A little bit of knowledge....
First off I wanted to let anyone reading that this birth for me, wasn't a happy one. We had what some consider a perfect outcome- a normal birth and healthy bub, but I continue to find it traumatic. I think a combination or my medical research knowledge and my wishes for natural birth made it worse for me than it appears from the surface.
I fell pregnant with Smidge quickly and easily. I had HG which I was medicated for- but resolved alot around 22weeks. We moved interstate at around 17weeks and I went about booking in to the local birth centre and hired an amazing doula. I had planned an unmedicated natural labour, mainly due to my long standing fear of hospitals, but agreed to the birth centre due to my husbands fears of a homebirth.
At around 33 weeks I started having strong regular BH contractions, I lost my plug bubs was engaged and i started dilating. I was put on bed rest in hope of getting to the magical 37week mark, it would help.my baby and allow me to birth in the birth Centre. During the exam to check dilation and to assess for amniotic leak they also conducted a Strep B test. It is normal and routine, but they knew I planned on refusing the test I had researched it thoroughly- they did it anyway. This should have been the first time alarm bells went off. They didnt. I was peeved but didnt take it further.
We finally arrived at 37 weeks safely. At 37+2 I started contracting again- I was in prelabour. This went on for 3 days. Overnight I would get contactions 10mins apart, but would space back to 15-20mins as the sun rose, I would get a few hours sleep and then it would start again just after lunch. At 37+4 I was exhausted beyond belief. I had had enough. I begged my doula to do an induction reflexology (doesn't usually do it until overdue) as I felt if I continued like this I would be too flat to endure labour. At 4pm she did the reflexology, gave me a massage and some labour tea. I headed to bed at 8pm woth not a contraction in sight.
.....Until 12.30am I woke suddenly to the gush of my waters breaking!! This was it- it was time to get ready to meet our smidge!
I rang my midwife after the gushing had stopped and I had had a shower and called my mum (she was travelling bris-syd for the birth), at about 1am. She talked me through checking for Mec, contractions starting etc.... then we get to the babies movement- have you felt the baby move?
I dont think so..... she had me concentrate on baby to see it he was moving... after 15mins still nothing. She recommended I come in to be checked. We headed up to the hospital at 2am. They ran the fetal monitor the check baby and did an exam to check for cord prolapse. Everything was fine, but I was only at 3cm- where I had been since 34 weeks. I headed home so as not to be put on the clock. I only had 18hours if I stayed. I would only have 24 hours from waters breaking anyway due to the positive strep B they had done. After that I would be transferred to the delivery suite- nightmare stuff for me.
We went home and I did everything i could to move labour on. I was on the clock. at 3am at 37+5 (27hrs since waters broke) I really felt we were getting somewhere, contractions were down to 3 mins apart and lasting a minute- I thought I had stayed home long enough so I wouldn't have to labour long in hospital as by this stage I was no longer eligible for the birth centre. We headed to the hospital- I was tiring quickly and was ready for our baby to be born.
We arrived around 4am and I was transferred to the delivery suite. I went about making that horrible room my own. Lights were dimmed and music on.... My doula started talking me through my calmbirth mantras to get me back in the zone. About 5am the doctor on duty came in again to push antibiotics- something I continued to refuse as I had again research the evidence based medicine for strep B treatment. She then insisted on an exam- which I agreed to because I was sure I was very dilated. (I still hate the facy I consented to so many, I feel it contributed heavily to what happened) The doctor cheerfully announced I was doing well! I was fully effaced and 3cm! I was broken. 24hours and no progress. My midwife looked concerned. She went out of the room to talk to the doctor. The came back and felt my stomach- finally telling me smidge had turned posterior. The doctor was now serious, after chatting to my midwife about what had happened so far she strongly suggested I start on a Syntocin drip-as she felt smidge and I might end up in trouble if this went on. She also suggested an epidural as she felt it would allow me to rest and recoup before the birth. I gave in, I was broken. I agreed to the epidural and drip but continued to refuse antibiotics, the last of my beliefs I could hold on to.
