a third birth story {part seven}

You might want to check out the story so far over on my third birth story page before reading this final part of the tale...

"Are you ready to start pushing Lucy? Let's give it a really good push down into you bottom." And just like that I was pushing. The gas and air was cast aside, and I was pushing with all my might. And just like that the pain changed. It's a really hard thing to describe, but pushing actually stopped the pain. I could still feel really intense pressure, but pushing seemed to stop it from hurting in quite the same way. Pushing felt really helpful and powerful somehow.

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a third birth story {part six}

If you haven't read the first few parts of my birth story, it might be worth popping over to my third birth story page to catch up on what's happened so far...

Things seemed to simultaneously speed up and slow down from that point on. Rich came back with a midwife very quickly and said they'd better get me over to labour ward quickly and ran off to get a wheelchair. Rich helped me try to get off the bed in between two contractions, which wasn't easy considering how quickly they were coming together now. When the midwife returned I was hunched over the bed, moaning through another strong contraction and fighting, what was without a doubt, a strong urge to push. 

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a third birth story {part two}

In order to "get" this post you probably need to read part one of my birth story first. I'm sharing the story over a few posts. This is how it continued to unfold...

I gasped really loudly. It was the shock. Genuine really shock. Rich looked at me and asked "What?" like something on the television show had surprised me and he'd missed something. 

And I mumbled; "I think my water just broke" as I headed for the bathroom at high speed. Standing up seemingly confirmed my suspicions because I could feel that telltale warm trickle, but I knew for sure when I got the bathroom and the water just continued to trickle. 

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{flump} the first trimester

Can I just start by saying that this time around things seem so different? I kind of thought that having had two babies already, that I had this whole pregnancy thing down, that I knew exactly how I was when I'm carrying a baby, that I had it all figured out. Well let me just say that all ready this pregnancy is proving to be a big lesson for me in relinquishing control, in letting go, in listening to my body, and as corny as it sounds, in 'finding myself' as a mother all over again.

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a second birth story - part thirteen

The birth story so far is on the birth stories page.

My waters had broken, 

I'd book in as high risk,

I'd had an epidural at 4cm dilated

only to be fully dilated 45 minutes later.

After an hour I had started pushing . . .

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a second birth story - part eleven

The full story so far can be found on the birth stories page...

I had been working through my contractions really well

until suddenly I wasn't.

I was ready for an epidural

but was fighting an increasing urge to push.

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a second birth story - part ten

The story of the beautiful girl's birth so far is on the birth stories page.

Having started out dealing with the labour quite well,

I had gradually started to lose the plot as the pains got more intense.

Booking as high risk meant that constant monitoring

was hampering my attempts at helping myself.

I agreed to an early exam

in hopes that things were speeding ahead,

and that I was closer to active labour

and an epidural.

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a second birth story - part nine

The story the the beautiful girl's birth so far is on the birth stories page . . .

I'd booked into hospital as high risk

after my waters went with meconium in them.

I was now just in that waiting bit of labour

where contractions increase in length and intensity.

I'd decided to try gas and air

as I was finding it harder to get through with just breathing.

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a second birth story - part eight

You can read this story so far on the birth story page.

I booked into the hospital as high risk

when meconium was present in my waters.

I'd been given a no-nonsense but fantastic midwife

and was just in the waiting game now . . .

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a second birth story - part seven

My birth story up to this point

can be found on the beautiful girl's birth story page.

My waters had broken with meconium present

so I had to be booked into the hospital

as a high risk labour . . .

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a second birth story - part six

You can read all of the beautiful girl's birth story so far

by click on the birth story page.

My waters broke at home

but with meconium present.

I've arrived at the hospital with regular contractions

and have been booked in as high risk.

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a second birth story - part five

The story up to this point 

is on the beautiful girl's birth story page.

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.

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a little help from nature

When I had the beautiful boy

I felt pretty prepared for the fact that labour would hurt.

I had no idea what my pain threshold would be like

but I knew that whatever happened

it would hurt

but that there would be drugs available to help me if I needed and wanted them

and that in the scheme of things that pain would be short lived 

and I would have a baby at the end of it

so it would be worth every second.

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splodge and me at sixteen weeks

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booking in

This is another of the posts that I wrote in secret

before our exciting news was common knowledge.

Today was my booking in appointment day.

It's sort of feels like the first day that you are really pregnant I think,

when you can talk really openly with the midwife about your pregnancy,

and you really start to feel like this is actually happening.

It's an exciting day.

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a birth story - part thirteen

In my birth story so far...

more than 24 hours after it all started

I've given up being brave

and given up on my natural labour with limited pain relief.

I've been transferred from the smaller maternity hospital

to the big maternity unit at the main hospital in the next town.

I've had an epidural

and I've regained myself

after hours of being lost in pain and panic.

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a birth story - part twelve

Things in my birth story so far

had travelled so far from my ideal plan

that it was crazy.

More than 24 hours after my water broke

things aren't progressing as they should.

I've been having to fight the urge to push for eight whole hours.

Exhasuted, drained and in agony,

I've made the decision to transfer to the main hospital 

instead of continuing at the the smaller labour unit.

And at this point my contractions have all but stopped.

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a birth story - part eleven

In my birth story so far:

I've had 24 hours of contractions 

no more than three minutes apart

but things are going slowly.

And after feeling lost and scared in the birthing centre

I've finally found the courage

to ask to be moved to the local hospital.

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a birth story - part ten

In my birth story so far:

my waters broke at 6am,

then my contractions started,

after three trips to the hospital,

they finally let me stay,

but 22 hours after it started,

I was starting to feel very alone, scared and unsupported.

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a birth story - part nine

In my birth story so far:

my waters broke at 6am,

then my contractions started,

after three trips to the hospital,

they finally let me stay,

but 22 hours after it started,

my dreams of a happy, calm, natural labour

seemed to be going wrong.

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