Penny's story, UK - 1 hour labour for first baby

"I had my 1st child when I was 21. As a single mum I was terrified of giving birth but had decided I wanted as natural birth as possible. I was booked in at the midwife unit near my home with the hope of using gas and air only.

The day I went into labour it was extremely hot (August 05). My DD was due 29th August and on the 18th decided to go for a nice long walk with my family. We stopped for ice cream and I noticed that my hands had swollen and for some reason knew today would be the day. I didn't want to worry my mum so I didn't say anything but later decided to have a sleep once we got home as I knew I would need as much energy as possible.

After a 3 hour sleep I woke up with the feel of a pop; my waters had gone. 

I went down the stairs to tell my mum and half way down I was overcome with the most intense pain I had ever felt in my life. After a quick call to the maternity unit we were swiftly on our way. The contractions were coming thick and fast. When we arrived at hospital we tried buzzing but no answer, it was then that I felt the urge to push! Luckily my mum found a chair which I clambered over backwards and desperatlely resisted the urge to push while my mum franticly kept on buzzing. Eventually a very stressed midwife quickly showed us into a room and raced off (a lot of women were in labour that day).

I was climbing the walls with pain at this point and a midwife was sent down from the labour ward upstairs, she assumed that she would just be coming in to examine me and establish how far into labour I was. Well she took one look at me and knew it was imminent after a quick look she realised I was 9cm dilated and ready to go. The poor woman franticly tried to find gas and air and help me the best she could but the cylinder just wouldn't work. It was then that she asked if she could take me upstairs where she knows where everything is.

Wheeling my bed out and into the lift the urge to push was just too much and I had to start pushing much to the horror of the four men coming out of the lift, seconds later we were in a room. Two puffs of gas & air later and my DD was born.

My waters had broken at 6:15pm and she was born at 7:30pm.

A few hours later the original midwife who showed us into the first room came in to see me. She could not apologise enough for not realising how far into labour I was. Bless her she felt terrible. All the midwives were rushed off their feet and they work so, so hard. 

I wouldn't change my birth experience for anything, I'm just glad she wasn't born in the corridor or that lift."

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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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