Alana's birth story - sorry, it's long!

**Toots** · 21-10-2010, 06:13pm

Finally, I have gotten around to writing Alana's birth story so here it is:

I was being induced so needed to get to the hospital for 7.30am on 24th Sept. I woke up at about 3am worrying about it all and could not get back to sleep. At about 6 I got up and had a shower and we left for the hospital. DD1 was still fast asleep when we left.

Got to the hospital and was shown to a room and put on a monitor so they could trace the babies heartbeat. Sat there for about 45 mins. DH had brought his laptop with him so we watched a film on there. DH chose Knocked up!!

Just before 9am I was given my first lot of gel. Whenever the midwives did an internal I was in so much pain! Babies head was so low and my cervix was posterior and they were struggling to feel my cervix past the head.

We watched the end of the film then went for a walk to the cafe get DH some lunch. Came back, ate and just chilled out for a bit. By now I was having pains every few minutes but was told to expect this after having the gel. Some were really strong but I did manage to get a couple of hours sleep though so guess they can't have been that bad.

At 3.30pm the midwife came back to examine me and see if I needed any more gel. Again, it was so painful when she examined me that I had to have gas and air. I was in tears with the pain. I was 5cm dilated so they decided to send me up to the labour ward. I went up there about 5ish.

Not much happened when we were upstairs. I was put on a trace and my contractions seemed to come and go a lot and seemed to slow down. They were still bloody painful though. My midwife said that at about 8pm they would examine me and see what was happening and break my waters if need be.

About 5 minutes to 8 the fire alarms went off!! The midwife came in in a panic as apparently it was showing as on our floor. They were checking everywhere but couldn't find anything. The fire engines turned up and the floor was checked again by the midwives. I was a bit worried that we would end up having to be evacuated mid-labour.

Luckily, after about 30 minutes the alarms went off and the all clear was given.

The midwife finally got round to examining me just before 9pm and I was still only 5cms dilated so they decided to break my waters. Because of how the baby was lying and how painful it was, she couldn't do it and had to get the sister to break them. My waters were broken at 9.04pm. There was some blood in my waters and, as I had been bleeding throughout the pregnancy, blood was brought into the room just in case.

Pretty much as soon as my waters went my contractions intensified and were pretty much one after the other. They were bloody painful and I was out of it on gas and air! The doctor that was meant to be fitting my cannula had popped out of the room to see someone else but by the time he came back I was shouting that I wanted to push. He told me to wait until that contraction had finished and he would check. I screamed that I couldn't wait and next thing he was telling me to push. It was so painful as I went from 5cm to having her so quickly I think the whole hospital heard me.

I felt completely out of it as I was puffing on the gas and air constantly but remember someone mentioning that I was coupling (whatever that is, anyone know?).

At 9.29pm, Alana was born. She needed to be given a few puffs of oxygen which was horrible. She was then given to me for a few minutes but then my whole body started shaking as I went into shock, I passed her over to her daddy who sat and held her for ages

.

I finally got onto the ward about 4am so had been up for over 24 hours and was so so tired. I just wanted to get home and only managed about an hours sleep.

So that's my birth story. Sorry for the mammoth post

**TopStar** · 21-10-2010, 06:42pm

Aww Toots

and

Lovely lovely name. We need pics

**mummyplus2** · 21-10-2010, 07:27pm

Ah how lovely!

I would have refused to be evacuated if I was in labour, there's no moving me off the bed!

Being examined is the worst, I feel your pain!

I think coupling means when contactions are one on top of the other?

Not sure though....

Congratulations again!

**Jenevieve** · 21-10-2010, 07:37pm

OMG imagine being evacuated during labour!

Lovely story. Congratulations again.

Jen x

**prettypetals** · 21-10-2010, 07:59pm

fabby birth story Toots

congratulations again xx

**WoollyNewty** · 21-10-2010, 09:18pm

Yes coupling is when you have two contractions running into eachother - so no break.

Hope you are Ok - that sounds very very intense. Congratulations - you did great.

xxx

**Toots** · 22-10-2010, 09:48am

Thanks everyone. I was being all silly from the gas and air while the alarms were going off and remember saying "well that wasn't in my birth plan" and the midwifes wetting themselves laughing.

Yes it was very intense once it got going and so painful. I just chomped on the gas and air and went into my own little world. I almost felt like I was in a dream world at one point!

**Tigerpants** · 22-10-2010, 09:56am

Oooh thats a lovely story, I've gone all goosebumpy

but

at the fire alarms!!

**Toots** · 22-10-2010, 10:18am

Originally Posted by Tigerpants

Oooh thats a lovely story, I've gone all goosebumpy

but

at the fire alarms!!

I honestly think me and DH are cursed when it comes to fire alarms! We have been evacuated from a hotel at about 2am and also when I stayed in his room on an RAF camp with him the alarms went off in winter in the middle of the night. That was the worst as everyone in the block was stood out there.

**snugglebum** · 22-10-2010, 10:57am

Oh gosh babe sounds like an eventful birth. I had the same problem with E that his head was below my cervix so i can feel ur pain. Glad she was ok babe.
Ive lost ur mob no but was thinking about popping up on tuesday with A. Big loves and hugs xxxxx