me to come in. I was checked out and was only 2cm dilated. I was given panadeine forte and sleeping tablets and told to go home and get some sleep. (Yeah right!!!)

Early Tuesday morning I was ready for more panadeine forte and was told to call them before I took it. Tony called and they told me to go back in. I cried because I couldn't stand the thought of being in a car and just to be told to go back home again. They insisted I go in, so off we went.
I was hooked up to a fetal monitor and was just breathing through the contractions that were now back to 5 minutes apart. The doctor decided to break my waters at 7am, as I was progressing so slowly. OMG I had no idea just how much fluid surrounded baby. What a mess!! But contractions got more intense immediately. They started to get closer together and more and more painful. I was vomiting and dehydrated, so put on a drip to get some fluids into me. I tried the gas but didnt like it being in my mouth while I was breathing through a contraction. I then asked for an epidural. This slowed my contractions down and labour was stopping. So I was put on a drip to increase the contractions again. Still hooked up to the fetal monitor, bubs was being watched closely. The epidural was great, except I could feel contractions still while on my left side, which were now 2 minutes apart. Some drs did an internal and I was only 4 cm dilated after about 30 hours of labour. I was devastated.
Three doctors then came in to speak to me about the baby's heartbeat. Apparently it was decreasing after a contraction, which was a bad sign. They warned me we might need to take another path if it continues. The drip was stopped. The heartrate improved. A couple of hours later the drip was started again but slower than before.

The next thing I knew, the 3 doctors rushed back into the birthing suite and said they had been watching the heartrate and have to get baby out now!!!! Apparently the heartrate was still decreasing from the drip. They thought it could mean that the cord was around the neck or the baby was pressing against the cord or even holding onto it.

So Tony and I were prepped and taken to theatre. My epidural was topped up and we were ready to go. There were doctors everywhere, but they were very nice and comforting. I started crying knowing I was about to meet my son/daughter. It took a while but finally at 4:16pm, after 38 long hours, I saw my son as he was shown straight to me so I could touch him. Tony got to watch him being cleaned up, then he was brought to me for a quick cuddle. Cooper scored an apgar of 9 at 1 minute and 10 at 5 minutes. Tony went away with Cooper and the doctors while I was fixed up. Apparently Tony sat in the nursery cuddling his son and crying for 45 minutes, he was so proud. After an hour or so in recovery, I got to see my husband and son again and bawled my eyes out, he was just so beautiful.

Tony was an excellent support person during the labour. He took me by surprise. I was so clingy and needy of him and wouldnt let him out of my sight. I must say, the staff at Mercy Hospital for Women were amazing. They were so supportive and encouraging. We were both impressed by them all.

So thats my story....now I am a mum of a beatiful, healthy boy and he is worth every minute of it all.

Thanks if you made it this far.

Alison, thank you so much for sharing your story with us. What a long couple of days you had. I'm sure you'll agree now that it was worth every minute. Congrat's on the birth of Cooper.

Thanks for sharing your story.
Sorry that it was so traumatic for you.
Glad to hear that DH was a good support at a time when you really needed it, you must have felt scared when the doctors came rushing in.:hug:

Oh wow, you poor thing having to go through such a long labour and then a c/s! As you said, your son was definitely worth every single minute of it :D

It's so touching to read about your DH crying in the nursery holding little Cooper and how you bawled your eyes out when you saw them again in recovery...I had tears in my eyes just reading about it!

Thank you so much for sharing your story.

Enjoy your precious little blue bundle! :stork-boy:

Love
Goldilocks
-xxxooo-

Thanks so much for sharing Alison! What a long ordeal!

Sending you heaps of recovery vibes. He is just adorable.

Oh Alison, thank you so much for sharing your story....I like to be able to sit down for a good hour or so and just read everyones birth stories and it just makes me feel so good inside. I can't wait for the day that i can add my own story...thank you again, and your little man is absolutely beautiful...

Thanks so much for sharing Alison (and if you think yours is long - check out mine hehe)

I was incredibly clingy and wouldn't let DP out of my site either - in fact I wouldn't let him out of my reach!

once again congratulations!