On Saturday morning, the 25th, we headed into hospital having left Robert with Jonathan's parents. When we got there, we were taken up into the antenatal ward where other women were waiting to be induced. We were told that due to the delivery suite being busy, all the inductions were being postponed, but in the meantime, before I could be induced, they needed to monitor the baby's heartbeat and uterine activity, so they would know how Squidge was fairing with contractions (not that I got any then, but I suppose as a base level to compare the figures to during labour). So from 8.30am, until 9.30am I was hooked up to this, then at 9.30 when the midwife was happy with the reading, she put the prostin in, and monitored me for another hour on the machine.
At 10.30am she let me off it finally, and encouraged me to move around and keep active, so Jonathan and I went for a walk around the hospital, through the basement corridors, up and down stairs, into the main hospital to "explore" as it was cold outside, and pretty much the entire time I had a long continuous braxton hicks contraction. After about 20-30 minutes we went back to the ward as I was getting a bit tired, and I had a bounce on the birthing ball we'd taken up with us. The girl across the bed from me was very friendly, so we chatted, she was being induced that evening I believe but she had already been in a few days.
After a little while, Jonathan left to go back and see Robert, as nothing was really happening, and there was probably about 45 minutes or so between Jonathan leaving and my Mum showing up. We chatted for a while, she knitted and I bounced. Over the next couple of hours, my constant braxton hicks was slowly morphing into regular-ish braxton hicks contractions, some of which I was beginning to need to breathe through. I decided to stop bouncing and to lay down on the bed and see if they continued, and they did. I started timing them, and while they weren't dead on regular or equal duration, they were very close together, within 1.5 and 2.5 minutes between them. After another half an hour of monitoring or so, she came back and told me that she didn't think much was happening (or words to that effect) because they weren't regular in strength or frequency. So she did an internal on me, and found me to be 3-4cm, with my waters bulging. That HURT, she told me was because my cervix was posterior and she had to try and get to it and "walk it forward" a bit. And my cervix was still quite thick. Anyway by this time I had told Jonathan to come back so he and my mum were both there.
Around 4pm I was admitted to the labour ward to room N ("for Norman" lol - "Or Nicola?" I joked). We got settled in and we even got one of the big beanbags through from the day room. I felt a bit bad in a way because it all seemed rather boring, I would bounce on my birth ball, fall silent during contractions, and Mum and Jonathan were just sitting around it seemed. But I guess they did have each other for company.
Around 7pm the midwife (Cathy) told me she'd like to do an examination at 7.30, I can't remember the reason now but I told her I'd rather wait a little longer to see if things progressed on their own. As a compromise we agreed on 8pm, so she left and I settled down on the beanbag to listen to the birthing affirmations. About half an hour later it finished so I got up and got on the birth ball again. After a few minutes I became concerned because I had realised during the affirmations that the contractions weren't as bad but I thought that was because I was relaxed. When they didn't seem more intense again on the birthing ball it struck that something wasn't quite right, especially when I was able to walk to the midwife station without getting a single one. There Cathy suggested I walk around until 8pm to see if they did come on again.
Off we went, and yes they did pick up again but they weren't anywhere near the strength they were before, so just before 8 we got back to the room. This is undoutedly where things got more interesting for my birthing partners!
Jonathan, shortly after we got back, said something he probably regretted several minutes later. "Have you felt Squidge moving lately?" Immediately I started wracking my brains and coming up empty. Enter panic mode! I sat down, started poking my belly, praying that Squidge would move. I managed to move his feet/bum but it didn't prompt him to make his own movements! Worst case senarios immediately started running through my mind. That Squidge had died and that nothing would save him, not emergency c-section, or anything. My mum started to try and comfort me saying that if things were wrong they would get him out quick with c-section and he'd be ok, but I was almost crying and saying "Not if Squidge is already dead!" And she tried to comfort me again saying "Squidge isn't dead, sweetheart" but it didn't comfort me. Jonathan went to get Cathy in asap but she was busy with another woman and I was still panicking.
Eventually she came in and I begged her to check Squidge's heartbeat. It didn't come up straight away and I laid on the bed thinking "please please please", and then she found it, and relief (albeit cautious relief) flooded my body and mind. She then said she'd check my cervix again, and she said "if you're not dilated more than 7 I would like to break your waters, but if you're more than 7 we can leave you, is that ok?" and still shocked and upset from Squidge's lack of movement I agreed straight away, and in a way I was relieved when she said I was still 3-4 cm, and that she'd break my waters. So she did this with her "magic wand" (giving mum and Jonathan a giggle) and oh my god the PAIN. My cervix was still posterior and I was sucking on gas and air for all my worth while she was doing this. She made several surprised sounds, and "oh my gosh it's going everywhere!" and "if your waters had gone in Marks and Spencers you'd have made a fortune!" She was still wriggling something about in there and I didn't know why because I could feel my feet getting wet, and for some reason I took the gas and air out of my mouth and started to cry!
