Connor's
Birthstory.
By Fiona Slattery
A little bit of
background
Six and a half years ago, my
daughter Eleanor was born by Caesarian section. She had been
posterior and stayed high while turning towards anterior. I
was in a hospital and although I felt fine and she was never
stressed, it was taking too long for them. The next OB on
duty was not going to "allow" me to labour without an
oxytocin drip, and I permitted myself to be talked into it.
Of course (although I didn't know it at the time) with Ellie
in the wrong position for labour it did nothing. After a
couple of hours on the oxytocin (gas only for relief, almost
one continuous contraction) the OB did an internal and
announced that I was too narrow and that "the baby would
never come out of there". He had me in for a c/s as fast as
he could get me. Later he told me that if it wasn't for him,
my baby and I would both have died, and that I would never
have a baby vaginally because I had a "narrow
outlet".
I would not have another child for
a few years, but I could not help wondering. I could not
believe that what he said was true. Some time later, I had a
loop excision on my cervix, and my gynaecologist was also an
obstetrician (although not practicing it any more due to
back problems). I spoke to her about it and she was
appalled. "Nobody does internal pelvimetry any more!" she
said. She told me that statistically, I had an 80% chance of
a subsequent vaginal delivery.
It was about this time that I met
my current husband, Bernie. We decided we would have a child
as soon as we were married (I am 37 and he is 42). I knew I
wanted a vaginal delivery. However, having had a previous
c/s, I was discriminated against. I could not go to a birth
centre, and at a hospital, would have to be continuously
monitored. During a tour of the hospital I told my story to
the midwife doing it and she said, "well most of the
obstetricians here aren't like that". Most? Not good enough.
I became very anxious about the thought of having my baby at
that hospital.
I learned that despite the c/s it
was possible to engage a midwife and have a homebirth.
Although it would cost $2000, a small windfall meant that we
could afford it. So this was the route I chose, finding my
very competent and lovely midwife Sheryl. I discovered
(during a run in with a hospital OB) that the local hospital
was not homebirth friendly and it would be better, if I had
to transport, to go somewhere that was. So I arranged to
have King George V as a backup instead. I was
ready.
First Signs
I was woken at about 3.30 am on 17
October by a contraction. They continued at intervals for a
couple of hours moderately enough for me to doze between. By
5.30 they were stronger and so I got up and hopped on the
Internet for a bit and made a few emails.
A bit after 6, my husband's alarm
went off, so I told him what was happening. He wondered
whether he should go to the Riverview basketball training
session (he is a coach) to be back by 9am and I told him I
didn't think much would happen before then but I would
prefer him at home! So he stayed home.
A bit after 7am, I called my
midwife Sheryl and told her what was happening and she said
call back when they were all strong and lasting a minute. I
had estimated them to be about 30 sec long but I was trying
to time them on my own so I think that was a bit off. Some
were stronger and some weaker. I also told my mother what
was happening but not to come straight away.
Labouring at home
By 8am they were all pretty strong,
lasting about a minute, and were about 3-5 minutes apart.
(We have a record from 7.14 to 9.14.) So we called Sheryl
back and she left home to come over here. We also called my
mother to come. I was very glad Bernie had decided not to go
to training! While we were waiting, we filled the
pool.
Sheryl got here about 9ish. She
doesn't tend to do many internals but she felt that from how
I was going that it would not take too long.
It was pretty soon here that I
started getting back pain. I could not understand this
because Connor was anterior! However it was getting worse
progressively. It soon got to the stage where the back pain
was the most painful bit.
Sheryl was suggesting I think about
an internal and at about 11.30 or so I decided that we
should check. She told me Connor was at &endash;1 and well
applied, that my cervix was paper thin, and that I was at
4cm. I had been hoping for more than this, but later she
told me that the 4cm part was a little white lie, and that I
had not been at 4cm but at 2cm but she didn't want to
discourage me. 4cm was discouraging enough, however it was
progress, and so I kept going.
I was trying different ways of pain
relief. The uterine contractions were fine, I could handle
them, but it was the back pain that was getting me. I was in
the pool, on all fours leaned over a low table, standing in
the shower, on my side in bed ... nothing seemed to help
much. Back counter pressure was not too good, but did a bit
(I would press my hand into my lower back during a
contraction) and ditto back massage. It was a particular
point, on my pelvis, either side of the sacrum, that was
really hurting. The best place was in the shower, standing.
