My husband Simon & I waited patiently to see our obstetrician for my 39week check. When our name was called we went in & went through the usualchecks, blood pressure, weight, baby's position. The reality that I was going tohave a baby in one week started to sink in when our doctor informed us thathe would like to induce me if my baby didn't come on his own when I was due.He was concerned that the baby was too small to go overdue, as my belly wasstill quite small. We had had 2 growth scans to check that he was ok at 30weeks & at 34 weeks, the ultrasounds showed that he was fine, but our doctordidn't want to take any chances. Over the next week I read everything hadabout inductions, what was involved, the risks, the side affects & possibleoutcomes. I soon got myself in a state of worry that if I was induced Iwould end up needing a caesarean, that the drugs would interfere with mymilk coming in and that my baby would be distressed from the whole process.Simon came home from work one night to find me in tears with all theinformation in front of me, it wasn't until now that it really sunk in whatI was going to be going through in a few days He comforted me and tried toconvince me that I would do fine and our baby would be perfectly fine, butdeep down I was really scared. The weekend before I was due Simon's parentsarrived from North Queensland so they could be present for the arrival ofthe their first grandchild. As my due date got closer, I got stressed andtook it out on Simon and hisparents. I felt bad about it but they understood what I was going throughand just tried to stay out of my way. The 30th of July arrived, My due date.Nothing seemed to be happening, Ihadn't had any braxton hicks at all, only back pain that seemed to begetting worse. I went to lunch with my mum, we had a bit of a giggle at thelooks I was given when my proud mum told everyone we encountered that I wasdue to have my baby today, people didn't believe that I was actually 40weeks pregnant, because I didn't look it. The next day I was due to go & seethe obstetrician in the afternoon. He was going to do an internal to checkif my body was ready to be induced. I wasn't looking forward to as I hadnever had an internal before, but when I woke that morning around 8.30 I layin bed as my back was quite sore, come 9.30 I was hungry & busting to got tothe loo, so I got up and quickly crossed my legs, not realising that Ireally needed to get to the toilet as I thought I was going to wet myself.There was some blood when I went and I started to feel the nerves build upwhen I realised that I had had a show. I undressed and started to turn theshower on when I felt a warm trickle down my leg. I thought I must have lostcontrol of my bladder, I tried to tighten my pelvic floor muscles but itjust kept on leaking out. I got in the shower and tried to keep calm as Ilet the water run over me. After about 5 minutes I called Simon to come intothe bathroom. I asked him if he could have a look through the stuff thehospital had given us to see if you were meant to go in to the hospital whenyour waters broke, his face when white. He went and told his parents that Ithought my waters had broken, His mum told him to stay calm and get mythings ready to go. I called my mum to let her know what was happening, andshe said if she hadn't heard anything in an hour she would come to thehospital, as Iwanted her in with me. I was feeling a bit scared but I also felt happy thatI wasn't going to need an induction since things had started on there own.We got to the hospital at 10am and informed the midwife that I thought mywaters had broke. She took us to the birth suit and hooked me up to amonitor. It was picking up small contractions but I wasn't feeling them, soshe left us to settle in and to see if things would get started on theirown. but since I wasn't having strong regular contractions she said thatthey would hook me up to the drip to give things a move on. I wasn't happyabout it but wanted what was best for the baby and that was getting him out.Mum arrived for a pretty uneventful day. I still wasn't having strongcontractions but as the day went on I was beginning to notice when one washappening. By lunch time they still hadn't started the drip, they said thatthey might leave me til the morning, so there was enough staff on and so Iwasn't in labour in the middle of the night. This got me a bit worried asI thought the longer it was left after the membranes had ruptured, thehigher the risk of infection was. But my midwife told us that it was OK toleave it up to 24 hours. We spent most of the day listening to the otherwomen having their babies, and having a giggle about the sounds they weremaking. One sounded like a cow and another screamed so loud for what seemedlike forever. Little did I know that I was going to be doing the same thingbut louder the next day. By 4 pm still nothing had happened. So I had myfirst internal and was told that my cervix