About midday, Monday 12th, I suffered the most excruciating cramping I had ever felt in my life. Strange thing was it was only down one half of my stomach. You could have vertically sliced my stomach in half, that is how isolated the cramp was. This cramp saw me breathing while leaning over the kitchen table, with Master R hugging my leg asking “are you are ok Mummy?”, it was so sweet. He was so concerned. He knew something wasn’t quite right. I ended up seeking refuge on toilet, it seemed the only place I could get comfortable (don’t know what it is about toilets). By this time I was in tears, real tears of pain, I couldn’t sit up straight, let alone anything else. All I wanted to do was lay on the bed.
I somehow made it back to the bedroom, and asked Master R to be a good boy and lay with me. He was so concerned; he curled up right next to me hugging my arm, again asking “Mummy are you ok?” I tried to explain that it was Audrey making Mummy feel a bit sick, and that it wouldn’t be long and he would be meeting his little sister. He understood. The cramping lasted 45 mins. Just one long cramp. No let up all. It felt like it lasted for ever, and then I was left with that residual cramp feeling you get, like when you have had really bad cramp in your legs. I rang M at work to tell him what a loving caring little man we had, and how special he was and how proud I was off him. M wanted me to ring the hospital, even if only to chat with the midwives. But I insisted I wanted to wait and just see what happened.
Mum and Dad popped in to see Master R and I not long after the cramping had eased off. I was trying to get some lunch together for the 2 of us, when this cramp came on again. Mum could see something was wrong, although I was trying to be brave and not show how much pain I was in. I ended telling what had happened just before she got there. So it was only 20 mins after the 1st cramp had eased that it was happening again, this time it wasn’t as severe, but still enough to bring tears to my eyes. I ended up ringing WCH and asking for my Wendy. She was with a patient and would have to call me back. She did about an hour or so later. I described what I had been feeling, and she suggested that I pop into WAS just for a check up and that they would let her know once I had arrived.
Dad had a Dr’s appt in the city, and M was at work, and we still had Master R running around the house. I rang M to let him know what was going on. We put Dad in a taxi to get to his appt, and then Mum went and picked M up from work, as I had the car. She then took Master R with her to pick Dad up while M and I went to the hospital. We got the hospital about 3:30pm. I didn’t have to wait too long before I was sent in to have obs and a trace done. Audrey’s heart beat was really racey, even I could tell that, so they monitored her for an hour or so. Once Wendy had arrived she did an internal (I was in fact due to have an appt with Wendy on the Wednesday 14th anyway, where she was going to do an internal anyway) to reveal I was already 3 – 4 cms dilated.
Wow, I was so blown away by this. We both were. In the time we had been up there I only had 2 – 3 more contractions. Nothing I couldn’t handle by just breathing and rocking through them, certainly nothing like what had happened earlier in the day. We were given the option of heading out for a while, grabbing some tea and then going for a stroll through the parklands to see if things moved a long at all. We decided we would grab something to eat and go for a walk, hell, I had deliberately done sooo much walking in the 4 days prior a little more wasn’t going to hurt. We headed back into WAS about 9:00pm, and told them we would head home for the evening and try and get some good sleep.
My bags were all but packed by the Sunday night, but we made sure that everything was in place just in case. Master R was having a sleep over at Nan and Poppies as we had no idea what was going on or going to happen, and we really didn’t want to disturb him, by bringing him home, or Mum and Dad having to come down in the middle of the night. I think we got to bed around 11:00pm.
I woke to go to the toilet around 1:30am only to be greeted by slightly blood tinged mucous, there wasn’t a lot, so I didn’t really worry any more about it. I had been losing my plug for about a week anyway, but that was the first real sign of any colour. Back to bed and don’t’ remember a thing, until I woke again for a toilet stop at 3:20am. More plug but no colour in it. I must have dozed again until 4:15am, but then woke and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I got up and read the previous day’s paper. Was evening thinking about making of all things, scrambled eggs, not like me? One thing I do remember is how beautiful the family of Magpies sounded outside out front window. 4:45am another loo stop, this time a lot more plug and more blood. Woohoo this was promising. I headed back to bed at 4:50am, but lay awake until 5:15am.
Next time I saw the clock it was 6:50am. I woke with that same cramping feeling down the LHS of my stomach again. These then turned into all over 3 – 5 min apart contractions, which lasted an hour. Still nothing more than what breathing couldn’t get me through. We were undecided as to how we were going to handle the day, so we showered, had some breakfast, then we rang the hospital to let them know we were coming in and of what had been happening. We got to the hospital about 9:00am, with me having about 5 little contractions on the way up there. Once we got there the midwives did another trace on Audrey and monitored any contractions I may be having. I had another 4 in the time the trace was on, but nothing I couldn’t get through. They had rung Wendy but she was in surgery as was not going to be down to see me until about 11:30am. So after we grabbed something to eat and then went for walk around the hospital, and then out into the Brougham Place gardens. More gentle walking with a few little inclines, and declines on the way back.
We headed back to assessment around 11:30am. I had another 4 – 5 contractions in the time we were waiting for Wendy to come down and and reassess me. M and I discussed the option of having my waters broken, as I knew this was something Wendy may suggest, seeing as I presented the afternoon before also. By the time she got in to see me we had made our decision, and the rest was up to her. She did another internal. Still only 3 – 4 cms dilated. She gave us the option again of going home or seeing as it was my second trip up there in just over 12 hours of admitting me and breaking my waters. We had told her we had discussed having my waters broken, and were more than happy to choose that option. My waters were to be broken around 2pm. Decision having been made, Wendy organised a room for me up in the delivery suite. All were busy, so we had to wait until 12:30pm before heading up stairs.
