Amelia Elizabeth Arrives part 2
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snapdragonbeads/sets/72157604535012811/
The birth itself didn’t go exactly as hoped, I won’t say planned because in all fairness these things just are not plan-able, but still went very well. As it was, the birth plan I’d put together a number of weeks back which was pretty flexible anyway never got printed out! So when asked for it I said - I’ll just go with what happens.
The first stage of labour started around 8:30pm on Thursday evening and at around 3:15am on Friday we arrived at the hospital with SRM (suspected rupture of membranes). In the end they determined that this was most likely the hindwaters going and as a result the waterbirth wasn’t going to happen. They also booked me for an induction for 6pm on the 12th all to prevent infection. At this point I was dialated to about 2cm.
Things progressed very slowly and we moved down to the ante-natal ward around 5am. We spent most of the day there with me hooked up to a CTG. Unfortunately during the course of the day the contractions stopped and things ground to a halt somewhat so around 5:30pm on Friday we left so I could rest and get a shower. As luck would have it though not long after we set of back on the A603 the contractions started up again and I felt it on each and every pot hole and turn! We got home, had some pizza, and 2 paracetamol, for me, and I tried getting on all fours to coax the baby in to turning to the ideal anterior position. The feeling was at the hospital that with her not turned with her back to my front we weren’t getting the benefit of her head in the best position to work with the contractions. Things had, however, start up again without her having moved and around 10 or 11pm we were back and in delivery room 7 and there for the duration. In the end I managed to get through it all without anything other than some gas and air towards the end of the 1st stage mainly because the pain of the contractions was really taking its toll on my legs. I only had it for about an hour and boy did it make me feel funky… I felt like I had had a lot of champagne…
Towards the end I had to have my waters broken and she did turn but she was beginning to flag a little (but perked up when the nice pedaediatrician arrived with the resuscitation crib) - so I had to have an episiotomy and to help in the end she was delivered by ventouse extraction. She came out quite literally kicking and screaming.Already a high achiever she managed a 9 and 10 in her Apgar scores ;-)
In all it took 25 hours and 59 minutes from start to finish.The first stage took 9 and a half hours. The delivery stage only took an hour and a minute. And the third a whole 8 minutes!
For the record I did not scream or yell at Jon a single time during the whole process. He came out bruise free and with no broken bones 
In fact I didn’t really yell until the pushing and then no vocalising and when asked to stop as it wasn’t helping me direct my energies I did ;-) Now we are all at home getting settled in. The stitches aren’t bothering me much, but my arms are sore and stiff from bloods taken from inside the left elbow and having had a cannular in my right hand…
Last night was a bit fraught, but we did manage to get some sleep and the community midwife visited this morning and helped me get on the right track with the breast feeding which was great as I really needed the guidance and she will be back again tomorrow; the support is very reassuring since as an only child I have no experience of babies at all!
Tags: baby
April 14th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
You did amazingly well; congratulations again! And I hope your stitches heal nice and quickly.
I got given lots of breastfeeding advice, including in the comments on our birth posts. I think the most useful things I was told were: (at the hospital) to try the rugby ball hold (baby under one arm, feeding from the breast at that side), which at first I found much easier than the cradle hold; and not to cup his head in my hand (the health visitor told me this), because his instinct was to push back against it - instead, one should support the base of the head just above the neck. I got revolting chapped nipples but they healed up fairly quickly with lansinoh and practice.
I’m so thrilled for you and Jonathan (and your mum and dad!) and wish you the best of luck!