it's a while ago but here it is
This story comes with extensive health warnings for anyone who is squeamish or anxious about their own birth and a big request for no sympathetic responses. I am a great believer that everything happens for a reason and there is learning in everything.
As most people know my plan was a home water birth with only natural pain relief and that is how it began. I woke up in the early hours of Wednesday 20 May feeling like I was desperate for a wee but when I tried to go it was the most uncomfortable feeling. This went on over and over again until 5am when I gave up and went downstairs thinking ‘is this it?’ I carried on as normal all morning just collapsing in a heap over my birthing ball each time I was overcome with pain. By 1pm I decided it was worth recording the contractions so on went the internet contraction manager and I called the hospital to let them know the community midwife would be required in the foreseeable future. By 3pm I decided I couldn’t be alone any more so called OH to come home from work.
Called the hospital again at 6 because my contractions were now every 4 minutes and lasting well over a minute. The community midwife arrived at 7pm and examined me, 2cm dilated with bulging waters. I laboured on until 11pm and reached 4cm. The MW decided to break my waters at this point, Yuck! At 4cm I was allowed to get into my birthing pool so in I clambered using an upturned dog bed as a step. The pool was lovely and OH was kept busy running up and down the stairs to turn the taps on and off to keep the temperature right.
The MW kept checking William’s heart rate after every few contractions and this is where my relaxed home birth starts to go pear shaped. William’s heart rate had always been about 135-140 and it rose to 160 and the 170 and wouldn’t come down. At 3am the MW decided I needed to be transferred to the hospital. I live about 500 yards away but the rule is that you go by ambulance. As soon as I knew the ambulance was coming I started barking orders at OH to get stuff together and make sure the neighbours knew to come and see to the dog.
In the ambulance I was handed the gas and air (good stuff) and I refused to let go of it from then on. From this point on it all gets a bit vague and becomes a comedy of errors (OH has provided most of the following as I have very little memory of events from then on)
At the hospital I tried standing up, then kneeling over the back of the bed and in the end I was encouraged to have some meptid and try and sleep. It did nothing. By 9am I had made very little progress so the decision was made to induce me with a drip to encourage things along but only once I had had an epidural. The first epidural was put in and only relieved the pain in the upper part of my bump not the agony in the lower half and my back so the anesthetist re-sited it lower down. In it went but the drugs wouldn’t go in so out it came again only to find that there was a kink in the tube. In went epidural number 3 and finally it worked. I laboured on all day still sucking away on the gas and air continually and at each 4 hourly examination I had progressed very little. By 5pm in the evening the consultant examined me (I swear half the hospital staff had their hands up there at some point! ) and I had reached 8cms so they decided enough was enough and William was going to have to be forcibly evicted via the sunroof.
In came the heavy mob and I was wheeled away to theatre. While they were preparing me I was ordering OH about to get the camera because I wanted pictures of William actually coming out. OH is a bit squeamish so handed the camera to the midwife to take the pictures. (I have some amazing pictures of William actually coming out )
In theatre there seemed to be loads of people and all I could think was at least I am getting my monies worth from all the tax I have paid in.
When the surgeons finally cut me open they found William living up to his nickname, the little squatter, wedged in so tightly he would never have come out on his own.
During the surgery I lost 1800ml (just over 3 pints) of blood and have a vivid memory of someone in the theatre saying, ‘your iron is very high, you must have a good diet’ and OH replying ‘its all the broccoli she eats’.
William James Tordoff was finally delivered through the sunroof at 18.12 on Thursday 21 May 2009 weighing 8lb 11oz and was perfect.
I have learnt so much from the experience and now understand that I cannot always be in control and sometimes a plan is the last thing you need.
