10/7/2012 - The Spontaneous Arrival of Baby Butterfly
Contractions started naturally around 7-8pm on my edd of july 7th but were irregular at 5-15 minutes apart, they lasted all night but spread out to 15-25 minutes apart the next morning at which point I came down with gastro - so not fun!
Went up to maternity to get checked out and was on the ctg for a while which picked up every irregular contraction but as they weren't getting any closer together I was sent home.
Went out to Matt's work farewell do at 7pm (on the 8th), had contractions throughout, threw up a couple of times so we went home around 10pm, I threw up more on the way and the contractions started getting closer together, hopped in the shower when we got home and they ramped up again to every 2-4 minutes and we're so painful so we went straight back to maternity.
On the monitor they were still irregular but roughly 7-12 minutes apart and I was having a lot of trouble coping with them. They stayed that way for hours. And I was put on a drip for bad dehydration and given ondansetron for the vomiting.
Around 4am on the 9th I finally had an internal done and was 3cm dilated, cervix soft but posterior, contractions had regulated around 7 minutes apart by this point.
The midwife was asking me if I wanted pethidine or something to help me rest, I asked for pethidine, but found out later the OB on call had ordered some meds to stop the contractions instead so they died off and went to every half hour instead.
I was pumped full of fluids the rest of the day and given Panadol often as I'd developed a fever but was allowed off the ctg in the afternoon to have a walk and a shower.
Around 10:30pm the contractions finally regulated again and we're coming every 7 minutes, lasting 60 seconds.
They quickly intensified to every 5 minutes and lasting 2 minutes, around 11:30pm I was given another internal and was 4cm dilated. At this point I asked for gas and pethidine and from here it's all a blur of contractions 2-4 minutes apart with double and triple peaks, back labour and so much pressure down there until 1:50am when I had the next internal and was 8cm dilated. The midwife tried to check how effaced I was as my cervix was still posterior and baby was still able to move up and down on a cushion of amniotic fluid, when all of a sudden I felt a pop and my waters exploded everywhere, flooding the bed, midwife and floor.
There was meconium present in the fluid.
From there it was all systems go and I felt bub's head move down and my body took over and was basically saying "get this baby out of there!"
Emily Jane was born at 2:02am, just 12 minutes after my waters broke.
I had a 2nd degree tear, and the hospital report says that I was pushing for only 7 minutes.
There was meconium staining on the sac, cord, placenta and her fingernails and the midwife said she had likely been swimming in it for a while, it's a miracle that she didn't aspirate any of it.
Apgars: 7 at 1min, 6 at 2min and 9 at 5min.
Weight: 3.95kg
Length: 49cm
HC: 34.5cm
She had trouble breathing and was very sleepy when she was born, they were talking about taking her to the nursery but decided against it at the last minute.
For the next 24 hours they were umming and aahhing about taking her to the nursery as she couldn't maintain her body temperature and they were thinking of putting her on an antibiotic drip, but managed to avoid it after being force fed a bottle of ebm - she hates bottles and dummies poor bubba lol. She had to have vitamin D supplements as well after we found out that I had had really low Vitamin D levels since May, wish someone had told me back then so I could have fixed it, so now she's on pentavite as well and will need to go back to see the paediatrician in 4 weeks to make sure everything is ok.
So far breastfeeding is going really well, she's a natural, but my nipples aren't used to it and are hurting like crazy!
Other than that she has her days and nights all messed up and sleeps almost all day and is awake most of the night.
She's perfect (other than a hairy mole on her cheek, poor kid is going to get teased in school I can just see it), with such chubby cheeks.
