Cherry's story, Yorkshire - 10lb 5oz large baby and c-section

"I went into hospital on Friday 20th November 2009 to be induced as I was suffering from high blood pressure and the doctors were concerned this was developing into pre-eclampsia as I had so much oedema. I had already been admitted overnight the week before and had had to go in for monitoring every other day since. As I had reached my due date on 16th my consultant decided it was best to nip things in the bud for mine and the baby's health and set a date for induction - something I was terrified of but as I ended up having another check on Thursday night due to flashing lights in front of my vision I knew it was time for baby to make an appearance! 

When I arrived at the hospital I was shown to a bed and then a midwife did an internal (ouch!!) and put a pessary in. Then nothing happened at all apart from checks on the baby's heartbeat and my blood pressure. Me and Jon went for a walk round the hospital and had some dinner in the cafe. I started getting some mild-ish pain that evening so Jon put on the TENS machine and went home himself at 9pm. I hated being alone and even worse was in a bay where anyone who came in for assessment was seen - great idea to put someone being induced in there! 

The next morning I woke up to much stronger pains and soon it felt like my back was breaking - and they said I wasn't even in labour yet! I had a long bath and was given some gas and air and painkillers for when the pain got too bad and in went another pessary after it was found I wasn't dilated much at all. I managed some sleep after being given a low dose of Pethidine later on but was then up all night again due to the pain even though I was given codeine and a mild sedative to rest for the real big day coming up! I managed to breathe through the pains which at this point would come one on top of another and then rest for about 10 minutes and also found that walking round the bay helped as I was on my own in there at this point. 

The next day Jon arrived bright and early at 8am. The last pessary had worked its way out at 6 that morning and the contractions had stopped altogether (I got the impression this baby was very comfy just where he was!) Luckily when the doctor came round and examined me again that morning; I was 3cm dilated (hurray all that pain worked!) and they sent us across to the labour ward to have my waters broken.

Once on the labour ward we were settled in our room and Jon was brought in a tray of tea and coffee (the midwife said I wasn't to have any in case I needed a section later - charming! I get all the pain and he gets the tea and sympathy!) The midwife broke my waters which was a really weird sensation (not to mention the weird smell!). She then attached a monitor to the baby's head so they could keep an eye on his heartbeat and explained that I would be bed bound as that was their policy with induction - that was what I was dreading so I warned her that without being able to move I'd probably need an epidural at some point, which she said was expected with the syntocin drip. She then left us for an hour to see if labour would get started by itself and I started to have mild but regular contractions so hoped against hope that the drip wouldn't make an appearance! Unfortunately after an hour or 2 they decided things weren't moving quick enough and in went the drip.

Two hours later and I had the epidural which was surprisingly painless and felt like heaven once it worked! I told the midwife I felt like a total wimp and she said not to worry and that I'd done really well as they'd already cranked the drip up quite high. We then settled in front of the TV in our room and I remember x-factor being on and the anaesthetist and midwife slagging off Jedward before they were voted off! Jon at this point went for a sandwich from the vending machine and came back to tell me all about it (thanks Jon! Nil by mouth remember!) Unfortunately the epidural only worked on one side and after a few top ups they decided to use a stronger anaesthetic which felt like a wonderful cool waterfall down my back! I then had a little nap before the midwife examined me at about midnight. Gutted! All that time and I was only 4cms! She explained that if I was still under 7cms in 5 hours they would be looking to perform a section and also said he'd turned back to back - at least I know now why those early pessary induced contractions hurt my back so much! 

I managed another nap (by now it was getting very uncomfortable being stuck in one position in a boiling hot room) and we watched some repeats that were on in the early hours on TV. I then had another top up on the epidural after using gas and air for a while (great stuff!) and finally was examined again - 8cms!! Hurray!

When the time came to push I decided to throw dignity to the wind and really went for it, I couldn't feel the pain of the contractions due to the epidural but felt the tightenings

They then shoved loads of consent forms under my nose and in my drugged up state I didn't realise they had the wrong patient details! Thankfully they called me "Laura" though and it got sorted! They then took me off to the theatre where I started crying as I was at the end of my tether by now and was sure the baby was in trouble. The doctor who would operate examined me and said really quickly that there was no way on earth forceps would work as the baby hadn't descended enough due to his position (and as we later found out his size) and I was prepped for a c-section. 

Jon was by now in scrubs and feeling very pleased with himself at looking so professional! I didn't feel a thing and then heard the doctors say they were in and felt them rummaging about - its the strangest feeling and although I could feel they were pulling and pushing a lot it wasn't painful. The surgeon then said that the head was born and Jon turned to have a look (he'd previously been told not to as if he fainted "we'll put you in the corner and leave you there" LOL). He didn't faint just exclaimed that he could see my insides and then as the doctors said "its a big baby" he said "it's definitely a boy!" - typical man! I then heard him say "he's absolutely perfect" as they took him for a wash and examination and then when my baby started to cry I started too in relief that he was OK. The student midwife then held him in front of me all wrapped in a towel and I thought that he was exactly as I'd imagined he'd look with brown hair and a chubby little face. At that point I said that he really did look like a Freddie. He kept looking round the room at everything looking quite bemused that he was in this cold strange place and did some little sighs but he didn't cry again for hours.

