Elizabeth two months old now, I’ve been meaning to write about her birth since I got out of hospital and I’ve finally got round to it. This account is far more for my own benefit than for anyone else to read (I really want to have it recorded as I remember it now, for me to read back in the future) so please don’t feel you have to read it all.
From about 20 weeks into my pregnancy – about the time I finally allowed myself to think about having to give birth and began to read about the various options open to me – I knew I wanted to have as natural an experience as possible. After looking round Bournemouth Maternity Unit my mind was set on a water birth. As time drew on and my due date loomed, and then passed (!) I tried everything to bring on natural labour but to no avail. So on Wednesday 28th Feb (12 days over due) I was admitted into Poole Hospital for an induction. My emotions were mixed, disappointed that things had not happened naturally, apprehensive of the induction procedure, but excited that the waiting was nearly over and that we were about to meet our little son or daughter.
Once I’d settled in and following an examination, I was given a peccary at about 8pm and put on a foetal monitor. The baby’s heartbeat was good and strong, and I was actually having very mild contractions – not that I could feel them! (A good sign of a high pain threshold that was to prove itself later!). At 6am the following morning, after a terrible night’s sleep – the lady in the bed next to mine snored continually – I was given a second peccary as my cervix was not “ripening”! I was just about to tuck into my breakfast when I felt an overwhelming urge to wee, in fact I was wetting myself and couldn’t make it stop! I called the midwife in an embarrassed panic and immediately it was obvious to her: I was not incontinent, my waters had broken!
I was so excited that my body had clicked into action naturally and with the renewed hope that my labour would continue that way. The midwives advised us that the best way to “jiggy things along” was to stay mobile, and as it was a lovely sunny spring day off we went for the first of many walks round the block. My contractions grew stronger throughout the day, I was in labour at last! But by 5pm I was only 1cm dilated and my “mild” (didn’t feel like that at the time!) contractions were still irregular; so the decision was made to take the next step and begin the Oxytocin drip.
We went down to the delivery suite and again my emotions were very mixed. Our natural water birth was now out of the question and my mobility would be limited by the drip and permanent foetal monitor. But we were so pleased to learn who our midwife was. Shirley, once Andy’s boss, had retrained as a midwife a few years ago and we had always said how lovely it would be for her to deliver our baby. I’m sure God’s hand was in the timing of our arrival and her shift pattern. She understood our wishes exactly and honoured them every step of the way; firstly by allowing me another two hours before being put on the drip. However at 7pm I was examined again and was still only 1.5cm - after 12 hours of contractions! – and so the Oxytocin was started. By 8pm I was in “established labour”, my contractions were coming every two-and-a-half minutes and lasting 45 seconds each and the pain was far more intense.
Andy was an amazing support, he enabled me to cope with the pain by breathing alone and huge amounts of positive encouragement. The lights in the room were dimmed and the ipod was playing in the background. The sound of our baby’s heartbeat coming from the foetal monitor was like therapy to me, and I concentrated on that to sooth me. The thought that for nine months she’d been soothed by the sound of my heartbeat in the womb and now hers was my tonic, was beautiful. At midnight I was examined again, the midwife expected me to be 5 or 6cm (considering the rate of my labour) and I had promised myself if I held out ‘til then I could start on the gas-and-air. The news we extremely hard to take, I was only 2cm dilated. Exhausted and dejected, for the first time I felt like I couldn’t continue. Again Andy and the midwives were wonderfully encouraging and I agreed with their advice to take some Pethidine. I was able to get some desperately needed rest, and although my contractions were still painful the Pethidine gave me enough relief to allow me to lay still and close my eyes for 3 hours.
When the full pain of my contractions returned I felt incredibly upbeat: another three hours of labour had passed with very little effort, I must be at least 5 or 6cm dilated by now. At 4am another examination proved the worst, I was still only at 2.5cm, the midwife was duty bound to inform the doctor. He came into my room and told us that the induction had failed and I would have to have an emergency caesarean section. This news came like an almighty bombshell to me, the thought of a caesarean hadn’t even entered my head until that moment, and the doctor’s terrible bedside manner left me feeling I had no choice in the matter. The midwives on the other hand were fantastic and knew how desperately I wanted a natural birth and let Andy and I make the decision to go on for a final 3 hours to give our baby every chance of being born naturally. It was too late to use the gas-and-air as I needed to keep a “clear head” in case or surgery, so I persevered with breathing through the pain with Andy’s support.
Finally 7am came around and the crunch-time examination. After 14 hours of established labour I was only 3cm dilated, and the decision to go for a c-section had to be made. I was totally exhausted and desperate to meet our baby so I signed the consent form with a feeling of sheer relief and excitement. I had to wait a further hour-and-a-half but with the Oxytocin drip turned off my contractions faded and I was again about to get some desperately needed rest.
When the time came I put on the gown and walked through to the theatre. After the longest night of my life this final part happened so quickly. The spinal block was nothing more than a scratch. I lay down on the table, a screen was erected across my torso and Andy stood at my side holding my hand. Neither of us could stop smiling, at last we were to meet our son or daughter. I could see the doctors begin the surgery and feel their pressure (but no pain – a very weird sensation). At 9.36am our baby was born, the doctor held her up for Andy to see so he could be the first to announce the sex. After catching his breath he looked at me and said “It’s a… it’s an Elizabeth!”
I heard her cry, and turned my head to see Andy holding her all wrapped up in a towel and knitted hat. The joy and elation I felt is impossible to describe. He brought her over to me and I kissed her check, then his. Andy lay Elizabeth on my pillow, and we both just starred at her beautiful face. I stroked her cheek and held her tiny hand “this is our daughter”.
