Here is the second in my giving birth series. Real birth stories, from real Mums. If you enjoy this I will be posting a different story every Thursday so make sure to pop back each week for a new one.
Thank you to the Mum who wrote this weeks story and congratulations on your gorgeous girl!
Age of Mum: 26
1st/2nd/3rd or more baby: 2nd baby
Gestation born at: 34+5 weeks
Any pregnancy complications: None
Type of delivery: Vaginal/Normal
Length of labour: 90 minutes (from when midwives believed me), 9 hours when I felt contractions coming regularly
Pain relief: Gas and Air, and morphine
Weight of baby: 5lbs 3oz
Sex of baby: Girl
Who was present at delivery: My fiance Stuart
Did you feel informed about your choices during labour: Yes. As I’d already had a pre-term baby, I knew how limited my choices were
Complications after labour: Retained placenta
On Wednesday 3rd of September 2014, at 2 am I turned over in bed and felt a trickle of ‘something’. I thought I needed a wee so I got up and as I got to my bedroom door there was a massive gush. I went to the loo and realised that it might have been my waters. I went back to my room and put a maternity pad on and lay down for an hour. I was going to phone maternity but I knew that’s what they would say so it saved time. After the hour, I stood up and felt another gush so I phoned maternity and got told to come in. I got there about 4 am and after waiting for an hour, they confirmed my waters had gone and I was being kept in. I had to phone Stuart as he was working in Dundee so he was over 3 hours away!
The Wednesday was very quiet. Everytime I moved I’d feel more fluid leaking but I had no pain or cramping. Stuart got to the hospital about 10 am and stayed until my son got out of school. I had some cramping on the Wednesday night so the doctor did and examination and I was 2cm dilated.
On Thursday 4th September, everything was still quiet. No more cramping and was losing a bit less fluid. I had a scan which confirmed less water but nothing too scary. After the scan, I started to lose some pinky discharge so the doctor recommended I was kept in for one night.
At 7pm, just after Stuart left, I began to have bad cramping so I started timing them. The midwives didn’t think anything of it so I was given paracetamol. 8:30 pm came and I was still in pain so I was given co-codamol. Still in pain at 11 pm, and contracting every 5 minutes so I asked for more pain relief. The midwife recommended going down to the labour ward so I could get some gas and air. The midwife got the doctor, who said I was still 2cm dilated but she agreed I could go to labour ward.
At 1 am, just as I got to the ward, I had 3 massive contractions, one on top of the other, and I screamed (so embarrassing!). I got given morphine and gas and air and I phoned Stuart to say I was in labour ward but nothing was happening and I’d phone him if I started dilating. At 1:30 am I decided I need the loo so I hobbled over and sat down and felt an almighty urge to push. It took my breath away! I called the midwife who didn’t believe I was ready so she leant me over the bin (classy!) and as I was pushing she shouted “I can see the head!”. She called for the other midwife and got me onto the bed and I phoned Stuart. Contractions were coming thick and fast and Stuart arrived 15 minutes later. I pushed for 90 minutes and Olivia was born at 4:07 am, and she was perfect!
Afterwards, the placenta wouldn’t detach properly so I was taken to theatre and had it manually removed.
Olivia was taken to Special Care as her temperature kept dropping and she couldn’t feed but she was discharged 9 days later 🙂
