having a baby
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tuesday morning:start to notice the occasional contraction in back/tightening across stomach. assume braxton hicks.
tuesday afternoon, around 5pm realise these lower back contractions have been steady since 4, continue to assume braxton hicks
tuesday evening: call into birth suite. sounds like onset of early labour. panadol no help. attempt to sleep. sort of vaguely succeed, nesting in cushions.
wednesday morning: see midwife who also says early labour, could be days still. get signed off work and let them know you won't be back. get car seat fitted, relax a bit, try to ignore the back pains.
wednesday evening: enough is enough, go to hospital for better painkillers. pan forte doesn't do much but tamazepan gets a few hours sleep to happen.
thursday morning: bub is much calmer. send Pete off to work. potter doing housework. keep track, regular back pain contractioms every 10-15 mins.
thursday evening: go for a walk. back pains increase to every 5 mins, start to combine with tummy muscle contractions.
thursday night: back to the hospital for more painkillers and sleeping tabs. check says 1cm dilated. get a few hrs sleep at hospital, head home in the morning.
friday morning: bub quiet again but back still sore. stopped timing contractions on advice of hospital staff. take spare pan forte for home.
friday afternoon: attempt to hurry bub up with every technique we've been told about. contractions (in back) still pretty far apart, not showing signs of changing.
friday evening: back pains getting worse, stronger and more regular. make decision early to go to hospital for painkillers, pain making me cry, nothing seems to fix it. don't want sleeping tabs as they seem to calm bub down but sleep is frankly more important. 2 hrs later finally get some pan forte I don't expect to work, diazepam as a muscle relaxant and head home, about midnight. back pains shooting strongly every 3 mins or so. no internal exam, too much pain.
45 minutes later, attempting to sleep, back still killing, waters break. straight back to hospital where plan a is to give my back a sterile watrer injection to stop it hurting. get everything ready. discover I am 8cm dilated and move to plan b: lots of gas and let's get ready to get this baby out.
4am: finally get persuaded to allow another internal. put the gas away and start to puuuuuuush. keep at it. refuse alternative positions. sounds sensible but back muscles have had it and I am going nowhere. thank heavens for hospital aircon.
5.28am: baby makes it out. back pain stops. hurrah!
7.30am or so, morning midwife pops in, no reason we can't be home by lunchtime. move afternoon's baby shower to our house. wait for standard checks, paperwork etc.
12.30pm: allowed out of hospital, head home with new baby. look inordinately proud!