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Every time one of my boys has a birthday, I think back to the day of their birth...and I wondered if we could share our stories.
As some of you know, my first baby was stillborn late in the pregnancy so I was very nervous in my next pregnancy. I had a check up around my due date and my blood pressure had shot up so I was taken in to be induced....wow that was boring as it took ages and ages to get going. In the end they broke my waters and then full blown labour happened all of a sudden. I had pethidine and gas and air and was put on one drip to speed up the contractions and another saline one as they said I had ketones (that is when your body has run out of energy I think)
I was very sick all over the nurses(!) and the pushing stage went on a long time and so I had a forceps delivery and then my womb did not contract down and I lost loads of blood. Baby was very distressed by then and although I was allowed to cuddle him for a few minutes, he was taken into special care, despite being a 9 pounder. I had to lie in a darkened room on all these different drips and in the morning I asked them to take me to see my baby, and we finally went to the ward together, I had a blood transfusion as well and finally got out of hospital after 6 days.
Youngest...completely different, 6 days overdue, waters broke, went in and spent the whole night in a peaceful room with just TENS for pain relief, the only annoying thing was having a monitor on as he had pooed in the water. Baby came out fine, didn't even cry when he was born. I had to have some stitches as he was born with his hand next to his head, I got up off the table and went and had a bath, felt ready to go home but he got quite severe jaundice and had to be under a light monitor so I had a couple of days in hospital whilst being perfectly well.
An emotional thread for you Louise.
Because of pre-cancer cells, I was advised to have C section. Also a carer to my mum at the time, I needed to organise something for mum. Asked a friend to be birth partner. She picked me up at 7.30 on the Thursday, made my mum's breakie beforehand, Aunt was arriving a bit later in the day. Got to hospital, all the checks, rang my mum to make sure she was ok, even though I was absolutely petrified!! Epidural, wow, that was horrid. Friend sat opposite, all gowned up, and I was saying, 'no, I'm not ready, I'll go home now' hehe' C was born at 11.30, perfectly healthy, wheeled back, and immediately rang my mum. She couldn't come to hospital as she was terminally ill, so too ill to visit. We discussed our names over the phone, and we'd picked C, but until she saw him, I couldn't name him. She heard him over the phone, and said, 'he's got a big pair of lungs on him' (still has, hehe) Brought him home on the 2nd day to meet his Nanny, and she sat there holding him all afternoon.
Great memories.
Too emotional to talk about really, except with my third child...
Sorry and so sad to read of your losses.
Thanks for the contributions so far and I look forward to more birth stories
Ok, here we go. I was homeless at the time staying in a stinky bed and breakfast, it was lonely and scary. I would go out all day and only go to the B&B to sleep.
I was near my due date and the hospital said that I was very small, so needed to go for a scan the following day as they were concerned. (I wasn't until this point) That eve I went to a friends house and insisted that we had curry (I had been completely off it for 9 months!)
I ate the curry and my waters broke! Everyone was rushing around asking if I wanted a lift to the hospital. I said no and ordered a taxi. Still sopping wet! (I think I had gotten so used to handling all the situation on my own, I couldn't accept any help!)
On the way to the hospital I was bemoaning men and my daughters father and the taxi driver said...'Well you are the ones that bring us up'...that stopped my dead in my tracks!
Anyway daughter was born 5 hours later, painful of course, but stress free and weighed in at 7lbs. I didn't want anyone to tell me what sex the baby was, I wanted to find out for myself. Completely convinced I was having a son.
After she was born, I went for a bath and as the nurse was wheeling me back to the room, she said 'Are you ready to see your daughter?'...For the second time I was dumbstruck! I had never considered a daughter and it really threw me. (I loved boys, was a tomboy and thought all girl things sucked - I was only 21!) And my whole life from that moment on changed!
Thanks it was nice to share.
Louise HAPPY 18TH TO YOUR YOUNGEST TOMORROW!! WELL DONE BOTH OF YOU!! xxx
Wow Anna thank you for sharing about the birth of your daughter, I liked the bit about the curry 
My youngest had an excellent birthday, and now it is my eldest's...23 years since that rather traumatic experience but totally worth it!!
I love reading your birth stories, anyone else happy to share??