By 1pm, we had been shown to our suite and met our lovely Midwife Sue. I had another handful of contractions while up there and being shown everything in the room etc, rocking and breathing was still enough to get me through them. Sue wanted to do another trace, which was routine for being admitted to delivery. The worst part was having to lie on my back. I told them this was near impossible, but did it so she could do her thing. I couldn’t wait to get off the bed. Once off the bed OMG, the CONTRACTIONS! This is what they classed true labour.
This time they were a lot more intense than the others I had experienced. They had me doubled over the hand basin in the bathroom or on my knees leaning into the bed, and moaning like I couldn’t believe. I could really feel myself squatting into them, and having the urgency to want to push. My waters still hadn’t broken at that stage. I swear I could feel something there. The contractions kept coming, and remained about the same intense level. Wendy popped back in to see me and how I was settling. And could hear the difference in me in just ½ hour. But said she would be back to break my waters a bit later. Another Midwife Brianne had come in to say hello. It was her first ever shift in delivery (after having worked down in the nursery), so had another Midwife Cathy with her showing her around and what was what. They were all so lovely.
OK, contractions starting to peak even more, I was really squatting into each contraction and arching my back, moaning as they became more intense. I had only just started to feel like I was losing it, and that I wasn’t going to be able to get through it. I had gotten to this point without any drugs. I was really starting to scream I HAVE TO PUSH, with every contraction that came along, but the midwives were doing their best to get me through without pushing, as they didn’t think it was time. GAWD I think I knew my own body. So I tried breathing through the contractions yet again. The moaning went up a level as did the pain, and the threshold lowered. Wendy had only just left the room and could hear what I was going through and came back in, saying, ‘They are the sort of sounds we like to hear’. ‘Gee, thanks’, I retorted, not having lost my sense of humour. We decided we would try an epi-cocktail, I had talked about this with Wendy many times. I so wanted to be in as much control over my body as I could, but without the pain, and feel when to do things for myself. Another internal was done just before administering the epi, which found me to be 6cm dilated.
Getting me back up on the bed was the next thing, the contractions were not letting up at all know. I still swore I could feel her head. The epi was fully prepped, as was my back before they even tried to administer it, it was almost impossible for me to sit still. The midwives started prepping the epi, with the anesthetist on her way. Sitting up for the epi was near impossible, but I managed, all the time feeling like I was sitting on Audrey, and yet having the urgency to push. I felt a slight trickle, and the OMG the gush of fluid and blood, the urgency of wanting to push, and Audrey’s head being where it was, was enough to break my waters. Wendy did another internal after my waters had broken. She gladly announced she could feel Audrey’s head, and if I felt like pushing I could as it was time. ‘See I told you I was sitting on her’, keeping my sense of humour the whole time.
I took the gas maybe 3 times until the epi kicked in, by that time I was nice and relaxed, kinda sleepy. I remember hearing voices, but like I was removed from them. Wendy at one stage came right up to me letting me know she was there. We had spoken with Wendy about M delivering Miss Audrey, like he did with Master R. My previous Ob called M down once Master R’s head had been delivered. Wendy had a different approach. She called M down to be with her as just before Audrey crowned. I had been holding his hand for strength until that point. I remember grabbing out for someone to hold my hand. I said is that you Sue, (my original Midwife) but it was Liz the anesthetist. I didn’t mind. It was a comfort thing.
I had never felt to in control as I did at that point. I could feel by body and I could feel what it was doing, but there was no pain it was great. I knew when to push and felt every contraction. Wendy coached me through the first contraction, but after that she could see I was in total control, so stepped back and let me do it all myself. I knew when to push and would bear down as long as I could each time, sometime as long as 20 secs. A quick breathe and then I would go again. If I felt I wanted to stop for a moment I could. I truly couldn’t believe my body. This is what I missed the first time with Master R, as I had a full epi and couldn’t feel a thing from the waist down. 2 more pushes and I had to stop to let Audrey turn. 1 more push and at 2:30pm I heard the most amazing sound, the sound of her little cry. I still remember it, then shedding tears myself. I don’t know if anyone saw them, but I was so happy, that I had bought this little life into the world, she was healthy and I did it all myself, unassisted. Keeping my sense of humour the whole time.
Audrey was born with her hand against her cheek, which is why I need stitches, little ratbag. Had she have come out with her hands down it would have been the perfect delivery. As I delivered lying on my side it was a bit hard for them to give her to me for the first cuddle, so instead M cut the cord and held her for a while. Once I had rolled onto my back and was a little more comfortable my princess was handed to me. Gawd she was so beautiful, even more than I had imagined. And hair, she had a lovely shock of black hair, that had a little sticky uppy Mohawk.
The joke with Wendy had always been that Audrey would be born with a mass of hair due to the intense heartburn/indigestion I had suffered throughout my whole pregnancy. As Audrey crowned, M announced ‘She has HAIR’…I was like OMG are you joking, and Wendy replied, ‘Nope a beautiful shock of black hair’. This got laughed at a lot, but in the end I got my dark haired beauty.
