On Monday 6th November 2000 at 12.45am I woke up with a pain - like a period pain but sharp and quite sort of sudden. I got up and went to the loo and it past. I thought perhaps this was the start of something. By 1.30 am I had had 5 or 6 more of these pains getting stronger - I felt like such a woss as after just 45 mins I'd already taken a shower to get some pain relief.
I didn't want to wake Robert as I knew he had work the next day and anyway this could go on for another 24hours for all I knew, however as I got back in to bed the pains kept coming so I made enough noise to wake Robert and asked him to try timing them.
I couldn't really speak while I was contracting so I just tapped him as I felt it start and when I felt it had finished. He was getting really confused as it seemed I was contracting more than not - my contractions were about 30 seconds long and about every 2-3 mins. some were less painful than others. Knowing I'd only been in labour about 1.5hours at this point I felt sure I must be counting things wrong. Robert insisted I call the labour ward at the hospital. Hears my conversation with the Midwife at the hospital:
Me:"It really hurts"
MW:It's supposed to, is it your first dear?"
Me:"Yes"
MW: Well take 2 Paracetomol and call us back in a few hours if it gets worse"
Me: "But it really, really hurts and my contractions seem to be aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh every 2-3 mins"
MW: "It doesn't sound like you're coping with the pain very well you'd better come in and have something - had you thought about pain relief?"
Me:"aaaaaagggggggghhhhhhhhhwwwwaatttterrrrr bbiiirrrttthhh aaaaaaaggghhhhhhhh please"
MW: "Right" (I'll get the epidural ready tone in her voice)
Anyway as neither of us drive we called a cab, it arrived a few minutes later and Robert rushed about fetching my bag, outside it was pouring with rain and the streets were all flooding. The drivers car was old and he looked very concerned when he saw me. Anyway we eventually got to the hospital it was now about 3.30am I had been in labour two and three quarter hours. I staggered into the labour ward turning down a wheel chair on the basis that it was better to walk and I wanted to speed things up . All the time screeching "it hurts". When I saw a midwife and got examined they told me I was 9cm dilated I was absolutely ecstatic -I was so expecting to be 2cm dilated and have to have loads of drugs. Within about 10 mins I was told I was 10cm dilated and ready to push. then all of a sudden things went a bit mad the baby's heart beat kept dipping very low every time I had a contraction so the doctor decided to assist my pushing by using a ventouse.
Having the ventouse attached to the babies head really really hurt She kept telling me to push every time I contracted but it hurt to much to tell when I was contracting. Then it was attached and with two almighty pushes my baby was born. If you haven't had a baby before and are reading this the benefit of having no drugs is the physical feeling of the baby coming out it really is something else. Complete relief rather like doing a gigantic satisfying pooh. But it is hard to no how hard to push and I wish someone had taught me how to push before I went into labour. i.e as you want to use the bathroom very badly.
Anyway Lucy bean (bean because that was here pet name before she was born and Lucy because it was one of the only names we agreed on) was born 2 days later than my due date and weighed in at just 5lbs 12 ozs I think Raspberry leaf tea was partially responsible for my very quick labour.
I'd just like to add that throughout the time in hospital dear Robert was reciting my birth plan (which I had given up on) at every opportunity . Having him there fighting my corner really helped I felt like we were a real team when all the medics around us seemed panicky.
Charlotte