was posterior and closed I juststarted to cry. Simon and my mum where taking my things over to the wardwhen I heard my older sister asking the midwife where she could find me. Istuck my head out the door & said here I am. She asked how I was and Istarted to cry again and told her that I was no were near having my baby,she gave me a hug and said not to worry. I had to stay in the hospital thatnight, but I just wanted to go home. I had never had to stay in hospitalbefore and hadn't spent a night away from Simon for a long time. I didn'twant anyone one to leave, but come the end of visiting hours the midwifecame in and asked if my sister and mum could go, but Simon could stay alittle longer. At 9.30pm the midwife came in to check my temperature andblood pressure, and she said Simon would have to go soon, so reluctantly Itold him to go ( as my mum was waiting down stairsfor Simon to take her home) while the midwife was still in the room with me.I didn't sleep at all that night, I just sobbed and walked around the ward.By the early hours of the morning I was feeling a little better about beingthere on my own, but I was too sore to lie down. Eventually I found acomfortable position to sit in with my head leaning over the bed on thepillows. The contractions had gotten a lot more noticeable but it was mainlymy back that was causing all the pain. I was still awake when the firstsigns of daylight started to creep through the ward. I was so tired butthere was no way I was going to get any sleep. Simon arrived just after 7amand he hadn't gotten much sleep either. Our midwife came in to take me overto the birth suite, and at 7.30am I was hooked up to the drip to get thingsgoing. She put me on the monitor to see what was happening. We noticed thatevery time I had a contraction, the baby's heart rate would drop, so Simonasked the midwife to come and check the reading. She had the obstetriciancome in and check. He said that the baby just didn't like his head beingsquashed with the contraction, it was nothing to worry about. I was told towalk around as much as possible, but by 9.30 the pain was too much and I hadto stop every few minutes when a contraction hit. I went back to the birthsuite, but the mid wife told me to keep walking. By this time Simon'sparents had arrived and all 4 of us walked the corridor outside thematernity ward. Up and down, stopping every few minutes. Around 10, I wentback to the birth suite as it was just too much. I sat on the bed, on thebig ball, the bean bag, but nothing was comfortable. The Midwife came inevery 15 minutes and each time she asked if things had changed, I told herit was still the same. She thought I meant that I hadn't had a contractionsince the last time she came in, so she kept turning the drip up, but what Imeant was that I had 8 contractions since she last came in just like thetime before. The next time she came in I explained myself a bit clearer, soshe turn the drip down a little. Simon gave my Mum a call to tell her thingshad started, she said she would finish her morning shift and take the restof the day off to come in. At 12pm, I had another internal only to find Iwas only 2cm. I couldn't believe it, I thought after all this pain I wouldbe further, little did I know it was going to get worse before to long.After the internal I got into the spa. The pain of each contraction soon hadme bawling my eyes out, but I still managed to eat some lunch as I wasstarving. Not long after I was in what seemed to be the peak of the pain,boy was I wrong! The midwife came in and said that my mum had called to letme know she had locked her keys in the car, but would be here as soon as shecould. When mum arrived I was in constant pain, my eyes were closed and Iwas curled up against the side of the spa, crushing Simons hand with eachcontraction. Simon was trying to get me to breathe but I wasn't listening.Mum gave Simon a break, knelt down beside the spa and started to rub my backwith some aromathyrapy oils. She soon had me concentrating on my breathingwhich was a big help. It surprised me how much having her there helped. By4pm the midwife said to get me out of the spa, otherwise I would end uphaving my baby there. When I finally managed to get out, I had anotherinternal, but was barely 4cm. I was ready to give up, I was exhausted andcouldn't believe that after all that work, I still had a long way to go. Myolder sister Elizabeth arrived and I was glad she was there for me. I wasonly going to have my mum and Simon in with me but I asked Simon to tellElizabeth that if she wanted to, I would like her to be there for me. Shewas over the moon. Simon told his parents, who were waiting outside to gohome as it was going to be hours before their grandson arrived. The midwifeasked if I would like to try the gas, and once I had it they weren't gettingit back. It didn't really help with the pain, but I was using it to try andsleep. I just wanted to sleep but no one would