I feel like a fraud! If it was for just having babies, I could have ten, I find it all really easy - although they were all late. The last one (daughter) didn't even make it to hospital. Midwife came out at 6:30 and was back at 8:15 with only five minutes to spare. Paramedics supplied gas and air.
When one of them went down to take the tank back to the ambulance, he met my mum on the stairs and told her it was a girl. After the three boys she thought he was too young to even know the difference. :-)
No2 son was still up and allowed to come to see the baby; he was the only one who had said it was a girl all along and he'd picked a name (after his playgroup girlfriend), so when he came in I said, look, this is C. and he looked very confused and said noooo. She obvioysly didn't look the part....
I am always in awe of women who have quick births. I knew a lady at church who was just about to climb on the delivery table, got one leg cocked, so to speak and that was it....the midwife had to catch the baby like a rugby ball.
I agree Louise awe is the right word.
Hi all,
I had two emergency caesareans, very nearly had them naturally but they were tired and so a Csection was advised, caught an infection 9 days after my son (now 10 months), scar reopened, 10 weeks of daily packing and couldn't bath or shower!. Now my bouncy boy is crawling but I have a hernia attached the the c section area but I Its something I can live with as I'm full of lumps and bumps!. X
Ooh Cha cha that sounds really hard for you and ten weeks of packing, eeek. Will they leave the hernia as it is?
Yes for now, they've said I need to loose more weight, which I knew and have already lost about 2 stone since "everything" happened. It's ok, I mean I can feel it and do worry about it becoming strangulated but I am due to see the hospital soon. X
I love reading birth stories! J's was an easy birth. He was a week overdue so I had a sweep where it was found I was 1-2cm dilated already. Contractions started at five the next morning. Sent ex to work as he'd already started to panic! My sister came and kept me company. We had a walk to the shops, went and bought lunch, all the while timing contractions. Sister went home and I put ex out of his misery and phoned him to come home. He actually said he loved that bit. Getting the phone call and coming out of work to all the good wishes and everything. He came home and immediately wanted me to go to hospital which I refused, I was quite happy pottering at home. Managed to put him off until 4pm when he phoned the hospital while I was having a contraction and the midwife insisted I went in to be checked. I remember telling her I'd come in for a quick check but I was coming back home! Ex was panicking even more because it was now rush hour traffic. Got to hospital at half five where they were very busy because it was a full moon. Had some gas and air (fabulous stuff). Midwife checked me at 7.30 and I was 6cm so she told me I was going nowhere. I hadn't even brought my bag in out of the car, i was so determined I was going home! She told us to be prepared for a long wait, but J decided he'd had enough and was born at 21.21 after ten minutes of pushing. I didn't even make it onto a delivery bed, but I did make it into a delivery room. It may sound weird, but I kind of enjoyed labour. I'd been so worried about the pain and everything it was a nice surprise that I coped with it so well, although I did keep apologising to the midwife for maing strange noises!
Ah Looby that all sounds like a positive experience! I had to chuckle that you did not even bring your bag in from the car
Chacha, well done on losing two stone, that is an amazing achievement! yes keep an eye on what is happening with the hernia.
I love birth stories so the more people that contribute to this thread, the better.
Oh goodness, seems so long ago. My son was a week overdue and they talked about induction in a few days. As it happens my contractions began in that room while the doc was talking! Went home and spent the night having contractions really quietly so as not to disturb my ex (obviously not ex at the time, good lord, did I really feel the need to keep quiet even then?). He went to work that morning and I continued to have contractions. Thankfully my parents were around and my Dad started to drive me to the hospital with my Mum when I said 'No! Not yet, I need to go to McDonalds.' He drove me there and I sat in the restaurant having contractions eating a chicken burger. I finally had my son at 5.30pm on the wednesday. It took half an hour to push him out and I needed a bucket load of stitches as they cut me open with an orange handled pair of scissors, I remember them so vividly. Being stitched up took longer than the delivery.
Before I had him I lost one the year before when on holiday and didn't tell my doctor at all. In between him and my daughter I lost another which I had to be cleared out for. Wasn't pleasant, it was frightening, there was so much blood.
