Simone's Story.Labour started Friday night - spontaneously (Didn't think my body knew about spontaneous labour!) I had contractions about 15 minutes apart all night - we didn't get much sleep. Saturday, contractions were more irregular - about every 20-45 minutes. Saturday evening about 5.30 they kicked in regularly - about 5 minutes apart. Strong enough to stop me in my tracks and take my breath away but not totally full on. I rang the hospital about 7.30 to see what they thought I should do, and given my history they asked me to come in (I figured they would). We went in about 9pm (kids nicely tucked in bed etc - Mum was staying with us) and contractions were about 3-5 minutes apart - lasting between 20 & 50 seconds. They were getting stronger but I wasn't screaming the house down - yet. The doctor did an internal about 10pm and for all my hours and effort I was zero centimetres dilated. The nice midwife then finished her shift and the next one came on. She indicated that I had a hopeless chance of a vbac - nothing like a bit of moral support! And she recommended a shot of pethidine and phenurgen (pain killer and sedative) so that I could sleep through the night and then have a c/section in the morning. I was pretty confused by now - and feeling defeated given my zero cm diagnosis! I had the shot about 12.15 and then sent Mick home - thinking I'd be sleeping until morning. By 1.30 contractions were *full-on*. They shifted me to another room so as not to distress the other women in hearing distance! They were 2-3 minutes apart and lasting a full 60 seconds. They hurt like hell. Mick was at home, the doctor was gone and the midwife filled in paperwork. This continued until 3pm when Mick came back. They finally got hold of the doctor who gave permission for an epidural - which went in about 4am. Some time they did another internal and I was 3-4cm dilated - and Hamish was diagnosed as a brow presentation. I agreed to the caesarean. I also gasped out "I want my tubes tied" at which they all sort of stared at each other whilst I attempted to explain I'd thought about this beforehand and discussed it with previous doctors. They agreed to do it. Liam was born at 5.19am and my tubes tied very shortly after. I was back in the ward by 7.30 and out of bed at lunchtime. Now to fill in the emotional details - the midwife had said to me at one stage "The doctor's gone" which I interpreted as "Gone home" but in fact meant he was out of the ward and lying down somewhere trying to get some sleep. So I was feeling pretty panicky about being in the hospital with no doctor! She'd also said when she gave me the shot "I don't know what we'll do with you if this doesn't work". So when it didn't work I thought something was wrong with me. Mick was gone for 2 hours and I was totally alone. The midwives were sort of hovering around looking a bit worried and filling in paperwork. I had assumed that midwives *did* something when someone was in labour - but they just sort of wafted in and out and only came near me to hold the external foetal monitor in place. I think I would have done anything to have someone come and hold my hand! but I was totally incapable of speech during a contraction and fell asleep totally exhausted between the contractions. I'd had no sleep for two days and been given a shot of heavy duty pain killers and a sedative! I was pretty irrational the whole time and actually didn't think I was in labour - I'm not sure what I thought was happening but I thought it wasn't 'normal'. Panic started to set in and I was shaking uncontrollably and crying continuously - still incapable of actually verbalising anything intelligent - aside from "WHY CAN'T YOU *DO* SOMETHING?!?!?!?" at the top of my voice. Not one of my finer moments in life! They kept trying to get me to use the nitrous oxide gas - which I sort of tried to use, but basically found it pretty useless, and besides, I was lying on my back and couldn't find the damn mask most of the time. The readings on the foetal monitor indicated Hamish was no longer totally happy with events and the midwives managed to get hold of the doctor to tell him I was pretty distressed and the baby wasn't doing perfectly. They asked me if I wanted Mick back and I said yes. Once Mick came back and the doctor walked in the door (I'm pretty hazy about which happened first!) I stopped panicking - contractions still hurt like hell and were totally wearing me out but I was no longer shaking and at least Mick was there to hold my hand! It took them a while to get the anaesthetist down - it was 3am after all! - but once he came down and the epidural took effect (some time after 4) everything settled down. I could still feel the contractions but they weren't so bad. He upped the dose when the decision for c/s was made - in fact he made it so high that my left eye was sort of numb and floppy for a day! He was the nicest anaesthetist ever. He took on a god-like status for me at the time! In the midst of the surgery the Dr was paged - apparently there was a sexual assault case down at the ER and the police wanted someone to come down and do swabs or whatever you do with sexual assault cases! The Dr said they'd have to find someone else. Then the guy assisting the surgeon felt all queasy and faint and had to leave and lie down. Throughout the surgery I was struggling to stay awake. But I did manage to hear Hamish's first cry and hear the doctors say "Wow - what a big head and what big shoulders!" I don't know what time I got back to recovery but Hamish latched himself onto the breast with ease and suckled away for 30 minutes or so. He then slept away the vast majority of the next 24 hours! Back in the ward I wanted out of bed *fast*. They let me out about lunch time and I had a shower - catheter and drip still in. I begged them to get rid of the catheter - which went about 3pm, and the drip came out about 5pm. Normally they keep them in much longer but I was very insistent and up and about. I have healed fastest this time - I think because I got out of bed so early. I came home Wednesday (day three) which is very early by Australian standards. Everyone sort of stared when I said I wanted to go home - but Hamish and I were in good health and they could see no reason not to. The midwives came to see me for a few days after. Since the staples came out (Friday) I've had very little pain at all. I'm way more mobile now than I was when pregnant! The physiotherapist had stressed again and again that I mustn't lift anything heavy and mustn't lift my arms high (for pegging out washing etc) I'm finding it difficult to do as she says! The lifting is easy to avoid but it's a pain in the neck not being able to peg out the washing! I'm very tempted to just go ahead and do it - but she said something about leaving scars and adhesions on the uterus which somehow damage the bladder or something or other - can't recall exactly! And I have no desire to become incontinent at age 32! Hamish is an absolute delight! He is soooooo little compared to the other two. All 9lb 13oz of him. He was 52cm long and head circumference was 36.5cm. I'm not sure how that compares to Conor and Liam, but I do know that they both filled out 000's the day they were born and Hamish is just floating in 000's! In fact I have nothing small enough to fit him properly. But at least I know he's only growing in one direction. He has skinny arms and legs and very long slim fingers and toes. He should be the skinniest of my bunch of boys! He's absolutely adorable (of course ) with Conor's colouring - red hair, violet blue eyes, not quite so albino-looking as Liam. He has Liam's small, pretty mouth. He feeds like a champion all day long and sleeps well at night - last night he fed at midnight then 5.30! I hold no illusions for tonight however. The boys are absolutely entranced with him. They both just adore him and want to cuddle him and kiss him and hold him all day long. Liam's thrown two tantrums now because he wasn't allowed to go in and wake Hamish up for a cuddle (So I guess in essence the labour was hard but the baby is easy - so far ) I have no regrets about the tubiligation - but I do have this irrational fear that we're going to lose Hamish. Maybe I went through that with the other two - I can't remember. I just soak up every sight and sound and smell of him constantly - just in case... Well that's about it - that's certainly enough! Despite all the trauma of the labour I would do it all again - but I would choose a different midwife and not let Mick out of my sight! Thanks to any who made it this far! Best wishes, Simone
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