Thank heavens we have an endless hot water
system.
My main labour support people at
this stage were my mother and my husband. My sister was
there also with her daughter (who is 4) and Ellie and
Georgia basically played most of the day, with Ellie coming
in to see me regularly wherever I was. Bernie was finding it
pretty hard going, my pain was pretty obvious. I think he
felt he wanted to do more than he was, but he really was
wonderful, he was like an anchor to me. My mother was also
wonderful. These two people helped me get through it. Sheryl
later told me that I was experiencing a lot more pain than
is normal in a birth.
At about 3.30 we did another
internal. I was in the bedroom at this stage, on my knees
leaning into the bed. Sheryl told me that I was clenching my
bottom too much (she later said she had never seen such a
clenched bottom before, my cheeks were "like rocks"). I was
trying to relax myself but it was the only way I could get
through the back pain.
Anyway the internal showed 5-6cm
dilation, still paper thin, and very stretchy. However she
wanted to check what I did during a contraction since I was
so tense. She discovered that during a contraction my cervix
got very hard and stiff and went down to about 3cm. Not
good. I really tried to not tense up but just couldn't do
it. We decided to go the hospital and get pain relief so
that I would not tense up and fight the contractions, to see
if we could get progress that way. I was not going to
progress the way I was.
We had to wait a bit before leaving
as my sister was off feeding the horses (she and my mother
run an Arabian stud) and we had to wait for her to come back
for the girls. I wanted my mother as well as my husband at
the hospital with me. Under Sheryl's direction a hospital
bag was hastily packed with things for me and for
Connor.
At the hospital
Well the car ride was interesting
to say the least. It lasted about an hour, since we had
decided to use a back up hospital that was homebirth
friendly (absolutely the right decision as it turned
out).
When we arrived at about 7pm I was
whisked into a labour room, given gas which helped a lot,
and prepped for an epidural. We'd decided to go in as public
patients and see what sort of medical staff we got, and
switch to private if we needed (we're still in the obstetric
exclusion period on our private insurance). As it turned
out, everyone was just fine, very good, and we didn't need
to switch.
I was given an IV for fluids (I was
pretty dehydrated, even though I'd been drinking) and given
the epidural. When it kicked in the relief from pain was
wonderful. I went from monosyllabic (mostly "aaaarrghh") to
being able to talk in sentences, and even make stupid jokes
again.
Would I VBAC or repeat
C/S?
We arrived at the hospital (King
George the Fifth Women's and Children's Hospital,
coincidentally where I and my two sisters were born) a few
hours before the end of a shift. Our midwife was called
Alice (mnemonic "Alice in Wonderland") and the resident OB
was Sue ("A Boy Named Sue" &endash; Johnny Cash). Sue came
in and had a talk to us and got my history. She went through
our options. She said she thought a c/s was likely but not
inevitable. It depended on my progress with the epidural. We
were going to wait and do another internal in about 3
hours.
During this time the epidural
started to wear off and I got a top up a bit before it was
time to do the next internal check. Unfortunately the top up
wasn't 100% effective but I thought it would be OK (that
taught me a lesson!). We discussed what we would do if I did
end up with another c/s, who would stay overnight, where I
would recuperate, etc.
Also the shift changed and the new
hospital midwife was someone Sheryl knew, Louise ("Thelma
and Louise") who is due in January and is a homebirth client
of Sheryl's partner Shea. The new resident OB was a Kiwi
called Deirdre (I remembered her name because of a girl I
went to school with whom we spoonerised to "Teirdre
Dilley"). They were even better than Alice and
Sue.
At about 10.30 it was time to do
the next internal. What would happen next depended on what
we found. Had I progressed?
All systems go!
Louise did the internal and much to
our great joy and elation found me at 9cm! In fact, all I
had left was an anterior lip, which Louise pushed back, and
then I was complete! I could push! Hooray!
We decided that with the epidural
wearing off it would help me to push better to feel what I
was doing, so I got to work. Because I still couldn't feel
much I was being coached in pushing but was doing the right
thing. He started moving down my birth canal.
