So I can make the major announcement...I gave birth to our second daughter at the end of June 2013. To say the pregnancy was rocky post 20 weeks was an understatement however I managed to get through it...but not as we planned it. Before I go any further I would like to say becoming a parent is a blessing regardless of how you give birth; and what doesn’t kill you does make you stronger.
Now I’m no tree hugging, sling wearing drug free birth advocator however I truly wanted a VBAC which for novice parents is a virginal delivery after a previous section. My thoughts on it were the recovery time was much quicker than another section. It’s actually in my novice opinion less painful on a long term scale and it’s less traumatic if the VBAC does smoothly. So ideally a BVAC was a good option-having a toddler at home changes your priorities too.
When you’ve got medical complications (Diabetes in my case) the NHS don’t sit back and let things go with the flow...oh no. You see I was blessed to be under a trusted team of medics who were planning my every move...from my insulin doses to my pending birth. I knew I wouldn’t be able to go post 38 weeks-Diabetics rarely do so. I’d be induced-the word that causes many women to have bad sweats, sleepless nights and some even go off their food and into a depression.
So inducing what the hell is it? To cut my own story short it’s when your medical team artificially ‘ripen’ your cervix or manage to ‘break your waters’ to bring on contractions. Sounds pretty damn easy and uncomplicated right? However there are many things that the medical team are considering and you should too. Firstly if you are being induced with a Pessary (a tiny tablet placed in the cervix region to ripen it) it can take up to 24 hours to see progress. You will have internal examinations during this time. They don’t hurt but they are UNCOMFORTABLE and to some extent you wish it was over before it’s even started. A Midwife usually places the pessary in. And if your cervix is ‘favorable there is a chance the Midwife could ‘break your waters’ with a small hook (think crochet hook). This is usually enough to bring on contractions. However if you are not contracting regularly or are not establishing labour at a rate that will help you you will be put onto a Hormone drip which basically causes contractions in MOST cases (yes not all). The hormones are started at 1.5 and move up the scale in dominations of one every half an hour up to 9. Most women are told they will need to be cranked up to 9 before they see contractions. Not a problem as you want the baby out. What some don’t tell you in these CONTRACTIONS ARE INTENSE. They are literally back to back...quick successions with not much time in between to catch your breath. The pain is there...and most of the time you are expected to just breathe through it.
So after having my waters broken at 2PM I was monitored and at 7PM I was attached to the Drip. By 10PM I was feeling the contractions but the monitor wasn’t recording anything major happening. I was told that because my Blood Pressure was rising if I hadn’t made progress by 2AM I would be having a section. By 1AM my BP was rising sharply and the decision was made to check me over and prep me for the section. These words were the ones I really didn’t want to here...and who would realistically?
So after being told my cervix was doing nothing I was prepared for the inevitable. Its never easy to accept things that go against what you prepared your mind for; and if the truth be known I had a gut feeling about the Induction in essence failing and having to go for a section AGAIN. However I was practicing PMA-Positive Mental Attitude. I believed in the positive and happy and prepared mentally for a long tiring birth but with the light at the end of the tunnel being the idea that 12 hours after having baby I would be able to go home to my family. But it didn’t work out like that.
So a few minutes past 3AM and we became the parents of a baby girl...weighing in at 3.4KG. We have yet to decide on names however we plan to register her next week. In the UK you have 42 days to register a birth giving any family ample time to decide on names. I seriously think this is the most important first step for any parents-after all you are giving your child a name they will be known by for life. It’s not like picking a lunch box which once broken you will replace-it’s there identification.
During this birth I had Gas & Air and a Local Anesthetic (I had an Epidural with our first baby). The Gas helped me through the examinations and the quick and strong contractions. The other pain killer was a must if you wanted to remain ‘awake’ to see baby being born..well to an extent. To be honest the team around me and the assistance they provided was brilliant. I’m not sure if there are many countries in the world were citizens can boast about their Government Hospitals doing such a good job however the reality is Tax Payers fund them so they are not FREE as some in other countries make out. Am I a Tax Payer? As a SAHM at present I no longer pay Tax luckily my partner does. Do I feel bad about using the NHS whilst not being a Tax Payer from Migrant grandparents? No; as I see if my status as a Non-Tax payer is a temp one. I started working at the age of 16 (alongside College) and never claimed benefits such as JSA (Job Seekers Allowance) and became a SAHM when I turned 28. That to me is a long stretch of employment and should demonstrate that I believe in working but as it is at present being at home full time makes more sense than working. Have you seen Childcare costs? Daylight robbery. Charities are rallying together to solve world Poverty. Truth is that’s an important cause however if we don’t fix the problems within the UK e.g. making it viable for Mothers to return to work to improve their families quality of life we will see more of the UK dip into Poverty. No I’m not over thinking things; I’m being realistic. But that’s another Blog entry for another day.