At 10am the anesthesiologist arrived to place my epidural. My fears went into overdrive, I was suddenly feeling extremely vulnerable as I hunched over waiting for the needle. I was barely controlling myself and my midwife held me on one side- my husband on the other. I knew the peocedure inside out- I'd only just finished my biomed degree months earlier. 15 minutes in I was concerned and started asking what was taking so long. No one would answer me. I kept asking over and over, all my midwife could do was ask the doctor to speak to me and tell me it would be over soon, she couldn't see and didn't dare move.
Im still staring at the clock- 20minutes has passed and still no answers. The doctor has started doing something that was reverberating up to my skull. I was now starting to get hysterical - what the hell are you doing?!?! still no answer. 25minutes in he finished. Tapped me on the shoulder, said "all done" and walked out of the room- sending in a junior doctor to finish off.
30minutes later the epi was not working so they attempted a re-site. The new anesthesiologist was amazing he re-sited as good as possible and half an hour later set up a fentanol infusion. The doctor came back in and started the syntocin drip, and with an exam announced I was still 3cm by this time it was 11am. Again I was informed I needed antibiotics as I was now at risk of sepsis, my baby's risk of dying increasing by the hour. They bought a waiver for me to sign.... I caved and took the antibiotics
The epidural continued to be a failure- they kept increasing the dose to no avail- all it did was make me completely lose feeling and control from mid thigh down. I had no pain relief and couldn't move either. Despite the failed epi and fentanol infusion, I felt I was going well, like things were really progressing, the contractions felt more productive, like smidge was moving down, I thought I was coping well. At 11.30am the doctor returned, and went to turn up the syntocin. I said no I think im progressing well, I dont think I need it. I was told of course I need some it turned up- thats how it was done. The doctor turned it up and disappeared again leaving me, my husband, mum and doula alone in the room. He also turned down the gas on the way out insisting a woman with an epidural did not need that much gas. Again my training kicked in and i instructed DH in how to adjust it back up for me. Lucky i did as the contractions quickly became unbearable rolling on top of one another. At 11.50 I begged for the syntocin to be turned down, it was excruciating. Again I was told no- my labour would stall if the did that- apparently I had hours yet until my baby would arrive. At 12pm while the doctor was still explaining *why* he couldnt do what I wanted, I started to push it was involuntary and strong. The doctor started screaming at me to stop- that my cervix would swell, that I wasn't ready yet. My midwife jumped in and did an exam - I was at 10cm after just under an hour ago only being 3cm! I was ready to bring our smidge earth side! I had a small cervical lip which my midwife quickly tucked out of the way. The pushing was unlike anything I could imagine, the pressure unbelievable. I could feel smidge rotating as he came down- no coming out sunny side up for him! My midwife coached me through so gently, and in the end I sustained a small 1.5cm 2nd deg tear (my midwife later told me she was expecting alot worse) and a small graze.
Our little lion man roared into this world at 37+6 weeks, after 45min of pushing, 1hr 45min of established labour, almost exactly 36hours after my waters broke.
At 7lb 8oz, 50cm and agpars 9 & 9 our little man was here healthy! The only ill effects being quite a severe cephalohaematoma, which is yet to resolve.
The following days continued to be eventful- Smidge had not had a wet nappy 18hrs after birth, they were concerned for his kidneys. He finally passed some-thick with urates. We ended up on the children's ward for the second day-the maternity ward was too full. Although it was a horror to be moved there it was a blessing in disguise- a special care nurse recognized both smidge and my issues with breastfeeding and managed to get us back on track. I truly feel without her our breastfeeding journey would have failed.
On day 5 I was readmitted with suspected thromboembolism, due to severe chest pain. The never determined the cause and I was released after 36hours.
At 3 weeks old Smidge was diagnosed with severe reflux and is now medicated with losec and zantac and doing really well :)
We definitely had a rough ride to start with but we are doing so well now. Hes such a gorgeous happy boy and a very easy bub :D
