Birth of Claire

soory, I waffle on alot, so this is a bit long!

My "due date" given to me by the hospital was 11th of March, although Hubby was convinced she'd come after that day - he was thinking 15th of March. I had decided to work until around 37 weeks, figuring i'll be 'textbook' and have bub between 37 and 42 weeks - people thought I was a bit crazy for working till that time but I have a desk job and I felt really good so I thought why not!

On 20/2/07, the day after I started maternity leave, I lost some of my plug and got really excited, but not much happened after that. Exactly a week later on Tuesday 27/2/07 I lost alot more and this time it was blood tinged, so in my excitedness, I logged onto BellyBelly to ask everyones experiences about the time between losing their plug and going into labour hoping people would tell me great stories of how their labour started the same day! haha no such luck!

Two days later on Thursday 1/3/07, I had a routine appointment with a midwife and told her about my plug. After feeling how engaged bub was, she told me that I'll be giving birth within a week. She organised to see me again one week later but said we would probably be back before then to give birth. Naturally, I went home feeling very excited and hoping she was correct. I had been using Evening Primrose Oil and Raspberry leaf tablets during the last few weeks, so I was hoping they will have helped. After getting home my neighbours were leaving to go to QLD and told me I was not allowed to have the baby on the weekend. I had also been told the same thing from some friends who were having a birthday party (which turned out to be a secret wedding!!) on the weekend. So there was all this pressure not to have my baby on the weekend!

Anyhow, we went out that night to get a few items for baby. We then had sex that night, because people say it helps bring on labour, lol.. I dont know if it was the sex or that is was ready to happen anyway, but a few hours later, at 3:30am on Friday, I was rudely awoken by mildly painful contractions. I got up and walked around the house because I was so uncomfortable in bed. After a few hours, I decided to time them and they were 7 mins apart, but hadnt become any stronger since they started. They were painful enough to be distracting, but not painful enough for me to think I was in labour. David (my husband) took the day off work just in case - he rang in and told them "this is it!!! I'll be back in a week or so". I tried to get some sleep during the day, but it didnt go too well, so I went for a walk instead. By that night I was rather disappointed because my contractions had still not become any stronger or closer. I called the hospital and asked what I should do, and I was told to have a panadol and go to sleep because it might be another few days before I give birth! I was devastated by that piece of advice! I went to bed hoping for something to happen overnight, but I kept telling David not to worry, and that nothing was going to happen. In hindsight, I think they were just braxton hicks with a bit of pain.

I decided to lay down in bed and an hour or two later, at about 1:00am, I felt a big contraction and a pop in my tummy which woke me up. I got up straight away and could feel my waters coming out (euwww!!!). I got into the shower to clean up a bit, and noticed my contractions were now closer, stronger and more painful (but not really all that painful just yet). I timed a few and they were 3 minutes apart now so we called the Delivery Suite at the hospital and while I was speaking to Angie, the midwife, I got a massive contraction so I got David to talk to her and tell her what was happening. She said to come in.

We packed the bags into the car and drove off to the hospital. Luckily it was 1:30am so there were only a couple of cars on the road and it didnt take long to get to the hospital, though I'm sure some speed limits were broken anyway... We called our parents on the way to tell them. My mum said she would meet us there. I later found out she had been out drinking and was a bit tipsy but drove anyway!

When we got to the hospital, the doors were locked so we had walk through Emergency to get to the Delivery Suite, and in our excitedness went to the wrong floor!! When we got to the right place, Angie took us in and checked that my waters had broken and told me I was 4cm dilated. She put the monitor on the see my contractions for a little while. She then sent us across the hall into one of the delivery rooms. My mum arrived shortly after.

I spent some time on the bean bags and pillows until I got too uncomfortable then went into the shower with David putting the hot water over my back and tummy while I leant over the big blow up ball thing. I thought I was handling it all ok, but after about 2.5 hours, I was completely exhasuted (hadnt really slept in like 24 hours). I was over it and asked for pethidine. I had been sucking on the gas but it was so annoying and didnt really do much for me. The pethidine worked almost straight away and it made me feel drunk - I cant even remember the next 3 hours. Apparently I kept falling over so Mum and David got me to get out of the shower so I wouldnt hurt myself, and onto the bed where I stayed for a couple of hours and somehow fell asleep between contractions while chewing on the gas. I have absolutely no memory of lying on the bed though!

