The Very Fast Arrival Of Pudge - August 23rd 2012
After being induced with DS I was nervous trying to 'plan' spontaneous labour. I couldn't plan the time, the day, who could definitely look after DS etc and all those little details. For a control freak that was hard! Lol. I didn't know how strong contractions would be, how quick labour was going to be and I didn't know when I should go to hospital.
DS's labour was 4hours long so I expected this one to be about the same.
I had a follow-through midwife and my friend who is a doula as my planned support people along with hubby. They knew the plan was to stay at home for as long as possible and that i wanted to possibly use the bath at the hossy (cuz we don't have a bathtub).
So anyway I had my baby shower on Saturday the 18th August. I kept telling Pudge that he/she could arrive now because i'd had my baby shower! Although in the back of my head I really wanted to have my bikini wax and go grocery shopping on the Wednesday. Didn't want anyone seeing how overgrown it was down there :redface: and sending DH shopping just wouldn't happen! Lol. I had an antenatal appt that Wednesday morning also.
There I refused an iron infusion as I didn't think it was necessary, however agreed to a FBC just to see where my hb was at should I need a transfusion after birth. I also let the ob know that I had lost little bits of plug across the week after DTD.
Waiting for my blood test I messaged my midwife and told her that I was getting noticable period pain. I remember getting it at the start of being induced also. I figured it was just all part of my body preping itself. I know lots of other people get Braxton Hicks and all sorts of other pains and contractions and so far I had avoided all of them both pregnancies, so i didn't think too much of it.
Anyway the period pain continued throughout the day. It came and went in blocks. Wasn't like a 'wave' like a contraction, it would just appear and be painful then disappear. So i got my kini wax, did my grocery shopping, did my bills and then we headed to the in-laws like usual for dinner. In the afternoon about 4.30 i started timing the blocks n they were about 10minutes apart n lasting for 30secs. I continued to time even at the IL's. However by about 6.30 they had started to come on and disappear in the waves - and were moving onto tightenings more so than just pain. They were also a little closer - about 8mins apart. I let Emily & Lauren know and also told DH that we were leaving earlier tonight so i could get some sleep just in case. I also warned MIL to have her phone on to come around to DS should tonight be the night! I don't think she believed me though, cuz i kinda kept quiet just what I was feeling. Didn't want to alert everyone and it be a false alarm.
About 9.30 Emily (midwife) came over to check out the tightenings and see how I was doing. They were definitely contractions but only mild. By this time they were about 90secs long but i stopped timing to try get my brain to shut off for sleep. She left to go try get some sleep herself n i fell asleep for about 2hours. Not sure what woke me up, the need to wee or the contractions, but i started timing again. Around 90secs long again, more painful than earlier and about 7mins apart. DH was still awake playing xbox and i told him that he should be in bed sleeping!! Typically he continued to play.
At midnight they started getting ouchie n i told DH he needed to come to bed and hold my hand through them. So he did thankfully, going to sleep himself between each one because he finally realised that this was the real thing! I wasn't making it up. I didnt know whether to call Emily or Lauren, or even MIL because these were getting more painful than i thought they'd be at this early stage. After only three or four with DH there i could no longer lay down, so i switched to on all fours on the bed, but it didnt feel quite right and I was going to have to make some noise to start dealing with the pain. We room share with our son and I didn't want to wake him. I told DH to stay there I was going to the couch. I migrated onto all fours on the couch for a bit while I rang emily and lauren to come around. I figured DH needed sleep and they could labour with me.
I think i ended up ringing Emily back a second time to make sure she was on her way because they were getting really intense and I needed her there to tell me what I should be doing. DH kept coming out to check on me and I had changed positions again to up over the back of the couch - but i kept sinking in at the knees and the pressure in my tailbone was sooo intense and painful! I think Emily and Lauren got there sometime around 1.15-1.30 and by that time DH rang MIL to come over (she lives around the corner) and he had put bags in the car, got stuff organised for DS. I had moved again to the floor kneeling at the couch.....much better but man it was sooo hard to get thru each contraction. Between when i called DH to bed at midnight to when Emily had gotten there - my contractions went from 7ish mins apart to 3. She took a look at my butt lol - well tailbone/pelvis and said we needed to go to hossy.
In hindsight I remember feeling like i wanted to push this huge poo out lol and that I really just wanted the contractions to stop because I didn't want to go through labour anymore. But the feeling was so brief that i missed that it was transition.
Quickly rushed to car between contractions and got as comfy as possible kneeling on the passenger floor. I just fit! Told DH not to speed when he asked lol. I think i had about three contractions and then about halfway there i got a massive one that I just had to push for. DH told me to hold it or he would be kicking me outta the car hehe and he totally disobeyed the speed limit. I had another one or two before arriving at the hossy - to which DH pulled up at the main entrance instead of the emergency entrance where you go in at 2am!! I had to hold in the pushing contraction again as I was getting out of the car.
We went into the waiting room to where the triage nurse told me to have a seat!!! yeh I replied quite rudely that there was no way I was sitting down and i preceeded to kneel on the floor against the chair - back to my favoured position. She tried to ask me some questions about who I was just as another contraction hit. I was like 'what did you say (again quite rudely because the last thing i wanted to do was focus on what she was saying)....oh crap i'm guna push this baby out!'
She then realised just how 'in labour' i was and said that we need to find a bed NOW or she will have the baby in the waiting room (thankfully there was no one else). Someone bought out a wheelchair for me and i refused to sit on it or walk, but they got me on it backwards kneeling. Lol what a ride as i had another contraction to which i shouted to a very full emergency room (the part where you get beds, not the waiting room) that I need to push. I think they were full for the night - but someone got kicked out of a cubicle and a bed was wheeled in for me to use. Somehow i got up onto the bed leaning over the top and my pants got taken off (i really have no idea how either was done) just as a contraction hit and i pushed bubs head out (waters broke at this point - like they did when i started pushing out DS). Two more contractions (though much milder because I don't remember them at all) and bub was totally out.
Emily was the only midwife present :) the rest were all RN's for the ER. Someone stuck their head in (another nurse) and said 'all the other patients say congratulations and they wanna know what you had?! Then a couple minutes later, Lauren came in...she had gone to move the car for hubby so he could stay with me....and sadly she missed the birth - even funnier though because she also missed DS's by half an hour because it also went so quick.
So that was my drug free, very quick (2hrs 17mins to placenta delivery) & tear free labour. I nearly didn't make it to hossy - and i've somehow made this post just as long as labour itself!
Jasmyn Imogen Mary was born at 2.02am on Thursday August 23rd 2012. 7lb 5oz.
The Very Fast Arrival Of Pudge - August 23rd 2012
Congratulations, well done you! :)