For my daughter she was three weeks early. I was aiming for a March baby with her but she came late January despite all my efforts. She was a tiny thing at 5 pounds 12 oz to her brothers 7 pounds 3 oz. My waters broke in the post office in the morning and they were reluctant to let me use their loo until I pointed out I would keep dripping either way. Spent the rest of the day with no contractions at all but started losing protein in my urine (apparently that's not good). It wasn't until early the following morning she decided it was time. I was about to get off the bed to nip to the loo when I had a big contraction and realised she was coming. No nurse was in the room, they had to be called in. Four minutes later my daughter shot out without me so much as pushing once.
Wow it is so interesting how differently our children enter the world isn't it! It is so sad when you look back and see that you were keeping your contractions quiet so as not to wake up your husband, however you wanting a chicken burger made me chuckle ladytelita!
wow so many interesting stories on child birth, people are right by saying its a time you definately will never forget.
I remember both my son's bitrh and my still born daughter's bitrh like it was yesterday. My son took a total of 44hours to come into this world, he was definately in no hurry to make an appearence, it was either that or he did not want to see his' daddy in a chelsea top. I went into labour on a wednesday morning, at first i thought nothing of it as i had been having braxton hicks for about three months before hand already.
My ex and I were due to see a property when the first proper contaction hit me, we were in an area of hertfordshire, so no where near my hospital, we looking at two bed house to rent, well when that one hit, we decided to head home, after being told countless times, that it can some time take ages for contractions to progress we thought we would play it safe and stay near my parents home were we were currently staying. but within about three hours my contractions were 5 - 10 minutes apart, here is where the fun starts, went to hospital three times, two times, was told i could not be admitted as my waters had not broke, thrid time was told i could not be admitted because i was only a few centimetres dialated. what joys, by that evening, was contracting every 5 minutes but still sent home and told to call in the morning for a check up.
That evening, my ex said he would stay up with me no matter what, that lasted till about eleven, me on the other was wide awake with lots of pain, he did say though, to wake him up if i needed anything, woke him up for absolutely everything, i thought if im not sleeping through this then you certainly are not. he ran me hot baths, took me for walks around the block, even to the 24hr shop for food. funniest bit was by three in the morningon one of our walks, we took the family dogs who must have thought they were in heaven getting so many walks, he had to call my mum as i could not walk back to the house as the baby was sitting on one of my nerves again and had paralysed me temperarliy from walking. (Love my baby boy to bits, even when hes causing mischief). the dogs would not let anyone near me, not even my mum, she finally took their leads and got them walking but one of them kept nipping my ex's ankle the whole way back while he helped me walk/ hop home.
The next morning around 7am, i was so bad from the pain that we did not bother calling the hospital midwife, but instead went through A + E and had them call the midwife to look at me, she then said, since i had been contracting at 5mins for so many hours but was still not dilated enough and that my water had not broken i wa going to be admitted so they could have a look as to what was going on. Eventually they had to break my water for me, they really should not show the needles they use to u before they do it as it is scary to see that thing and know what that midwife was about to do. during this time however i had become dehydrated and needed a drip, it took till about 6am the following morning, which by now was friday 13th, for them to talk to me about medical intervention, which having had a epidural done, and been contracting for far too many hours as far as i am concerned, we agreed to a c section as a last resort, thankfully he was born safely with a forcep delivery first, but the one thing i do remember is at some stage in the hospital delivery unit my ex went to get something to eat and was gone for two hours and came back with a giant coke form burger king, the cheeky git.
All these stories made me broody (althou I was broody again as soon as A was born) ...it's amazing how everyone's labour is so different
Thanks for sharing that spanish gothic, I don't know if you intended it, but it was an amusing read! Was your ex the guy in the advert when the woman is having a scan and the guy rushes in with fast food and the mum and nurse both grin cheesily at him and forgive him cos the meal was so cheap??!
Tinkerbell2, how can reading this make you broody! It makes me want to run a mile! Although I am 40 this month, so no more babies for me
the tv ad does always remind me of that day, and i still laugh at it, i'm sure they have had that happen a few times, maybe thats where the idea came from. I still laugh at the way things turned out, but you know what, its better to make people laugh about what is precieved as being a horrific moment, when in reality we all experience it so differently.
