a second birth story - part five


The story up to this point 

My waters had gone two days before my due date
but with what appeared to be meconium in them.
Contractions started kicking in as we made our way to the hospital
to find out what would happen next.


We were sent in the direction of the assessment unit
where we were quickly met by the midwife I had spoken to on the phone.
As my husband dug out my notes to give her
I recapped again the time my waters had broken and exactly what I had seen.
She sent me to go and replace my pad,
asking me to bring out the used one so she could check it.
I know that this sort of thing is just another day at the office for them
but it still blows me away how comfortable medical staff are with these things,
but I felt mortified,
so I carefully wrapped the pad in toilet tissue
before coming out of the bathroom and handing it over.

We were shown into an assessment room
and the midwife quickly joined us with the words;
We'll now be booking you in Lucy as your labour is now considered high risk.”
I'm not sure if it was the formal way in which she said it
or just the confirmation that things weren't quite going to plan;
but I felt a lump rise in my throat and my eyes start to prickle.
She was explaining about the presence of meconium and what it meant
both for my baby, for my labour and for me,
but I think it was more for my husband's benefit than mine.
It all sort of went over my head
apart from the bit where she said that I would possibly have to stay in for a few daysafter the baby was born so we could be monitored.
The idea filled me with horror
as I was already feeling anxious about wanting to be home as soon as possible.
I just knew I'd fall apart if I had to be away from my little man for that long.

The midwife was pleased to see that I was now having regular contractions
because this meant that I wouldn't need to be induced as she had said on the phone.
I think she sensed that I was a bit scared
and promptly stopped all the medical talk,
put a hand on myshoulder
and said “You are going to be fine.”
I was over the moon that my baby was finally on the way
but the fact that it all seemed to be not quite as straight forward as planned was definitely making me anxious.
The midwife picked upon the fact that I was clearly a bit alarmed
and she assured me that I didn't need to worry.
Meconium in the waters could be a sign of fetal distress
but more than likely my baby and I would be totally fine.

She suggested we go to the ward and get me settled in
so she went to make some calls so they would be ready for me.
Booking in as high risk meant that I would have a midwife with me at all times
so she needed to make sure that a high risk room and midwife were ready for me.
When she came back she said they were ready for me
and that the midwife I would have was pretty no-nonsense but very good.
I wasn't really quite sure what to make of that
and wasn't sure it was the best thing to tell a lady in labour
but we collected our bags and made our way to the labour ward.



You can read the next part of the story here.

6 comments

  1. Gosh I didn't realise you went through this. It must have been really scary for you, it doesn't matter how much they reassure you does it?
    Looking forward to the next installment. x

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  2. That must have been really scary for you Lucy. No one wants to be considered 'high risk.' Even though we know she arrived safe and sound it still gives me shivers! x

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  3. That must have been so scary! Hope your no nonsense midwife doesn't turn out to be scary too! x

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  4. Such a scary time for you. I bet you are glad it's all behind you now. I look forward to hearing the rest of your story, you do tell it so well xx

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  5. Oh god Lucy I am sorry you went through this, Addy was the same but only happened right before she came.
    Grayson and Addison were both high risk deliveries so I always had a midwife with me, I actually think that sometimes is kinda nice if you are worried.

    Stop leaving me hanging too, I am pregnant you know. xxx

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  6. No nonsense I think I would have fallen apart there. To me that means blunt and not sensitive. Not something you want to hear in labor. Poor you. You don't seem to have a straight forward experience either way. Will there be a third so you do get that easy chance? haha

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