On Thursday (11/03) early morning I felt a bit of leaking, but it seemed quite small, mind you that the previous day, I thought I saw my mucus plug coming out during my shower. As they say if the mucus plug come out it’s not a big deal I didn’t really mind it. But when the leaking started I was a bit worried. So I called my midwife Christina who told me just to keep a close watch on it for the next 3 hours and call her back. As it wasn’t a gush and the leakage wasn’t steady, it might have not been my waters.
I took the car to repair as per schedule and had to catch the train back. It was around 11am, hot day and I felt heavy and tired so I didn’t want to walk home and then had to walk back to Kogarah in case I had to go to the hospital after calling Christina again. Thus, a small voice told me to hang out at the library till it was time to call her.
As I walked in the library, I saw the missionaries and Sister Tohu waiting for someone. Missionaries had a discussion booked at that time, so I just joined in. Perfect timing!!
By the time I called Christina I had still the same leakage, only when I got up from a steady position, I could feel it. She said not to worry but to come to the hospital, as I was so close, just to do a swab regarding my Group B Streptococos, as we were hoping it could be gone by now and I could have a normal labour without antibiotics.
On my 5 minute walk, I got a big surprise right in front of the hospital coffee shop, booming with people at lunch time, I felt a big gush dripping down my legs and wetting all my pants. I had no control over it and of course I knew it could only be my waters. How embarrassing! Luckily I was in front of the hospital, it wouldn’t take me much longer to get to the birth centre, and at that point I didn’t really care what people were thinking.
Of course Christina was surprised when she saw my wet pants, but that was it. I was having the baby that day (at last, I was already 7 days overdue), she would admit me and the show would start. I didn’t have my bags with me, in fact they weren’t actually packed. Everyone and everywhere in the hospital were really busy. I kept being thrown from place to place for more tests and checking on the baby and nobody would actually tell me THE PLAN. My contractions never started so they said they were going to induce me.
At 4pm, Christina and the doctor came to me see me. They injected in me the antibiotic and also induced me with the gel. It took a couple of hours for contractions to kick in but they were mild, by this, I mean I could cope with them with breathing and squeezing Tate’s hands, arms or whatever was in front of me.
At 6pm they took me to the maternity ward as there was no one to look after me at the birth centre. Christina was going home to have a rest and would come back when my active labour started.
At 10pm my contractions were 5 minutes apart lasting for 30 seconds. Not good enough. A nurse came to check me and I was just 3cm dilated. Therefore I was booked in to go on the drip. And had a top up on the antibiotics. I hated that cannula in my hand. I hate needles!!
At 12am Christina was back. They moved me to the delivery suite and attached me to machines and the drip. It didn’t take long for the big contractions to kick in. They were painful and I couldn’t focus on anything. I was so tired, I just wanted to sleep but Tate and Christina kept telling me to walk around, to breathe, to kneel down as lying down wasn’t going to make the baby come quicker.
At 2am I was definitely not coping. I couldn’t breathe, the only thing that helped me through contractions was screaming as loud as I could. Christina suggested to take the gas. I tried, but again, breathing wasn’t something easy to do while in pain. So it didn’t work. She checked me at around 2.30am and told me I was only 5cm dilated. At that moment I begged for an epidural. It could take another 5 hours of pain.
My screams were so loud and I was in such distress, that when the anesthetist came in, he said he wouldn’t be able to administer an epidural on me if I continued like that. He asked Christina to check me again and somehow in half hour I had dilated another 4cm. I was then 9cm. No wonder I was in so much pain. I had passed through transition and actually felt my pelvis opening up. Man, there is no way I will ever forget that pain.
At around 3am, Christina suggested that I should starting pushing. My contractions were mild, I didn’t feel the urge to push. Another midwife came in and wanted to take over. She kept saying so much stuff that just got me mad and discouraged. I was really trying to push. But nothing was coming out. They were pressuring Christina to make it quick otherwise the doctor would come in to vaccum the baby out. I was aware of all that and was trying my hard to push, but it was hard!
Tate, poor thing, had been all along so supportive. He stuck to my side the 12 hours, coaching me, soothing me, being there for me. He silently gave me a blessing and somehow after that I pushed and pushed again and at 3.23am baby was born.
They put him on me straight-away. I was still in shock and a lot of pain. I was shivering and over tired but at the same time in awe about the thing I had just done. We had a son, a beautiful healthy baby boy without a name. (That’s another story!) We saw him trying to open his eyes and the first thing he saw was Tate. How magical!!! Half hour later he latched on the breast as he knew exactly what to do.
We were a family!! A gift from God was given to us!!! It’s hard to put into words how much love grew in me the moment I hold that little bundle of joy! He’s perfect!
New week, new challenge! Tristan got an umbilical hernia. It looks like his guts are coming out of his belly button. It’s something disgusting but painless.
Speedster's Adventures 