Caty Abigail's birth....

Preparation:
'New Active Birth' by Janet Balaskas
Evening Primrose Oil each night for the last three weeks....internally taken.
Perineum massage for the last three weeks.
Each and every 'Birth Story' on this site - to cover every labour angle that might arise!
Positive thinking and a feeling of excitement about the birth!
Heaps of prayer for specific things about the birth (good midwife, single room, no complications, high pain threshold, calmness, good hour for labour and birth, no mec, relaxed labour ward, peace etc.).

Sorry guys, this is a long one!

Woke up Friday morn at 4am with period-like pains in my lower gut which peaked and then faded away. I got up to go to the loo and woke DH (Mitch) up. He noticed I was 'breathing funny' and knew something was up. The pain wasn't too bad and I was able to doze until about 8am. Mitch got me a hot water bottle which I put on my lower gut which kinda helped.
Woke my little sis up (Jula) and told her that Mitch would be staying home today....because I was in labour! Yeehaa! There were dorky high-fives all round!
As the contractions weren't too bad, I went about the house as usual....ate my porridge and had my cup of milo etc. Mitch and Jula decided to have a 'Seinfeld' marathon for the day as we had previously discussed the benefits of humour in early labour. I watched an episode or two then went back to bed with my hot water bottle. I then lay there getting quietly pee'd off as I listened to them laughing away with (IMO) no thought of poor me in labour, trying to get some rest. Mitch kept coming in and checking on me and eventually I got up and started pacing the corridoor during ctx as they were getting more painful.
I rang the hospital around 3pm when my contractions were 4 or 5 minutes apart and the midwife who answered sounded quite bored by my call....which strengthened my resolve to stay home as long as I could. I then ran the bath and sat in there with Mitch timing each ctx and pouring water over my back. Ha, no more Seinfeld for him! The ctx by this stage had to be breathed through, which really helped me calm down, focus on the pain and try to give into it, if that makes sense? They still felt like bad period pains with a lot of aching. Each time one started, I told myself it was nearly over even when it hadn't peaked yet....although I knew I was at at the start of a ctx, this sort of mindset of it nearly being over helped. In the past, when I've hurt myself I've tried to power on through it, telling myself 'it will make me tougher!', which sounds pretty silly, but anyway. Labour was a bit like that...would make me tougher.
I was pretty worried during this time that I was only dilated to 4cm or less....when I rang the midwife the first time all I wanted to do was go in, get my dilation checked, then come home again with hopefully some encouragement, but like I said, she sounded bored by my call so that put me off. I hopped in and out of the bath (don't know why - the ctx were heaps more bearable when I was in there!), sitting on the loo or leaning forward onto a chair, swivelling my hips during ctx. I'd had bits of my show over the last two or so hours, and was hoping my waters would break soon, but to no avail.
Around 7pm I had a few moments of panic in the bathroom and decided now was the time to go to the hospital. I marched into the lounge and told Jula and Mitch that now was the time, let's get moving. Mitch had just heated up his dinner and continued eating it, which really annoyed me. I hadn't packed the last few items of my labour/hospital/baby bags and got pretty grumpy at Jula too for not helping me. I'd pack one bag, plonk it on the table and when she didn't take it out to the car I'd get more annoyed. Mind you, I never asked her to take it to the car! Mitch was now brushing his teeth and I remember looking at him and thinking 'what the heck are you doing man? I'm in labour and I want the hospital'. His defense is 'I thought we were going to be at the hospital all night so I should finish eating while I had the chance...', and that he'd been waiting around all day so five more minutes wouldn't kill me!
We queued up at A&E for what felt like 10 minutes only to be told we were at the wrong counter. I got a bit emotional and nearly started crying which suprised me. Finally we signed a few forms and went up to the labour ward where we were given a midwife and shown to our room. By now it was 7.30pm.
When we reached the room I remember leaning on a bench during a ctx and thinking secretly 'Mmm, I could do with some drugs right about now...'. Suprisingly (to me) I also told myself that I didn't mind if bubs was a little drugged up....it wouldn't kill him/her. I didn't voice this and I didn't do anything about it anyway, but the thought was there for a moment. Mitch made sure the midwife checked out my birth preferences, which I wasn't too concerned about for some reason. As in, during pregnancy I was pretty adamant about exactly what I wanted, and I'd often visualised fighting the midwife if she disagreed with me, but now the time had come, I was not half as adamant.
I was hooked up to the CTG machine. All I wanted was to be checked for dilation but that didn't happen for ages. I thought that would be the first thing they checked but no. The midwife wanted me on the bed so she could check bub's hearbeat so up I climbed. I thought the ctx would be hellish on the bed, but weirdly they weren't too bad...I was sitting up a bit so I'm guessing that helped. Finally I was checked for dilation....but after the midwife had her hand back she went straight out of the room without telling us how far along I was!!! She came back in with a Dr. who checked me and said 'Yes, she's 10cm'. Poor Mitch thought he said 'Yes, she's 2cm'...poor man was pretty crestfallen. I was in a bit of shock but I was so proud at the same time. I couldn't believe it! I remember thinking 'ach, no time for drugs anyway'. Mitch and Jula were pretty impressed too, which made me happy.
I flipped over to my knees and leant over the upright head of the bed where I started blowing my contractions out. I realised just how bad my breath was and cried out 'Sorry guys, I have really bad breath...I may as well acknowlege it..and I'm sorry!'. I think this is why I kept asking for the Gatorade over my water bottle...I thought it might get rid of my bad breath! My belly was really tight as my waters still hadn't broken so I tried a bit of pushing in the hope of breaking them but I didn't have to guts to push really hard (not sure why!!). I think I thought it would hurt or something?
