At
about 9pm on Thursday the 8th, I had my first contraction. Dave and
I where watching the cricket and as exciting as it was, it wasn’t enough to
distract me from the strange period-type cramp I was feeling every 10 minutes.
The last time I had felt that type of cramp was two days after my embryo
transfer. At that time, I knew our second IVF cycle had worked. This time, I
was cautiously optimistic that this might be labour.
We
went to bed after the Aussies had won the cricket, me keeping an eye on the
clock every time I had one of those ‘interesting’ cramps for the last hour of
the game. Lying in bed did not bode well with my body and the contractions
seemed to be more painful than when I was sitting up. First I tried a couple of
Panadol, but after an hour I knew it wasn’t helping and I was annoying Dave
with my tossing and turning. Since he had to go to work the next day, at about
11o’clock I fished out a Panadine Forte from the bathroom and went to crash on
the couch. At about 2ish I had another one and slept till Dave went to work at
6am and I relocated back to my bed.
A
good contraction woke me up at 8 and it was time to start my long day of not
doing much, as I was on maternity leave, or so I thought!! At this stage I was
still cautious as to if what I was feeling where actual contractions or Braxton
Hicks, as I hadn’t had any during my pregnancy. Feeling like I should be
proactive I spent most of the morning bouncing on my fit ball. I ate breakfast
on the fit ball, chatted in the DIG on the fit ball (annoying the shit out of
everyone, I’m sure!), called the hospital from the fit ball, studied on the fit
ball, I think I hardly moved off it unless I needed to go to the toilet.
Evidently, it payed off in the long run.
By
lunchtime I had convinced myself this was it. My contractions where about 7
minutes apart and would vary between 60 and 80 seconds in length. I made some
spag bol and tried to hoover it down, carbo loading for the big event, much
like I had done before big hockey tournaments. I had texted Dave and said that
maybe the best place for him would be in the office, so he could come home
whenever I needed him. I laboured for the next three hours at home. Rocking on
the fit ball, stomping and counting around the kitchen and trying to shove the
fit ball in the shower (would not fit, bastard thing…)
At
3.30pm Dave was on his way home and I had called the hospital. My contractions where 4 minutes apart and 80
seconds long. The pain was getting up there, but I was really feeling some
intense pain in my back and I was certain I was going to have an epidural. We arrived at the hospital at 4pm and was
hooked up to the CVG machine to check on the baby. I had about three
contractions before my midwife decided we where going to the Birth Suite and
Dave had to go and get the bags. At 5pm my OB come and gave me an internal – 5
CENTIMETERS!!! I love that fit ball!!! He proceeded to break my waters to keep
me going.
After
that we jumped in the shower and laboured in there for around an hour before I
decided that drugs where required. I kept shaking my head thinking “This is not
possible, how can we be having a baby, I cant believe it” Dave had to keep
reassuring me that it was in fact happening and our baby was coming tonight, so
best get my head in the game! My OB popped his head back in to say he’d check
on me around 9 that night. So on the bed I got, Pethidine in my arse and the
gas in my gob. Can I just say Peth is not for everyone, but it sure as hell is
for me – HOW FANTASTIC IS IT??!! From what I can gather we spent the next 2
hours taking gas with each contraction with Dave pushing as hard as he could on
my back and hips. Having him push with that counter pressure stopped me from
needing an epidural and I was so happy in the end that he could be involved
like that, it gave him an objective and something to focus on. He was my
epidural. If you would like to hire him out, we charge $50 an hour.
The
next thing I knew, I had two massive contractions on top of each other. I think
I said something along the lines of “What the hell was that??!!” My midwife
checked me again at that stage and announced I was 9.5cm’s and just had the
anterior lip to go, I think she gave it a bit of a prod out of the way while
she was in there.
From
then I remember the pressure in my bowel and an irresistible urge to grunt like
a Neanderthal while pushing like a plunger! My Mid asked me if I could just
ride through a couple of those and I said “Hell yes, I’m so not ready to push!
