Elly's fast arrival

Taken me three months to write this, but this is for everyone who is expecting the textbook 11-12 hour maybe longer labour.

Was 39 weeks + 5, felt no different than usual, and had resigned myself to expecting to go 2 weeks overdue.
I woke up the morning at about 4:30 and went to the loo, when I came back to bed I felt an almight pain for about three minutes but thought - Can't be a contraction, it was 3 minutes long from nothing so decided to ignore it. Couldn't sleep - felt oddly adreanlin pumped. About 5:15 felt a small release and a couple of little gushes between my legs, jumped up and walked to the toilet with lots of little gushes trickly down my legs and sat on the loo and let it all gush out. Obviously I thought, was that my waters breaking?? If so how very hollywood of me since I'd read not to expect waters to break first as that really only happenned in the movies!! I first peed to make sure it was a different sensation to peeing (totally different) and then put on a pad and walked around as I'd been told to check the colour of the waters if they broke to let midwives know. Decided not to wake hubby or call hospital till I was sure. Walked around and stacked dishwasher etc, felt some braxtong hicks but nothing major - started questioning myself.

Went to bathroom and sure enough, soaked pad with pale fluid - hey presto, I knew it was my waters. So, I rang Wyong hospital where I was booked in and was a bit upset to be told that I had to go to Gosford now to be assessed as since contractions hadn't started the risk of infection was too high for me to go there esp since had Strep B. So, went upstairs and very calmly woke DH and told him, Hey, we have to go to Gosford hospital as my waters have broken but I havent had contractions yet, so, let's pack some clothes (I seriously couldn't pack my clothes earlier than this as what I wanted to take to hospital was also what I wanted to wear around the last few weeks of pregnancy so think getting a bag ready early was silly). Packed bag, put washing on, jumped in the car at 6:30am. Instantly a contraction hit, hard.

From that point on they came 5 minutes apart or less and lasted for about a minute to start with! All I could do was try and lift myself out of the car seat for the 40min ride to the hospital down the freeway, ow. Got taken to a delivery room where was expecting an internal but nope. Just blood pressure, tagged and told I was to be monitored for an hour so to lie on my back. Well, that was agony, I physically could not lie on my back for an hour as contractions were Sooo intense from the getgo and there didn't seem to be much of a break at all in between, just lessenning of the pain, not at All what i expected. At that point I started throwing up violently and took off for the toilet numerous times with gastro and was sweating and shaking, the midwife then calmly told me, "so if labour doesn't start on it's own, we'll augment you today because of the risk of infection". If labour doesn't start?? She was calling this pre-labour!! At this point I started to think - I am not going to cope with this if this isn't even labour. Was in so much pain, couldn't even stand hubby trying to rub my back as just added to pain.

Finally the nurse at 10am came in, told me she hadn't found any traces of amniotic fluid on the pad I gave her (I put a fresh one on before I came to hospital) and did an internal it took all my determination to keep still for and said she still couldn't find any traces and I was only dilated not even quite 3 cm. I was sooo dejected. She said I "looked like I was in labour" and she would start counting labour now anyway and gave me the antibiotics. (I later found out that it was my hindwaters which broke, which must have resealed and since I had changed pads and been in the shower at the hospital she couldn't find traces) She later told me I was only 2 cm dilated but if she hadn't written down 3 she would have had to send me to the ward (thank goodness she didn't). Midwife left for morning tea and told me she'd check in later.

They brought out gas finally, it was a waste of time, contractions were too intense so I couldn't breathe in at the peak of them and all the oxygen did was make me feel dizzy so I gave that away. I had expected intense pressure and pain in my back and abdomen but I thought I would have some kind of break between contractions, thee only break I had was a release of the pain at the peak of the contractions which felt like someone had shoved a machete up my butt and was twisting it. So here I was expecting 12 hours of this since she'd told me true labour had just started!!! No wonder I was feeling like I couldn't cope. (Though the midwife, hubby and my mother all thought I was wonder woman as I felt like I shouldn't complain audibly since was told was only the beginning ot labour and so I thought I must be a huge wuss so just wished I was unconcious to myself)

