Lily's surprise leisurely arrival (LOOONG!)
Well where to begin?! I had planned on a natural labour and birth, but I guess the universe had other plans!! Here's my story...but be warned: it's a looong one!:)
I guess I will start with when my waters began leaking. It was on the 15th of April and my waters were leaking ever so slowly. I wasn't too concerened or excited since I knew it could be days yet before anything happened. I just kept an eye on the leak and went about my business, I told my DH and he was only slightly more excited than me, LOL.
When my waters were still leaking the next day, I was advised by the girls here on bellybelly to call the hospital. I did so and the midwife told me that if I soaked a pad in a hour or so that I'd need to come in. Since that didn't happen, I didn't do anything. Once my DH came home from work, I told him what I had done and he wanted me to call the hospital again.
I called and this midwife was very concerened that I hadn't been advised to come in earlier due to the risk of infection. So this time my DH and I went into the hospital. I was checked out, put on the feotal monitor, given an internal and it was definately my waters leaking, my cervix was still closed and quite thick :( and bubs was still up quite high, but ok healthwise. I was scolded by the midwife (!!) and the Dr said I would have to stay the night and then I would be induced first thing in the morning, since by then it would be over 30hrs since my waters had broken. This was a bit scary for me and a big surprise for both me and my DH. I was expecting to be given some antibiotics and to be told to go on my way to wait until I went into labour!
After a sleepless night, I was taken to the labour ward at 11am and the Dr came and put in a canula- in the crook of my elbow... I nagged the midwife until she got another to put in another one- in the wrist below my right thumb (better than the first one I guess) and the drip was put in.I was also put back on the feotal monitor and told I couldn't move unless I needed to pee. I asked a thousand questions and was really quite scared of the pain. The drip started working pretty slowly, which was a relief to me. The midwife turned up the drip every 1 1/2 hours or so and I dreaded the increase of pain. But I really surprised myself and managed it really well. The pain was mostly in my back and I could handle that.
After about 5hrs the midwife did an internal to check my progress and I was about 1cm dialated and my cervix was begining to thin. She also said that I was 'backed up' and was told I'd need to have an enema- OH JOY! Also by this time I was starving and wanted to eat, but they wouldn't let me.
Once about 10hrs or so had gone by the pain was starting to get a bit much and I asked about relief. The midwife told me I could have some gas but I was worried it would make me sick- the last thing I needed since I couldn't walk around, have a shower or move. The midwife suggested an internal to see how we were going. I agreed. I was only 3cm! And the baby was still up high. I was so devastated. So I tried to stick out the pain for a bit longer before having some gas about an hour or so later.
I sucked on the gas for about another few hours before the pain got even more intense as they turned up the drip. I then asked for some pethadine, and told then that it made me sick the last time I'd had it would it do it again. The midwife said not necessarily. They timed the injection with turning up the drip and it was a godsend! I was blissfully unaware of the increased pain, but I was also vomiting up bile and dry wretching, since by now I hadn't eaten for about 14hrs. I hadn't even been allowed to drink (had a saline drip in) in case I needed a caesar. In short I felt like cr#p!
Finally the vomiting stopped and I was much more comfortable. I still really wanted to walk or have a shower but the midwife wouldn't let me off the monitor, even though bubs was fine. I was getting frustrated and was still starving and thirsty! My poor DH didn't know what to do as I didn't want him to touch me, so he sat next to me and watched me! Poor guy.
By the time we hit about 16hrs I was begging for more pethadine and the midwife gave me some more, I was still sucking on the gas though it was starting to taste really disgusting and I didn't want it anymore. The midwife again timed the pethadine with turning up the drip. I was told that the drip was at its highest level and it couldn't be turned up anymore. This time the pethadine didn't do very much and I was screaming like there was no tomorrow. Contractions were about two minutes apart and I tried to rest in between them. Nothing anyone said made it into my brain and I was feeling nausious again. I began vomiting again and the midwife did an external check to see where bubs was- it hadn't moved. She called a Dr to do another internal to check my progress. The head Dr came in to check me and to talk over our options.
This Dr discovered that it had been my hind waters leaking and the my fore waters were still intact, which was most likely causing the slow labour. He (very painfully) manually ruptured my forewaters which had me in tears- believe it or not I hadn't cried at all until this! I was now at about 8cm and bubs was still high. But rupturing the membranes got things moving. The Dr said that if we didn't progress well within the next two hours, he's prepare for a c- section. I was determined not to have one and begged for the midwife to let me walk for a while. She did for half an hour which seemed to do the trick.
I was again hooked up to the feotal monitor and got back to bed, but now I was finally at 9cm- only one to go!! It was now about 18 hours since we started. The last cm went pretty quickly with me still screaming like a banshee, and begging the midwife to let me push, the urge was so strong and stopping it felt so wrong. My poor DH was at his wits end he had hardly slept and couldn't really do anything for me.
The midwife finally declaired me ready to push. I pushed for 3 1/2hours, since bubs was still up quite high, and the Dr decided to give me an epesiotimy since I was begining to tear. After that, the baby came out over four contractions, getting stuck twice- once around her eyes and once around her chin.So on April 17th, 2007 at 8:20am, our precious finally came out all slippery and bloody and screaming. I was so overjoyed that we finally had our bubba, my DH was moved to tears and was so excited that we had our little girl. We named her Lily Kate and she weighed 3.6kg, length, 55cm and H/C of 36cm. She has a beautiful head of dark hair and I can't get over how beautiful she really is! (I know a mother's bias!! :lol: )
But it didn't end there!!! The Dr had trouble getting out the placenta, even after the injection was given to help and in a last ditch effort pulled it out, causing me to haemmorrage quite badly. So after all of that I was left quite badly anaemic and feeling very faint, with low bp (80/45 at one stage!) and sick. Due to all of that my milk never came in naturally and so I was also given medication to help with that, which I am still on for another few days. I recieved three units of blood, which helped and after staying in hospital for a week.
The first few days Lily was bottle fed and mostly cared for by other people because I could barely sit up, but now I feel much better and I'm on the road to recovery. It will take a few months to get back to full health, but at least I can care for my baby. Breast feeding is slowly coming along, though we are having a few hiccups and have seen a lactation consultant a few times already. But Lily is a pretty good bub so far and I am over the moon we have her!
If you made it all the way through this, thankyou for reading my story!
