Lachlan James Wall

*Very Long - get drink and biscuits lol*

Birth Story of Lachlan James Wall

The day of April 5th, 2004 had arrived. I was to be induced at 3.30pm that afternoon. Andrew and I dropped Kameron off at his parents place and then made our way to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital early so we sat outside for a little while and about 3pm headed into the Birthing and Assessment Centre. I buzzed to be let in and when the door was opened I was greeted by a “You’re a bit early aren’t you”. We were shown to our labour room and as the doctor left I said to Andrew “Well we are off to nice start aren’t we I hope we don’t get her”.

Around 3.25pm Terri who was to be our midwife for the night arrived. She seemed nice enough a bit strange and I found her to be a bit forgetful. She gave the impression like she was lost and didn’t know what she was doing. Anyway I put it to the back of my mind when she told me to get up on the bed so she could the fetal heart monitor going before getting the gels to be induced underway. Terri said she’d be back in 20mins and 35mins later she appeared. The monitoring looked excellent and she proceeded to induce me. After the gels were inserted I had to lay there for 45mins – 1hr, so Terri said at 5.15pm I could get up and go for a walk or whatever.

Laying on the bed I started to get period like cramps and Andrew asked how I was doing, so I explained that I felt how I felt like moments before I was induced for the 2nd time with Kameron. We both agreed then that it was doubtful I would need to be induced twice this time around. When 5.15pm hit I got dressed and we headed out to the car park to get the rest of my bags, send a few text messages etc. About 5.45pm we came back in and I was starting to rock through contractions. My tea was waiting for me as we came back into the room. I was starving so I took the lid off to discover with horror that it was macaroni cheese. I am not a fan of pasta. I ate all my veggies and because I was so hungry managed to get down half the pasta. Andrew polished off the rest of it (which wasn’t a lot) and was still hungry as well. I asked him if he wanted me to ring mum who I knew was coming in at 7pm to bring some sandwiches for him. At 6.15pm I placed that call. Mum asked if she had to bring her labour bag and I told her nah probably not yet, but was having really strong Braxton Hicks contractions. Terri informed me that it was only Braxton Hicks.

After speaking to mum I went and laid back on the lounge in the labour room, as that is where I felt most comfortable. Terri came in and needed to do another fetal check and take my obs so I had to get back up on the bed. Contractions were getting intense and just before 7pm, Andrew left to go and meet Mum and Colin, they were all in the ward about 5min later. Mum looked at me and she said “I knew, see I brought my bag” I told her the midwife said I wasn’t in labour and Mum gave me the “yeah right” look. I was breathing through contractions and they were about every 2-3 minutes apart lasting for around 40 seconds. At 7.30pm I buzzed for Terri and asked for pethadine cause she kept telling me I wasn’t in labour and I knew with Kameron that I never had an epidural until after my waters were broken.

Terri asked if I wanted to try the bath, so I agreed cause I had heard how it had helped a lot of girls in labour before. I went into the bath at 7.45pm and got out 15mins later after about 4 contractions and not being able to get comfortable. As I was getting out Terri came in and I told her I wanted that pethadine. She came what felt like an eternity later (probably only 5 – 10mins) and put it in. It was now 8pm and Terri felt my stomach through a contraction and once again said they were just bad tightening and I probably wasn’t in labour. The pethadine really didn’t too much apart from make me sleepy I still had to breathe through the really bad contractions and there were only about 2 contractions where I just let them pass without the need to breathe them out.

From about this point on I didn’t really note the times as I had my eyes shut most of the time. I know Terri wanted me to get up and walk around not long after I had the pethadine and she said “if you want things to get going it is best to get up” I never did make it out of that bed. She had me rolled over on the side at one stage cause they kept loosing the baby’s heart beat when she put the fetal monitoring on me and while on my side I was actually crying out during contractions. I could hear Terri keep saying to me “deep breaths, good girl” and she said when I felt the peak of the contraction to relax and not keep tense as It would give me a longer break between them. I did as she said on the next contraction and she said “that’s the way”. I asked for an epidural and she did an internal to discover I was 7cm dilated. She needed me to roll me back onto my back cause she said she was going to break my waters. I asked again for an epidural and heard her say it was too late. In the back of my mind I was thinking but I had epidural after my waters were broken with Kameron. Why is it too late?? I put it down to being 7cm dilated already.

