Quick birth, no pain relief, but not my choice (Birthing Methods in general)

Member Name: emuk00

Product:	Birthing Methods in general
Date:	23/10/09 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: over and done with, no drugs in system

Disadvantages: painful, traumatic

I was booked in to be induced, Friday 25th September, at 7.30am, due to foetal movements being quite limited and when on the trace they weren't happy with the monitoring. I then had to go to DAU first to be monitored, have scan to check placenta and blood flow through the cord etc. I was then told they also sent me to the DAU first as they were too busy on the CLS.
Eventually I went home at lunchtime and had to come back at 7.30am on the Saturday. So we went off to see Alex as she was staying at mums while all this was going on.
I woke up at 5.30am on Saturday 26th September and we went to the hospital ready to be induced at 7.30am.
I am not going to bore you with the details of the day, but by 7pm there were still no rooms available so they could induce me, but I had heard 3 babies born by that point and the lady who had her pessary next door to me was off to have her baby. I was so angry; cue more tears and asking the midwife what the hell was going on.
I spoke to dad, he said to put a formal complaint in and go home, he said I could always ring an ambulance, so I had a good think about it, but decided to wait until 8pm as I heard a consultant say it had quietened down on the labour suites.
At 8pm, my contractions started up, but were lasting 45 seconds or so and coming every 4-5 minutes, randomly. At 8.45pm, they started to come every 2 minutes but were still only lasting 45-50 seconds so I knew they weren't doing a lot, but the intensity turned up on them, and it was enough for me to say 'ow' on a few of them. At 9.10pm, the more senior midwife off the CLS came in to check how I was and to say about the room situation for my induction (as in there were still none free), and checked me over with my contractions, to which she said they weren't lasting long enough to be in established labour. So she came back to check on me at 9.25pm, I said the contractions were starting to become painful, but I could still cope with them and they were still coming every 2 minutes but lasting up to a minute.
I asked if I could be examined, but she said they will come and check later as contractions still weren't lasting long enough.
I couldn't jump on the bed in the assessment room and lean over the back of the bed like I did with Alex, which was so comfortable for me, so I improvised, popped a pillow on the floor and knelt on that over the bed and breathed through them.
As the midwife was about to leave, (about 9.30pm) I was on the floor I felt a sharp painful pop feeling in my back, and the pains were getting stronger....midwife said she will come back in 20mins as she was dealing with lady next door. I could feel myself wetting myself, and it was warm, so I though i had just weed, so I went to the toilet and more was coming out while walking to the loo. Mark got the midwife and told her we think waters have just gone, so she came into the toilet to check my pad, and gave me an attractive massive pad to put on, and said she would come back...
I could barely get from the loo to the assessment room without each contraction, but I still didn't know what was to come, as I didn't feel ready to give birth yet. When I got to the room I asked for gas and air, so the other midwife came in to check how I was, with the other midwife asking her to examine me, so at about 10pm I struggled to get on the bed, and looked at my pad to see lots of reddish/pinkish water on it, so my waters had gone. She said I was fully dilated, but I said to her I wanted to push, she said a little of my cervix needs to thin slightly and I felt I needed to push as her fingers were there, but I told her I needed to push again, and she looked at Mark while looking at her fingers which were now not inside me- I then said I needed gas and air and can't do this, but she said I can't leave you on your own to get the gas and air otherwise you will deliver your baby on your own..... I was shocked, I didn't feel ready to give birth apart from the pain and the feeling of needing to do a poo....but that was the head crowning and she said to do my breathing and push. I remember it taking 3 pushes to deliver her head with the rest of my waters gushing out, and then one final push to get her out.
So at 10.10pm my little girl was born, we were shocked she was a girl, she was placed onto my chest, but it was all a bit hazy for me, but there was no baby cry and Mark got asked if he wanted to cut the cord, but he too was concerned with her lack of crying and the midwife had already pressed the red button and there were the crash team...whipped her away to get her going. She had a score of 3 but within 5 minutes was up to 9.
It was sooo painful, and even though the gas and air never worked with Alex, it helped me to concentrate on my breathing technique so helped me get through her labour, where as I was all over the place with breathing this time, which made it the whole experience more painful overall.
They spent the next hour stitching me up and sorting out my bleeding (this time I only lost 300ml, not 1300ml thank God!), by this point I had my gorgeous little girl back on my chest. I was finally given gas and air, while they stitched me up as I had a 2nd degree tear, I was a little worried when she said my bleeding hadn't stopped, I thought here we go again, but it stopped - luckily.
I was still in shock and shaking, everything was so quick - people always say you are lucky having a quick labour, but that's not true, I was with Alex as I knew what was happening, but this time I feel it was slightly traumatic to deal with.
Once stitched up I had to have a shower while Mark dressed Bethany and go straight to the ward, with Mark having to go home, as they needed the assessment room for the next lady.

So there we go 2 hours 10 minutes of labour and 34mins as my official length of labour...another quick labour like Alex!!!

Summary: no more kids for me