18th July 2007- Noah James Munro - Gestational Diabetes mother
Towards the end of my pregnancy I was having regular ultrasounds to check on Noah's growth, he was growing approximately 2pounds a week, I was on 4 big insulin shots a day and my levels were all over the place, I was also very close to pre eclampsia. On Friday 13th July I had an internal and was told it wasn't the worst it could be but it wasn't the best either. The ob told me that I would have to go have some monitoring for pre eclampsia and if I had it I Noah would have to be born that day, because of all the factors put together. He said that because of my cervix not being ready and I was only 36w3days preg it would take too long if I was induced so I would need an immediate c-section.
I really didn't want to have a c-section so I was glad to find out that I didn't have pre eclampsia but I would have to come in everyday for more testing and if at anys stage my high bp etc turned into pre eclampsia I would need an immediate c-section. The ob also told me that there was a 20% chance Noah would have shoulder dystocia which can mean that a vaginal birth would lead to his collarbone needing to be broken, nerve problems and very rarely death and they would prefer I opt for a c-section. (Shoulder Dystocia is when babies who are macrosomic get their heads out but their shoulders get stuck)
Although this may sound crazy to some I knew Noah wouldn't have this so I said I wanted to try for a vaginal birth even though I was told I had a 60% chance of it ending in a c-section anyway. The date was set for me to start the induction process on Monday 16th July at 7pm.
Over the weekend I got through all my tests for pre eclampsia and avoided a c-section and so on Monday night Phil and I made the exciting and nerve racking trip to the hospital. At about 8pm I had the gel put in. I was told that it should work the 1st time but if it doesn't I will get two more doses and if they don't work I will neec a c-section. Anyway after a few hours Phil had to go home for the night (I was in the maternity ward not a labour suite) I didn't really sleep at all I was too excited!
After a sleepless night for both Phil and I we were taken around to a labour suite...the midwives were teasing me because I had got up and done my hair and makeup lol...anything to distract me while I waited.
When we got to the labour ward I probably waited about 30mins-1hr and then a midwife and dr came around to check me and break my waters if they could, I was so excited to hear I was now 2cm and my waters could be broken (1 step further from a c-section) I then had a syntocin drip put in and the midwife asked if I would like to have a go at the gas so I had a handle on it if I wanted to use it later. I said yes but for some reason I couldn't get the hang of breathing through my mouth only (according to Phil I breathe through my nose when I'm in pain) so I chucked it away. Midwives kept trying to help me with it and in the end they put a little baby oxygen mask on it so I could breathe it in through my nose the midwife asked if I wanted to give it another go...I almost said no but I decided one more time. So I took a suck and almost ended up on the floor...Phil and the midwife Anne-Maree caught me and got me into bed. I started laughing my head off, even through contractions, telling Phil I wanted to go swimming and eat a macdonalds cheeseburger! Anne-Maree wouldn't even let me get up to go to the toilet, I had to use a bedpan incase I fell over!!
Anyway my midwife who has had over 20years of experience was laughing at me telling me she had never seen anyone be effected by the gas even remotely like I was! Apparently I was even asking to get up so I could fix my makeup while I was in full blown labour!!
Anne-Maree asked if I wanted an epidural and I asked how much worse the pain would get and she said no worse my contractions were now at maximum so I said definitely no epidural!
Maybe about 1hour later my contractions started rolling right into each other with not even a 1sec gap so Anne-Marie had to turn the syntocin off. By now my bp was very high and Noah's heartbeat was starting to get very high Anne-Marie asked if I wanted an epidural now because she would have to turn the drip back on and the contractions were going to go the same again with no gaps until Noah was born, I wasn't sure so we got the Dr to come in to have a chat with us about options. I was fine with the pain but I was starting to get so high from the gas that I could hardly even suck on it and having no gaps between contractions was hard to deal with. The Dr told us that we needed to get my bp down so that Noah's heartrate would go down, because if it didn't I would have to have a c-section (that word coming up again) So I spoke to Phil and as I felt I was too in the moment to make the decision so I asked Phil to make it (he knew exactly how I felt about pain relief etc) he decided that I should have the epidural so I went ahead and had it and it was fantastic, I couldn't feel anything!!
