My experience on giving birth - Part III

I left Beni with Jon and after just about one hour or so; I was reunited with them and able to feed Beni for the first time. I was really excited about Beni, it was really nice to hold and feed him. He was really tiny; Beni was born with 7 pound 2 ounces. The next day after the delivery I went to St Peter’s in Maldon, for the aftercare. They were really nice and helpful. When I got there I was really tired because Beni did not sleep the night before, so they took him from me at night and looked after him for me for two nights, I was really pleased with that so I could get a rest. They also showed us how to bath him and look after his umbilical cord. More importantly they taught me how to breastfeed Beni, without their help I probably would not succeed. So, for that I am really grateful. I did have a birth plan, but in the end I did not need to use it as the staff in St John’s were excellent and they did everything that I had thought about. When you are in labour things just happens and when you least expect it is all over. But I was glad I had prepared a birth plan, so that I knew how things were going to work and I knew exactly what I wanted. I did recover well after all that and now just need to loose some pounds to gain my old figure back…. It took me about two months to totally bond with Beni. After getting home with Jon and Beni I was totally overwhelmed. I did not realised it would be so hard to look after and care for a little baby. He was really dependent on me and I almost did not get any sleep. Beni wanted to stay with me all the time. He did not like sleeping on his basket and did not like to stay on his own for any time. Which is totally understandable as he was just a little baby that had just come out of my womb. So, I did care for him with all my heart, but I felt really overwhelmed. The decision to breastfeed Beni made things very hard for me at the beginning, as he wanted to feed all the time and did wake up every two hours during the night. But I am glad I persisted, because in the long run it is best for him and also became easier for me as do not have to worry about preparing bottles and Beni now sleeps a lot better during the night and also has longer breaks between feeds during the day. He is now four months old and still wakes up twice during the night, but I don’t mind as my body clock got used to it now. I can also sleep with him during the day, as he is quite happy to stay in his cot. Having a baby is very rewarding as I get to follow his progress and interact him with as he grows, which brings me lots of joy.

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.

My experience on giving birth - Part I

I remember being a bit anxious about giving birth, as I had not done it before and no matter what people tell you, it is something you just get to know once you have done it yourself. Having said there, I felt very reassured about the whole thing after going to pre-natal classes at St John’s Hospital. During the classes the midwife go through what to expect during labour, how to recognise you are in labour, plus all the options available to the mother-to-be during labour as well as some after care for the baby and advice about recovery for the mother. I highly recommend first time mums to have some pre-natal classes as it may not stop mums from getting a bit nervous about labour, but it kept my mind at ease, as I knew more or less what to expect, as the midwife goes through the whole process with mums and dads, in this way dads know how to help his partner during this anxious but magical time. The more I learnt about labour the more confident I became about giving birth, I think knowledge is very important as it reduces stress and help relax, because the mum knows what is going on and what is going to happen next, more or less. Here I am telling about my experience about giving birth, but everyone is different, and what is best for one person, may not be the best for another. Firstly, I was diagnosed with preeclampsia at 37 weeks of pregnancy, then I was constantly checked at the hospital for the next two weeks and although my condition was stable my consultant suggested that I should be induced at 39 weeks in order to avoid any complications for the baby and myself. So I entered the hospital at 9.30 a.m. on the 06 June 07. It was finally going to happen, the moment I have been preparing for so long and yet it was as if it wasn’t real, as if the penny had not dropped – I think it must be a way of the body to defend against stress – So, even though I was a bit anxious I was quite relaxed about it as well. Thankfully, I had prepared the hospital bag in advance with all the bits and pieces for my stay; Jon also had one with lots of chocolate and biscuits. He also had the camera with him. I had two sessions of stretch and sweep during the two weeks before I was admitted to hospital, to help dilate the birth canal, this was a bit painful at first. Once I was admitted to hospital the midwife monitored the baby for half an hour with a CTG machine that checked the baby’s heartbeat and his movement in the womb. She also did an overall check up on myself to verify my blood pressure etc. Then I was given a medicine to initiate the induction. At about lunchtime I was not feeling any pain and went for a walk in the hospital’s car park. Then early afternoon I started feeling a little pain in my tummy, just like period pain. About four o’clock in the afternoon I was given another dose of the medicine and then I just had to wait for it to take effect. During the afternoon and evening the pain started to increase and became really strong. I found that the massage and breathing technique I had learned at the pre-natal classes was really helpful to alleviate the pain. In the evening Jon was there with me and he gave me moral support and also helped me to massage by back and support my body. I remember crying on his arms for a bit, I just wanted the pain to go away. Looking back on it now it does not seem that bad. At this point I asked the midwife to check on my progress and to my disappointment I was only 3 centimetres dilated, in order to give birth, the canal must be 10 centimetres dilated. I was a bit frustrated, how could I be only 3 centimetres dilated with all that pain? She told me to have a bath and I did so, a bit reluctant to use the hospital bath, but I felt much better while in the bath, it was very relaxing and took some of the pain away. Jon went home and I had to wait until the next morning to check on my progress, so I was given some tablets for pain plus a sleeping tablet to help me to go through the night.

