Euan’s Hospital Birth – Rowena
Sunday Morning 2am
I woke up with pains… having had a few false starts I didn;t want to get my hopes up but really couldn;t get comfortable. Pains seemed fairly regular – every 5 mins – and so painful that I couldn’t speak .tried to stay in bed but couldn;t really sleep.
4am
got out of bed and went down stairs to bounce on my birthing ball. pains not any closer together but stronger. feeling alot of pressure on my back passage during the pains.
6am
woke up Dave and decided enough was enough i was going to get checked. called my Mum to come watch Tegan and rang the hospital.
7.30 am
arrived at delivery suite to be checked out. was told i was 2cm dilated at the most. at this point i freaked outand started sobbing, i was in so much pain and i couldn’t believe i was being sent home. the midwife felt sorry for and admitted me to the antenatal ward in hope of getting some stronger pain relief.
12.30
Still haven’t been checked out and i am now in agony. i call a midwife and I’m told that she will see
to me after her lunch. i ask whether i could have asweep as i was due for one the next day anyway and she agrees..she will do it after her lunch.
2pm
a different midwife comes to see me with some paracetamol and says she’ll have a quick listen to the baby and send me home. i am shocked as I thought i was getting stronger pain relief and a sweep. She says that there is no way i’ll get a sweep a day early. cue more tears from. finally get some codeine and a trace.
2.30pm. my trace is showing regular contractions and the codeine hasn’t touched the pains.Midwife gets a sudden brainwave that i had a urine infection. she’s tests my urine confirms thats what it is and orders me some antibiotics…
10pm
Dave has long since been kicked out and I am still waiting for my antibiotics. When they finally arrive I must put up quie a fuss because the midwife finally agrees to do another trace and if contractions are consistant she will check me.
11pm
Trace shows consistant contractions so I finally get an internal. Shock horror I am 4cm dilated. Midwife informs me I am in labour. I am told that when a delivery suite becomes available I will be moved around and my husband will be called.
In the meantime Peterborough Maternity Hospital has been closed. There are far too many pregnant women , not enough midwifes, and nowhere near enough delivery suites. In the antenatal wards alone there are 32 women. in my room there are 3 women including me in labour. There is ONE midwife for all 32 women.
I still have had no pain relief since my earlier paracetamol and codiene.
12.30 am Monday
I am moved to another antenatal room , a private one as I was making so much noise during my contractions and there was still no delivery suite available. Dave finally is called , he struggles to get into the building as it is closed. They are turning away ambulances and sending them to Addenbookes or Hinchingbrooke.
I am given a pethidine injection as no gas and air is available and they cannot give me an epidural in an antenatal ward. Contractions are coming thick and fast registering over 100 on the trace. I am trying to stay as active as possible ,sitting on a ball or standing but I am so exhausted that in between contractions my head is rolling so do spend more time than I would like lying down. When the contactions hit I am really burning up and the pain/pressure in my back passage is so intense that I have to raise myself up on my arms so that my bum isn;t on the bed. I am screaming like a banshee and generally being undignified.
5 am
I am FINALLY moved to a delivery suite. The pethidine has long since worn off and I am exhausted. I am told that I will be checked internally (first time since I was 4cm) and then I can have more pethidine. I ask for an epidural as I cannot take anymore.When I am checkedd I am told I am still only 4cm. Cue more hysterical sobbing . Midwife decides to break my waters as my cervix is paper thin. I immediately dilate to 6. minutes later I am told if I need to push I should push. I have finally got hold of soem gas and air but I am still screaming so not sure it was doing much good. I am on my hands and knees.
5.54 am
After 9 mins of pushing my baby arrives. baby was back to back and got slightly stuck but the midwife pulled and I pushed and baby was born with no tearing at all!! Baby was handed to me between my legs and I am so relieved. Dave is saying ‘Oh my god she’s here! Erin is here’ and I say ‘Er no she’s not…..its a boy!!’ we were completed stunned!! Midwife was shocked that we had been told we were having a girl!! Apparently its very rare for them to get it wrong. Baby Euan weighed a very healthy 8lbs5oz. I sat and cuddled him and he had his first feed. Midwife said I just have to pop and check on the other ladies I’ll be back. I sent Dave home to get some rest and just sat staring at my little boy.
9am I am still sat in the delivery suite clinging to Euan. I am sat in a pool of blood on a bed that is too high for me to climb off. A midwife finally pops her head round the door and asks if I am ok. Er NO!! She trots off to get me some paracetamol then come back to help me off the bed. I have actually bled very little (I lost 200mls) so as soon as I’ve had a shower and a cup of tea I feel much better!
3pm
I am discharged and very grateful to be going home with my gorgeous little boy!!
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