Yes indeed spanish gothic.
So come on everyone else, lets hear your stories, come and share
Reviving this brilliant thread for newer members
I seemed to miss this post last time it did the rounds. It's been good to read other people's experiences. L was due jan 23rd all had been fine throughout my pregnancy apart from one midwife who I'd never seen before over reacting and thinking L was small for dates so sending me to hospital for an extra scan where I was told all was fine and that if midwife had read my notes she would of known that. (Oooops)
Jan 23rd came and went with me going to a mates house that evening and her having a dickie fit as she didn't know I was going a group of us used to take it in turns to go to each others houses once a week but shed thought because it was my due date I wouldn't go. How wrong was she. All I got was have you got your bag in the car to which I said no there's no point in it being in there as it's not even packed yet. She was then asking what she should do if I went into labour and I just told her nothing because I wouldnt be going into labour. All evening she was asking if I was ok I've never seen someone panic so much. Anyway there was no sign of L making an appearance so I had a sweep and that did nothing so I got told I'd have to be induced on 4th feb and I was determined that wasn't happening but still there was no sign. 3rd feb I went out for the evening with friends then sat up till midnight playing cards with my ex. We went to bed and I was awake again at 0130 having contractions. I left him in bed to sleep and just got on with it by myself he eventually woke up and asked if I was ok I said I don't know. He kept asking if I was in labour and if I was having contractions and I all I could say was I don't know I've never had them before so I don't know what they feel like. Phoned the hospital about 8am and was asked to stay home a bit longer. Went in at about 1100 in the end and L was born at 16.58 after gas and air and plenty of pushing which seemed to go on forever and during which at somepoint I remember saying I can't do this anymore and being told by the midwife never mind you can't you've got to. L had pooed during labour and so as soon as he was born he was taken away not crying to a team of doctors and nurses who had been called in. He didn't make a sound for what was probably 30-40 secs it felt like a lifetime it was horrible I really thought I was leaving without a baby and then all of a sudden he cried and he didn't stop crying, but I wouldn't have him any other way.
My mum was in hospital when L was born and was really upset she couldn't see him that day as she had done with my brothers 3 children but brother and his wife came with the 3 children that evening and the next day we and mum were discharged so mum saw him at just over 24hrs old.
A scary but very special time :-)
Aww thanks for sharing that zippy, it really is special time, regardless of how they come into the world.
Just having a look at this thread again as it is my youngest's birthday and loving reading all the stories again and wondering if anyone else wants to share?
Hi Louise
It was my own birthday yesterday and the kids were asking how I came into the world (elective c-section as my Mum lost one baby full term and one at 2 days old).
I have two boys - 4 and 5. For my eldest I decided I would try a home birth because I wanted to be sure of the use of the pool. In our local hospital there is only one pool and I really felt the pool would be crucical as I have a long spinal fusion and very twisted spine.
I was allowed to have a home birth up to day 14 overdue the it was the weekend for day 15 and 16 where it was agreed I would go in to be monitored then induced on the Monday. My waters broke at 11.30pm on the Friday night - the absolute last moment I could have had a home birth!
However, as soon as my waters broke I had a searing pain in a particular part of the spine (afterwards the surgeon said it was most likely the baby pressing on the degeneration just below my rod). The midwife came out and wanted me to go straight into hospital as she thought I was about to have it.
I knew it was my back not labour but it was hard to get that accross as people do have pain in their back in labour anyway if their baby is OP which mine was at that time. She was also basing this on the amount of pain I was in as I couldn't really understand what she was saying or speak to her and afterwards she said it was like I was about to start pushing.
I knew I was a million miles from having this baby so I convinced the midwife to let me stay at home and go through the pain relief methods - basically pool and enthonox.
When I got in the pool I realised quickly it wasn't going to have any effect so I tried the gas and air but after 2 breathes in I fainted (turned out I was sensitive to it) which gave the midwife and my ex a fright as I was in the pool and could have drowned.
So after that she insisted I go to hospital. I wanted to walk as I couldn't see how I would sit in the car but she was really strict with me (she still thought I could be about to give birth!)
Long story short, as soon as I went in they gave me a spinal even though my cervix was back and they had no way of knowing if I was even dilated, but it was the only way to help me with the pain in my spine.
