Bridie's birth story
I went for an hour's walk with Don before lunch on Sat. Started having funny bowel cramps about 2pm, but thought they were just something I ate, so continued doing normal stuff (next time I will have a nap instead...) As they got progressively stronger I realised that maybe this was it, but wasn't too excited as I know pre-labour can last for days... after dinner though they were getting pretty serious, so I put my TENS machine on. (This is a gadget that supplies a light electrical buzzing via electrodes on your back - the idea is that this signal blocks the pain signal from the cervix nerves.) Rang the birth centre at 10.30 to let them know I'd started. As expected, they told me to stay home as long as I felt comfortable there, so we got ready for bed. But at 11.30pm I decided they were too strong and too close together for me to want to stay at home any longer, so rang back and midwife Debbie said I could come in.
Wouldn't have been able to do the car trip without the TENS, I don't think. I can't imagine having contractions trapped in a car seat with no distraction. Got to the birth centre and Debbie looked at the way I was acting during contractions (needing to lean on things and move my hips) and said to try and sleep between them while I still could (bit hard when they were coming every 4-5 minutes!) She set up a beanbag on the bed so I could kneel leaning over it and relax between contractions while Don slept next to me.
At 2.30am she did an internal exam and I was 4cm dilated - active labour! (0-4cm is early labour, the bit that last ages, so I guess I was pretty lucky... though it would have been nice not to have missed a whole night's sleep with contractions that close together...) Then she left us alone until about 7am, when she came in to introduce the morning shift midwife. We'd met Rosie at the antenatal class and she was lovely, so were quite happy to be handed over to her care. (There are two midwives on duty at the birth centre at any time, but they try and keep it so each midwife deals with one labouring woman.)
The rest of the morning was just dealing with each contraction as it came, until I was allowed to get into the bath. Rosie had to make me lie on my back for the internal to check I was at 7cm (if you get in the water before that it can slow down the labour) and of course I had a contraction while horizontal. So painful. I don't know how women could possibly be expected to do the whole labour on their backs. Anyway, was at 7cm at 12-ish and allowed to get in the water - so much better! Unfortunately, my waters broke just before I got in the bath, and they were slightly green tinged: baby had pooped in her juice. This can be an indicator of foetal distress, which requires continuous monitoring. So (after Rosie had got a second opinion from the other midwife that the pad was definitely green tinged), I only got three contractions in the bath, then had to get out and go down the hall to a delivery suite with CEFM setup. The belt wasn't too bad - friend A had found it unbearable, but I actually didn't mind having something round my abdomen. Maybe because rather than getting pain through the whole uterus I was feeling it really low down, right at the bottom of my abdomen and back.
TENS machine went back on at some point (obviously, being electrical, I couldn't have it on in the bath). From this point I'm a bit hazy as I was just focussed on getting through it. Started feeling like my body was pushing without me doing it on purpose during some contractions. Rosie said I could push if I wanted, but at some point did another internal and found I still had an anterior lip of cervix so told me I should try to breathe through the contractions for a bit. Did that. Then was allowed to push again. I was making the weirdest noises - half way between a moan and a yell. Concentrated on keeping them low pitched, as I could feel (and Rosie confirmed) that they weren't doing much when I let them get higher. Pushed for what felt like an age, in various positions: standing up leaning over the bed, kneeling over the birth stool, sitting on the birth stool which I didn't like as I felt I wanted to be leaning forward and there was no support at the front, sitting on the bed leaning against the bean bag ditto but at least that meant I could rest between contractions). At some point the afternoon shift midwives came on - Rosie introduced Felicity, but stayed with us. Student midwife Amelia also came in (after I'd given permission - Rosie even checked that I wouldn't just agree to anything by joking that a busload of pensioners wanted to come in and watch too! But I'm all for student midwives getting good experience so was happy for Amelia to be there.)
Pushing with vocalisation wasn't getting far enough fast enough, so Rosie or Felicity asked me to try holding my breath and using my diaphragm to push. Exactly what you're not meant to do when constipated, and felt wrong, but it worked. Could see a glimpse of head in the mirror! After a while could also see that round my rectum I had a red swelling like a baboon... haemorrhoids, ouch.
I'd been pushing about 2 and a half hours, but she kept sliding back between pushes. So frustrating. Felicity asked me if I was worried about something and maybe subconsciously holding her back. I said I just wanted her out. More pushing, I was getting tired, and baby's heart rate was starting to dip and not recover. Something needed to happen. The midwives consulted and decided that an episiotomy would be the best solution. Rosie explained what she was planning to do and why, as the alternative would be getting the doctors in to do a vacuum extraction. At this point I was happy with anything that would get the baby out (and let me rest!) so episiotomy sounded just fine. Local anesthetic injection, cut, then one more push and she was out! All at once this slippery, squalling baby was handed on to my chest. I'd done it. I was expecting to push the head out and then the body, but because she had her hand up next to her head her shoulder came through straight away as soon as there was enough space. (That was of course also why she'd been slipping back and so difficult to push out.)