let me. I couldn't even lieback inbetween contractions to rest, as it seemed to bring them on. Themidwife put the monitor back on to check the baby's heart, it was goingstrong, but as the midwife was hooking me up she placed all the wires overmy arm. When the next contraction hit I could get the gas to my face. Mumsaid she thought I was going to deck the midwife for getting in my way.Around 4.30, the midwife took Mum out and asked her to get me to havesomething more for the pain, as I was already exhausted & had a long way togo yet. Mum told me that I had to have some pethidine so I could get a bitof rest, otherwise I wouldn't be able to cope when it was time to push. Iwas dead set against having anything more then the gas, mainly because I wasscared about having a needle, believe it or not with all the pain I wasgoing through with the contractions. I was too much of a wimp to have aneedle. They eventually convinced me to at least get up and have a shower,and then see how I felt after that about having the pethidine. The midwifecame in and unhooked the drip so that I could get undressed and into theshower. At 10 to 5, I got to the shower and said I had to go to the toilet,so they helped to the loo and I sat down, let out an almighty scream andsaid I had to push. Back up on to the bed I went and when the midwifechecked I had gone from under 4cm to fully dilated in an hour. Our son wasready to enter the world! This was it, Mum said it wont be long now. Iscreamed the place down, the pain was like nothing I had ever felt. Simonhad to leave the room for a breather. I was surprised that he had managed tostay in at all. I pushed when they told me too and tried to breathe like Mumwas telling me, but all I could do was scream. Elizabeth ran out the room toget Simon, telling him to get back in there or he would miss it. He cameback and with him on one side and mum on the other, I held their hands andscreamed with another push. "I can see the head," Simon told me. The Midwifeasked if I would like to touch my baby's head, but I just wanted it out."Get it out, I feel like I'm on fire!" I screamed. Elizabeth said that Ididn't have to do this ever again, and I replied that I didn't want justone. I squeezed the hands I was clinging to and screamed again as they toldme to push . "The head is out!" I heard some one say. I open my eyes andlooked at Simon, could see the tears in his eyes as he watch our son beingborn. "Don't push," the midwife said, as they unwrapped the cord form aroundmy baby's neck. At 10 minutes past 5 with one more push out came theshoulders and then he slipped out and was up on my chest. I opened my eyesand looked at the beautiful baby in my arms and said " He just weed on me."Every one laughed. I watched as Simon cut the cord. I think that was theproudest moment of his life. We agreed that he would be named Evan James. Heweighed 3440gm (7lb 9oz) and was 50.5cm long. After all the worry that hewas going to be small, he was actually a good size. After I was cleaned upand back in the ward with our new son, I said that it wasn't true what everyone had told me, about as soon as I have my little baby in my arms that painwill be gone and I wouldn't remember. Elizabeth told me how happy she wasthat she got to share this special moment in our lives and that she willnever forget the look in her little sister's eyes as her baby entered theworld. She told me I looked lost in all the pain and fear, and that thescreams I let out sounded like something out of a horror movie. I thoughtthat I had my eyes shut the entire time. Mum was especially grateful thatshe got to experience the birth of her grandson first hand.It was the first time she had seen a baby being born and it was her littlegirl's. She didn't mind being slightly deaf from my screams and said thather hand would get better. I was so proud that I had managed to get throughthe day without any pain relief until the last hour of contractions. Ididn't sleep much that night either, I couldn't believe that I had been sotired but now my body just didn't want to sleep. The next day, I had a bruise across the bridge of my nose from the gas mask and red cracks on the topson my toes from pushing against the end of the bed so hard. I had a veryminor tear and a bit of grazing, but needed no stitches. I was surprisedthat with all the pain I hadn't been torn to shreds. After a few blistersfrom breastfeeding, I was told to pop another pillow under Evan so he was atthe right height. I soon got the hang of it and the blisters healed upreally fast. By day 4 my milk came in and I laughed as I told the midwifehow strange it felt to go to bed a 12A and wake up a 14C. My first week homewas a little hard, as the baby blues had set in. But things soon got better.
Evan went on to breastfeed untill he self weaned at around 20 months. I was pregnant with Glenn so I think this had something to do with it.
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