When the pethidine wore off I went back into the shower and shortly after, a new shift started so I got a new midwife called Sue. All i really remember of her is her very colourful shoes, lol. By now, I was starting to feel physically sick due to the intense pressure in my tummy and bum! I started freaking out telling everyone I couldnt do this anymore and asking when it would stop. They tell me I asked for some more pethidine, but Sue told me I coudlnt have any more as I was too far into labour. Sue must have decided I may have been in transition, so she got me out of the shower to check how much I was dilated. I was fully dilated and was told to push whenever I felt like it. I decided I wanted to push shortly after, so I started pushing.

It only seemed like about 10 minutes, but I was actually pushing for an hour and a half by the time they decided something was wrong. I would push and bub would come forward but then she would go right back in... so my pushing was pretty ineffective. Sue put the monitor around my tummy to check she was ok. They didnt tell me much of what was going on.. but then all of a sudden there were a bunch of extra people in the room, and a young guy (the registrar, i think) standing near me introduced himself as Andrew. They had put the monitor on my tummy, but they werent sure if it was picking up my heartrate or Claires, because it was saying 88 which they thought was too low for her.

I think at this time the doctor said to keep on pushing, even though nothing was actually happening when I did. Another ob showed up and put a monitoring clip onto Claires head to make sure her heart rate was ok. They also put one on my finger to check my heart rate too, but I kept dropping it because it was big and I have small fingers. At this time, they also realised that she was trying to come out on a funny angle and that was why my pushing was doing nothing.

Another doctor appeared (or maybe it was the second doctor again??) appeared and I heard him say something to someone about making a cut to get her out!! Omg I freaked out. I didnt want an episiotomy so I told him No! Instead he put his hands in and turned her head around. I didnt even feel him do this and didnt know he had done it until someone told me afterwards. He told me to coninue pushing again, which I did- it was so much easier now and I pushed her out in a few contractions. When the midwife told me she was crowing, I touched her head. I wanted to be the first to touch her. I remember that her head felt so furry, lol. I loved touching her head as she was being born!

After a total of 8.5 hours of labour including 2 hrs 15 mins of pushing my daughter was born and she was handed straight to me. She cried straight away. She was so beautiful, even if she was rather blue. When I saw her I cried and laughed at the same time!

I got to hold her for a few minutes, then her cord was clamped and cut and she was taken over to the table to be weighed and checked and all that. She has a huge bruise on her head from where she was getting jammmed against my pelvis. She had APGAR scores of 9 and 9 (lost points because of her colour, but aside from that she cried and was alert and responsive, yay!!) I think they were a bit worried as she had done a massive poo while still inside me which came out with the rest of my waters when she came out (lovely, i know). They then got me to deliver the placenta, and my mum being a medical person was very interested to have a good old look at it. (she also thought it was great seeing Claire crowning too!!) My sister was waiting outside the room and the midwife asked if she could come in. I said yes, so my sister came in to see us.

It would have been about 15 minutes after her birth when we realised we didnt even know if we had had a girl or a boy! I hadnt even thought of it until the other midwife asked us if we knew yet! She handed bub to us and we opened up the blanket and saw her little girl bits. I got to feed her and she latched on straight away. She loves booby.

I ended up with three little tears and Andrew (the ob) stitched them up while I got to cuddle with Claire. Three small tears but my gosh were they soooo painful afterwards!

Then I got to eat some lunch. I was soooo hungry! I didnt manage to get any breakfast!!

I had a shower, which felt sooo nice and then they got me a wheel chair and wheeled me to the post natal ward. I only had what felt like about half an hour to myself before both my parents and hubbys parents and my sister visited again. Poor Claire was getting passed around to everyone and had cameras in her face constantly. All I wanted to do was eat and sleep.

The midwife told me to go to the toilet, but I just couldnt so a couple hours later they came in and made me have a catheter. By now I was in lots of pain as the local had worn off. I was freaking out about the catheter, and then what annoyed me more was that all my family and Davids family were waiting outside the curtain and Davids mum asked if she could come in and see!! wtf, as if I needed an audience to see me having a catheter put in!! So I was in a really foul mood for the next couple of days while I still had the catheter baecause I found it so hard to get around and even move at all because of the catheter and stiches, as well as my very very sore tailbone.

