"5 Nov 07
THAT'LL BE THE MUCUS PLUG!!!
Well, (TMI warning) things are definitely moving along, when I had my 4.45am visit to the loo on Saturday morning, I wiped away some lovely salmony pink CM!!
It's now coming in dribs and drabs and is a little darker, so having to wear a pad at all times. Think that's my mucus plug officially gone, so getting closer to the finish line!!
Had another acupuncture appointment today - my back feels so much better, and she stuck a couple of needles in my shins again for energy! Made appointment for next Tuesday - but I'm hoping I won't need it!!!
9 Nov 07
PLEASE COME OUT TO MEET MUMMY & DADDY SOON!!!
We had clinic appointment on Wednesday and had a touch of protein in urine and slightly higher BP than usual, so two hours at the MDA in Wishaw that afternoon. BP was up and down and bloods showed a touch of pre-eclampsia, but they were happy enough for me to go home.
Made another clinic appointment for next Wednesday and MDA appointment with consultant for next Friday. Then at 2.30am Thursday had a proper "show" and cramps every 5-6 minutes lasting between 10 and 20 secs. DH wanted to phone Wishaw straight away, but I managed to put him off for a couple of hours as I knew there was a chance it could all calm down again. Anyway, when I did eventually call, the nurse said she wanted them longer lasting and closer together - needless to say, by the morning they were almost completely gone!!!! Same again last night/this morning with an added trip to the loo every hour on the half hour!! I'm exhausted!!
22 Nov 07
CHRISTOPHER JOHN IS HERE!!!!
As today is my due date, (started typing this on the 22 Nov!) I think it's only right that I update you while all the details are fresh in my head!
Saturday evening (10th Nov) sitting watching X Factor, I was really short of breath and had an uncomfortable tightness across the top of my bump. I had trouble eating my dinner (obvious sign something was wrong - it was a Chicago Town Pepperoni pizza!!) and just didn't feel 'right'.
DH pestered me to call the maternity ward, but I kept putting him off. Eventually I gave in and called, and they told me to come straight over. We left the house at 8.30pm. On arrival, we were moved to another ward as ours had no spare beds. We actually benefited from the move, as it was to the high dependency ward, and we were well taken care of.
Baby's heart rate, my contractions and blood pressure were continuously monitored through the night. I was hooked up all night to a fetal heart monitor, so got no sleep, while DH snored in the chair next to the bed. While I was melting, DH was freezing, so pinched the cover off the bed, LOL!! At 7am, I got DH to phone my parents to let them know what was happening, but also to ask if they could go and let the poor dog out – she’d been abandoned, poor pup!
The staff were concerned that the baby was showing some signs of distress with each contraction, so the consultant (who had done my amnio – I liked her so was quite please to see a familiar face) did a scan, which showed the amniotic fluid was a bit low and that baby was smaller than we would have expected at this point. She then did an internal examination which showed I was already 2-3cm dilated. She said, let’s get you delivered, and broke my waters, it was now 10am.
In the labour room, I was hooked up to the syntocinon drip and antibiotics for my GBS. I was bouncing away happily on the birthing ball for a couple of hours before I needed the gas and air. The syntocinon was continuously turned up to bring on the contractions stronger, so I was soon asking for the injection – can’t remember if it was pethidine or diamorphine!
Had a very interesting conversation with one of the midwives before needing any of the pain relief. She asked what my feelings on pain relief were, I told her I wasn’t brave and would take whatever was needed. She gave me some very good advice. Gas and air is pumped straight into the room so is on hand the minute you ask for it. Pethidine/diamorphine has to be signed off by two people and takes about 15-20 minutes to kick in, so you’re looking at half an hour before you get the relief. An epidural also needs two people to sign it off and an anaesthetist to be located. By the time the drug has taken effect you are looking at an hour all in. Something to think about!!!
Anyway I had my injection, but unfortunately some of the anti-sickness drug was lost, so there was poor DH running back and forward to get me water as the gas and air was making me so thirsty and drying up my lips like crazy, then fetching a sick bowl for me to throw it all back up again!
By 4pm I couldn’t handle it any longer. I could no longer track the contractions and time my gas and air intake. It felt like I was having one huge contraction! The midwife said an induced labour was a million times more painful than a natural labour, and she would eat her hat if I managed without an epidural!
LOL!!!
So over the next couple of hours, the consultant popped in a few times to check on us. She wasn’t too happy with the EFM, so attached a monitor to bubs head, which was a more accurate way of reading his heart rate. She also took a couple of blood samples from his head too.
By 9.30pm-ish, it was decided to get baby out by forceps. It all felt so surreal! You knew what was happening all day, but to actually know you were going to have your baby in your arms within a few minutes was crazy!!
After three pushes, Christopher John was born at 9.48pm weighing just 5lb 10.5oz. DH and I were literally speechless! The effects of no sleep, all the drugs and just the craziness of the day then took hold, and I could not stop shaking. DH had to hold the wee man for quite some time before I stopped! As soon as I was able to I popped him inside my nightshirt for some skin to skin which was the best feeling ever!
CJ slept by my bed in an incubator that first night and we were then moved to the ward the next morning, where the staff from the high dependency managed to get us a single room. I’m so gad they did, as CJ ended up being taken away to Neonatal for almost 48 hrs, which, if I’d been in a ward would have been really tough!
My milk didn’t come through, and I really wanted to breast feed – it actually didn’t come through for a week. I was managing to hand express a small amount of colostrum into a syringe, but it wasn’t enough. CJ’s blood sugar was all over the place, so I told the midwives I was happy to bottle feed him. Unfortunately this may have been left a bit late as with his jaundice making him sleepy and the fact that he wasn’t feeding, at 2am on the Tuesday morning, he was taken away! I can’t tell you how much I sobbed!! When DH and I went along the next morning to see him, I sobbed again. I knew he was in the best place, but you feel unbelievably helpless! The staff were all fantastic, and I can’t praise them enough. I spent as much time as possible with CJ, but felt guilty about sitting cuddling him when the best place for him was in the incubator. The sooner he was better, the sooner we could get home.
We did eventually get home late Thursday night, and I don’t know where the last couple of weeks have gone!
DH and I are eternally grateful to Dr Willocks, Dr McLellan and all the staff in wards 23, 24 and the neonatal unit of Wishaw General, and of course all the staff at Glasgow Royal Assisted Conception Services, without whom we wouldn’t be the family we longed to be."
Submit your story to marvellousmummies@live.co.uk - please state whether you would like your name and location published otherwise by default you will become 'Anon'.
No comments:
Post a Comment