My Pregnancy Experience

Being pregnant is a unique experience. When I decided with my husband Jon that we were going to try to have a baby, I started planning and found out I was not immune to rubella, which is have dangerous to the baby and may cause still birth or birth defect. Therefore I had to have the MMR vaccine and wait another three months before trying for a baby. I also started taking folic acid supplement during the first three months before and after getting pregnant, in order to prevent a birth defect called Spina Bifida. At first I was really excited about it and a bit nervous too. I could not hold my excitement and bought a pregnancy test at the chemist, about five days before my due date I used it and not surprisingly the result was negative. When my period was actually due I tested again and to my amazement the result was positive, I was pregnant. From there on I knew my life would never be the same again…. I was a bit nervous during the first twelve weeks as I was waiting to have the first scan at the hospital and almost no one knew about it. During the first scan I saw my baby for the first time, Jon and I were both very excited. We could see all his features and he looked just marvellous. Everything was fine. Then, my tummy began to grow and I started to feel hungrier, luckily for me I almost did not have morning sickness. In order to avoid it, I started having a light breakfast in the morning before leaving home and I did so throughout the pregnancy to keep a balanced diet and remain healthy. Also I did not have many cravings, maybe because I tried to have a balance diet with plenty of fruit and vegetable, I also tried to eat walnuts and mackerel in moderation, in order to pass sources of omega3 to my baby, which is very good for the development of their brain. Throughout the pregnancy I also had to think about what I could and could not eat. For instance, things like prawns, mussels, smelly cheese and raw eggs should be avoided as they can cause food poisoning. I realised that I wasn’t thinking just for myself, but I was responsible for the health of another human being. It is fascinating and gave me a sense of responsibility, care and empowerment. I found it really nice to see the changes in my body; I had a big round bump, but did not put too much weight on. Overall I put about 2.5 stones, most of it during the third trimester. During labour I lost one stone, now I am still 1.5 stones heavier than before, but as I am breastfeeding, I cannot really go on a diet… need to be patient and wait a bit longer. It was really exciting when I felt the baby kicking for the first time at about twenty weeks, my husband Jon was very good at missing the kicks, but he managed to feel it a few times with his hand. At about seven to eight months we could see my tummy moving along with the baby’s movement. Hearing the baby’s heart for the first time was very emotional and exciting. I just loved it. It beats twice as fast as an adult heart. Apparently the heartbeat of a baby boy is slower than a baby girl. So, boys are more chilled out than girls since before birth!!! When we had the second scan, called anatomy scan at 22 weeks, we were given the all clear as the baby was doing really well and we found out it was a boy! Throughout most of the pregnancy I carried on with my yoga routine and also started doing aqua-natal exercises. I found the exercises were very good to keep me active and at the same time build up my stamina for labour. At the third trimester I started to feel more tired and heavy. Just walking through the town centre to shop for baby things was very tiring and my feet would start to ache after just 10 minutes walking. After going on maternity leave, six weeks before my due date, I felt so much better and started to chill out and relax more. I found the yoga exercises I was doing was not straining myself and I quite enjoyed doing them, I just had to do some adjustments to the postures and avoid postures that would put pressure on my stomach, so that it would not harm the baby. As my tummy started to grow, I started taking more bed space and Jon was squashed at the end of the bed, he was quite good and did not complain too much. During the third trimester I found hard to have a good night sleep with my hips aching, as I spent the night lying on my sides. I thought I would go to the toilet a lot during the night, but my bladder coped with the pressure of the baby well and some nights I would go to the toilet just once. Up to 37 weeks I had a pretty healthy pregnancy, with only mild heartburn, achy and tiredness. A full term pregnancy is 40 weeks and it officially starts two weeks before a woman is pregnant, as it is when the last period occurred. During one of my regular visits to the midwife, I was diagnosed with preeclampsia, the only symptoms I had was traces of protein in my urine and slight high blood pressure. Although I was feeling fine, I started to have regular visits to the hospital to ensure both the baby and I were coping well. Throughout the pregnancy I had lots of support from my husband and his mum, as my family lives in Brazil, specially during the final two weeks, when I was going to hospital every other day to check on the baby. Have being diagnosed with preeclampsia was a bit scary, because I was worried about the baby. But, luckly for us, I was almost at the end of the pregnancy, so it did not matter too much if the baby had to come early, as he was already fully formed, but it is best for them to wait inside the tummy as long as possible. Symptoms of preeclampsia may include high blood pressure, protein in the urine; pain on the right had side of the torso (where the liver is located – as preeclampsia can cause liver dysfunction), disturbed vision (including flashing lights, dizziness or spots of light). At 37 weeks and a half I had a little scare and was sent to the hospital as I was feeling pain on my torso. When I got there my blood pressure was very high, so they monitored me during the night and for a moment I thought I was going to have the baby there and then, as the doctor in charge sounded a bit concerted. After two weeks of constant checks, my consultant decided to induce me at 39 weeks to avoid any complications and I went on to give birth to a fine little boy at St John’s hospital in Chelmsford.