After five nights in Hospital (which I just about managed) we were released home. I felt like I was behind bars in Hospital but we were kept in because the Hospital were convinced little one had an infection. Now little one does have a complication of two-if I said she has Reflux my regular readers will be mumbling ‘AGAIN?’. Yes it’s true Munchys little sister has the problem as her. No biggie; a quick diagnosis and we are on Wysoy milk,Infant Gaviscon and Ranitidine (Zantac). It’s working for us at the moment...so it’s good. We’ve added Colief drops as little one had quite bad Colic but as a lot of parents will know Colief if reduced for little ones from 3-4 months. A Reflux baby means we will be weaning early...in fact from around 16 weeks. That means we have about 13 1/2 weeks to go! Really time does go by quickly.
So that’s about it for now...I’m not the Mother of two girls. As if stands I feel my family is complete. Will I change this train of thought in a year or twos time? I doubt it. What about 5 years time? Maybe; but at 35 won’t I be ‘past it’ for having babies? Time shall be the greatest test for me. I have a lot planned for myself over the next two years...I know that sounds selfish however my plans are to better myself and carve out my writers career. I’m not getting any younger however my experience of life are definitely building up and I could share a tale or two.
If there are any Mamas reading this wondering where the advice element is of this entry here goes;
- please please please rest when your baby rests if this is at all possible!
- If you have had a section is it NOT the end of the world; you will survive but please listen to your Doctor/Nurse if they are telling you to take it easy/easier.
- Consider taking post pregnancy vitamins-vitamin B complex is always a good one to look into for energy purposes.
- Avoid too much caffiene if you can.
- Take ALL help offered to you. There really is no shame in taking help.
- If your little one was born during nice weather PLEASE make the most of the outdoors if you can. Fresh air really does help with the Baby Blues (NOT PND-that's different).
- Keep life as simple as possible for at least the first 6 weeks possibly up to 12 weeks where most parents start to feel human again.
- Understand you will feel guilty about leaving your baby, or not spending time with your partner or other children.
- Hug your partner-it really will make you feel good.
- Try and remember that any phase is only that-a Phase.
- Babies change ALOT in the first year espeically in the first 16 weeks. As they grow their sleep stretches to longer spells so there is hope for all Mamas who need more sleep!
- Take as many photos as you can-I look back on the photos of Munchy and wonder when she started to grow THAT quickly when the truth is she was always growing I was too busy being her parent to assess as I went along.
- Don't even bother comparing your child to other people's bundles-you will go mad at the white lies some people tell to make their child seem like a Angel 24/7.
- Try and join a parent and baby group-for your own sanity.
I’m not sure when I will next be Blogging friends so I would like to wish my Muslim Readers a Blessed Ramadan and Eid. I plan to be blogging by Christmas so I won’t be wishing my Christian readers that just yet.
Got a question about my birth story? Or a blog entry suggestion? Let me know below.
God Bless;
Munchy and her little sisters Mama..xx
Pains of Motherhood-the short but realistic lowdown on painkillers during Labour
Now unless you have nerves of steel and are planning to a hypo-birth or ‘alternative’ pain killers you will be considering your options of painkillers during the arrival of your cherub.
I know you are all fully capable of using a search engine and looking up your options however my article is written mainly from my own experience after all during my Labour I actually experienced THREE of the painkillers available to you on the NHS. No ladies that wasn’t a ‘typo’ I did indeed have three different painkillers during my prolonged Labour that started on Monday and ended on Wednesday morning via an emergency cesarean section (c-section/section as you will find it be referred to online).
