Finally! A birth blog!

Finally a blog post I have been excited to write throughout my whole pregnancy!

THE BIRTH BLOG! 

:D

This is something I've been nervous about posting as everyone's birth story is different but every single one is helpful to hear when your planning your birth plan. 

So during the last few months of my pregnancy was a struggle due to many health issues that I had developed. This was mainly because of my brain pressure which was causing problems to my blood pressure making it go higher than what it should be. Of course this then was worrying as it was effecting my health and also baby's health. I was having weekly check ups of my blood pressure and every time I got kept in overnight at the hospital just in case anything bad happened whilst the pressure was higher. Luckily until 36 weeks it was easy to cope with but obviously things don't turn out the way you want them too. I started to get worse and got really poorly so they done loads of blood tests and they found out I had something which is called pre-eclampsia which is a condition that can affect yourself and your little one. This was being monitored closely and due to my health going downhill they said I would have to be induced by 38 weeks and doctors chose the 6th of October for me to be induced and gave me the option of if I wanted a normal delivery or a c-section. 

Nervous was a understatement as we was excited to meet her but nervous that it will be 2 weeks earlier. So on the 26th of October I was going into hospital for one of my weekly routine check ups and of course knowing my luck it didn't go to plan! My blood pressure was through the roof and there was protein in my wee ( which the doctors was worrying due to the pre-eclampsia) I got kept in overnight. All of this then meant the doctors moved my induction up to the Saturday instead, which meant we had to have the proper talk about what kind of delivery I was going to have. With the SPD and my brain pressure there was more of a push for a C-section because it might be safer but I decided that I wanted to at least give a normal birth a go and if I could do it then I wouldn't have such a massive recovery period. 

During the night on Thursday and early Friday morning my health got even worse! 

Just my luck I know right! :/ 

Friday morning the doctors came round and saw all my maternity notes and heard about what happened during the night and decided I can't wait another day to be induced and booked me in to be induced that day. 

OH MY GOD!

Was the words that was going through my head! Not because I was scared but because we could meet her any day and I would become a mummy. 

A pessary is what they give to people they want to induce their labour which is a little tablet that needs to be near your cervix to release the hormones to trick your body that you are in real labour. This is in for 24 hours and then after that you get checked and see if you have dilated at all. This was taken after they had put the pessary in. I was this happy once all the contractions had started that was for sure!

24 hours passed and I was 1.5cm dilated but my cervix was to high so they couldn't break my waters. This then meant I had to have another pessary, so another 24 hours passed, and I was checked at 6am and still nothing had changed. Annoyed isn't the right word but I don't exactly want to swear on this blog so annoyed is the perfect word. We then had the doctors come round and spoke about what our options were regarding the baby. I had to have a 24 hour rest and everyone who has 2 pessaries medically have to have it before they try anything else. This I was thankful for as I was struggling with the mini contractions that I was getting and even these was effecting my brain pressure to the point not even strong painkillers helped. So we went through the options and we decided a C-section was the safest choice for me.

My time slot came for me to go down to theatre and that walk is the scariest thing as you just think of things that are going to happen to you whilst they are doing the operation. So they sit you on a table to give you a spinal block so that you don't feel anything during the whole thing. They giving you a numbing injection and then they wheel you through to the actual theatre room and give you the main injection which will numb your body. This was a weird experience as it wasn't painful but it just felt like a lot of pressure. They also put in a catheter in as you can't feel anything and this is normally in for 24 hours. Within 5 minutes I couldn't feel anything and I was laying down being checked if I could actually feel anything and they spray you with a cold spray to see if you can feel that and if you don't you are ready to go!

They pinch you to see if you are big time numb and I couldn't feel it so they started but because I could feel anything I said to them have they started yet and one of the nurses said they are just about to get her head out!!! I honestly had no idea they had started let alone how quickly it happens.

At 12:32pm they made the first cut and by 12:37pm she was born..

I was a mummy … I was a real life mummy …. something I had always dreamed of being had actually come true!!

They took her away and cleaned her and done all their tests and weighed her and she was a little chunk as she weighed 7 pound 6 ounces. The first thing we saw once she was born was how dark her hair was and how much hair she had as well. We was able to have her close to us to see her properly.

By 1:20pm they was finished and I was stitched back up and placed into recovery. This was the first time I actually held her due to my arms feeling to numb when we was in the actual theatre. I couldn't believe she was here in my arms and not in my tummy as a little bump. The recovery room you are in there for an hour for you to be watched just in case you have any reaction to the surgery and they can do things if you do. This time I hadn't so after the hour had passed we was allowed back onto the ward.

My mum was the first person to meet her and she loved her! Then was my dad and her other grandparents came up in the evening to meet her as well. It was so overwhelming the fact that she was a real person. 

At our local hospital the visiting rules were that the parents of the baby could stay until 9pm and other visitors till 8pm. It was quite scary to think I had just had major surgery and i'm going to be left on my own without anyone by my side but that is what the midwifes are on call for. Because of the fact I had a C-section your not allowed to pick up anything heavy for a few weeks, and this included picking her up from the hospital cot to feed her and change her nappy. But the midwifes and nurses do this until you are physically ready to do it yourself. The next morning they took out the catheter out as I could feel my legs and move them around so there was no need for it to be in anymore. That was a different experience as well. I was glad once it was out as that meant I was in the mend. After this they try and get you up and walking to the toilet. My lord trying to get up was such a hard thing to do as it makes you realise how much you actually use your tummy muscles to do anything. It was so painful but I knew I needed to do it and once I was up it hurt for a few minutes but once you start walking it felt better. I was always told the first wee you do is painful and it was but I was expecting that.

So after 2 days in the hospital recovering baby and me was sent home. I was so thankful for all the staff at the hospital that looked after us. Coming home in the car was a sore time as every little bump in the road you feel. Ouch! I just held my tummy whenever I knew there was coming up. Once we was home it felt like we was a proper little family.

So this was my Birth Blog. Thank you to everyone who has read it and enjoyed it.
Looking forward to writing more blog about how Matilda develops and grows up!

From Mummy Emma & Baby Matilda.

xoxox