I was then stitched up and Freddie went with his Dad to the recovery bay where I joined them half an hour later. We then had some skin to skin contact and he was weighed - 10lb 5 ounces! No wonder I couldn't walk up the stairs by the end! The doctors who'd delivered him came by to ask his weight too, when they'd said he was big I'd expected 9 and a half pounds maybe as we'd been warned to expect 9 but over 10 was even a shock to us! After that we enjoyed lots more skin to skin and cuddles and both settled into recovering and getting home in 2 days time. Oh one more thing, I sent Jon to buy a newspaper to remember the headline on the day of our son's birth. The only one left bore the legend "Jedward, deadwood!" - what a headline to remember on the day you were born lol!"

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Mandy's story, Cumbria - back to back labour, slow dilation, one-sided epidural and cesarean

"Born on 22/11/2009

40+5

7lb 10oz

Sat 6pm - Had a show and slight trickling.

Sat 10pm - First contraction. I sent home our friends who we had round for the evening and phoned the labour ward who suspected that they would see me that evening. DH and I decided to go to bed to try and get some seep in case this was the real thing. I couldn't sleep at all, the contractions were painful and coming fairly quickly, about 3 in 10 minutes, although they were only about 40 seconds long. I wanted to wait until they lasted longer, and were more regular before going in. I sat downstairs until 4.30am when I realised I was having 4 in 10 minutes and they were lasting about 55 seconds each.

Sun 5am - Arrived at the labour ward. Had my checks and they said my blood pressure was fairly high and the baby's heartbeat was too fast. I was put on the monitor for 20 minutes which confirmed the amount of contractions, and his fast heartbeat. She examined me to find I was only 1cm dilated, but cervix nice and thin so she would keep me in to labour in the ward as I was favourable'.

Sun 8am-ish - I was in a bath, and bloody freezing! The water did not help with the contractions at all, they were all in my back and legs so I couldn't get comfy. I felt nothing in my belly when I was contracting. I got out of the bath after about an hour, and the contractions were getting more painful. I was given a tens machine, again, only seemed to be a distraction rather than any pain relief. They were lasting longer now and I didn't seem to have a break between them. I was offered Meptid and happily agreed!

Sun 11am-ish - My waters broke and then I was examined, to be only 2cm!! Nobody could work out why I was contracting so much but not dilating very successfully. I had a top up of Meptid and from then on I lost all control. I can't really remember much apart from the pain being horrendous, with no break and I was given gas and air and holding on to the side of the bed. I was on the monitor again and baby's heart rate was still fast. I think I must have been like that for an hour when I was offered an epidural, which meant a transfer to a hospital 20 miles away. So off I went with blue lights and everything, contracting like mad in the ambulance.

Sun 1pm - Arrived in Lancaster, and was examined, to be 3cm. So I'd been labouring for over 12 hours now and only dilated 3cm. I had to wait another 2 hours for the epidural. And when I had it, oh what a relief. On one side only!! It didn't appear to have been very successful on my right side, so I could still feel pain with the contractions. I was closely monitored due to the babies heart rate, and he was found to be back to back. I had top ups of the epidural every hour until I think about 6pm.

Sun 6pm - Examined to be only 6cm! Midwives kept saying by the contractions I was having he'd be here soon! No chance...I was given Syntocin to speed up the contractions now, which wasn't pleasant with a dodgy epidural.

Sun 8pm - Examined and now 8cm dilated. They increased the drip again. It was around now that I started to give up. The baby's heart rate was suspicious, they'd put a clip on his head because they kept losing it. I'd been awake for 36 hours and I was starving. He was back to back and I didn't have the energy to push even if/when I was fully dilated. So I asked about a c-section. I just 'knew' it would end that way so I wanted it doing now!

Sun 9pm - I was examined now by the Doctor, and I wasn't even 9cm yet, and had a lip over the cervix. She checked the heart rate again, and offered me more drip, or a c-section. I said a c-section. It had to be another Dr's decision though so I had to wait for her to come and see me.

Sun 10.30pm - Dr took a look at notes, monitor, me and due to his suspicious heart rate gave her consent for an emergency c-section.

Sun 11:24pm - Dylan arrived!!

He passed meconium straight away all over the theatre floor, and there was meconium in the waters. He scored an 8 on the Apgar score then a 10 after 10 minutes. He was taken outside to DH while I was tidied up.

So that's the story of Dylan's arrival. Completely worth it of course, just an unexpected experience. He is the most placid little baby I've known, so hopefully he wasn't too distressed by it all."

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