About 7.30ish on thursday night, I started getting strongish bh's about 5-8 mins apart and when i was walking around, there was loads of pressure in my **!
Ive had it before so just got on with things. Even had a go at some local kids who were taking the piss with my doorbell! Must have been raging hormones!!!
We got the kids in bed, then I told John that i'd been having these twinges.... typical bloke hardly looked up from the computer!!!
We settled down to watch a film and i was still getting them so decided to keep an eye on times. They were a bit irregular and some were stronger than others and typical me was like 'its just nothing, stop fussing!!!' John called his daughter Sophie (Mum was on nights) and told her to keep her phone handy just in case. By 11ish, John didnt want to take any chances with me only being 33 weeks and with what happened to Sean so he went to get Sophie and I rang the hospital where they told me to go in.
Strapped up to the monitor and was still having them the same. The got a doc in while it was a premmie and they had a look. To make sure, they both did internals and confirmed that I was 3-4cm, cercvix still abit thick but that I 'wasnt going anywhere! Went to a labour room, put my nightie on, got strapped up to the monitor and was just basically left to it. The ward was quiet so the mw was in most of the time chatting and doing notes. The pains werent even that painful, just like normal bh.
Im used to a veryquick labour and birth, so the fact that I was still sat there a few hours later was a bit of a shock!! The pains started tailing off and I was gutted as there was even talk of sending me home!! My body must have heard because they kicked in again a bit stronger but still slightly irregular.
At 3.30am, i was checked again and still only 3-4 cm but fully efaced and the head was right there and waters were bulging. The mw said, if my waters were broken that the baby would be here, The pead doctors were in charge though with it being a prem and they said no to them being broken. So I was left for longer!
I noticed that the labour was different this time. All of the pain was right near the bottom of my bump and all in my hips and back. it was horrid. I started on gas and air around 6.30 as they were getting stronger. Change over of staff at 7.30am and the new mw did an internal. STILL the same, but the docs still said no. They just wanted her to come out in her own slow time so she didnt get too distressed or anything. Wasnt nice for me though!!
By 8.30am the pain was getting really unbearable. It was the most horrible pain ive ever had(i still didnt make a sound though!!!!!) I didnt ask for any other pain relief. If i was full term I would have had pethedine, but i had only read on the net the day before, that pethedine etc in labour, can hinder a prem babies breathing and the mw confirmed this. So I was determined to do it without for Ellis' sake. I carried on with the gas and air even though it wasnt even touching the pains as it was controlling my breathing.
By 9.30ish, I was getting the urge to push, so they called the neonatal nurse to come up and everyone started to get ready. I was nearly fully dialated then, but they still wouldnt break my waters. I was then told that I wasnt even allowed to push!!!! I was like 'WHAT??????'
John said that it was so hard for him to atch me as he had never seen me struggle like that and he knew that I was in agony!!!
I had to let her come down on her own, in her own time. Its the most horrible feeling when you are desperate to push, the pain was unbearable and I just had to lie there and breathe!!! After 4 contractions, the mw had a feel and knew I was nearly there. She looked at me as though to say 'Dont tell anyone i did this' and wriggled her fingers about so my waters broke!!! I could have kissed her!!!! I said 'NOW can I push??because that hurts less' And she said yes.
3 pushes later and Ellis Sarah Jane Higgins was born weighing 5lb 1 1/2 oz. The neonatal nurse checked her, going on and on about how she had never been to such a quiet birth ever!!! and I had a 30 second cuddle before the whisked her off. I told John to go with her.
After that, my placenta decided to stay stuck. The mw had to put pressure on my lower tummy(where my contractions had been) and it was agony. She still didnt get it out so they put up a drip to try and open my cervix again. The placenta had come away but the cervix had clamped shut trapping it in my womb as it had done with Sean. I was dreading having to go into surgery like last time. The spinal was the worst thing that I had ever had. And I knew I wouldnt get to see Ellis for ages. Luckily after the drip had been in a while, the mw ragged the placenta out. I could have kissed her again!!!!!
Meanwhile, Ellis was struggling to breathe so was put on oxygen. When i saw her i burst out crying. She looked so vunerable and ill and i felt so guilty. Luckily she settled down and now she is doing fantastic!!!
Sorry, its soooo long!
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