Birth Stories

Wow, what an awesome birth story.. Well done! I'm hoping to have a drug-free birth as well, but we'll see...

Must be my turn to put my story in here now seeing as Ella is 5 months old!

On April 1st I noticed I had a really achey lower back, and it wasnt going away. That was a Thursday. The following Tuesday morning (April 6th) I had a show. Wednesday morning, I woke up a bit earlier than usual, around 7.30. I was contemplating getting up to go to the loo when I felt something go 'pop', as if the baby had just kicked the top of my cervix. I moved very fast and just managed to hold on to get out of bed and to the toilet so my waters didnt go everywhere!
Contractions started pretty much straight away, irregular, but getting stronger. I phoned my midwife around 8.30am, she said she would come and check up on me during the morning. Well by about 9.30 I was dry retching in the kitchen sink, had had diahorrea a few times and was generally uncomfortable, so had my husband phone my midwife. She was just around the corner at another patient so arrived by 10am. She brought a wheatpack which was bliss on my lower back while I was kneeling on the floor leaning on the couch. By 11.30 or so I was getting the urge to push so we piled in the car and off to the hospital, once there my midwife did an internal and I was 10cm! About an hour of full on pushing and Ella Elizabeth was born at 12.58pm, no pain relief, 4.5 hours clinical labour. Her apgar was 9,10 and she weighed 6lb 13oz (3100grams), 51cm long. John got to cut the cord when she was born. I ended up with a second degree tear (internal) which was stitched, that was the worst part of it, I sucked on a bit of gas during that but it was horrible, made the room spin and my ears buzz. I lost quite a bit of blood immediately after the birth with some large clots, I was rather light headed when I got up for the next day or so.
It was all good, I had planned on using the bath while in labour but it wasnt long enough LOL ! I will definately be going back for another baby (or 2 )

Jayde’s birth story, (our Christmas baby)

At 6am on the 24th of December, Alyssa our 20 month old came into our bedroom and thought it was time to get up. I told her it was too early and took her back to her bed to tuck her in. As I was tucking her in my hind waters broke.

I phoned the midwife who advised me she would be out later that afternoon to check on me and the baby. Nothing happened throughout the day, Braxton hicks but that’s it! The midwife checked the baby and I, we were fine. And she made an apt for 8-30am Christmas day so she could do a sterile internal at the hospital, just to check how things were going.

I started waking up with mild contractions at about 1am on the 25th but nothing too major. At about 2-30 am Rob woke up and I reluctantly told him that I was in labour (sigh) the timing now began, very annoying. The contractions were ranging between 8 and 5 minutes apart, but were still pretty mild, just having the odd really strong one.

Got up about 7, got my hospital stuff together, just in case the midwife thought my labour was far enough advanced for me to stay in hospital. Alyssa woke up and we opened her Santa presents with her. Mum arrived to look after Alyssa and we left for the hospital at about 8-10am.

Got to hospital and was hooked up to a machine for half an hour to check baby and monitor contractions. Everything going well, contractions about every 3-5 mins still not that strong. Midwife did speculum exam and found I was 5cm dilated, told me my forewaters were bulging and did I want them broken. As I had now resigned myself to the fact that this baby was going to be born on Christmas day I agreed so we could get things moving.

While the midwife was filling the spa bath Rob and I were walking around the ward. Started off having one contraction per round. After about half an hour or so of doing this I was having 2 contractions per round and was ready to hop in the bath.

Jumped in the bath at about 11-30 and was hooked up to IV antibiotics for half an hour because my hind waters had broken over 18 hours beforehand. Contractions are starting to get fairly painful now and starting to get a lot of back ache. After the antibiotics had finished doing their thing I thought I would get out of the bath and see if that eased my back pain. It was way more intense so I jumped back into the bath. I was now getting double whammy contractions (not fun).

12-30 I think I must have been going through transition because I was freezing and shaking, so decision was made for me to get out of bath. (At this stage my sister turned up as well). I told the midwife I was feeling a lot of pressure, so she did an internal and told me I was only 8cm (I was positive I was ready to push. She then told me to go to the toilet for a wee but I was having contractions all the time and could not go.

The back pain was really intense by this stage and I was starting to loose it, I had to really concentrate on my breathing and try and keep myself calm. The gas was given to me to try, even though I insisted I hated it. I think in the end they got the message, I didn’t swear but I think I was very firm! I asked for an epidural and got told no.

By this stage I was leaning over the head of the bed on my hands and knees and really feeling like pushing. The midwife noticed this and told me if I wanted to push I could push (FINALLY). After literally 3 pushes her head was out, she then started to wriggle (OUCH) and it felt like an eternity before the next contraction and she was out. So less than 5 mins to birth her. So she was born and 1.24pm

Now comes the really scary part. As I was facing away I couldn’t see what was happening all I heard was the midwife saying to Rob to push the yellow button and then to push the red button. I think I was screaming is my baby alright. My sister was reassuring me that she was and my midwife was really calm and still let Rob cut the cord. Apparently because it was such a quick birth Jayde was stunned she also had the cord wrapped around her neck. The other nurses got there really quick and all she needed was a few whiffs of oxygen.