I had a few visitors - my and hubbys parents, my sister, my brothers, some friends (who's wedding we missed because I was giving birth - oops!!) and some people from work - which was nice but then it was all a bit overwhelming at the times when there was like six people in the room visiting. You say no more visitors, but more people still show up! The hospital staff were fantastic though - friendly and they gave help when I asked. I would have liked to stay a bit longer but I was going insane being stuck in the ward, so I asked to go home early.

Claire Gaia, Born 3/3/07 10:30am, 2.915kg (i think thats 6lb 7oz), 48.5cm long and head circ of 33.5cm.

Thanks for reading, and I hope my story wasnt too boring.

:)

Nothing like an invasion when your in the hospital with a new bub. Its lovely to see them quickly, but hoards after hoards...no thanks.

I am so pleased that at the Gold Coast you can only get visitors from 4 - 8pm. Hubbies from 8.30am = 2pm, and no one from 2 - 4.

Your story was not boring Karina....good on you for such a brave birth you strong girl.

Jacqui

Aww thanks:) I dont know why, but for some reason I want to do it all over again, minus the pushing for 2 hours part. I'd prefer that bit to be a bit shorter next time, but I dont think you can "order your labour/birth" like that, hehe.

At my hospital they said between 1-3pm was no visitors time - meant to be a rest period, but it wasnt enforced very well as there was still always visitors during that time!

Aside from that, the hospital was great and the midwives were fantatsic.

Lovely story... thanks!

I was the opposite of you.. i had no visitors except DH and mum and dad who drove down from NSW.... i had no freinds when DD was born because id only jusat moved to VIC 3-4 weeks prior :(

Thanks for sharing your story with us Karina.

I'm hearing you on the 2 hour pushing too hun.

I would have told MIL to P off !!

Congratulations once again on Claires safe arrival.

claire i couldnt believe it when DH told me i had pushed for 2 hours!! felt like 1/2 an hour! great story, she's very cute

Awesome story Karina - Don't blame you for being in a foul mood who asks to watch a catheder????

great story , funny how you we remember such random things... like the midwife with colourful shoes. LOL. Congrats babe, enjoy your little girl. xoox

What a great story Karina. And your little Claire is an absolutely gorgeous little bub!

What a great story Karina. I'm so happy everything went well for you. Claire is just beautiful. Congratulations once again!

Celsie. xoxox

Great story Karina. It sounds like it got pretty scary - well done for being so brave! Congrats again on the birth of your little girl :)

congrats again! what a precious little thing she is ! :D

Karina - what a great story and FAR from boring! Well done and big congrats on your beautiful daughter!

I agree with you on the long pushing but you are so right - I guess labour and birth are not made to order! Well done!

gigi

Congradulations again Karina! Sounds like did a fantastic job - far from being boring!!
Little Claire looks just goegeous!

Beautiful Story Karina. You did very well!!!!

Congratulations again :)

Thanks for reading and for you nice words :)

yeah its nice and all that people want to come to see you and bub, but its plain annoying when people dont leave you alone or when they show up unannouced and you were just about to have a sleep. I wanted some privacy! I didnt have any alone time with her until she was 2 weeks old, except for overnight in hospital, but its great now because I have all day with her on my own now, so maybe I will actually get the chance to bond with her properly.

Yay, i love my little girl.

sorry for the ramble.

Thanks so much for sharing Karina - you did such a great job! I'm with you on the visitors - they think it's all about them, when it should be all about you & your new bub!!

Anyway, well done, I really enjoyed reading your story. :)

Oh what a lovely story Karina!! Thankyou so much for sharing it with us, you did a super job!! :)

Karina, you did great hun!! lol @ saying you couldn't do it anymore...I did the same thing.

BTW Claire is a beautiful little bubby girl :)

Not at all boring! I'm hoping to have a shorter pushing time next time too - apparently that's the go for second labours anyway so fingers crossed for us both!!

i just read your birth story.. its a great story and from someone who has no idea what labour is like its a real eyeopener

im not worried about labour.. just all the unwanted visitors!!

Dont be afraid to just tell them to go away! A decent person will understand and respect your wish to have some time to rest and get to know your new bub.
Good luck

That was such an enjoyable read!
Thanks a lot for posting it!
You did such an awesome job, well done!
Congrats on such a beautiful girl!
I'm hoping our next is a little girly, fingers crossed!
xx

Gorgeous birth story :D

Thanks for sharing it with us :D

Congratulations and well done :D

Thanks :)

I havent read my story in a little while, but I did reread it today when my thread popped up in my new replies list... all the emotions are coming back to me now.