So my birth was to say the least; rocky. I will try my best to talk you through the various things that happened so you have a heads up.
I was told early on in my first pregnancy that I would be induced this was basically on medical grounds. It’s not very often you will find a Diabetic mother going to full term of 40 weeks. The medical complications outweigh the benefits. Besides a baby born at 37 weeks is classed as being full term; in other words there really isn’t much the medical staff would be looking at in terms of problems with little one.
My induction started with a ‘sweep’. My Midwife visited me at home to perform this. So what is a sweep and does it hurt? A sweep (full name Membrane Sweep) is when your Midwife will insert her finger into your vagina in an attempt to stimulate your body into Labour. Your cervix will be stimulated with sweeping movements which should in theory separate your amniotic sac from the cervix. If the sweep is successful you should go into Labour; not straight away mind but if it works it can take up to 48 hours to work. My Midwife was aware that I was booked in for a induction at the Hospital which would involve a pessary being inserted inside the cervix to ‘ripen it’.
By the time you get to the stage where you may require inducing you will have built a relationship with your Midwife. I saw my Midwife a total of three times during my pregnancy as I was seen by the Diabetic medical team on a regular basis (who also offer full telephone support). I would be lying if I said a sweep is the most comfortable experience; it’s not. However it can be made slightly more bearable preparing in advance by taking a warm bath or shower to relax, possibly having a nice cup of tea beforehand and having the sweep performed in a comfortable environment that doesn’t bring you out in hives. Your Midwife will ask you to remove your garments from the waist down. Treat the sweep as you would treat a Smear Test (you are up to date with them; right?). You lay on your back and the Midwife does her magic.
Unfortunately the sweep didn’t bring me much joy and I had to go into Hospital as scheduled for inducing via the pessary. Sweeps are a natural way of bringing on Labour although yes they don’t work for everyone.
The pessary is inserted and if it works your waters will break and within hours you should in theory be on your way to giving birth.
Well without giving away the ending the pessary didn’t do much for me to begin with. And to top off the frustration Midwives had to perform an internal examination on a regular basis which after 24 hours become super irritating and uncomfortable. Those who are shy should be reassured by the fact that Midwives don’t get a ‘kick’ out of these examinations and once you’ve seen one set of genitalia you’ve basically to some extent seen them all. Plus you are having these examinations to access your Labour. It’s not for the joy; so ladies please don’t worry about what the Midwife thinks of your bits.
So what happened next? Well I was examined repeatedly for progress. I’m not sure how but my waters actually breaking was MISSED by the staff. Now ladies please pick yourself off the floor and sit back down. I survived and I’ll explain what happened.
The induction happened on the Monday and no progress was monitored by Tuesday afternoon although I was feeling contractions (and these could be seen on the graph-yes I was rigged up to every machine you can imagine reducing any possibility of walking around). I was told constantly I wasn’t making progress, and I accepted that. I felt the contractions yet was told no progress was being made. On the Monday night I was given an injection called Pethidine to ease the pain (one Midwife actually believed me when I said I could feel contractions). The injection was given in my thigh, and within hours I was sound asleep. I did wake up at 4AM not sure to where I was; yes I was delusional not knowing where I was or why there was a bathroom next to my bedroom or why I was sleeping on a weird posh medical bed. I didn’t feel any sickness as some women report from it. The advantage of Pethidine is a Midwife can give it without having to wait for a Doctor to come along and supervise the insertion of the injection. Pethidine will only be given if your Midwife feels you are NOT close to Labour so it’s often given in the early stages of the birth. Pethidine can also be given to a Mother who wishes to have a water birth (of course with supervision as it can cause drowsiness). And Pethidine doesn’t slow down Labour.