My waters were broken and I had to push. I said, “I need to push” nobody was at the bed at the time except for Mum and Andrew, I heard Terri say if you have to push then push. I had a Chinese girl next to me trying to do put a gelco in my hand for a drip and I heard Terri say “no it is too late for that” I managed to open my eyes to see about 3 extra people in the room. On the next contraction I pushed, and I knew within myself I didn’t really have the energy. I screamed cause it did bloody hurt, I was told to keep pushing but I needed to breathe and my throat was extremely dry. Terri told me she had to cut to help the head, on my next push and scream the head was born. Terri told the other doctor that the cord was around his neck, and she was trying to loosen it I heard the doctor say on the next push he HAD to be born, otherwise I would need an emergency c-section because the heart rate was dropping dangerously low. With everything I had I gave birth on the very next push and Lachlan James was born at 10.18pm.

I still had to deliver the placenta but I was exhausted so that took a little while to come out. It finally did though and Terri commented on how small it was. Lachlan’s obs were taken and we were all surprised that he weighed heavier than what Kameron did. Lachlan was 48cm long, with a head circumference of 33cm and weighing in at 6lb 5oz or 2.860kg. I was relived it was all over, and kept *****ing about how the midwife didn’t think I was in labour. I saw she had written in Lachlan’s blue book that my labour went for 4hrs and 6mins. So if Lachlan was born at 10.18pm, I was in labour from 6.12pm just minutes before I made that call to Mum asking for sandwiches for Andrew. I kept wondering and still do wonder why in the hell she kept saying I wasn’t for cause right up till 8pm she said I probably wasn’t.

I needed stitches cause of my cut and it took forever cause I had a student doing it she was bloody hopeless. It took so long that the very last stitch I began to feel. She was the same Chinese girl that was trying to put a gelco in my hand for a drip right as I needed to start pushing and I have since found out from mum after coming home was the reason I never got an epidural was cause that Chinese girl was meant to have done it and they had everything there to do it but she went off somewhere and never returned till it was too late. I have also found out since coming home that Lachlan was blue and had to go onto oxygen and if I had needed that emergency c-section it was going to be done right then and there because there would have been no time to get us up into theatre as I was getting close to loosing Lachlan. Apparently they had people on standby to put local anesthetics into my stomach.

This labour was very tough going and it has definitely put me off ever having any more children. I am glad that I didn’t have this type of labour the first time around with Kameron because if I had I doubt Lachlan would have ever been conceived. I can’t help but not think about what I was just minutes away from. It didn’t bother me at the time cause I just assumed I would go to theatre and not actually be cut open then and there, but I am trying not to dwell on it cause it didn’t happen. I managed to scream through that pain and push him out myself, and now we are both home and both doing really well.

Love :smt049

Woo.

I'm glad everything turned out ok in the end. Gosh, how scary. I'm begining to think I shouldn't have read this now. Gonna make me all nervous! Way to go on making it through all by yourself though. Just goes to show what emergancy reserves of strength you have and don't know about till you really need it!

wow!

I'm a bit in shock at the moment... like Susan making me a bit scared. But as well I'm impressed with what we as women can tolerate and do for these little creatures that grow inside us!

I hope you recover quickly from those stitches and the scariness of labour Kathryn!! I'm glad you are back and I can't wait to see pictures of Lachlan!

Christy

Well I couldn't resist reading about it (even though I didn't think I should until after I'd delivered Jnr)!

Sounds like a real ordeal for you kathryn, well done for being so brave.

Take care and rest up.

Tam
O:)

How is this girl for efficient - she has her bub on Monday night and has the birth story up on Thursday morning - whatta gal!

How horrible that you had such useless staff there to assist you!! You sound very calm about it all, I'm a troublemaker and I would have lodged a complaint. Its to much of a difficult/important time to be surrounded by morons.

I hope you're healing up well, getting lots of sleep, and enjoying your time with little Lachlan!

Hey Kathryn,

You brave girl........HUGE congratulations. I cannot believe you had Lachlan on Monday night and are at home and back onto BB by Thursday morning.........! I am so impressed....... =D>

Hope Lachlan is going fine, and that YOU are feeling OK?

Take care of yourselves,

Whoa!!
I am going public too and i wish now i had of had private!! I always seem to get trainee docs when i go in...
You are amazing Kathryn! I am hoping to only use the bath as pain relief.
i think knowing you are home and both of you are ok so quickly is giving me a false sense of security!! :)

Well done, that is an absoloutely amazing story... you poor thing with no drugs. Well Lachlan is good, you're good and you get to enjoy Easter with chocies now!

oh kathryn!
it must be awful to think about what might of happened..glad to hear that everything turned out to be good and that you and lachlan are at home and doing well..

looking forward to seeing the pictures of lachlan :)
rest up you sound like u need alot of rest after that


take care
Lesley

Wow Kathryn, sounds like quite an ordeal. I am so glad that both you and Lachlan managed to come out the other end alright :)

Thanks for sharing Kathryn, I really think you should complain about that midwife...it seriously sounds like she was one of those anti drug types. Which is fine for her but not ok to force onto you iykwim. You are truly a trooper! Congratulations, and rest up girlie sounds like you need it!