I then started bleeding quite heavily and had to have an injection of stuff to try and stop the bleeding. They also inserted a line just in case I needed to be hooked up to an I.V. (It took three goes to do this and in the end the house surgeon needed to be called). (BTW the afterpains were horrible and are still happening)

By 7pm the bleeding finally slowed down and I could have a shower and be transferred to the ward. And I could start enjoying our little girl!

Jayde Mia was 9lb & 53cm at birth and has already put on 100gms (she is a guts). Her big sister absolutely loves her. And she is settling in well at home.


Latest Pictures available at www.vangelder.co.nz

Edited by Angelnz

wow, what dramas.. definately one xmas you won't forget in a hurry!! good to hear that things are now going well and that big sis loves her new baby! Congrats once again.

Yeah she does, Alyssa had lots of hair too but not as thick as this. Jayde is so contented so far I can't beleive it. I hope it stays this way, so far she is coping with how much milk i have and hasn't developed colic. Whew. Looking forward to seeing you guys in a few weeks too! Im sure the girls will love causing havoc together hee hee.

Yeah we can let them run around in the back yard and play on the swings, slide and seesaw. Maybe send Rob out to supervise and we can sit down for a rest and a drink .

Edited by Angelnz

oh my gosh what a lot of hair... gorgeous.

Thanks

On the Saturday before my daughter was born, I lost my plug during the night, so on Sunday my Mum, sister, nephew and brother and I went for a walk around Western Springs and I’d been having mild contractions ever since. They weren't painful or anything, just really uncomfortable. I couldn't sit still, and couldn't get to sleep. I had an appointment with the Obstetrician on Monday because I was a week overdue. I got put on a monitor to measure the contractions, and to make sure the baby was ok and not stressed out. Everything was fine. I didn’t have a single contraction the whole time the thing was on me!   That night I started having contractions. I mean, real contractions this time. I went for 14 hours, from about 8.30 pm. They got down to about 5 minutes apart, but they were lasting for 2 minutes. Then at about 10 am, everything stopped! I was so tired, but I was still having niggly ones, so I couldn't get to sleep. Then on the Tuesday night, I started having full on contractions again. My initial thought was "Oh God, I cannot go all night again!!" but at 1 am, I went into Hospital. I was only 2 cm dilated, and they can’t do an ARM (Artificial Rupture or Membranes) until you’re in established labour (4cm dilated). So I went home and contracted and contracted. At about 12 pm, the Midwife came over to see how things were progressing. She did an exam, and I was 5 cm dilated! So we went into hospital at about 2 pm, and she broke my waters. About 1-½ hours later, after about 3 pushes, my Mum delivered my daughter onto my stomach and she was so beautiful, with dark brown hair, and big brown eyes. She weighed 2920 gms (6 Lb, 7 Oz) and measured 48 cm. She was born with her cord around her neck, but thankfully it wasn't tight!! I had one stitch and Jay didn't cry until she had her VitK shot. Today she's 5 1/2 months old, will be 6 on the 14th.

I had a normal pregnancy but was really big. My midwife said that was normal, I was measuring alright etc. At 34 weeks I remember saying to my friend I feel all achy like Ive got my period but I had just unloaded 2 trailer loads of dirt so I thought that was why. The next day I had a little bit of bleeding and because Im resus negative (however you spell it) I went into hospital for anti D injection. When the registrar saw me she said something was not right becuase I was to big and had tested me for diabetes which was positive(something my midwife had not done around 20 something weeks as is normally the case) She also did an exam and discovered that my waters had broken and I was 3cm dialated already. I had no idea my waters had broken so that was a huge shock. They did a scan to see what size baby was (7lb 4oz they thought) and the sonographer picked up that he had a cleft lip and possibly pallate. They did more scans and there was lots of waiting, it was awful. This all happened within about 2 hours so I was a bit of a mess really. I was admitted and told I could not go home until baby arrives which thankfully was 4 days later when my hind waters broke. The labour staff said it would take ages but my first stage only took about an hour. It was funny cos the lady in the bed beside me had been in labour all day and I remember saying to hubby "man I dont want to have to listen to her all night" and half an hour later my waters broke. I tried the gas which didnt do anything expect give me something to concentrate on so in the end I had an epidural mainly because babies heart rate kept dropping when I had a contraction and the surgery was full incase I had to have an emergency c section so I had to wait for hours before I could push. After 9 hours of labour baby finally arrived but had really really low sugar levels and was taken straight to NICU so I only got to look at him for a minute. He was 7lb 2oz which probably helped him in the end because we got to take him home only 6 days later. His cleft was only minor and no palate damage thank god and he has since had this fixed. I was really anxious about the labour but in the end I really enjoyed it (after I took the drugs that is)