By Tuesday night the head of the Medical team gave me by options. They were to either try inducing again or go for a c-section the next day. Either way I would need a detailed internal examination to note any progress or lack of it. I decided to opt for a
Section the following day as I was now exhausted and wanted to go home. In came some female members of the team to perform the examination. As I was so sore I was given gas and air to help with the examination. Now this made me slightly wheezy and I can just about remember hearing the medical examiner telling me I was dilated to 10 centimetres. She quickly requested a monitor to check baby heart and as everything was fine I was prepared for Labour. As I was feeling quite ill at this point I opted for an Epidural (anaesthetic). This is the painkiller that is fitted with a needle near the nerves that carry the pain signals from your uterus. The painkiller can be topped up at any point should you require it. It works by numbing the nerves. The insertion of it was pretty painless; the area is cleaned and a thin tube inserted. The Anaesthetist kept me up to date with what was happening. Once the Epidural was in place the staff checked to make sure if was working; this was done by tapping my legs and I couldn’t feel a thing. Epidurals are renowned for making your legs feel heavy and this doesn’t actually ware off for at least 10 hours in my personal experience. The main advantage of this type of pain killer is you are awake when your little one is born. However you may find the next few hours or days become slightly blurry as you drift in and out of a drowsy sleep.
Now at this stage I was preparing for a natural birth; my little ones heart rate dropped which sent the medical team into a frenzy and the emergency alarm was set off to inform other staff of what was happening. However before the alarm was set off a member of staff came up to me and informed me of the procedure and that I shouldn’t be scared. She explained what was happening.
The staff then took a blood sample from my little one which was checked over to make sure little one wasn’t in distress. Luckily little ones heart rate stabilised and at this point the Surgeon asked me if it was important for me to have a natural birth. Of course any Mother would give the same answer as me; it wasn’t above the health of my child. I was given a document to sign in case I needed a section. The document explains the risks of the section and what could happen, and if something did happen who would be liable (which is basically you). Then my little ones heart rate dropped again and I was rushed into theatre for an emergency section. My husband went in with me. The surgery began at 5AM and the staff explained I wouldn’t feel any pain; it would simply feel like someone was washing the pots and pains in my stomach and if for any reason I was unable to take the pain I was to say and the painkiller would be topped up. During the Surgery I was sick-this was due to me having a chocolate bar to bring my sugar levels up to a reasonable level so that the section could actually happen. At 5:25AM little one was born-with her cord around her neck; twice. But she was healthy.
The staff that carried out the Surgery were fantastic and cannot be faulted in anyway. The staff that missed by progress well I do wonder how on earth they are practising medicine in the United Kingdom but I’m sure that’s a different issue completely.
After the section you are expected to rest however you will be encouraged to start walking around within 12/18 hours of Surgery. Yes it’s major surgery but walking around as soon as humanly possible will aide your recovery. You’ll be encouraged to take a shower too. Both these steps in my humble opinion are vital for any Mother who has had a Section.
I actually lost a lot of blood during the operation and was told that I would be needing a blood transfusion. I ended up having two but it didn’t bring my iron count up to a safe level this combined with my little ones antibiotic course resulted in an extended stay in Hospital post birth.
When I was preparing my Birth Plan (which you will do around your third trimester) I didn’t out rule any painkillers as I wasn’t sure what to expect. With birth two I have a grasp of painkillers and the procedures and feel more comfortable with how and what they do and why. There’s not a painkiller I would avoid; and if I am offered a sweep again I would take it as I would like to actually have a natural birth.
My advice for any first time Mother would be:
- Do your own research into pain killer/numbing options available. If you are healthy with no pre-existing medical conditions the world if your oyster. Look up hydrotherapy and birth as well as other natural options as well as the other options available to you on the NHS or privately if that’s what you are paying for.
- Remember that works for one Mother won’t always work for another-everyone’s bodies are unique
- No two births are the same-even in the same family
- Ask your Midwife about what facilities are available at the Hospital/Centre you will be giving birth in
- If you are opting for a birthing partner discuss your Birth Plan with them in detail-and give them a photocopy too.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Medical teams are aware of first time Mother/parent niggles and won’t laugh at your questions
- Try to be flexible and allow ‘room’ for suggestions which the Medical team may make to assist with your Labour
- Remain positive-if people tell you about a negative story concentrate on the positive-they’ve had a healthy baby at the end of the ordeal and if they’ve gone on to have more than one baby it cannot have been too traumatic.
I really hope that I’ve helped you understand a more complex birth which started with a sweep. My pre-existing Diabetes were the fuel behind my sweep and inducing. As I’ve said before if you are healthy you really can leave things to Mother Nature to start your Labour off when your body and baby are ready.
If you have any questions leave me a comment below and I shall get back to you.
