George's birth story.

**Chickster** · 10-06-2011, 10:21am

I was admitted for induction of labour on Thursday 2 June at 6pm. Shown to my bed and told that I'd most likely be started off in the small hours so to get plenty of rest and they'd come and wake me up when it was my turn.

At around 11pm I started to get some bad abdominal cramps and I just couldn't get comfortable. I asked for some paracetamol and managed to get a couple of hours' sleep. Friday morning came, no induction in sight, so had breakfast and a shower and waited for DH to come in.

The cramping had stopped and we were told to make ourselves busy on Friday as the Delivery Unit had a huge back-log of ladies and because I was only 11 days overdue I wasn't classed as a priority so wouldn't be induced anytime before teatime

DH and I walked and walked and walked around the hospital and finally went back to the ward mid-afternoon. We asked when they thought it would be likely I'd be induced, only to be told that the Delivery Unit was now shut, no inductions were taking place, nobody in labour was being admitted to the hospital and, basically, there was just a huge jam of ladies either waiting to be discharged or induced. The midwife then told us that they didn't really understand why I had been admitted for an induction, they wanted my bed and we were allowed to go home and return Saturday morning for an induction! DH slightly lost the plot at this point and said that we weren't going anywhere. The Delivery Unit was shut, my abdominal cramps had returned and if we were kicked out of the hospital we'd never get back in. The midwife was insistent we be discharged so after staging a mini bed-in

we reluctantly packed up all our stuff and came home.

On the way home I had some more cramping - still not believing that this was early labour - came home and had a lovely hot bath. Then all hell broke loose. My contractions started coming every 7 minutes and lasting for 1.5 minutes each time. Some of them I could breathe through, others I just cried through. I was rooted to the kitchen chair, unable to move and in a thorough state of panic. We'd only been home from the hospital for 2 hours, we knew the Delivery Unit was still shut and didn't know what to do.

DH rang the Labour Ward, explained that we'd just been discharged but that I'd gone into labour and he was bringing me back in. They refused to accept me and told me to go to a different hospital (which is a 40 minute drive away). DH lost the plot again and they then said that the Midwife Led Birthing Unit had space for me and that if we wanted we could go there and be seen by a midwife. So, off we sped again with me trying to keep it together in the back of the car. We got to the hospital and when I went to get out of the car I collapsed on the pavement. One of the Hospital security guys came running out with a wheelchair and DH rushed me to the Birthing Unit, with the security guy running behind us with our mountain of bags

I saw a lovely midwife who immediately calmed me down, examined me and said I was a good 2cm. She gave me a sweep and told me to go and walk for 2 hours, coming back at 11pm for another examination. So, DH and I paced the grounds of the hospital again, with my contractions coming every 5 minutes. Some of them I could breathe through, others were total agony. DH was constantly reassuring people in the hospital that I was alright - he said I was getting some pretty funny looks but I seriously didn't care. This fecking hurt!

At 11pm we returned to the Birthing Unit and was re-examined - I was 3cm and my cervix was effacting -yippee! We were told we could stay in the room overnight so was given some paracetamol and codeine, I rigged up my TENS machine and tried to get some sleep. My contractions were still coming between every 5-7 minutes and were progressively getting worse as the night went on.

At 6am Saturday morning the midwife examined me again, I was just coming up to 4cm but really needed my waters breaking as my labour wasn't going anywhere. Unfortunately, she couldn't do that as it was classed as inducing my labour so she needed to transfer me back to the ward I'd been discharged from the previous evening. I just broke down in tears fearing that I'd be left on the ward to cope with this all by myself because the Delivery Unit was still shut and the midwives on the ward had kicked us out the night before.