When the cervix came forward it was obvious that I wasn't in labour properly (as I had repeatedly said) but as J was really happy everyone was really chilled about it.
He got into deep transverse arrest unfortunately (which is where the head gets stuck) - probably due to the shape/tilt of my pelvis and the fact I was unable to move with the spinal (which later became an epidural) so they tried ventouse as noone was in who could do rotational forceps but in the end he came out by C-section.
They let me push for 3 hours though which was really great. In fact, everything about my birth experience was great because it was totally led by me. Of course this wouldn't have been the case if he had been in any sort of distress but he was the happiest baby they had ever seen. He appeared to be doing gymnastics in there enjoying tne contractions. He was awake the entire 36 hours and I knew then I was going to have my hands full with him!
When he came out the doctors said they weren't at all surprised he couldn't come out as he was quite big and his head was also tilted. He was 9 12 and I'm only 5 ft 1 so no chance without moving around I don't think.
The bizarrest thing was back on the ward the midwives had a chart they had to tick when the baby had eaten and they were constantly agitating for him to eat which I thought was totally crazy. From my home birth research I knew they didn't have to eat straight away. J just wanted to sleep and they couldn't get him to eat. In the end one drop went in and the midwife ticked the chart - how utterly ridiculous! But at least he was then allowed to sleep.
Then totally ironically, when he woke up 6 hours later or so he drank a whole bottle of sma (the little readymade bottles they have there I think they're 5 or 6 ounces) and the midwife said he can't have as his stomach was too small. She wouldn't have it and me and ex knew he had drunk it all. Very surreal experience.
Gem
x
Gosh Gem, what an experience! Really good that you stuck your heels in though and was able to at least attempt to deliver your son the way you wanted to.
I am not surprised he didn't eat straight away after 36 hours of acrobatics!
I love hearing these stories!
Wow that was a busy story, turned into an adventure! I am with you on the feeding thing, had a terrible time trying to force eldest to feed, I was adamant I wanted to breastfeed but had quite a traumatic birth so my body was still a bit shocked and my milk was late coming in but HE WAS FINE, and I didn't know what they were fussing about.
What happened when you had your youngest? (and happy birthday for 21st )
Thanks Louise. I was up for breastfeeding with my first but in the operating toom I thought I was going to die so as you say, a bit traumatised (but that was just at the end) then in recovery the woman was shoving my boob in his mouth and I just felt totally disconnected! So after that I just didn't bother and my milk never even came in. I don't know anyone else that happened to but I've tried not to feel less of a woman about it :-)
When I had my youngest it was much harder as I wanted to try for a VBAC but I wanted to proceed directly to section if the same thing happened. However, the same thing happened with my back then I had to wait for 8 hours standing in agony before I got it. That was fairly traumatic as I had no pain relief and no midwife, just me and ex in a room in the hospital. At least when I was on the operating table I didn't think I was going to die so that's the silver lining!
Gem
x
Oh Gem, so scary for you. Thank heavens you were ok, how is your back now? can you manage the condition from day to day, I hope so
All okay now thanks Louise
x
What a great thread Louise...i had suffered 3 miscarrages & told i would never carry a baby full term due to overie problems, i took the news hard but fell pregnant again within a month of my last miscarriage - i had to have a scan every 2 months as baby was small. August last year my little princess was a week over due. Finally at 5am on the 7th day I went into hospital , I was sent home again until contractions got closer together, a few hours later I went back and had a bath & walk around hospital gardens (it was very hot out) at around 11pm I was ready but came down with a terrible high temp which made me out of it and unable to focus- I was in there for hours before I was allowed to push , her head was almost out but due to my temp she got very destressed so they decided to do a suction on her head in theatre. I had to wait thou as some one else was in there,
Once finally in there bubas heart stopped and my birthing partner was rushed out. The last thing I remember is them putting sleeping mask over my face, looking at her flat line heart rate and me begging them not to let her die, tears rolling dwn my cheeks..I woke up at 7am and she was handed to me but at first I didn't believe she was mine as I thought she had died- she was so cute & born at 6am the next morning, I will never forget it- they said the fever could of killed us both- she's a miricle and my entire world :) she was worth every second