Claire and Eva’s Birth Story
Hi Elaine,
Just home from the hospital with baby Eva (we finally settled on a name!) so thought I would start on my birth story.
So different to my first my birth story! On Friday evening (at 39 +3) just after 6 I stood up and felt my waters go. I was totally unprepared for this as last time around I got to 41 plus and my waters didn't go until I was in active labour in the Coombe! So rang the assessment unit who said yes I would need to come in within the next few hours to be assessed. So waited for my Dad to come and look after our toddler and headed in around 10pm to the Coombe.
I had started getting very mild, infrequent contractions just before 9 but was obviously nowhere close to established labour. I did start using my TENS machine early on as I know it works better if you start using it in the early stages of labour. They checked me over in the assessment unit - my temperature and blood pressure were fine so I was allowed head home but my waters rupturing before labour meant I was already on the clock - 18 hours from the time the membranes rupture to deliver baby before having to go on IV antibiotics and extra tests/stay in hospital postnatally. I had to be back in the Coombe the following morning for 11am iso they could start the antibiotics and potentially an induction. So not exactly what I would hope for having terms and conditions attached to my birth story! But anyways we headed home (stopping at the MacDonalds drive thru on the way!).
From around midnight I started to have mild/moderate contractions starting off 3-5 minutes from each other but quickly spreading out to more like 8 minutes. Stayed up on my yoga ball listening to my labour spotify playlists all night and using my lovely AroMamma labour oil and aromatherapy spray, I did mange 2 very short power naps during the night but the contractions were enough to keep me awake.
By 7am I was getting a bit anxious that things didn't seem to be progressing much, contractions were still no more than 5-8 minutes apart however from around 8/9 the contractions did start intensifying I tried to stay active walking around the house and garden. Contractions never got any closer so but as we had to be back in the Coombe for 11am we left the house unsure of whether or not I was in active labour. However things started to ramp up very quickly and between the car and the assessment unit I have 3 very intense contractions.
By the time I got to the unit I was having extremely painful pressure sensations i.e. the head moving down which they explained is very normal after 1st pregnancies due to less pelvic floor resistance. I could barely get onto the bed at this point for them to examine me as the pain was so intense. I was starting to feel a bit panicked as I had felt I had coped a lot better during my first labour with the pain. I remember the midwife saying they'd examine me and if I wasn't in established labour they send me walking around to avoid having to induce me and I remember thinking you are kidding me if this is not established labour and I can barely stand up much less go walking! So when they examined me I was in fact 6cm and the head was really low hence the pressure. I was put in a wheelchair and wheeled in a hurry to the delivery unit.
By this stage I was past being able to use anything from my labour bag apart from my wireless headphones along with the gas and air. The gas and air really helped (as it had the first time around). However within a very short time of arriving into the delivery suite I was ready to start pushing. Like my last labour I did not get any urge to push which makes it really difficult to push efficiently. The delivery was also very quick but I won't lie, very painful (because of how quick it happened) but at 12.18pm (having arrived in the Coombe car park at 10.30am) baby Eva arrived weighing 6lb 12oz with just minutes to spare before being considered at risk for infection and needing the extra tests and hospital stay.
I managed to avoid need stitches (same as last time) thankfully. As I'd had a post partum haemorrage and retained placenta with my previous birth I had a planned managed 3rd stage with an oxytocin drip to reduce the chances of it happening again. Thankfully it didn't happen this time around and although I did have to stay hooked up to the IV for a few hours my post natal recovery was better.
I always had it in my head that a speedy birth was the best type but I found the less than 2 hours of extremely intense and sudden contractions along with the pain of feeling baby move down so fast a lot harder to cope with compared to the more relaxed, gradual build up with my first labour. But in the end still a positive birth story with a healthy baby and a good recovery for myself. At home now learning to deal with 2 under 2 and coming to terms with the fact my first baby is now my big girl! I am a little bit peeved that I won't fit in any more pregnancy yoga classes as I was so overdue the last time I was sure it would be a similar story again! Best of luck to everyone else and hopefully catch up with people in baby massage / mum and baby yoga.
Claire