I was transferred to the ward at 8am and was in total agony. I couldn't lie down, couldn't sit down and could hardly stand up - even though my contractions were still only 5-7 minutes apart they were absolute agony. By this time I was in floods of tears, crying that I couldn't do it anymore and was begging for some pain relief. The TENS got ripped off as it was driving me crazy and I got myself into a right state. A lovely German midwife came to see me to give me some more paracetamol and codeine, took one look at me and asked if she could examine me again. I agreed and was astounded to learn that I was 8cm! I'd gone from 4-8cm in the space of 2 hours. No wonder it fecking hurt! She said that she'd transfer me up to the Delivery Unit immediately which calmed me down as I knew then that I'd be able to get my hands on some gas and air. I couldn't believe I'd managed to get myself to 8cm with no pain relief. I honestly never thought I could do it.

We were transferred up at about 9am and I was asked if I'd like an epidural as the anaesthetist was on the Unit and able to fit me in before she finished her shift. I could have kissed her! The midwife wanted to break my waters but I asked if she could hold off until I'd had my epidural, which she agreed to. At 10am my epidural was administered and at 10.30am my waters were broken. My contractions were still only coming every 5-7 minutes and so I was put on a synto drip to help speed things up.

At 1pm I was fully dilated and ready to push. I started pushing at 1.40pm and after what seemed like only 20 minutes or so but was, in fact, just under an hour, George Albert was born at 14.36 weighing a very healthy 8lb 5oz

I have never felt a relief like it. Even though the epidural had numbed me from the ribcage down, I felt every urge to push and felt him come into the world. I can't describe the feeling but I was elated. And I only tore a tiny bit meaning no stitches

It was the total opposite of Will's birth and I am still so ecstatic that my second birth was such a positive experience (even with all the faffing about at the hospital).

George was immediately handed to me and went straight on the boob (where he has literally been ever since

). He is just perfect. He looks like William, only darker. I am totally besotted with him.

We were eventually transferred back to the postnatal ward at 8pm where George and I had a comfortable night and I was looking forward to coming home on Sunday. However, when the paeds did their rounds on Sunday afternoon they noticed that George was quite badly jaundiced. He also hadn't had a wee since he'd been born. They took a couple of blood samples and we were told that, unfortunately, we'd have to stay in for another day for George to be observed as his levels were borderline lamp treatment. The problem with hospital wards is that you don't get any daylight because everybody has their curtains closed and so George's jaundice just got worse. It was touch and go as to whether he'd need the lamp treatment and so the paed told me to supplement breast feeding with a couple of bottles of Aptimil just to get some fluids into him as he was becoming quite dehydrated. I bottle fed him Sunday night and Monday morning and were finally discharged Monday afternoon

He's still quite jaundiced now but the community midwives are happy that he's improving. He's weeing loads and I've gone back to breastfeeding him, which he is loving and I am hating with a passion. But I'm going to persevere for a little while longer as his colour improves with each day and my supply has definitely come in. He is permanently on my boob!

Will is coming round slowly to the idea of being a big brother - he'll get there in his own time. We managed to get out of the house for a couple of hours on Wednesday and took Will out to ride his bike and for George to get some sunlight. It was lovely being out as a family of 4

I've waited almost 3 years for this moment to come and I'm on

right now. Yes, I'm knackered, yes my boobs hurt, yes it takes forever get anything done but I am so determined to enjoy every second of George as God knows it took me long enough to get him.

**mrsdunny207** · 10-06-2011, 10:37am

Congratulations hon

x

**Scarfy** · 10-06-2011, 11:24am

Huge congratulations sweetie. xxxx

**PRGirl_Cesca** · 10-06-2011, 12:14pm

Congratulations!! Can't believe all the faff at the hospital, my god I would have been hysterical if they tried to send me home.

Hope George continues to get better and the breastfeeding starts to feel a bit more comfortable.

**claireh** · 10-06-2011, 12:54pm

What a wonderful birth story! George sounds absolutely adorable. I love your boys names. They go perfectly together don't they?

So pleased for you sweetpea. Xxx

***SarahR*** · 10-06-2011, 01:15pm

Well done J! What a flipping palaver at the hospital, typical LM Ward! I am so pleased that it all worked out and you got back onto MLBU and Delivery in the end.

Enjoy all those cuddles with your gorgeous boy xxx