Happy Monday everyone!! Today's My Story Monday features Kelly for, Tia's Mum 12 and is the real birth story of her beautiful daughter, Tia.
3am Sunday 26th August my waters broke on yet another trip to the toilet.
Of course I had no idea that’s what had actually happened, I thought I had just maybe not made it in time! I had only been in bed a few hours so was tired and not thinking straight. Then the stomach ache started, I went and woke my husband after confirming on google that I was most likely in labour (yes honestly) I told him that I thought I was in labour, he looked at the time and wanted to know if I was sure. Men!
I called the labour ward to ask what to do while he called his mum to pre-warn her; she was to be my second birth partner. The contractions seemed to get worse while I was in the phone.
We were asked to go in for a check up as I said I was pretty sure my waters had gone and was getting regular contractions. The hospital is a 30 minute drive away during daylight hours, we did it in 15! I can’t remember much about the drive there, I remember being really scared but also really excited about finally meeting baby Finn. Were we getting a son or a daughter? I could not wait to find out!
When we arrived I handed over my notes and was asked to provide a water sample, I then was shown to a room and given an internal examination *crosses legs*. She said that I wasn’t dilated at all, not what I wanted to hear. She went off to find me a tens machine to take back home with me and gave me some co-codamol to help with the pains. When she returned empty handed as she could not find a spare one, I was having a particularly bad contraction and she said I might as well stay. She said they had enough room and I would only be driving back in an hour or so anyway. I was so grateful, I could not bear to go back home.
Let me tell you I am RUBBISH at labour, I had planned a lovely peaceful water birth with minimal pain relief. That all went out of the window, I could not even bounce on the birthing ball as baby was back to back and every movement I made was pure agony.
My mother-in-law arrived around 7am if I remember rightly and put me straight at ease, my husband tells me I wasn’t really interested in anything he or the poor midwife had to say but I was well behaved for his mum! She helped me through the contractions with the gas and air, reminding me to keep calm and breath.
At some point later on I was told that I really needed to try and eat something, I managed to eat a small banana and drink some sugery Ribena but neither stayed down very long. Labour is not at all glamorous! I persisted with the Ribena, I was so thirsty. Most likely brought on by the gas and air which I had not put down since I arrived in my little room!
A few hours later I was offered stronger pain relief, I asked for diamorphine which involved an injection which was a big deal for me, I have always been terrified of needles! It worked and I was able to get some much needed sleep
17 hours into my labour after another internal I was told I was only 4cm dilated and I was going to need some help. This involved another needle, a big one in my hand attached to a drip. It was going to help move things along. I had another dose of diamorphine and went back to sleep.
I don’t remember much of the later stages of my labour as I spent most of it drugged up and asleep, which makes me sad as its not what I had wanted or imagined. The next thing I remember was being woken up at 3am Monday 27th August, the midwife told me it was time to start pushing!
Now I was really awake, and very alert and I knew from reading books that it was very important that I did exactly what my midwife told me to now. She told me to push with every contraction, down in my bum and for as long as I could. At 3.14am I gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl I had ever seen. She was perfect, and it really was true love at first sight. My husband cut her cord, I could see tears streaming from his face, he was so proud! When she was put on my chest I checked her all over, her eyes were wide open looking all around. I had to hand her over to my husband for her to have her checks and be weighed while I was given yet another injection so I would pass the placenta. When she was passed back she latched on to my breast and it was the most amazing feeling ever, she made us three, a family.
I'd like to thank Kelly for sharing her story with us all today, I think this has to be one of my favourites as it's just lovely.
If you'd like to share your true birthing story, then check out the intro post here.
Clare
Labels: birth, labour, My story Monday
