Part 1 of my Labour and postnatal experience...
WOW what a day June 10 turned out to be. The day started at 4am with the real contractions. I stayed in bed a while to make sure it was the real thing - they were 5-6 mins apart from the moment I was woken up. I can't actually remember the degree of pain any more - strange, huh? (Or nature's way of making sure we reproduce more than once if possible??). But it felt like really, really, really bad period pain. After about an hour, I went and had a bath to ease the pain a bit. I also really wanted to make sure it was the real thing, as it was the day that C-chan's exam was scheduled... At 6am I woke C-chan. Gradually the pain got worse and worse. We guessed C-chan would have to sit the exam at a later date...
I rang the hospital and spoke to a midwife (as you are supposed to do). We concluded that I was in labour. I asked when I should come into the hospital. The answer: "When the pain is so bad you can't imagine anything else" WHAT?!! I don't remember reading about this in the books... "...or when you think you won't be able to sit in the car to get to the hospital".
Eeek. So there was some practical advice.
Dang! There's an Inner West baby boom!!
We reached the "I think we better drive to the hospital" point by 8am, and started getting things ready to go. Got to the hospital, and wouldn't you know it? The labour ward was full. Had to wait in a waiting room with a television until one of the rooms was cleaned. Contractions were every 2-3 minutes, so no time to appreciate the telly or nice lounge chairs. At this stage, had to bend over or lean on C-chan to get through each one. Finally a midwife came to see what was going on. Midwife suggested that a short stint outside in the car park might be a nice change in surroundings to pass the time until the room was free.
It wasn't a nice change in surroundings. There was nowhere nice to sit that wasn't occupied by a smoker in their shift break. It was cold, damp and grey outside. At some point I was examined to see how far my cervix had dilated. Was disheartened to find that it was only 1 cm (1/10 of the way). Midwife said something heartening to reassure me that the first stages take the longest. Waters broke during examination, but nothing dramatic. Finally got our own room, and said goodbye to C-chan's parents.
I laboured in a few positions - first in the bath. Then the pain got pretty bad and I used gas. Got out of bath, but at some point pain was too bad for even the gas - gas was however useful for regulating breathing. Had a pethadine shot at some point, but couldn't bring myself to consider an epidural still. Pain is so bad you have to be reminded to breathe out rather than scream in pain. Went on bed and rested on side for an hour or so while contracting - who knows how long it was?
Finally, the pushing phase was reached (this took up the last 2 1/2 hours of a 13 1/2 hour labour, so it must have been 3pm by then). Pushing phase is better, as you have something productive to do (push) rather than just waiting for your cervix to dilate. You have to push without breathing out, and grit your teeth at the same time. Got up off bed to let gravity help with this bit... and then...
My left leg collapsed under me!!
This was completely unexpected, and I landed on all fours on the floor. My leg had been feeling a bit pins-and-needle-y, but had assumed it was hyperventilation. More on this later, but this basically eliminated standing or walking around as options for labouring.
Went on a birthing stool for a bit (like a kidney-shaped foot stool, and you rest your back against a pillow and your partner). Leg got tired of this, and we ended up spending the last hour and half or so giving birth kind of like they do in the movies. Except I didn't use stirrups, rather, I had my knees up and pushed my leg against C-chan on one side and the midwife on the other for each contraction. I had to pull my thighs against my hands at the same time. Midwife was great and so encouraging with every push I gave.
Finally I ran out of puff. Baby's head was going forward 10 millimeters and back 9.5 with every push. (Turns out baby's head was on the larger side of average). Baby was helped out with a vacuum extractor thing on his head. Baby was pulled out with one last push and scream of pain, and plonked on my tummy with a gush of mixed fluids (ugh) and a tear or two in the corner of his father's eye.
Ethan's eyes were wide open and alert from the word go. This is all a blur, but there were lots of people in the room (paediatricians, obstetricians, midwife, trainee drs) - checking the baby's vitals, giving him his vitamin K shot, weighing him. Oh, and attending to my stitches. (I'll say no more, other than I didn't know there was such as thing as a 3rd degree tear before, and quite frankly, hope to soon forget).
Had to wait in the labour ward for a while for someone to come and check my leg. Meanwhile, baby was given his first inept feed, named, and cleaned up a bit and swaddled. Finally I got to clean up and we were all taken up to the Maternity ward (me in a wheelchair!!). And so began the first few blurred nights of parenthood for C-chan and me...
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