My experience on giving birth - Part II

I woke up at four o’clock in the morning still in pain, and then I had another bath, which was really nice. After that I remember asking the midwife for another sleeping tablet, to which she denied for obvious reasons. So, I just laid hopeless in my hospital bed waiting to give birth. So, I decided to try on my tens machine that was in my bag and I was really glad I did. It did not stop the pain, but its tingly sensation really helped to take my mind off the pain. At about 7.30 in the morning the midwife checked on my progress and to my delight, I was 7 centimetres dilated. She sent me straight to the delivery ward and I had to phone Jon in a hurry for him to go to the hospital. After twenty-two hours since the induction started I got to the delivery room, and the first word that came out of my mouth was Pethidine, which is a type of analgesic given by intramuscular injection on the leg. It did not actually stop the pain completely, but I was determinate not to have an epidural, as it would be awkward to push while having no sensation to feel the contractions. So, I settled for pethidine, gas and air and the tens machine, which I used up to the end of labour. The gas and air like the tens machine worked as a distraction from the pain. Jon said I was a bit drowsy, but I did not noticed as I was concentrating on the push. Jon was in charge of turning the vibration of the tens machine up or down according to my command, he got it right most of the time at least. He also held my hand and the tube of gas and air for me, he said I squeezed his hand so hard that his thumb turned blue – I don’t really remember this bit!!! Once I had settled down the midwife monitored the baby heartbeat, so I had to have the machine strapped on my tummy, after a while I was free to move around. The midwife was really nice and helpful, she guided me all the way through the labour and I trusted her completely. I also had a doctor student with me; at one point she helped to hold my leg while pushing. The midwife guided me through different birth positions until I found one that I felt most comfortable with. My midwife told me when to start to push and each time I had a contraction I would push as hard as I could, my whole body was aching afterwards, as if I had run a marathon. The breathing technique I learned was also really helpful to help control the push. The actual labour lasted for 3.5 hours and I did not find it too painful, but hard work. After 3.5 hours of intensive labour, the baby did not want to come out, he was coming down the birth canal on each push, but when it stopped he retracted in again. We found out later that this was because he had the umbilical cord trapped around his neck, poor thing! So, because the baby was not coming out the midwife called the obstetrician for help, and she decided I need an episiotomy, then the baby was delivered via ventouse as his heart rate slowed down a lot due to the stress. In the end I was really grateful to all the staff at St John’s, as they really kind and did a brilliant job. Once Beni was born, he was put straight on my arms, I was really pleased to see him and glad that the delivery was over. He was a curled up little thing. But he did not breathe straight way, so I panic a bit… the midwife then put he in the resuscitare and too my relief he started breathing with no further problems! He was a healthy little boy. Beni was then given a vitamin K injection (all babies have this – with the parents consent) to avoid haemorrhagic disease in newborns. My labour then progressed to its third stage, which is the removal of the placenta. I was given an injection to accelerate the process, but unfortunately only half of it came out. So, I had to be sent to theatre, where I had an anaesthetic on my spine in order to have the rest of the placenta removed.