My looong labour - but worth every second!
Monday 5th January 2009
3am
After a restless sleep I woke up with pain in my stomach, similar to period pain. I knew straight away that this was it, this was the start of my labour. I don't know how I knew, but I just did. I tried to go back to sleep knowing that I had some hard work ahead of me.
5am
I woke with a painful contraction. Not excruciating, but enough to wake me up. Now I couldn't sleep, I was both excited and nervous and I had to clean my house! Yep, that?s right I went downstairs and started cleaning - everything!
6.30am
I took a break from cleaning to post on BB what was going on. My contractions were irregular, but so different to the BH I had been experiencing for the past few weeks. I didn't want to get my hopes up, so I kept telling myself that it was just more pre labour. Deep down I knew it was the real thing though.
8.30am
I practically forced DP to go to work. Told him I would call him as soon as things ramped up.
12noon
I was now counting my contractions carefully, they were at 10 minutes apart and lasting for about 45 seconds. I finally let myself believe that it was really happening and rang the hospital. They said to stay home until I was uncomfortable or my waters broke or my contractions were 5 min apart, which ever came first! I called DP and told him he should come home soon.
4.30pm
Contractions reached 5 minutes apart. I finished packing my bags and off we went to hospital.
5.30pm
Arrived at the hospital. I had this overwhelming calmness about me which I didn?t really notice at the time, but looking back now it?s quite amazing considering the pain I was in. I was checked in, introduced to my midwife and taken to the birth suite. They offered me gas and I was reluctant to use it (I don?t really know why). My DP took full advantage of it though and was giggling like a school girl :rolleyes:.
7pm
Contractions were now coming much faster and harder, I latched onto the gas and didn?t let go of it!
Things get a little fuzzy here on in, but I think the time was around 9pm
The midwife asked if I would like to get in the bath. I?m so glad I did, the weightlessness seemed to make the contractions less intense, at least for a little while.
Approx. Midnight
I had tried so many positions to help ease the pain, lying down, standing up, walking, leaning on a bean bag, exercise ball, etc? you name it I tried it. I knew I couldn?t handle this pain much longer and they offered me the pethidine. I didn?t want pethidine and had told myself from the beginning I would go straight for the epi if the pain got too much. At this point I made a decision, If I was over 7cm dilated I would continue without an epi or any drugs, but if I was under 7cm I would ask for an epi (I didn?t tell anyone else that I was thinking this way). I asked the midwife to check and when she told me I was 3cm dilated I could have died!!! I was in agony and it had been going on for so long, how could I still have 7cm to go??!!! I asked for the epi immediately!
Tuesday 6th January 2009
1am
The anaesthetist arrived and gave me the epi. Oh my goodness... I could have kissed him! I lay on the bed like a zombie from then on. I was so exhausted! My waters still hadn?t broken at this point.
2am
Suddenly I felt a ?warmth? in-between my legs (coz of the epi I couldn?t really tell what it was) I said to the midwife ?did my waters just break?? She checked and told me they had and now things should get moving!
6am
My Ob was called in. He asked the midwife if she was sure my waters had broken? He didn?t think they had and said ?I?ll prove it?. POP ? a quick poke with the needle thingy (can?t remember what it?s called) and he broke my waters!
11am
Things were finally moving now and the midwife asked me to start pushing. It?s a lot harder than it looks in the movies!! Shortly after this my Ob returned, took one look at me, and knew I didn?t have the energy to push this baby out. I was wondering for the past 6 hours how the hell I was going to do it? He said he would like to try the ventous (sp). Right now he could have said he would like to try an ice cream scoop and I would have agreed!
12noon
Three contractions, as big a push as I could muster and a tug from my ob and my babies head appeared. Two more contractions, and another big push later, my gorgeous boy was placed on my stomach, screaming, blue and beautiful. I couldn?t believe my eyes. It was 12.17pm and my precious boy had arrived. Just 45min later, I breastfed my son for the first time.
Almost 3 months on (I finally get around to posting my birth story!) and my boy is still exclusively breastfeeding, growing rapidly, sleeping 8hrs+ each night and very happy & healthy!!!
Becoming a mother is the single most amazing and wonderful thing that has ever happened to me. Thanks for reading :D