As soon as she was out she pooed everywhere, so she was covered in blood and amniotic fluid and poop, and she was purple and wrinkly with a squished head, and still the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. The midwives wiped her off while she was still lying on me, and then we just had some skin-to-skin cuddle time while they dealt with the third stage (delivering the placenta). Rosie thought it would be best to give me a shot of syntocinon to speed it up as I'd had such a long hard second stage and was really tired, and I agreed. I'm not sure if they let the cord stop pulsating before clamping it, but I head Rosie saying something to Amelia about watching the cord deliver blood to the baby - certainly normally they would wait, but I don't know if they can do that with the syntocinon. Don got to cut the cord. Placenta came out, as did a large amount of blood - just below the level of post-partum haemorrhage. My bedsocks, the only item of clothing I was still wearing, were soaked, and went in the biohazard waste bin!
Bridie had stopped crying, so I put her vertically on my chest and she lurched immediately towards a boob. Just like they showed in the baby-led attachment video at the Breastfeeding Association education class we went to! Amazing to watch. She sucked very strongly from the first, and fed from both sides before going to sleep.
My episiotomy was stitched up by a lovely obstetric resident called Bronwen, and then we got to go back to our birth centre room, Bridie had her Hep B and Vitamin K shots, eat dinner, call parents, shower, and collapse into bed.
Bridie slept through the whole night (she must have been exhausted as well) and at 6.30am midwife Roz came in to check on us and help me feed her again. The instincts aren't as strong after the first hour from birth, and she was hungry and fussy, so it took a while to get her properly on the boob. Once she was feeding though she happily stayed there while I ate breakfast - all the hospital breakfast, plus a muffin and half a bacon and egg sandwich Don brought up from the cafeteria. Unsurprising, considering I hadn't had breakfast or lunch the day before and had done a pretty huge workout! The day was spent getting used to feeding and changing Bridie, listening to her cute asleep noises, snoozing, and a couple of checks for Bridie (weight, length, head circumference, hearing screen - that's pretty cool, they stick electrodes on her head while she's asleep and play clicks through headphones to measure the brain's response).
Vital statistics:
Bridget Elizabeth (Bridie) C_
born 3.08pm Sunday 26/7/09
weight 3.3 kg (7.2 pounds)
length 50.5 cm
head circumference 32cm
Ten fingers, ten toes, and all good!
Wouldn't have been able to do the car trip without the TENS, I don't think. I can't imagine having contractions trapped in a car seat with no distraction. Got to the birth centre and Debbie looked at the way I was acting during contractions (needing to lean on things and move my hips) and said to try and sleep between them while I still could (bit hard when they were coming every 4-5 minutes!) She set up a beanbag on the bed so I could kneel leaning over it and relax between contractions while Don slept next to me.
At 2.30am she did an internal exam and I was 4cm dilated - active labour! (0-4cm is early labour, the bit that last ages, so I guess I was pretty lucky... though it would have been nice not to have missed a whole night's sleep with contractions that close together...) Then she left us alone until about 7am, when she came in to introduce the morning shift midwife. We'd met Rosie at the antenatal class and she was lovely, so were quite happy to be handed over to her care. (There are two midwives on duty at the birth centre at any time, but they try and keep it so each midwife deals with one labouring woman.)
The rest of the morning was just dealing with each contraction as it came, until I was allowed to get into the bath. Rosie had to make me lie on my back for the internal to check I was at 7cm (if you get in the water before that it can slow down the labour) and of course I had a contraction while horizontal. So painful. I don't know how women could possibly be expected to do the whole labour on their backs. Anyway, was at 7cm at 12-ish and allowed to get in the water - so much better! Unfortunately, my waters broke just before I got in the bath, and they were slightly green tinged: baby had pooped in her juice. This can be an indicator of foetal distress, which requires continuous monitoring. So (after Rosie had got a second opinion from the other midwife that the pad was definitely green tinged), I only got three contractions in the bath, then had to get out and go down the hall to a delivery suite with CEFM setup. The belt wasn't too bad - friend A had found it unbearable, but I actually didn't mind having something round my abdomen. Maybe because rather than getting pain through the whole uterus I was feeling it really low down, right at the bottom of my abdomen and back.