Jumped in the shower, just before 11, got a big frustrated at my mother and DH who either made the water freezing or boiling (damn Gosford hospital's stupid trickle of a shower head), That was for about 10seconds when I decided I really needed to use the loo again, everyone out. Started bearing down thinking was more diarrhoea. Thankfully at this stage my mother took control and said "No, I do not think this is just needing to do a poo, I am getting the midwife" I'm thinking great, the midwife is going to make me lie on my back again which I couldn't stand and I am going to poo in front of her, to add complete indignity to my agony, great.
Got off the toilet and somehow made my way to the bed, midwife finally got a quick look between my legs and said "Oh my goodness, there's a head,!!!, Look!, You've done so well I can't believe it!" I'm like (dazed from pain) can I have morphine now, she's like "No darl, it's time to start pushing, flip over and kneel on the bed and push (which I was involuntarily anyway) just trying not to thinking was going to poo.
So flipped over started pushing for about 8 minutes (that was easy) holding hubby's hand, still was holding back because oddly enough, after having had diarrhoea al lmorning was still afraid I might embarrassingly pass more than just baby - how bizairre!. Midwife said, "You need to push into your bottom as well" I did that twice hard and felt her come all the way down really fast and crown (OWWWWW, no time for anything to stretch!!) She said little pushes now (was very obedient) Baby just fell out all in one with next little push and started crying.

She handed Ellyse to me all purple turning pink and crying, I just looked in my arms and thought, Oh look a baby, yay. (A bit more of a muted response than anticipated, but I think I was in shock over the whole thing) Soon I fully realized what was happenning and was soo happy to see my tiny little girl and hold her against me. I had been pushing for 13minutes. The nurse had counted my labour as being 1 hour, though I KNOW it started with that first contraction in the car as they were so intense and running into each other from the very beginning, so I would say total labour was about 4 1/2 hours and I will be much more vocal next time. When it's your first, you just don't know what to expect and instead of believing my body which was in agony, I believed the midwife's version of textbook. Well my cervix opened from 2 to 10cm in less than an hour, so I will be high tailing it to hospital next time just in case.

Unfortunately despite my obedience I still tore 2nd degree, but labially, perineally and vaginally, and the latter was absolutely agonizing to be stitched up for as was like having a crow bar and a boot inside being torn in different directions for 40min so they could just get to where needed to stitch. Am soooo afraid of that happenning again, I might consider an epidural next time, jsut so it is in place in case they have to do that kind of repair work again.

Thank you for sharing your story :)

Far out that was fast.

You did so well :D Congratulations :D

Wonderful story Sas. I can relate to so many parts! I remember with my first I was telling the MWs I needed to go to the toilet and they were telling me "No you dont - you need to push!".

Labour can happen at any speed for anyone. Pre-labour is not an assured stage. They are probably going to write it down as premiate because you were not sure at the beginning - which is just confusing because that will auto put you for gosford - but premiates cant wait THAT long! LOL. Dontcha hate how Wyong will wash their hands of you in seconds! :(

Little Elly looks like she was a tiny baby for you. And so beautiful too. Sounds like you did an amazing job under such confusing circumstances.

Oh Sas thanks so much for sharing. I love reading birth stories they make me cry from joy. Brings back so many memories. My worst fear was to do #2 while pushing... I even asked DP to tell me if i had so i could appologise... Thankfully i never did... Must have been aweful knowing you had dioreah earlier tho... I can imagine how i would have been.

Congratulations

Thankyou for taking the time to write your birth story, what a day. I can relate to your tearing fears,I have had three bubs and have teared for each of them all at least 2nd degree tears, it didn't feel too bad while I was tearing but the stitch up jobs were horrible, I tried just to focus on the precious little bub in my arms. I hope you are enjoying being a mum.

Lovely birth story. Love the name Ellyse btw..check my sig

Congratulations! And well done! Ellyse is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing your story with us.

Great story!! What an effort, dilating to 10cm in an hour!!

Congrats, thanks for sharing!

Wow Sas, what a full-on birthing experience for you. :o
You have done so amazingly well, and your little Ellyse looks like an absolute darling! Thank you for sharing your story.