I’ve just got the hang of the contractions!” She laughed and told me it
wouldn’t be long till I was pushing, so best prepare myself!
I
can remember trays and gowns being put on and my OB assuming the position. I
can remember fearing the burn, freaking out and stopping pushing. I can
remember my Mid wiping my bum (effective pushing, apparently...) and I can
remember the feeling of my daughter’s body sliding out of mine and being placed
on my chest. We where asked what it was and I said I couldn’t see, my Mid moved
the umbilical chord and I said “it’s a boy!” (thank god I’m not a nurse
because) the midwife looked down and said “it’s a girl!”
Adeline
Kate was born at 8.55pm on the 9th March weighing 4lb 9oz or
2050gms, 44cms long.
As
much as I try, I can’t remember feeling the burn or pushing her head out. I
guess you really do block out the bad parts. Well, except for what came next.
When my OB started to try and remove the placenta - no deal. It was suck fast and I was in a mega amount of pain from him trying to remove it. Adeline was still on my chest and I was screaming the house down. The Mid took her away and gave her to Dave.
So off to theatre and a GA for the manual extraction. When I saw my OB after I had got back from Melbourne, he thinks my endometriosis had adhered my uterus to my insides in multiple places (bowel, cervix, ligaments) and so he couldn’t get to the top of the uterus properly to get the placenta to come away. My OB must have known there was a good chance problems would occur as he took a couple of bags of blood from me while I was under.
Back
to my room after recovery where Adi had a good 20 minute suck and was placed
under the lights in SCN to warm her up. Dave and I tried to sleep. 20 minutes
later when the nurse was taking my obs, I said I had increasing pressure and
pain in my bowel and I could not get comfortable on my side or back. They
called my OB who did an internal (if I never have another one... OMG) and said
there was a small mass near my cervix in my vagina and got me started on some
morphine.
After I had been drugged up, OB came back and woke Dave and I up and said we had to pay attention. The manual extraction had caused a large haematoma at the top of my vagina near my cervix and there was a good chance it could haemorrhage. I was getting in a chopper and going to Monash Medical Centre, 3 hours away, where it would be properly monitored and if things needed to be done, could be done quickly. OB explained that the bleeding was most likely caused by him ripping all the endometric scar tissue while trying to remove my placenta.
So off in the chopper I went!!
Saturday night I needed my blood transfused as my haemoglobin dropped to 84.
Everything after that is hunky dory. Multiple blood tests and monitoring till Monday morning, then discharged as my haemoglobin was stable at 110.
I had a softball sized haematoma in my vagina near the cervix. It was bloody sore and made all the normal swelling worse and sitting down impossible. Its well and truly gone now.
After I had been drugged up, OB came back and woke Dave and I up and said we had to pay attention. The manual extraction had caused a large haematoma at the top of my vagina near my cervix and there was a good chance it could haemorrhage. I was getting in a chopper and going to Monash Medical Centre, 3 hours away, where it would be properly monitored and if things needed to be done, could be done quickly. OB explained that the bleeding was most likely caused by him ripping all the endometric scar tissue while trying to remove my placenta.
So off in the chopper I went!!
Saturday night I needed my blood transfused as my haemoglobin dropped to 84.
Everything after that is hunky dory. Multiple blood tests and monitoring till Monday morning, then discharged as my haemoglobin was stable at 110.
I had a softball sized haematoma in my vagina near the cervix. It was bloody sore and made all the normal swelling worse and sitting down impossible. Its well and truly gone now.
So
after three days apart my Mum drove me back to Bendigo to my little family.
Dave had stayed at home with Adi to feed her, bath her and just generally be
there as no one would transfer her to be with me.
After
5 days of being back in hospital in Bendigo to get my milk sorted, we got to go
home! We’re now settling into some sort of routine led by our little greedy
guts!
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