Escape&Inspire: Labor & Birth Story

at 6 months

I was adamant that this baby would come before my due date, so when my due date came and I still had no baby I was starting to get so frustrated. I had been getting contractions around every hour or so for the past 2 weeks and was officially over being pregnant.

I was uncomfortable on the night of the 22nd which was my due date. I kept feeling like I couldn't breathe, and that my stomach was really over-stretched, so I went for a walk. When I didn't feel any better I lay down and went to sleep at around 8 that night.

I woke up at 2 in the morning because I started getting contractions again. They were around 5 minutes apart but I wasn't in THAT much pain that I thought I needed to go to the hospital, so I just browsed the internet until it was time to get ready for that day. I had my antenatal clinic that day anyways so I was just going to go to that instead.

When I was getting ready, my water broke. Richard was so excited and freaking out asking me if I was okay. I was still bustling about tidying and getting things ready as well as making breakfast. My ride to the hospital arrived and I ended up not even eating the breakfast I'd spent so long making.

I got to the hospital and I was so sure that I wasn't in labor yet because it wasn't hurting that badly, I was just short of breath and feeling pressure in my lower back and all across my stomach. When I got to the labor ward it was change of shifts, so I had to wait an hour before even being seen - and Richard had to wait outside.

The nurse who checked me out said to me, " You know, since you've come in I haven't really seen you get any pains"
"Just because I'm not crying and pulling faces doesn't mean I'm not in pain, Nurse" I replied
"You're not in labor, if you were - you'd be in more pain"

She examined me and told me I was four centimetres dilated, and admitted me straight away.

They moved me to what they call 'First Stage', where there were a few other women in beds being monitored too - while we waited to dilate further. While I was in first stage they told my Mum and boyfriend that they could come in, one at a time and talk to me.

Since they were checking my blood pressure and monitoring the baby every 30 minutes it didn't leave much time for them to get to talk to me, since when the doctors were examining me they wouldn't let my family come see me.

My mom went home, and Richard went to get a bite to eat when they heard that now I was 3 centimeters instead of four centimeters dilated. Yep - I was actually going backward.

Since my waters had only been trickling out and not gushing - a Doctor came and broke my waters to speed up my labor. Then they told me to walk around - trust me... it's really not the nicest feeling.

Almost immediately after she broke my waters the contractions got worse. I would say about 7 on a pain scale, but it was manageable as they were about 7 minutes apart lasting for a minute the same as they had been for most of the day.

I asked for something for the pain, and they examined me again - told me I was 5 centimeters and gave me an injection in my IV line. I was warned that the injection wouldn't take away the pain of the contractions but make me drowsy and possibly speed up the labor.

At this point I hadn't had anything to eat in almost 24hrs and I was super tired, hungry and nauseous. Right after getting the injection I went to sleep.

I slept for maybe an hour and a half, and woke up at about 3pm. I couldn't believe how much pain I was in so suddenly. I guess the nurses didn't believe me either, because it took them 20 minutes to come and check how dilated I was again.

By then, I was 8 centimeters dilated. I tried standing up and holding over by the side of my bed which was helping me bear through the contractions which were increasing in pain and getting a couple of minutes closer together. They told me I'm not allowed to stand and to go lay down.

I got so frustrated. How can they tell me to do something that makes it even more painful? Within 20 minutes I was literally writhing in pain in my bed and feeling this strong urge to push. I'd been told not to push before my body was ready so I was trying SO hard not to.

I yelled for the nurse and told her I really feel like I need to push so she checked me again. It was all systems go from there. I was fully dilated and they wheeled me to a private room immediately so I could deliver.

You could say that I started to freak out a little bit then. Neither my mom or Richard were there and at least one of them should have been there. The midwife was there telling me to push and I didn't want to have this baby without the father there to see his child being born.

A doctor asked me if there was anyone I'd like to call. I gave them my mom's number, but she wouldn't answer her phone and Richard had just gotten a new number the week before so I couldn't even remember it properly.

It just so happened that he had come back just in time and was in the waiting room when I sent a nurse out to look for him.

The labor went pretty quickly after that. He was in the room with me for about 15 minutes before our daughter was born. I got to name her and he cut the cord, then my mother took her away and dressed her.