“At 41.3 weeks I relented and had an appointment for a sweep. After having refused the first one the week before we made the decision, with the CBS help, that a sweep was ok for me and may help things move on a bit. At this point I should say that my parents had come over from the UK for one of the guess dates and I was feeling the need to get a wriggle on (no pressure from them).
I was still riding my bike, going for walks, my parents even went out saying to us, “go on have vigorous sex”…really not what you want to hear from your church going mum! So we were getting endorphins left, right and centre. I even jogged!! The sweep didn’t work as the cervix hadn’t moved forwards.
The midwife took my BP and it was high and she said we should call the hospital. After being monitored twice previously during the final month, they said that it wasn’t high enough for the doctors to be worried, so off we went home. After supper I felt strange, possibly over eaten but knew something wasn’t right. I took my BP and it was much higher than before so we went back to the midwife and were sent straight to hospital.
My labouring at home and water birth were off the table as past 41 weeks you are no longer under midwife care. I was monitored overnight and my BP remained high but stable. My mum has had a brain haemorrhage before so we didn’t want to ignore the high BP, so I was happy both of us were being monitored. On Thursday morning I was given a Foley Catheter in the hope that it would encourage movement of my cervix and some dilation. Invasive? Possibly, but we weren’t at induction drip stage yet.
I should say that at this point I knew after having read the stats, Boo Boos was not coming out naturally, without drugs. However, this birth is going to be great whatever. After living with PCOS, we never thought we would be in this position, the end result is going to be worth it. Thanks to Suzy and Holly for the breathing and affirmations.
Roll on Thursday night, Matt had gone home for some sleep, lucky him! My surges started. So the catheter was doing something. By 2am Friday the giant Dutch midwife with the longest fingers ever came to see me and check on progress! My cervix was still being backward in coming forward but she could touch the membranes. So a sweep was done, my catheter removed and it was time for me to get some rest.
Another midwife came to visit in the morning and wanted to induce me. My BP isn’t improving and they want to get Boo boos out. We are moved to a birthing suite, hooked up to monitors, I can move around a bit, sit, stand, and squat. And so it begins. I wasn’t prepared for the strength of the hormone induced surges nor was I aware that there is no let up or break between. What the heck, breathe, breathe, breathe, Suzy and Hollie’s voices in my head, ‘surges are me’ affirmation and at one point Metallica’s Enter the Sandman blaring on the iPod and Matt beaming at me!
We were having such a good time. No, it wasn’t what we had as our first choice, but we were going to meet our baby, boy or girl by the end of the day. At 6cm I requested an Epidural, thinking I would get a reprieve. I’m a swearer, potty mouth, but through the entire process the one and only time I decide to swear is when the anaesthetist gives me the pre epi prick. Shouldn’t have called him a MoFo a) him and his assistant were both hot b) I would be seeing him later!
The surges were thick and fast. With the epidural I thought it would help/stop the discomfort but it just changed it. I’m on the bed, Matt holding one hand with palm open, with the other I am stroking the bed bar up and down in time with my counting. Anyone in room 11 will have the shiniest bar on the bed! It was working, we were doing this and loving it. My midwife came back in for an examination and I was 8cm, whoop whoop!
Boo boos heart rate was not recovering well and so they did a blood gas test on its head, poor mite. It was on the cusp of their preferred readings and the midwife and nurse start discussing something in Dutch and I said “you’re preparing for C-section aren’t you?” They said they liked to be prepared.
The second test was done and the tempo shifted, they wanted to get him out! They knew what my birth wish had been and we were so far away from it, they didn’t want to tell me. I was fine with it, even said brilliant let’s go. For us, it was about the journey to meet our Boo Boos, who at 8:12pm on Friday 15th May, was hoicked back out of the birth canal covered in poop and held above the blue screen to show us a beautiful baby boy weighing 3550g, not the behemoth we had been told to expect! William had arrived, our miracle, the baby we thought we would never have, on a day that was so happy, enjoyable and mind blowing due to the work we put in to the course that made it possible.
Even if your birth wishes don’t happen, you can be in control of you and your reactions to the unfolding situation. Suzy and Hollie we couldn’t be more grateful for all your support”.
To see how you can create your own calm birth please sign up here: www.thecalmbirthschool.com/freehypnobirthing-2016
