Birth Story

On wednesday morning we had a doctors appointment. Lily was 38 weeks and weighed approx 3.7. The doctor took my blood pressure & it was 150/90 or something along those lines. I have never had high blood pressure always on the low side so this meant nothing to me when he told me. He wasn't happy though & after one of the fabulous internal examinations we all know and love he said she's ready to come out. She was very low & I was about 1cm dilated already. Cervix was soft & all was fine so he scheduled an induction. I had to check into the labour ward at 10 that night and would be induced at 3 the following morning. I wasn't freaked out or worried, I was mentally prepared for a day in labour. I knew I was going to have an epidural and before that had practised my breathing and spiralling on the ball. Shaun and I went for dinner & then I had a bath and we went to the hospital. He hung out until about 11.30 then went home to sleep and I tried to sleep a bit as well. At 12 I was woken up to fill in forms but finally got to sleep about 12.30. At 3 I woke myself up and they induced me using this tampon kind of thing. Shaun arrived just after with coffee and we started our day. I was counting on her being out that evening, thinking worst case scenario. Doctor came in at 8 and checked and I was still the same as before. He told me to just take it easy because blood pressure was still high and that the sister would check again in 4 hours. So we killed time, getting more and more tired but happy and excited until 12, when they said I was still only 1cm. I was having very mild contractions but could hardly feel them. The doctor ordered Pethadine for me anyway which I refused because I've only heard bad things and there really wasn't much pain. So we then spent until 5 hanging out & trying very unsuccessfully to rest. Then the women in the labour room next door had a fast birth. The story is a bit skewed, what we overheard was that the nurses weren't paying much attention to her and suddenly she had the baby unassisted. The nurses said that they were trying to contact the anaesthetist and while they were on the phone she delivered. Whatever happened the doc came in and let rip and yelled at all of them! Not to long after that there was a women whose baby went into distress and had to be rushed off for an emergency c section. I was walking the corridor willing something to happen and the matron rushed past and yelled "you're in charge!" I was the only one not in pain yet! ha ha. At 5 the doctor came in and said I still wasnt progressing so he broke my waters- that was so weird! So much liquid pouring out of me and nothing I could do! Doctor advised I get the epidural as soon as possible because would start being very sore. So we moved to the delivery room and the nurses called for the anaesthetist. All of them were in surgery! So they called and called and eventually for Dr Jacobs who was on a bicycle ride near the hospital and said he'd come do it. He arrived all sweaty and in his riding stuff! They put a drip up- with a big nasty needle in my hand, which was quite sore but I am a real baby when it comes to needles. The doc gave me a local which stung and dint really numb anything at all and started with the epidural. I had to sit on the side of the bed and curve my back with a sister standing in front of me holding me still while he did it. It was pretty sore, like severe pressure. So he said ok your numb and I said no I'm not! So he turned it up and said now I must be and I still wasn't but was feeling something-or lack there of- on my right side. So he waited until I said yes its numb but only my right side. He didn't believe me and pinched my right side and I yelled! So he decided to do it again. So back up and we started all over again, this time i didn't feel the epidural needle at all because the local had finally kicked in. This made my right side even deader and my left side started feeling better except for my hip. I got the shivers and started being a bit loopy and they said ok cool its working and he left, I think his exact words were "you can read a newspaper now, I've given you such a strong dose". Nows where the fun started! I was lying on my left side and started feeling the contractions really strongly. I told the sister and she suggested I roll onto the other side because maybe I'm blocking the drip. As they rolled me I felt the needle in my back stick in something. I told the sister and she said no its flat it can't get caught. I asked again and she said there is no way. So I rolled over and it got worse! As I was breathing through a strong contraction the gyne came in & asked why I was in pain. So I told him the epidural wasn't woking on my left. He said I must definitely be lying on the side its not working on so that it can pool on that side. So they moved me again and again I felt the needle catch. I told the doctor and he said  that its fine and checked it but said all is ok. He wanted me to feel the contractions a bit as it would help me push. He then checked and said I was only 3cms and I needed to progress quickly now because we were running out of time. He said I had until 11 or would have to go for a c section. So he was going to give me a drug to speed up the contractions. He said it would be fine because I had the epidural so its not a problem that they'll be much more intense, but if they are to much I must have the gas to just help me a bit. He then decided to move my catheter that they had stuck on my leg with plaster. He ripped the plaster off and I screamed! Finally he believed I wasn't numb! So he turned the epidural up and said it will definitely start working now, one