We all love a good labour story right?
Well when I was pregnant I think everyone was obsessed with sharing their terrifying labour stories if I’m honest!
Luckily mine isn’t that scary and the reason I am sharing... not all labours are horrendous don’t get me wrong your not having the time of your life but at the end of it all most will have the safe arrival of their bundle of joy!
My labour lasted around 4 and half hours.. and yes this was my first baby.
I was exactly one week overdue and had two sweeps (Not the most pleasant experience but also not something to fear).
I had a hot curry with a friend and driven back home to get a hot bath (one week overdue and I was trying everything to avoid an induced labour, plus I was growing by the day..I wanted this baby out!!)
I then did some shall we say crazy dancing before bed in the hope and pray to get things moving....believe me you do anything when you are overdue. (luckily for you none of this was recorded).
I went to bed and woke around 2am with a strange feeling a few cramps but I went back to sleep, waking again around 3am with back to back contractions.
My contractions started 3 minutes a part and intense. In all honesty each contraction took my breath away, but they where bearable. However, then the vomiting began...this not so much bearable. (no one mentioned vomiting and I hate being sick). So I rang the hospital midwife led unit in hope for some advice. Their advice was to take take a bath and painkillers.
The last thing I wanted was a bath... so I tried to get comfortable on the sofa with my sick bowl and battled each contraction as they come.
By 4:30am I couldn’t cope with the vomiting anymore, my contractions remained 3 minutes apart and despite ringing the hospital again suggesting I just stay at home, we decided to make our way to the hospital even if I could just get something for the sickness.
The car journey was around 20 minutes but felt like an hour...i felt like I personally hit every bump in the road and that every traffic light was on red. I couldn’t sit on my bum as I felt I was sitting on my babies head (little did I know I practically was).
When we got to the midwife led unit, the midwife was quite dismissive but agreed to examine me anyway, with the clear instructions if I would be sent back home if I was not dilated enough.
We waited about an hour to be seen, in which we where put in a room next to lady who sounded like she was being murded!! This is what scared me...reality hit home that I was going to have my baby soon and it was not going to be pleasant.
Finally the midwife came in and examined me in which I was 9cm dilated..she was shocked and hurried me to a delivery room and gave me some gas and air.
My request was a water birth but little did I know my labour was imminent.
The midwife left the room and that’s when my contractions became pushes...I couldn’t stop my body felt like it was pushing for me. (the most bizarre experience ever). But by this point my waters had not even broken so the pain was at it’s worse. I asked my partner to get a midwife for something stronger than gas and air but, while he was gone me waters broke (what a huge relief this was).
When the midwife came and saw my water broke she asked me to remove my bottoms (yes I was still in my pjs) and my baby was already crowning.....Within half an hour she was born.
The final labour stages where so quick and my cord was only very short that it snapped on delivery. Before I knew it everyone was in the room I was just sitting on the floor in shock, it looked like a blood bath. I was totally in shock!
I didn’t hold my baby initially but she was safe with her dad.
After the placenta was delivered and everywhere was cleaned up I held my beautiful baby (it still did not feel real).
I was then taken for some sutures due to a small tear (honestly this hurt more than labour, I felt every single stitch).
While I was gone my partner gave Autumn her first feed, and then she starting spiking a temp so due to the labour she was then taken away to special care for a lumbar puncture and tests for sepsis. This was the most heart wrenching experience ever having your new baby taken away just after birth.
After a few hours we where able to go visit our baby and after 5 days of antibiotics we where able to take her home.
I felt very strange for the first two- three weeks after birth. I think I was still in shock, I loved Autumn but just felt like she wasnt mine. A very odd feeling but I feel not holding her straight from delivery, and also being taken away shortly after interrupted our immediate bond.
Despite the cord snapping on delivery (which is not very common) my actual birthing experience was not a bad one, I mentally prepared for a painful long labour so was pleasantly surprised with how quick things where.
My point from this share is to go with your instincts, despite being adviced to stay at home a few more hours, we felt the need to go to the hospital and I am glad we did. If we never we could have had our baby at home and with the cord snapping this could have not been such a positive experience.
Labour is not something to fear, if it was no one would have more than one child. It’s a painful experience you won’t forgot but, equally it’s an experience which will bring your baby into the world.
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