The Birthing Mum
I thought I would write my birthing story for my daughter, my first baby. Who doesn’t love reading and talking about giving birth?
It’s so bloody fascinating, every mother has one and every mother loves to share how it all went down...shit and all.
When you are waiting for the impending birth of your first child, you just don’t know what the hell is happening. They say who will know when you are in labour but as some people will tell you its not that simple.
I was overdue and was expecting to go into labour at any min, I didn’t. I kept checking my pants at every pee (lots) and nah dah! I wasn’t happening.
I was walking, bouncing, shagging (last thing i wanted but I was trying anything) and eating curry like a fool. I should have just sat on my fat ass, it would have been just as effective.
2 weeks and still nothing. The midwife gave me a good sweep but I was still thick and high...bastard!
I was going to be induced and this ruined my idea of a birthing pool where I was going to quietly and beautifully push out my baby...yeah right
I was giving a 5PM slot for my induction, I went in and they hooked me up and uncomfortably inserted the pessery. I was then told to go home...what? Go home! I was told prob nothing would happen and was given a time to return tomorrow. I knew I would be back before because as I lay for the time after the nurse prodded me I was already starting to cramp, badly.
They checked me before I left and yes I was “contracting” but they would stop...they didn’t.
I went home and was in pain, imagine a very bad period. I could cope but I was thinking if they is the start god help me later.
By 11pm I couldn’t cope and I called the hospital, they had closed the ward! They were unable to take anymore deliveries. In fact no one was able to take any more and I would have to go to Newcastle! I live in Edinburgh!!!
I was able to be looked at in Livingston and I live that side of town so it wasn’t much of a trek, so we all jumped in the car...oh I forgot to mention my WHOLE family were there. I had my very own entourage. My dad, mum, sister, mother-in-law and my husband. They all wanted to come and so I sheepishly entered the hospital with my posse.
They sent me home, as I wasn’t a Livingston patient but they checked me and took out the pessery to “stop” the contractions”. They didn’t stop.
As soon as we got home my waters broke and it was full steam ahead. As I huffed and puffed on the stairs, I will forever remember my dad saying “well, you will have to grit your teeth and get on with it..” Thanks dad, so helpful!
We called the hospital and I needed to go in but still no space! What the hell was I going to do?!
Newcastle was still getting mentioned and this was adding to an already tense situation.
I was told to call an ambulance and the crew would take me where ever I was to go, they didn’t even know.
By this point my posse had gone to bed and it was just me, my husband and my mum.
The ambulance arrived and they had no idea that the hospital was closed and they were going to take me to the Royal.
I quickly arrived at the Royal. I had never been in an ambulance before so it was rather exciting, ha!
Well, when I got pushed through the doors the midwives could not believe I had been taken in, there was no room at the INN! I was check and as I was in full labour at 5 cm I was unable to actually leave the hospital. So luckily, it was a weekend and the clinic room were empty and I got to labour in there but downside...no pain relief!!
My husband slept on the bed as I paced painfully around the room. My mum was at home waiting for the call I had been taken to the delivery suite.
It was 8am the next morning, still no further on and still in the clinic room that we finally were told we had a room in the delivery ward. Thank the lord!
As I was brought up, I said just get me the epidural and within 10 mins in the room I was being hooked up and was much more comfortable.
It was a long ass road from there; I caught an infection so they slowed everything down to give me antibiotics. I was happy that I was now pain free but with all the intervention it was causing me so much bother to my labour. I wasn’t able to progress without constant supervision. I was prodded and poked, tested and monitored. It didn’t feel like it was suppose to be, I was having a baby but it was like I was just waiting for them to pick a baby for me and hand it to me.
By 8am the next day I was ready to push but I had no energy. I hadn’t eaten and just slept here and there. I needed forceps, at this point I didn’t care I just wanted it to be all over.
I pushed twice and they pulled and out came my massive poo covered daughter.
CC was born at 10.50 and weighting 8.5LBS, it was over and I was a mum.
She was puffy and red with the forceps imprinted on her soft cheeks, she was mine. My little princess.
My body was wreaked though, the forceps had damaged my urethra and needed to stay in for 5 days with a catheter in. On day 5, I was so longing to be at home but I was still unable to pass urine. My body at actually forgot how to pee. I just could work out what muscles to use to go. It was the most frustrating thing.
They let me home but I needed to still use a catheter at home and return every two days to hospital until I was about to use the bathroom again.
Two weeks! Two weeks before I was able to reuse the muscles I had seemed too forgotten about. Rory was returning to work and the wonderful two weeks as new parents had been snatched from us because I just couldn’t pee!
It’s one of the side effects of birth, bladder retention. One of the ones thats not talked about much.
It was embarrassing hauling my new handbag full of pee around hid under my trousers while I was supposed to be embracing life as a new unit. I think this was a factor in struggling to bond in the first couple of weeks. It made an already chaotic situation, horrific.
It didn’t put me off though. The idea of having another quickly came after watching an episode of one born every minute when CC was 6 months.
It’s funny how quickly you forget the bad bits and remember the wonderful feeling of not being pregnant anymore, haha oh and the baby mustn’t forget the baby...
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