At 41 weeks I said to Hubby that the pressure today felt different but I wasn't sure whether it was wishful thinking. That evening I started getting period type pains again but when we went to bed around 9pm I noticed that they weren't a constant ache but regular, timable contractions, 8 minutes apart lasting 45 seconds! I told Hubby and tried to convince him to go to sleep saying that I would let him know if I needed him or if there were any major developments but he was too excited! I tried to go to sleep myself as is advised but I don't know how anyone does it - you relax and every so many minutes you get a rude awakening!
The midwife had said to ring the hospital when the contractions were 5 minutes apart lasting a minute. Mine were soon 5 minutes apart but still not lasting a minute. They were getting quite painful so I asked Hubby to put the Tens machine on me and it did help, I only used this and breathing techniques for nearly the whole labour. I had my breakfast and went back to bed even though I couldn't sleep. Hubby was downstairs when I rang him from upstairs at 6.30am because I felt a pop and my waters had gone and I didn't want to move incase they went everywhere but surprisingly they were more of a trickle. Hubby helped me to the bathroom and we discussed whether or not to ring the hospital but decided we should because I noticed a green colour to the waters and was worried in case the baby had pooed in the uterus which could be a sign of distress. We rang the hospital at 7am and they asked a few questions to try and establish whether I needed to go in yet. One of the questions was whether I had the Tens machine on the highest setting yet - which I never did for the whole labour! They advised to have a bath, eat and wait until the contractions were longer.
Hubby ran me a bath but as soon as I lay down in it I had a strong contraction and practically screamed at him to get me out - that was the end of our waterbirth dream!
I was still concerned with the colour of the water I was leaking and the fact that the pain was much worse now, and I insisted that Hubby rang the hospital back and we were told to go in. Upon leaving the house the neighbour across the road spotted us and was asking if this was it - I was trying to get in the car and look 'normal'! Also, nearly every light was red and at one set a lady on a bicycle next to our car was staring in while I writhed in pain!
We arrived at the hospital at 8.15am and even though it's not far to the labour ward I struggled and had to keep stopping with the contractions. The midwives allocated me a room and the one who would be looking after me introduced herself. When she did the first examination at 8.30am we were all pleased to find out that I was already 4-5cm dilated. I was hooked up to a monitor so they could keep an eye on the baby's heartbeat, unfortunately it also shows the contractions building and peaking and I ended up watching this and getting more upset.
The midwife said she would examine me again in 4 hours but the pains were too much and I asked to be checked at 11.15am and I had progressed to 7-8cm! The midwife explained that there are a couple of points or transitional periods where you think you can't go on but you are close to the end. I was at one of these points. Three hours later (2pm) they examined me again and I was at 9cm, just part of the cervix hadn't thinned - everyone was saying the end is in sight!
For nearly the whole of the labour I stood on one spot with all my weight in one leg. I couldn't be examined on the bed unless it was very quick and straight after a contraction. I found it hard to eat or drink anything and the midwife and Hubby were concerned as my urine samples showed had ketones:
"Ketosis is a common outcome for women who experience a prolonged labour (or prelabour), becoming dehydrated and often causing their contractions to weaken, slow or stop. This can start to happen if glycogen (or glucose) is not being replenished through eating and drinking in their labour.
The work of labour means that the woman's body has high-energy needs, depleting her stores of available glycogen very quickly. When the body has excessive amounts of ketones (meaning the woman is 'ketotic'), she can feel very weak and lethargic, develop a fever and a have fast pulse. Her uterus does not contracting efficiently, and her labour slows (or stops)."
Hubby was practically force feeding me dextrose tablets, and the threat of the labour lasting even longer got me eating some sweets and drinking water and juice.
Two hours later I was still at 9cm as part of the cervix still hadn't thinned. They called a doctor and he examined me and found that the baby's head was asynclitic:
"Asynclitism means asymmetrical. Its when a baby’s head is tipped towards one shoulder. The tipped head has a harder time passing through the narrow part of the pelvis; the ishial spines. Labor becomes longer, and sometimes baby doesn't fit out the pelvis."
They decided that I needed to go on a drip to make the contractions more regular and slightly longer in the hope that the baby's head would turn and thin out the rest of the cervix. This really upset me as I was only just coping with the pain as it was and the thought of more pain, more often tipped me over the edge and so I asked for an epidural. The midwife went to speak to the anaesthetist but he was in theatre and they said he would be about 20 minutes but in reality he didn't get to me for an hour and 40 minutes, and in the meantime they started the drip. I had to take the Tens machine off while they did the epidural and it took a little while to complete but when it was done - WOW, the relief!
They turned the drip right up but now I couldn't feel anything. An hour later they checked me again but there was no change. It was getting late and they didn't want to wait any longer to intervene and so they said I would need a C-section. I was so scared and regretted having watched so many TV programmes about childbirth! The staff were very reassuring and answered all my questions and double checked I couldn't feel anything before they started as I was being paranoid. I asked Hubby to look into my eyes and kiss me as a distraction. It was over so fast - I didn't even know they had started! They asked Hubby if he was squeamish and he isn't and so he was allowed to look over the curtain and he saw our son's head sticking out of the incision and then the surgeons pulling on it and lifting our baby out of me. Hubby said "it's a boy" and we heard him cry. Isaac's head was born at 22:48 and the rest of him at 22:49. He was wrapped in towels and given to his Daddy who showed him to me. He weighed 7lbs4oz.
We were taken to recovery and our son was passed to me and put on my chest so we could have skin-to-skin bonding and I started breast feeding. It all seemed surreal but wonderful - we had done it, we are a family, we have our happy ending!