TENS machine went back on at some point (obviously, being electrical, I couldn't have it on in the bath). From this point I'm a bit hazy as I was just focussed on getting through it. Started feeling like my body was pushing without me doing it on purpose during some contractions. Rosie said I could push if I wanted, but at some point did another internal and found I still had an anterior lip of cervix so told me I should try to breathe through the contractions for a bit. Did that. Then was allowed to push again. I was making the weirdest noises - half way between a moan and a yell. Concentrated on keeping them low pitched, as I could feel (and Rosie confirmed) that they weren't doing much when I let them get higher. Pushed for what felt like an age, in various positions: standing up leaning over the bed, kneeling over the birth stool, sitting on the birth stool which I didn't like as I felt I wanted to be leaning forward and there was no support at the front, sitting on the bed leaning against the bean bag ditto but at least that meant I could rest between contractions). At some point the afternoon shift midwives came on - Rosie introduced Felicity, but stayed with us. Student midwife Amelia also came in (after I'd given permission - Rosie even checked that I wouldn't just agree to anything by joking that a busload of pensioners wanted to come in and watch too! But I'm all for student midwives getting good experience so was happy for Amelia to be there.)
Pushing with vocalisation wasn't getting far enough fast enough, so Rosie or Felicity asked me to try holding my breath and using my diaphragm to push. Exactly what you're not meant to do when constipated, and felt wrong, but it worked. Could see a glimpse of head in the mirror! After a while could also see that round my rectum I had a red swelling like a baboon... haemorrhoids, ouch.
I'd been pushing about 2 and a half hours, but she kept sliding back between pushes. So frustrating. Felicity asked me if I was worried about something and maybe subconsciously holding her back. I said I just wanted her out. More pushing, I was getting tired, and baby's heart rate was starting to dip and not recover. Something needed to happen. The midwives consulted and decided that an episiotomy would be the best solution. Rosie explained what she was planning to do and why, as the alternative would be getting the doctors in to do a vacuum extraction. At this point I was happy with anything that would get the baby out (and let me rest!) so episiotomy sounded just fine. Local anesthetic injection, cut, then one more push and she was out! All at once this slippery, squalling baby was handed on to my chest. I'd done it. I was expecting to push the head out and then the body, but because she had her hand up next to her head her shoulder came through straight away as soon as there was enough space. (That was of course also why she'd been slipping back and so difficult to push out.)
As soon as she was out she pooed everywhere, so she was covered in blood and amniotic fluid and poop, and she was purple and wrinkly with a squished head, and still the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. The midwives wiped her off while she was still lying on me, and then we just had some skin-to-skin cuddle time while they dealt with the third stage (delivering the placenta). Rosie thought it would be best to give me a shot of syntocinon to speed it up as I'd had such a long hard second stage and was really tired, and I agreed. I'm not sure if they let the cord stop pulsating before clamping it, but I head Rosie saying something to Amelia about watching the cord deliver blood to the baby - certainly normally they would wait, but I don't know if they can do that with the syntocinon. Don got to cut the cord. Placenta came out, as did a large amount of blood - just below the level of post-partum haemorrhage. My bedsocks, the only item of clothing I was still wearing, were soaked, and went in the biohazard waste bin!
Bridie had stopped crying, so I put her vertically on my chest and she lurched immediately towards a boob. Just like they showed in the baby-led attachment video at the Breastfeeding Association education class we went to! Amazing to watch. She sucked very strongly from the first, and fed from both sides before going to sleep.
My episiotomy was stitched up by a lovely obstetric resident called Bronwen, and then we got to go back to our birth centre room, Bridie had her Hep B and Vitamin K shots, eat dinner, call parents, shower, and collapse into bed.
Bridie slept through the whole night (she must have been exhausted as well) and at 6.30am midwife Roz came in to check on us and help me feed her again. The instincts aren't as strong after the first hour from birth, and she was hungry and fussy, so it took a while to get her properly on the boob. Once she was feeding though she happily stayed there while I ate breakfast - all the hospital breakfast, plus a muffin and half a bacon and egg sandwich Don brought up from the cafeteria. Unsurprising, considering I hadn't had breakfast or lunch the day before and had done a pretty huge workout! The day was spent getting used to feeding and changing Bridie, listening to her cute asleep noises, snoozing, and a couple of checks for Bridie (weight, length, head circumference, hearing screen - that's pretty cool, they stick electrodes on her head while she's asleep and play clicks through headphones to measure the brain's response).
Vital statistics:
Bridget Elizabeth (Bridie) C_
born 3.08pm Sunday 26/7/09
weight 3.3 kg (7.2 pounds)
length 50.5 cm
head circumference 32cm
Ten fingers, ten toes, and all good!