Anne-Maree went to leave the room and I said to her "don't you have to turn the drip back on?" She told me it had been back on for 20mins!!!
Anyway just after this I was checked and I was 5cm!! Seeing as I had only been on the drip for 2 1/2 hrs and it had only been turned on for 2 of those hours and I was already 5cm Anne-Maree told me that it would be a quick labour!
After this epidural I did something I thought I would never do, I let people other that my husband into the room! My mum, 2 sisters and Phil's brother and his wife all came in!
About 4hours later and it was time to do another internal so Phil and I sent everyone out until after Noah was born! When I had my internal I was very disappointed to hear that I was only 6cm! So after going from 2-5cm in 2hours I had now only dialated a further 1cm in 4hours!!! All of a sudden there was a dr in the room wanting to get me prepped to have a c-section because she said the labour was progressing too slow for my situation.
I asked her if she could give me any extra time to dialate more, she said there was another lady who was already being prepped to go to theatre for a c-section so I would have to wait about 45mins so she would give me that time. I told Phil to start praying because I was NOT having a c-section!!! He told me he already was praying. After only 30mins the dr came back and I heard her say to the midwife (Tracey, Anne-Maree had gone home at 7pm) that this was a waste of time because I needed a c-section so to go check me now so they could just prep me. Tracey said it hasn't been 45mins yet and the dr said it doesn't matter it was a waste of time.
So Tracey did an internal it seemed to take forever but I was very excited to hear that I was now 9cm dialated!!!! So basically I started dialating 24times faster!!! The dr said she would now give me some more time and she would see if things kept progressing. After this I fell asleep for a while when I woke up Phil asked me if I wanted him to go give everyone an update I said yes and about this time Tracey left the room too. Somewhere around this time my epidural had run out so I could feel everything again!
Anyway while everyone was out of the room I suddenly felt the urge to push, I was a bit scared because I looked up and realised there was no way I could get to the button to press for help and I know some times the urge to push comes before it is safe to push, otherwise I would have just gone for it! Luckily Phil came straight back in the room so I sent him to find Tracey!
I ws so excited when I could finally push, after a while the dr came back in, Noah's head was crowning but after about an hour and a half the Dr said it wasn't progressing enough and she thought I needed a c-section (right about now this dr was getting major death stares!) she said she would call the head ob realising that I wasn't going to agree to go for the c-section unless there was someone who was going to give me a good reason (apparently the head ob needed to be at the birth anyway because of all the risks associated with the birth) So she said he is just tying his shoes up and he would be there in about 10mins and he would want to make a decision about the c-section. Anyway as soon as the dr went to call the head ob I started pushing with everything I had, the midwife told me that I was pushing even when I wasn't contracting I said I know and I don't care, I just want Noah to be born. she said well if you have the strength to do that go ahead! I watched the whole thing in a big mirror and used it as a great tool to encourage me! Phil also watched the whole thing even though before birth he said there was no way he was looking! Anyway in the end the head ob walking in the dr and out popped Noah's head at 3.55am and he was perfect! He weighed in at 9pound 4 and a half or 4200g. He had no trouble breathing even though he was 3weeks early but he ended up going hypoglyceamic and had to go to the special care unit at 7pm that night and stay over night but that was all fixed with some tube feeds. So after spending sometime with Noah I fell sleep with him on the bed with me, after all I had basically been awake for 2days!
At the end of it all the midwives told me I did an amazing job and that I was incredibly determined! I am so glad that I went after what I wanted. Even though throughout my pregnancy I never wanted any drugs or to be induced it really didn't matter because nothing will chance the feeling I felt when Noah was put up on my chest...indescribable!! Phil said it made him realise just how strong I am and that he thought I was amazing that I knew what I wanted and I kept my eye on it because I knew I could do it even though it was suggested that I couldn't. I have nothing against women who choose or need to have c-sections and I am sure their birth experiences are just amazing but for me this was something that I really wanted to experience and if there was one word I think of when I think of the birth it wouldn't be painful (although it did hurt) it would be amazing and is was experience that Phil and I will be forever grateful for and will always remember!