It was probably because of the whole worry over Squidge's movements but as soon as I started to cry, Cathy stopped fiddling around in there and took her hand out, Jonathan rushed over to me and held my hand, and Cathy said it was probably because it brought back memories that I cried, and I thought 'but my waters popped in the birth pool last time' and was quite confused until after I realised she probably meant the worry about the baby.
Anyway Cathy told me the instant my waters were broken I went from 3-4 cm to 5 cm straight away. Shortly after that happened she changed over, she seemed really disappointed she couldn't stay to see the birth as she clocked off at 9pm and introduced me to the other midwife who took over from her. I can't remember her name, but anyway Cathy left, and the other midwife stayed behind.
Very shortly after that happened I was having contractions on the table, during which I groaned/grunted through (unable to focus completely and stay silent like before) and after a few, I got a slight urge to bear down which I told everyone about. I half heartedly did so and then said that I wanted to kneel on the beanbag leaning against the bed (my chosen delivery position). They brought the beanbag over to the bed and put one of those sheet things with the waterproof backing on top and I knelt either side of it while they put other sheets around. I leaned over onto the bed and with the next contraction, bore down as hard as I could, at the same time letting out a very very loud primal-esque groan for the length of the contraction, and I could feel his head coming down very fast, and within what seemed like seconds (although maybe 20-30 of them!) I could feel his head get to the verge of crowning. All the way through I heard the midwife, my mum and Jonathan all calling out various things to me like "oh well done!" "keep going!" "clever girl!" "I'm so proud of you!" Part of me wanted to take a break as that contraction was wearing me out but there was still some behind me so I just went for it, and all of a sudden I was being told to pant out his body! It all slid out just after the contraction finished and a few seconds later I heard what really was a magical sound, of Squidge letting out a cry, and then a little while later, Jonathan saying tearfully "It's a boy!" I remember feeling really surprised, but so emotional and happy, and due to my position while I could twist round and see him a little, I couldn't really move. The midwife called out "Nine oh eight!" which for some reason the first thing that popped into my head was 9lb 8oz lol and thought that was odd how could she have weighed him so soon! But of course she meant the time he was born :)
After the midwife cut the cord (probably the easiest thing to do given my position even though it was in my birth plan not to) I climbed back onto the bed, and was given my baby boy :) We spent the next 3-4 hours or so in that room, first of all being given clotting meds for my bleeding, the placenta coming away easily, and cuddling my baby boy and letting him (for the most part, I moved him slightly closer to the breast so he could see it) move himself and latch on, where he stayed for absolutely ages, then came off, and went on again and during this time mum came over to me and said she'd probably better be heading off soon but wanted to see him weighed and also a cuddle, anyway in the end little man decided to keep mum waiting far too long so she headed off without, under the proviso she could come back the next day and have her cuddle then.
Finally, after my stitches (a whole load for a "superficial" 2nd degree tear from a perfectionist midwife lol) and then later a bath (oh my goodness how heavenly is that first bath after childbirth???!!!), and we were ready to go up to the ward.
There you have it. :) Christopher Jon Hunt's birth story, welcome to the world little man!
Just wanted to edit this to add what a lovely supportive midwife Cathy was. It's a shame she couldn't stick around for the whole birth. She read my birth plan and although she did sometimes accidently slip and ask me what the "pains" were like - to me they weren't pain again, they were simply contractions, tightenings. Whenever a midwife came in, Cathy included, they kept saying how lovely and peaceful it was in my delivery room, and how they wanted to stay there lol! I had the lights dimmed and music playing.. I don't know what the vast majority of their hospital births are like, but I guess neither of those.
I think, despite the contractions feeling stronger than with Robert's labour, I definitely felt more in control and that might have been what made the difference. I knew what I wanted, what was important to me, what I would be willing to let go, and from past experience, how to position myself. As I was lying on the bed and feeling the urge to push (again, from having read my birth plan, my midwife did not ask to examine me to check I was "ok" to push, as I specifically wrote that I wanted to use my body as a guide during labour), I very calmly thought to myself "now's the time to move, so I stated clearly I wanted to get into the delivering position, feeling very in control, and I think despite the speed in which he descended, I did still feel in control, I was thinking to myself part way through that I was getting tired, and was tempted to stop, but as my contraction was still going, I made the conscious decision to keep bearing down as hard as I could!
How strange though, that I have now forgotten the sensation, I remember recollecting shortly after, wondering how I gave birth to Robert. Which makes me think that pushing Christopher out must have been tough, but overall it was such a positive birth experience, and even with it being induced, I was fully able to cope without pain relief (for the actual labour). This even without Hypnobirthing fresh in my mind, just from re-visiting the book, listening to the CDs and practicing breathing techniques again.