of the sisters must have turned it down he said. So he gave me this stuff into the drip called something with an S, to speed them up and he left. Wow. Within 2 contractions I was begging for the gas. The nurses said that the epidural had been turned down again and everyone was blaming everyone else, I swear no one touched that epidural so I have no idea what they were on about it, but all I wanted was the gas. They FINALLY after about 3 months worth of contractions bought it to me. By this stage my whole body was back to normal except for my right leg which was absolutely totally dead. I was having a contraction every minute or so and sucking the gas like it was life blood- and it really was. I can't remember half of what happened but I remember begging Shaun to call the doctor for a c section, saying that I couldn't go on, and that this was a really dumb idea-whose idea was it to have a baby anyway! I begged them to help me and call the doctor, but for 3 hours nothing happened. Then the gas ran out. Yes seriously! I felt it run out and told Shaun, but he said no no its in my mind its fine, still full. I made him go tell them it had run out and he did but he kept telling me it was full, because he knew already that it was finished and there was no more, the nurses were running around the hospital trying to find more. He was hoping placebo effect would kick in, and id think it was working. Well, it didn't. I still sucked on it with all my might but it was gone. Then my first angel arrived, in the form of an ICU midwife who had checked me in on wednesday night. She came to say hi and see how we were doing and saw the situation and cracked the whip. She made the labour staff call another anaesthetist and ask him to come and see what the problem was. I still had the epidural pumping into me with the needle in my back, but all I had was a totally dead leg. She then set about trying to find more gas. I was screaming, and cursing the hospital and the staff. I'm not a confrontational person at all, and would never swear at another person for incompetence, but I wasn't me. I was a crazy maniac. I was swearing and screaming and crying. I just wanted a rest, just a few minutes where I could catch my breath, but the contractions were coming so fast. Finally my second angel arrived, Dr Dennis looked at the epidural and said all looked fine, what the hell was going on? They then checked to see how far I was and I was 9 cms, basically ready to go. The Doc said he'll redo the epidural and the midwife said no he can't because I was to far. I then screamed at her to get me more bleeping gas then because I wasn't going to survive another second! The doctor, being the wonderful man he is, put his foot down and said I needed a new epidural, what's the point of having it in there if I was still in agony? So I had to sit up and keep as still as possible during the contractions while he did it. The midwife stood in front of me and braced me up against her and they kicked shaun out. I nearly stuck my fingers right through her arm, but I didn't move. He took the plaster off and the epidural had fallen out. I TOLD THEM! I had told them over and over that it had caught on something and no one believed me! And it was out! He then put another one in, that took forever but I started to go numb about 15 mins after he was finished. This time my left side was dead and I could feel my right side, but thakfully it was about 70% numb so the contractions were manageable. It was 1 am now and I knew I needed to try rest and regain my strength so I could push her out. The doc hadn't connected the epidural to a drip, he had given me a full dose that would last an hour. I knew that she'd take longer than that but they all seemed to think she would be here soon. So an hour later it started to wear off again, and the sister called him and he gave directions over the phone. She then gave me that dose and I was happy again. They told me to call them when I needed to push and we both tried to sleep a bit and regain out strength. I slept in 15 minute spurts because was having my pressure tested every 15mins but even that was just enough to pull myself together. I called them when I felt she was close and they called the doc and I woke up shaun. Doc then arrived and I was put into stirrups and moved into position and told how to push. I don't know how long that took, maybe half an hour, but I have no idea to be honest. I had to wait for a contraction ans take a deep breath then push without letting my breath out. wow, such hard work! She got stuck and had to be helped out using the vacuum which I hadn't wanted but there is no way your going to say that when your baby is in trouble! Suddenly she was out and on my chest and then gone again. She was pretty blue and had a score of 6 but within 5 mins she was a perfect 10. I then delivered the placenta and was stitched up, all the while shouting directions to Shaun to talk to her and not leave her alone and phone the parents and do this and that. Ha ha my wonderful patient husband. They then bought her to me again to hold and she was crying but as soon as I spoke to her she stopped and looked at me. It was such a beautiful moment. I had a chat with her then shaun did and then she had to go into the incubator because was very cold. Finally, it was over! My baby girl weighed 3.64 and was a healthy and gorgeous little bundle. She's so perfect! Her head is pretty swollen and bruised but everyone assures me that she is fine and it will go down soon. She got a bit of jaundice from that and had to go under the lights but she's fine and we're both so in love with her! What an absolute blessing we have been given!