Birth Stories - My Natural Childbirth
by Beth
Friday morning I woke up at about 4am and couldn't settle. I finally got out of bed about 7:30 adn showered and felt...very strange. Basically I was acting drugged.
Mom came over and I was figgeting and fussing. I ended up taking a bit of a nap and being hungry enough for lunch so didn't really think anything was going to happen.
About 2 the contractions were stronger and felt...different. I still didn't really think anything was going to happen and then while I was crouching something went "POP" inside and the contraction went from strong to "OMFG OWWW!" I think I said "Something just went POP and now it HURTS!" Mom called the midwife sometime around then (I'm a little fuzzy on details) and then I started yelling for Simon....who we couldn't get a hold of. You see his phone has been playing up and has randomly decided to be out of reception when it should work. Naturally when we were trying to get him was one of those times. So we tried his desk phone, um yeah he wasn't there and nobody was answering. Finally Mom found the main number for Exeter by going online and called them and got someone to pass the message on. I got a call back shortly which I answered and yelled COME HOME NOW!
I also had Mom call Sheila and Mervyn (my in-laws) when we were having trouble getting a hold of Simon and I thought we might need a back up if we couldn't get a hold of Simon in time.
The Midwife showed up and checked me over (Simon showed up shortly afterwards) and said I was only 2 centimeters along and I started crying and saying I couldn't do this. I wasn't really that brave the Midwife left saying I had a while to go as I wasn't 3 centimeters and therefore in established labour yet (they reckon it takes 6 to 12 hours to get from 3 to 10 centimetres for a first pregenancy...um..sure...)
I eventually settled in the rocking chair with my shawl around my shoulders, my nighty on, slippers and a towel on the chair and just used the rythmn of rocking to get me through the contractions. I'd get pissy if mom spoke to me as it broke my rhythm.
Everyone says I handled it well but I don't think I did. It hurt I didn't like it and wanted drugs. We called the hospital and i insisted we had to go in as they had the drugs. We left and had to drive to Torbay Hospital. At 6:30pm...on Friday....yeahhhh....
I left the house in just a nighty and a bathrobe and slippers and quite near (but not at) the hospital I suddenly felt my contraction change and I bared down and I felt something come away and said so. I...thought I had wet myself and didn't realize I was actually now pushing. We get to the hospital and it happened in the lift and when I got to the delivery suite you have to ring a buzzer. This is the actual conversation that followed at the buzzer.
Me: BUZZZZ BUZZZZZ
Midwife on Desk: "Hello how can we help you?"
Me: "I'm having a baby please let me in!"
Midwife: "Are you Elizabeth or Nicola?"
Me: SOB "ELIZABETH"
Midwife: "Okay! Come on in!"
I walk through and have to stop and push out a lot of aminotic fluid...I'm still convinced it's wee and I start crying and apologize. The midwife tells me not to apologize and helps me into the room, Simon comes up fairly close afterwards after I have shed my now goo covered clothing and I'm sitting on the toliet convinced I have to poo. Now there is a certain amount of logic to this as I had felt the need to poo during an earlier contraction and did in fact poo.
This was not poo.
After about 15 minutes the Midwife gets me up on the bed to check me and um...sees the head.
They tell me this and I don't believe them. The midwife says she's not ready and tells me not to push. She leaves and suddenly I have to push. I say so. My husband and my mom on either side tell me not to and I bellow "NO! I HAVE TO PUSH!" The midwife BURST back into the room and 4 big pushes and she told me to stop and pant, I did...well I tried but he shot out and they couldn't catch him and my baby slide out onto the bed....and I had eyes for nothing else and nothing else mattered. Not even the fact that I had been in pain.
But lord he was big and very very very loud.
And yes I was very very very aware of how big he was and how fast he came out later. That's why I was at the hospital an extra night. HE was fine. I was very very wobbly.
Oh yes a few other details I remember. When the midwife was there I threw up my lunch. Never eating cheesy rolls again.
Before birth I was really big on natural childbirth, when it came to it I wanted drugs, I didn't have drugs because...um...no time and at the end of it I'm very glad I didn't have drugs.
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