While I was pushing I started
feeling the back pain again. At first it was handleable but
as the epi wore off it came in stronger. I tried different
positions but nothing seemed to work. It was not going away
between contractions, just staying put, and nothing I could
do would reduce it. I was pretty incoherent with it by now
(I recall some screaming) and I could feel my body shutting
down, I could not concentrate enough to push, it really was
a hideous pain (ah the blessed relief of forgetfulness, it's
only a memory now).
Anyway I was given the choice of go
ahead and push the baby out or have another epidural top up
and deliver assisted. Well I knew I could not co-ordinate
myself to push him out, they said it would take another
30-45 minutes. I could not go that long with this pain which
was without relief and getting worse. So I got the top
up.
After it took effect (with me
coping with the gas in the meantime) Deirdre came in to do
the ventouse; I didn't need forceps, thankfully. I had
already pushed effectively with coaching and so I did it
again. At one stage Connor was in my birth canal with the
ventouse cup on his head and was wiggling his head, making
the ventouse thing wiggle. Sheryl told Deirdre and Louise
that the OB who had sectioned me had said I was too small to
ever deliver vaginally. They all looked at Connor's head
wiggles and said "there's HEAPS of room in
there!"
Anyway Sheryl started taking photos
and then ran out of film. While she was changing it I had
another contraction and they said "push" and I said "can I
wait till she has the new film in?". "NO!" So I pushed but
he didn't come out in that sequence of pushes anyway. (He
came out the next one and so we got it on film.)
Connor is born
Reaching down and feeling his warm
slippery head was AWESOME. For someone who wondered whether
they would ever deliver vaginally, it was a very powerful
moment. I'm getting teary just writing this. Along with his
head his little hand came out too. I didn't tear with the
head delivery but Deirdre decided to deliver the arm to
reduce the risk of his elbow making a big tear and I got a
slight second degree tear then (I hardly feel it). The next
thing I knew, a warm slippery baby body was on my tummy! Oh,
wow, the whole thing was unbelievable!
Connor had passed a huge lot of
meconium just as he came out so after he was wiped a bit on
my tummy and Bernie cut the cord, the baby doctor gave him a
bit of suctioning in case he'd inhaled any, but he hadn't.
Then he was bundled and given right back to us.
He wasn't interested in feeding
straight away. Instead he spent time looking around at
everything. He didn't cry (and still doesn't much). Of
course he's the most perfect baby in the world!
Vital Statistics
Connor Jye Webber Slattery was born
on 18th October, 2000, at 1.18am. He was 51cm (20 inches)
long and weighed 3145g (6lb 15oz). His Apgars were 6 and
7.
Last few things and back
home
It was now the early hours of the
morning and Sheryl thought she might go home, which sounded
sensible to us. She was due to start night shifts the next
day. Louise would do the measuring etc. My mum and Bernie
stayed until he was measured. If we'd been able to get a
room without anyone else in it my mum would have stayed the
night but we couldn't. I had to wait until I got my legs
back, have a shower, and so on so I would stay till the
morning and then Bernie would pick me up and take me
home.
I breast fed Connor while waiting
for the epidural to wear off, had some toast and a drink
(was I starving!), had a shower, and was in bed by 5.30am
(ready for breakfast at seven!). By 10am Connor and I had
both been assessed and pronounced healthy, Bernie had
arrived and we'd checked out. And by 11am, ten hours after
Connor arrived into the world, we were home!
Connor has taken to breastfeeding
beautifully and has a lovely, easy nature. I'm feeling
really good apart from some residual soreness and some
rotten haemorrhoids, and a bit of nipple soreness from my
unpractised nipples! But boy, does it beat a Caesarian
recovery hands down!
Afterthoughts
I didn't get exactly the birth I
was hoping for, but I really feel like it was a positive,
empowering, amazing experience. It was "my" birth experience
(and Connor's, and Bernie's ...). The interventions I had
were all necessary under the circumstances and I am happy
that we made the best choices we could. I knew before I went
into this that I could not anticipate what happened, that we
would have to take what came, and we did. Any choices we
made were our choices. I'm happy with those choices. I could
not have anticipated the back pain, the result of a serious
horse riding accident I had at 22 which injured my pelvis. I
was traumatised by my previous c/s, an unnecessary one (and
this proved how unnecessary!). However this birth has taken
me through that and I am whole again, but a lot more aware
and informed.
And best of all, I have my lovely
Connor!
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