GUYS CHILL! You are all freaking me out LOL, all the stresses over food and now labour lol. Honestly it can be rough hell they say its harder than a marathon but we manage to get through it, multiple times even LOL! I doubt very much Kathryn would want you all so spooked by her story ;)

Don't get me wrong, after a 27 hr labour & emergency C-sect with Paris the thought of Labour again TERRIFIES me LOL! Especially because I desperately want a VBAC...but look at it this way its a special day because you get to hold your babies in your arms and not in your bellies ;)

I say all this with tongue in cheek too so please don't think I am having a go at anyone LOL!

*hugs*
Cailin

Cailin is so right. No matter how you get through the labour, drugs no drugs naturally or via c-sect it is all worth it. I actually recovered better having no epidural then what I did having an epidural !! I couldn't walk for a good 24hrs after having Kameron and nearly passed out in the shower. After Lachlan I felt really good (just buggered) and was walking around fine.

Also for all you 1st time girls your hospital stay is usually longer cause you have so much to learn. Breast feeding (if you plan to do that), Bathing etc etc. The 2nd time around you know it already and might just need a quick refresher. Everyone is right when they say your 2nd child is easier :)

I hope I didn't scare anyone too much, you did ask for all the details LOL

Love :smt049

LOL Kathryn.

I meant it was scary re the nasty midiwfe, not actual labour. That doesn't scare me really at all. I know it'll probably hurt, but consider the size of the object and hole involved, that kinda goes without saying. So if it hurts, it hurts, and I'll deal with that then. But I didn''t really mean it either.

Maybe we need a little *tongue-in-cheek* emoticon?
Ah, the inadequacy of the typed word.

Holy cow. What can I say?! That's just positively amazing Kathryn - I am so glad that you and Lachlan are both home and doing well.

As for the midwife and the student - I'd be pretty crapped off about that to say the VERY least......

Can I just say...susan the description of that emoticon sounds a little scary to me LOL!

;)

Glad to hear that you aren't afraid of labour, considering you haven't much time to go. Isn't it funny how easily things can be misinterpreted.

Toots, I agree with you re the midwife...grrrr!

*hugs*
Cailin

ROFL @ the tounge in cheek emoticon!! My DH would LOVE that one!! Maybe we should try to make one up!!

I am still waiting to not be such a newbie and I will let the dirty mind rip!! :P
I'll give everyone a run for their money.... lol *insert naughty emoticon here*

Oh noooo I have created some monsters LOL! Kelly is going to have my guts for garters ;) Just Kidding ;)

You girls are my inspiration LOL always good for a laugh!

*hugs*
Cailin

What an absolutely amazing story, Kathryn!! Thanks for sharing it with us! Congrats again! :D

Kathryn, congrats on the birth of Lachlan and well done for getting through it! Gee, shame there was no eppi for you, probably would have made life a bit easier! One of my friends had her little girl at a public hospital and had a student doctor who really botched things up (ie, she was meant to get an eppi as she was induced, labour went on and on and then she had to have an emergency C) so she scared me into getting insurance for private. Then again, another of my friends had a baby a year ago at the major public hospital here in Perth, had a three hour labour, eppi, fantastic midwives, private room and bathroom and raves about it! And didn't have to spend a cent (unlike me!). So maybe just the luck of the draw. Anyway, the most important thing is you have your little babe in your arms and you are both well and happy. Congrats again.

what a great birth story it is all worth it at the end though

I'm having a great time reading all these birth stories. Well done for coping with all that Kathryn. The telling you you weren't in labour thing is very strange, but the hospitals are weird like that from what I'm reading. As far as I'm concerned, I'm in labour from when I feel the first contraction! And look out anyone who tries to tell me I'm not, lol. What was the reason for the inductions, if you don't mind me asking? My bub was a bit blue at first too. The long birth stories are the best! Lots of detail. Love your photos too.

Hey Yvette.

I was induced cause they were expecting him to be a small baby. My body doesn't deliver nutrients to the placenta as much as it should causing me to have smaller than normal babies. Although he was born @ 6lb 7oz so the guessing game of his weight via ultrasounds was a bit out.

Love

That's interesting Kathryn, thanks for the reply. I do remember now you saying the placenta was small, but 6lb 7 is a pretty decent weight isn't it. DH is 6 foot & a large build, and was only 5lb at birth, but apparently that was a common weight back then.

um, just as an aside.. i don't think stating that it was a "Chinese girl" was relevant or necessary to this story. i apologise if this strikes you as being overly touchy, but there you go.