I only have the one, so this'll be nice and simple (unlike the labour).
How long were your labours?
17.5 hours. And yes that half hour matters.
How did you know you were in labor?
My water broke at about half past dark o'clock (4.30am) one particular drizzly, dull looking morning.
Where did you deliver?
In hospital. I am nowhere near brave enough to consider a home birth.
Drugs?
Yes, I paid a visit to the buffet line thank you.
Pethidine (which makes you sick)
The one they give you to counteract the sickness (thank you pethidine)
Gas and air (this stuff should be sold over the counter)
A tens machine (airy fairy pain relief, completely useless)
An epidural (which didn't take)
A top up for the epidural (which still didn't take)
A spinal tap (that one took, woohoo did it take)
C-section?
Yep, although toots was in the "head down" position. Every nurse, midwife and consultant to give me an internal (ick) in the first 15 hours failed to realise she was facing forward instead of backwards (apparently a problem). They tried suction first, because apparently hospitals in Northern Ireland can't authorise a c-section without having exhausted all other avenues first, because of the expense.
Who delivered?
One of two surgeons. I was taken into theatre during a split shift, so they were supposed to swap over mid section and both wound up staying for the full event.
But I can't thank every one the room enough. It was one of those moments in your life when although your entire world is caving in around you, you feel really taken care of and as though everyone in the room is completely focused on you and your child.
I've heard people say before that during their labour they basically felt like a piece of meat and I have to say that my experience was the complete opposite, everyone in that room was right there for me and my baby.
And there were a lot of people;
Two surgeons, a baby crash team of two, three consultants (who came in and out), four on duty midwives and two midwives who had stayed long past the end of their shift to make sure I was ok and were basically just there for moral support at the time of the actual birth. They were called Karen and Mary and I can't thank them enough, I would have been completely lost without them.
The husband wasn't doing too well by this stage and I needed them more than anything. I had told him to come in with me and that they would put up a screen so that he wouldn't have to see anything. There ended up not being enough time to put up a screen of any description let alone one that would block out his view and he had to witness the whole thing.
If you would like to participate in this meme, just cut and paste the questions to your own blog and link to the original post at Rocks in my Dryer.
Glad it all worked out well for you.
ReplyDeleteI ended up with all 3 of mine being sections.
A spinal tap? Lawks!
ReplyDeleteI should forward this meme to a friend of mine. He's a brand new dad and was present for the birth, which was a C-section.
"How did it go?" I asked him.
"Oh fine, fine", he replied, deadpan. "Apart from when the curtain slipped and I saw the surgeon holding a pile of my partner's intestines in his hand."
He knows how to put me off my sandwich!
First time to your blog and loved it. Smiled at your half past dark o' clock. We call that O Dark Thirty at our house. :o) And your trip to the (drug) buffet line? I laughed out loud. With you, not at you mind you. I told my husband to have the anesthesiologist meet me in the parking lot with my epidural! Blessings, ~Whitney
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog -- I had a great time looking around yours! )
ReplyDeleteI had c-sections, as well. Your poor husband! My husband witnessed it all too, but he's a biology type. So, it was voluntary on his part. :)
Oh wow! You did such a great job being in labor that long!! I thought I was going to die with Madison, and that only lasted 6 hours.
ReplyDelete