As I had Strep B I had to go on a drip before they were ruptured. This freakin' drip took like, an hour to empty (it kept stopping) so I had to sit on the bed with a full belly, rather frustrated that I was 10cm but couldn't do a lot yet. I asked the midwife 'Can't you just break them and put my baby under observation after it's born?' but she said no. This really annoyed me as I feel she should have gone with my wishes, but I haven't really looked into it so I'm not sure who was in the right. Those stupid waters were the only real object of my anger during labour....and received my only abuse; 'Bloody waters just break already!'.
The drip was finally finished and my waters finally broken. There was some mec in the waters which was curious, as I had had a pretty stressfree pregnancy. Anyway. After the doc broke my waters, poor Mitch thought the Dr. said 'I must have cut your baby's head as there's some blood'....however, in hindsight we've decided he didn't say this, it was just his crazy accent. The Dr. stayed by the bed for a few minutes and asked me if I wanted any gas (!!), I remember looking at him and thinking 'You stupid man, as if I'd want gas ...it's not like it's going to take away any pain' (harsh...but fair!), and I said 'no'.
I had a second midwife come in, older and wiser and more natural birth minded. She got me in a squat on the bed and I hung onto a rail they attached to the end of the bed. After perhaps an hour with no permanent crowning, the older midwife (Lorri) suggested I kneel on the bed, leaning against the bedhead. I thought this would be heaps better but it didn't seem to be, and after 20 minutes I went back to my squat. Finally there was some crowning which didn't see the head slip back in, and Lori held up the mirror a few times and I touched the little hairy bit that could be seen.
For some reason my ctx spaced out to maybe 4 minutes which gave me a rest. Each time one came, I'd be lazy and not tell the midwives until it was perhaps a quarter done, then I'd say 'Contraction!' and the other midwife would put her fingers on the lower part of my vag. which helped heaps as I could direct my energy to that bit (if that makes sense). I was blowing as long as I could with each ctx, which saw the midwife's arms spat/spittled upon each and every time one came. I bet she wished she had gloves up to her elbows rather than her wrists but she didn't comment on it which was nice :)
Jula and Mitch were very encouraging with their 'keep going, you're nearly there!' 's which was funny in hindsight, as it took me another good 40 minutes to push out bubs. Mitch (and I!) both thought to ourselves 'Wow, that's such a small head' (Mitch) and 'Wow, small head....it's the size of a tennis ball!' (me!) as we saw it come out a bit. We both didn't realise what part of bub's head came out first, and that there was like, 80% more to come out...silly I know, but I honestly thought it even though it made no sense! Mitch says if he had have known how much more head there was to come, he wouldn't have been so encouraging!
About five minutes before Caty Abigail was born, Lorri started talking about an episiotomy. She said bubs would be out next ctx if I had one (Caty was stuck - which incidentally left swelling which will last 8 weeks). By that stage, I didn't mind the thought of one if it bought her out sooner. If I could handle a drug free labour, I could handle an episiotomy..so I thought anyway. I had been pushing my little heart out and was getting a bit tired (which, when mixed with my lazy contraction notification, was not a good mix!). It took a few minutes to get everything ready and as the needle was getting primed (just like the movies when they squirt it a bit!) I had another ctx. 'Contraction!' I yelled, and this time Caty came out!!! I think everyone thinks it was that fear reflex thing due to imminent episiotomy but like I said, I wasn't too worried by that, so I think my body was just finally ready? She gave a good yell once she was out which was nice.
Anyway, Jula was camera'ing away, and we were all looking down on this beloved, bloodied creature. I said 'it's a girl!' and then she was lifted to my chest and I leant back on the bed holding my darling Caty. She was so warm and slippery....so lovely. I kissed the top of her head and hoped the transferred blood to my lips didn't come out in the photos (ugh, I can't believe how vain I was at such a precious moment! I'm a bit ashamed about that...).
Wow, it's so nice to reminisce about those first few minutes :)
I had a small first degree tear which I spoke to Lorri about, who said it would heal quicker without stiches as it wasn't bad at all, so we left it at that. I had negotiated about the cord pulsing for at least 5 minutes with my midwife when I first got into the hospital, but I reakon they didn't let it go half that long (eh, oh well, life goes on!) and I didn't object to the shot in the thigh to get my placenta out (it's funny how you don't really care once bubs is out...I didn't anyway). Mind you, if I had have known the size of the bruise it left, I wouldn't have given in so easily!
I tried feeding but it didn't 'work' very well so in the end we expressed some colostrum and gave it to her from a syringe. I later found out that my nipples are flat and after about 5 days the visiting midwife suggested a nipple shield, which saw Caty put on 120g in two days!
Anyway, that's another story for another time!

I love Caty Abigail Mitchell!

7 pound 11 ounces
52cm long
34cm head circ.
Time of birth: 11:54pm, Friday 27th Oct 2006
Modbury Public Hosp, Adelaide

WOW, What a read !!

Thank you so much for sharing the birth of little Caty with us.

Congratulations on your new little girl once again :)

Wow great birth story! I really enjoyed reading that! Congratulations!
Are you still bf using the nipple sheilds? I had the same problem & found the sheilds a god send. however over time my man decided he didnt like them anymore and eventually had to learn without them. It wasnt easy to begin with but persistance paid off and he latches on easily now.

Thanks :)
Still using the nipple shields....though it looks like my nipples are more out than flat now afterwards so I've been curious to see if Caty will bf normally....definately worth trying...I HATE washing them after each use! Might see how I go today...

That was a long story - i needed a cuppa! Great story thoug. Hope mother hood is going great for you

That was one of the best birth stories I've read. Good on you and congratulations on your baby girl.

That was a fantastic story! Funny and witty and I felt like I was there!
Thanks for sharing and COngrats on the beautiful Caty!