Waking up at 6am on a Sunday, a week before my due date I thought I must have wet myself… It wasn’t how it happens in the movies with a big gush of water (enough to fill a bath) and immediate painful contractions PLUS the midwives had been pretty adamant that being my first pregnancy, I would be overdue – possibly by a week or more – so surely I just hadn’t done enough pelvic floor exercises… right?
I quietly snuck out of bed trying not to wake up hubby and went to the bathroom, all the time thinking ‘is it, isn’t it?’ Then I had a light strange gurgling pain in my tummy, so decided to fight the embarrassment of admitting to hubby that I had wet myself and woke him up for another opinion. His opinion was ‘it’s probably the food we ate last night, I’m not feeling very well either’ and he rolled over to go back to sleep.
I laid back down, and straight away felt another crampy type pain, then minutes later another one –in my head I am saying ignore it, it’s too early and hubby isn’t feeling well either, must be the food! But about 10 mins later I had another one – so I jabbed hubby in the back and asked in a not so nice tone if he was having contraction type pains from the food as well….
That made him get up – I have never seen him move so fast, he ran downstairs to get his phone and was straight on there to talk to a midwife to see if they thought it may have been labour. Turns out they thought it was, so off to the hospital we went for them to check me.
My waters had indeed broken (phewf!) so I had to see a doctor who barely looked at me and asked me if I wanted to be induced or if I wanted to wait it out and have the baby tomorrow – I declined being induced as I was having contractions and thought I would see how things went, so off we trot back home for me to continue with labour in ‘comfort’. Comfort was not at all what I felt, 10 out of 10 pain is a much better description….
After being at home for not even half an hour I was screaming at hubby to call the hospital again and tell them I was coming in whether they liked it or not, they didn’t seem to think I had been at home long enough but I didn’t care – I was already in the car.
When I got there it was a different story, they were more than accommodating after seeing me and monitoring how far apart my contractions were (2 mins by this stage). So they ran me a bath and helped me in while hubby went to park the car – which I later found out he considered stopping for a coffee on the way thinking he might be in for a long day.
By the time he got back I was bargaining for an epidural, and doing quite well with my approach apparently! I would stop talking and writhe in pain every time I was having a contraction and then very politely ask again ensuring them it would be best for everyone – it wasn’t in my birth plan so they were hesitant, but eventually I convinced them to check me again and see if I could have one.
They pulled me out of the bath and it was excruciating, up onto the bed I went and I hated it – they had to pull the mattress off the bed and put it on the floor cause I needed to be close to the ground. They checked me and found I was 9 and a half centimetres by this stage so I couldn’t have an epi, I was ready to walk out at that stage, but they got me up and back into the bath where that sudden urge to push came over me. Now I had been told about this urge by many Mums already, but it was still unknown in my head as to if it might happen – it most certainly did happen, I have never wanted to do something so much in my entire life.
After 22 minutes of pushing my little girl floated safely to the surface of the water and was pulled out and put on my chest (I had only been back in the hospital for an hour!), the relief was overwhelming and I had this tiny little bundle in my arms, I didn’t even try to see her face I just cuddled her and looked around the room.
It’s funny the things that I didn’t even realise were happening – there were 3 midwives in the room, during it all I thought there was only 1, but apparently for a water birth you need a few spotters. The lights were off, but they had a spotlight shining on the roof making the mood very calm and relaxing for everyone – including my little bubba who didn’t even cry when she came into the world.
After taking in the mood for a moment or 7 I finally asked if it was a girl (we had found out at the 19 week scan but I wanted to confirm!) and they assured me she was, then I moved her so I could see her tiny little face and it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen.
Even though I have forgotten all about the pain, and am about to take up that challenge again, it is the most unforgettable experience of my life.
Posted by avasmum, 20th February 2013
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june11 said
- 16 Jul 2016
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lepumpkinhead said
- 09 Jul 2015
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curlytops said
- 30 Jun 2015
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mom57522 said
- 11 Jan 2015
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