On August the sixth, I started to get frequent but sporadic mild labor pains, my midwife had warned me about pre-labor so I just chilled through them, though sleeping was non existent as they went on through the night. Come Sunday, my darling had to work and I was still having regular pre-labor, by that Monday evening I rang the birthing suite at the hospital and explained it, although I also mentioned that I was reluctant to think it was anything more than pre-labor, though they were getting more frequent.
Come Tuesday (August 9th) I had a midwife appointment, so we went in, and I explained to my ob and my midwife what had been happening, they decided to do an exam to see what (if anything) was going on. I was two centimeters dilated. So Jill (Midwife) did a stretch and sweep, and told me to go home and rest, if I hadn't gone into labor by Monday she'd call me back in (My due date was the 11th of August that Thursday). So My darling and I walked down to the KFC, had some fatty, delicious lunch, then walked to Takapuna to catch our bus home. By far the most exercise I had done since I started to look like a whale with legs. It was 2.6kms for the record, when we got home I didn't rest I sat and and played the sims instead. Until the pre-labor pains got really regular, and really painful. I rang birthing suite again, and they said to come in. So we did, unfortunately the pain stopped when we reached birthing suite. So I got sent home with a pill to help with the pain, and to wait for the pains to start again or for my waters to break. Its 12 am, August 10th by the time we get home.
So fast forward to 2am, I get up to go for a pee, and as I am crawling back into bed, placing the pillow between my legs. My waters break, I freak out, stand up and wake up my darling. He is less than happy to be awake again, so I went and stood in the bath tub, while he got dressed and called the taxi to take us back to the hospital. Contractions started while we were standing on the doorstep, but I managed not make any noise while we were in the taxi to the hospital cause I didn't wanna freak the driver out. By the time we got the hospital contractions were around ten minutes apart. The midwife made me lie down so she could do a ctg and a vaginal exam (after thirty minutes) so they could be sure I wasn't just peeing myself. That was one of the hardest bits because lying down was not what I wanted to be doing while I had contractions. The midwife went to check my waters after a half hour was up, and got her arm soaked for her efforts. I requested pain relief and got told that at this stage (I was 5cm dilated) I could get into the pool or have pethitine I choose to the have pool because you can't have pethine and then the pool, and I wanted to cover all my bases. Also, if the water helped then I wouldn't need the pethine.
The water did help, and it also calmed m e down allowing me to relax through my contractions. I stayed in the pool for about an hour, until my body started to push on its own. Then I got out and requested pethine and an anti nausea to help with the side effects. The pethine took the edge off a bit and after another vaginal exam (I was now 9cms) I took to squatting on my knees, with my arms out in front of me on a chair and going through my prayers and talking to God every time I had a contraction. I was confident that God never gave us more than we could handle and accordingly I could do this. Thanks to that I had a nearly a silent lead up to the pushing bit. Its amazing how the faith I got taught through school came out so strongly during my labor. I got the gas for about five minutes, as by now the pethine had worn off.
Then at about 8am, the midwife got me back on the bed to push in earnest. With no pain relief, as the gas only stays in your system about two minutes and it was distracting me. This is where it gets a little blurry, all I really remember clearly is reaching down to touch my lady bits and feeling his head sticking out. It was gross. It was fairly easy labor, apart from the fact that his shoulders (which should slide out in one push after his head is out) got stuck and as the midwife was about to call for back up, my midwife came in and saved the day. I was screaming that I couldn't do it anymore and that they should get the vac cause I wasn't doing it. Now that I think about it the vac probably wouldn't have helped much as his head was out. Finally he was all out at 8.44am August tenth 2011.
My darling had wanted to cut the cord, but as Charles wasn't breathing the Midwives whisked him away, but by the time they reached the table he was screaming. All was well, and Charles Francis Hudson had be born.
I only had four stitches, and those with internally in my lady bits. Most likely from where his head got stuck.
Unfortunately, Charles did a bad latch on his first breast feed which made breastfeeding really difficult for the first week, and now I'm too scared to feed without a shield on. But he feeds well, and sleeps 5+ hours a night.
