| Mum (Mom) Active BnB Member
Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Devon
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| Aeryn's arrival, pizza and all...
Hiya, it was a few weeks ago now but I thought I would add my birth story. I've cheated somewhat and taken it from my myspace blog which I wrote about a week after the birth. I'm glad I wrote it when I did because it's amazing how much you forget!
Aeryn Reid - 26th May 2006.
My waters went on Friday morning, I went into hospital for a check up, all was fine and they booked me in to be induced on the Sunday evening.
I was kinda chilled out, feeling a bit skanky as I was so wet all the time but I was trying to stay relaxed and not get too excited. We went to Tesco for a few bits and bobs and whilst we were at the checkout I became aware of proper contractions, that was 2.37pm (still got the till receipt lol). Stronger and a bit painful but not really too uncomfortable, they were certainly different from what I had been feeling previously so I figured things were starting to move along.
However I was hungry so we went to Pizza Hut for a bit lol. Still contracting but it was sporadic, it was a bit of a joke at the time sitting eating a pizza whilst having contractions! But they weren't anything much to bother about at this stage. I guess we got home about 4pm. I had a sleep for an hour and then we pretty much just chilled out on the internet all night. Had a fruit smoothie for tea just incase I needed the energy later! I was wide awake though, I didn't end up going to bed till about 1am but by then my contractions were really starting to hurt me and they were every few minutes too.
I'd had a bath and had 2 paracetamol but that didn't take the edge off them as I was hoping. Peter had only just gone to bed also so I left him to get some sleep and came downstairs to try and sit/lie/stand in different positions see if I could get comfy for a kip. But things suddenly seemed to really getting going, the contractions were pretty painful by now and I just couldn't sleep through it.
I phoned the hospital and they said I should come in. Got my bags together, quickly wrote a birth plan for Pete (nothing like last minute eh? lol) and then woke him up. The car journey was a nightmare, I did NOT want to be sat down. Quite greatful that we only live 10mins from the hospital.
Things start to go a bit blurry at this point, it's weird how you forget, I honestly never thought that night /day would leave me but it's already fading away with my pregnancy hormones.
It was about 3am, to start with I really held it together and I just breathed through my contractions with Pete encouraging me and rubbing my back. I was 5cm dilated when I got there so we both thought "ahh great half way, baby will be out in a couple hours woot!" but it didn't quite go to that plan in the end.
I am not sure exactly what time it was but I totally lost it after a couple hours or so, I was in so much pain, I started on some gas and air but I have to say it just didn't feel like enough. It wasn't relieving much pain that's for sure, although the head rush was kinda nice and distracting lol.
I remember being told that I was 9cm dilated (so 1cm to go...) and thinking ahh good I am getting there then, but an hour later I was still 9cm dilated, I was completely gutted. The last part of my cervix just wouldn't go. I was really not happy by this stage, I kept crying and begging for a c-section lol, I just didn't think I had enough energy left to do it. Plus I was starting to get the urge to push but I wasn't allowed to!
Of all things to happen in labour I'd been vomiting quite a bit (bye bye fruit smoothie). Peter was a Saint, rubbing my back and holding my bowls of puke whilst trying not to chuck up at the same time lol. My stomach was burning like utter hell but I couldn't drink more than a few sips of water and I couldn't even contemplate eating anything but I felt like shit and I was running out of puff.
Slowly things get more and more blurry now, I had my eyes closed through at least the last 3 hours of labour, a Dr came and had a look at me and said to give me a bit longer. I had some ideas about how i'd like to give birth but in the end I was on my back with my legs in stirrups, very undignified, just crying and pushing lol.
The contractions were slowing down so even when I was allowed to start pushing nothing was happening, I was so frustrated and just kept thinking that I wouldn't be able to do it. I was getting really depressed as nothing seemed to be moving along. They put me on a drip for fluids and to help the contractions but that didn't actually work (on the contraction front) and I remember being a little annoyed at slowly coming out of my "gas and air" induced haze too thanks to the new fluids lol
As I said the last bit of cervix wouldn't budge and in the end the midwife had to poke me about and push it out of the way, niiice... I was totally running out of steam though, I was screaming my head off towards the end, and when I wasn't screaming I was pushing so hard that my teeth have been hurting me all fecking week since.
The Dr came back and said they were going to try and help me along with a ventouse (suction cap) delivery (attachment of which was not very comfortable I have to say).
A lot of people started coming into the room now and gowning up. Pete, understandably, left the room at this point. I don't think it was very nice for him at this stage, there was nothing he could do to help and he felt in the way with everyone rushing about. Besides which I was in a swirly land of pain and screaming and not really aware of much apart from the nice Indian Dr who was chatting to me about what she was doing and telling me to stop screaming and push lol.
Unfortunately after 2 pulls on the cap my contractions were not long enough even with my pushing (and screaming) for England to get baby out so she numbed me up for a forceps delivery... you'd think I'd have been gutted about this but it was actually nice to feel baby's heading being pulled along lol. Side effect of this was I was given an episiotomy (cut). I wasn't really aware of it tbh, I was numb down there now and the contraction pain and the feeling of this giant head descending down my birth canal was kinda more on my mind at the time.
I remember thinking shitting hell this is too big, there is no way I could get that out on my own and being grateful to God that i wasn't alive and giving birth during Victorian times lol.
The Dr told me that baby was showing signs of distress and that I had to really push hard now because they had to get her out. There was a point here where it just couldn't hurt anymore, I just wanted to scream so loud but I pushed so hard I thought I would turn inside out, and suddenly, out popped her head!
AT LAAAAST, I was aware of the rest of her body following along after and then... omg RELIEF. Amazingly wonderful relief, after 9 hours of pain and the last one of being in utter agony it all stopped. No more contractions, my placenta pretty much fell out on it's own, the Dr started stitching me up but I couldn't feel it.
I opened my eyes and suddenly realised that there were about 5 people in the room lol. It's all a bit blurry still but I saw a brief flash of auburn hair and thought "omg" I gave birth to a ginger baby... I heard someone say "girl" and " 12.19pm", I didn't see the cord cut or get to hold her straight away as the paediatrician was examining her and I started to worry a bit but they kept saying she's ok she's just a bit shocked. She wasn't crying at all but she started making this really funny squeaky noise as if to say "what the hell just happened?". I had a little cry round about now but I think it was more relief than the elation I had expected to feel though.
Pete came back in about 5mins later when it had calmed down. Someone said "congratulations" to him and he looked very bemused until he noticed Aeryn in the cot next to me lol. What was first thing he said? See I told you it was a girl!... pfft!
I did feel amazing afterwards, but it was weird, it took a little while for it all to sink in. Still can't believe it some times even now.
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What an amazing story. Thanks for sharing. And again. your daughter is so beautiful.
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