Friday 6 July 2007

My birth plan and what actually happened! Beware its a long one and it could put you off giving birth!

Birth Plan for Emma

Hospital birth

Don’t want to go to Hospital until I have to!

Normal as possible – natural birth

Tosh husband only person to attend, if Tosh is not available my Mum. (Students are welcome)

I will be as mobile as possible so to be encouraged to move around – should have a birthing ball

I want to keep a open mind about drugs so I’m not saying wont have any if recommended but I’d rather have as little as possible, so please don’t offer me them unless completely necessary – I will have a tens machine that I’ve hired. I don’t want to be sick at any point therefore no drugs that are likely to make me throw up. (Anti sickness drugs are welcome if I’m likely to be sick)

No camcorder!

A c-section only if necessary – Obviously an epidural will be needed with that, I don’t like the thought of anything been put in my back it is the biggest fear I have about the entire birth. IF I HAVE TO HAVE AN EPIDURAL I WANT MY BIRTH PARTNER PRESENT – I DO NOT WANT TO BE ON MY OWN!! Tosh is to be present the whole way through c-section. Also no one is to see the baby before my husband and I. (This means any family or friends)

I only want an episiotomy if absolutely necessary – I would rather not be cut and would welcome any help to avoid it.

Providing the baby is fine I’d like to be given it straight away and have skin to skin contact and we’d like to discover the baby’s sex our self’s

Tosh to cut the cord

I want to breast feed the baby ASAP don’t give the baby a bottle unless necessary

I want to be in hospital as little time as possible

And now what actually happen.......

Contractions started at bed time on the Tuesday, the were quite bad to start with, anyway we went to bed. I wasn't in bed long before i was up and in the bath, the baby was back to back so that was possibly the cause of the pain early on. At about midnight we went to hospital to be told that i was only about 2cm and the position of the baby i could be at it for days and to go home, so i sat and cried i didn't want to go home but they sent me anyway! I remember the big fat horrid midwife, looking at me like i was a big woose, and telling me to turn my tens machine up! So we went home and i got back in the bath and then went to bed. I laid there having contractions until my plug went, then i decided i wanted DRUGS and any at this point any would do! So off we went back to the hospital, i remember Tosh driving down our road and me whining at every speed bump, possibly the worst journey of my life! We arrived at the hospital and we had to use the main doors, so it was a long walk again to the labour ward, when we arrived there the big fat midwife was at the nurses station and passed me to another midwife and the snarl on her face said Oh god you again! Anyway they put me in the bottom corner suit the was mile away and I'm sure she said to other midwife she'll be ages!

So in this room, i was given a birthing ball and i begged for pain relief, i had pethidine and anti-sickness drugs, although I'd already been sick loads. And was only 4cm! We were left in this room and checked on about every hour, i was a space cadet, to the point i fell off the birthing ball! I laid on the bed and think i actually went to sleep, then pop something had happened, my waters had gone! I pressed the buzzer, the midwife came and then the panic began! There was macomium in my waters (Billy had done a poo) I didn't realise how important this was, they made me walk from my room into another more equipped room, all the time walking across the corridor dripping shity water on the floor, yes the was a trail where I'd been! In this new room i was demanding i went to the toilet, to the point i had to be dragged on the the bed by Tosh and the midwife. The put the monitor on the check Billy heartbeat and its was bad, only 40bpm and should be about 120-150bpm! Everything from this point was blur, so I'll prob miss bits. The midwife pressed the big red button behind me and within about 10seconds there were about 10 people in the room, i remember Tosh been sat at the side of me tell me it'd be OK. They were putting a drip in my hand and moving my bed at the same time, then i was been pushed down the corridor a rapid speed, there was a bin or something in the way that the bed banged into and i kicked out of the way.

I was on my own at this point, with loads of staff with masks on, someone was wiping iodine on my tummy and the anesthetist was talking to me. I kept asking when they were going to knock me out?? they were prepping me and i was conscious! The bloody anesthetist kept calling me Gemma, well i put him right, been polite i shouted MY NAME IS EMMA!!! They did say the baby's heart rate was rising but he was still in distress. Still asking when i was going to be knocked out they put a mask over my face! I was gone! I am sure i asked if we were going to die! I also was telling the to ring my Mum and spouting the number at them.

I woke up and demanded my Mum be there, to the extent that Tosh had to go out and ring her. Tosh said Emma we've got a boy and i told him that i was having a girl though! The the midwife asked his name and i told her his first name but gave him a middle name we'd never planned! He's still got it now tho! I laid there filthy and in pain, i kept telling the mid wife i was in pain and she took no notice, kept saying they've given you morphine! After complaining for about a hour, she had a look at my dip and its wasn't in right! NO WONDER I WAS IN PAIN!

They layed Billy next to me and i kept saying isn't he great, to everyone, I was amazed!

The events that happened with Tosh while i was in theatre, he was moved to a room to wait for me. Where he was left sat on his own for quite a while, and then they told he you've got a boy and brought him in wrapped in a towel. The person who brought him in told Tosh that they'd only seen him open one eye and weren't sure that there was a eye ball in the other! So Tosh had to sit there holding a new baby on his own in room waiting for his eye to open! Anyway thankfully his eye opened and you there was a eye ball! Tactless bastards (i know swearing is bad) Oh and Billy covered me in poo at the birth and then poo'ed in the towel when Tosh was holding him.

I was eventually cleaned up and moved on to a ward, I had asked for a private room. I complained that much they found me a private room and moved me, they never charged me either which was a bonus! if you lived in the town i do you'd have not wanted to be on a ward full of teenage mothers who have no fixed abode, or just scrubbers and yes i do know i am a snob and picky!

Billy was born on Wednesday morning about 7ish weighting 8lb 8oz, which is pretty massive for me! We had to stay in hospital until the Saturday.

One of the doctors who delivered Billy came to see me a day later, after reading my birth plan, as she was concerned that I'd planned it so much and it had been so different, she did also mention Billy covered everyone on poo in theatre!

Everything turned out fine thankfully and believe it or not that whole performance hasn't put me off having another!

5 comments:

Jeasmin said...

Well done for getting through. I had my hannah at a birth centre and it was just fab and i would def recommend it to all. It was like being at home but without having to worry about the mess afterwards.

Jeasmin

S said...

Wow, you went through a lot! I'm glad everything went ok. Those nurses need to take a bedside manner course, though! Geesh, talk about Nurse Ratchett (mean attitude) material.

Christy said...

My birth experience was awful too. My water broke before I started labor, so I had to be put on pitocin. My labor eventually stalled and I had to have a c-section too.

But at least our babies are here, safe and sound.

Rachel said...

I am glad everything worked out and baby Billy is a healthy guy. Birth is an amazing thing and tough.

Eva said...

Thanks for sharing. Sounds really stressful but glad you survived. I had almost no birth plan because of the whole high risk pregnancy, and good thing, I was in and out of the hospital from about 16 weeks on with contractions, high BP, etc.

Glad he is doing great and that it hasn't soured you from having another.