My due date was on July 23rd and I had my 38 week midwife appointment on Tuesday July 10th. The midwife was quick to tell me that I was going to be pregnant for at least another week, i wasnt engaged and he was still very high. He was also very active. Seeing as though i hadent lost my plug or had a show or anything she made an appointment for the following week telling me she would see me then.
Seems she was wrong. On Thursday the 12th of July I woke up at 1am with my very first contraction. It wasnt painful but it was noticeable enough that it woke me. I got up and went to the toilet and had another as i was climbing into bed. I tried to ignor them for about an hour when i reliased they were coming at pretty regular intervals. I started timing them and they were 7 minutes apart and lasting 1 minute each. However they were still not all that painful. SO got up and I let him know what was happening and sent him to work as i knew early labor could last a while.
I tried to get back to sleep after he left but laying down during a contraction was a little uncomfy so I decided to get up and get some things done. I startedf the washing and cleaned the toilets and the showers before sitting on my ball and bouncing my way through contractions. The rest of the day tended to be a bit of a blur, My contractions remained at 7 minutes apart and 1 minute in length and slowely got more painful. By 8 pm they were coming at 5 minutes apart and I had to concentrate on getting through them. I could still walk and talk through them but it was taking a little more effort.
At midnight they were coming at 4 minutes apart and lasting a little over a minute each and it was really starting to get painful so we decided to head into the hospital. by the time we got the stuff in the car and got everythign ready and headed off it was almost12am, we got to the hospital and they hooked me up for monitoring for an hour. Whent he midwife came back she laughed and said i was having "niggly" contractions and that i wasnt even dilated. I cried. I had been having contractions at this stage for more than 24 hours, I hadent slept and I hadent had more than 7 minutes between a contraction. She sent me home.
I got home and decided to try and lay down, stupid idea I screamed in pain with my first contraction and jumped out of bed, I started crying saying i couldnt do it, i was in so much pain and nothing was even happening. I got up to go to the loo and lost my mucous plug. it gave me a bit of hope that something was actually happening. I got in the shower and tried to labor through the pain by rocking and moaning. Poor SO was trying to help but i didnt want to be touched by anyone. I didnt even want to be spoken too.
After the shower we went for a walk and by the end i couldnt walk through a contraction I had to stop and sway and hum. We timed the contractions and they were back to 5 minutes apart and lasting a minute and a half each. When we got back from our walk i got in the bath for a couple of hours this seemed to help a little....that is of course until I had to get out. By this stage it was late afternoon on Friday and I had been awake for 36 hours. I was so over the pain. I didnt know how much more I could take. I had a full mental break down iw as screaming, crying and i just wanted to things to happen. By the time it got dark outside i decided to get back in the shower and had SO ring the hospital and tell them we were coming in.
When he spoke to the hospital they said not to come until my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart. I was so upset I tried to last until they were they far apart but they just werent getting any closer, just getting more painful so we went in, by this stage it was midnight.
We got into the hospital and they werent happy that we had come in, the midife checked me and I was at 3cm. I was happy that i had prgressed but so shattered it was so little. But they did notice when they checked me that baby was postierior. Hence why i was in so much pain and why he had decided that he wasnt coming down. The midiwfe was concerened he was stuck. I started on the gas and air and tried so hard to labor through the pain. after an hour the midwife checked me again and I was at a 5! then an hour later I was at a 7.
It was now 3am in the morning, I had been awake for 50 hours! I was starting to really struggle through the contractions. I was crying and feeling like i couldnt do it. I was tensing up and I didnt know how to stop. I was throwing up aswell. I just wanted it to be over. at 6 am they checked me again. I was still at a 7, in 3 hours i hadent dilated at all. I gave up, i asked for the epi, the midwife said she would get it for me, but it was an hour away because they had to call someone in. This was the first time i swore and i swore loudly and lots. I didnt even want the epidural i already felt like i failed by asking for the epi and i still had to wait an hour for it to arrive.....it ended up being 2 hours :-/ but i got it and i felt a little better, except it didnt take on my right hand side.
As soon as i got the epi it was 8 am and they checked me, I was still at a 7 and they were more concerned that he was stuck. I wanted him to come out so badly I started begging him to come down. Luckily he listened! at 11am they checked me and i was fully dilated, I started pushing but they soon realised he wasnt going to come without some help becasue of his position. So it took a suction cup to the head with me pushing and the OB pulling to finally get him out.
Ethan Lance Burgess was born on July 14th at 12:40pm weighing 7 pound 5 and 50cm long.
After almost 60 hours of labor and no sleep and an epi even though i didnt want it and it only took on half my body, only 2 small internal stitched, he came into the world and he is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me. I find myself just staring at him. He is incredible and I was so shocked he was a little boy!!
Here are some pictures :-)
During the labor
Fresh out of the oven!!
Daddy love <3
Sleeping munchkin
The absolute love of my life <3
Thanks for looking
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