Birth Story #5

Age of Mum: 26
1st/2nd/3rd or more baby: 2nd
Gestation born at: 40+6
Any pregnancy complications: None
Type of delivery: Natural
Length of labour: 5hrs established
Pain relief: Gas & air
Any other methods used ie water/hypno birthing: TENS
Weight of baby: 10lb 13oz
Sex of baby: Boy
Who was present at delivery: Husband (James) & Mum
Complications during labour: Shoulder dystocia
Did you feel informed about your choices during labour: Yes
Complications after labour: None

I was due on the 1st of October but was having no signs apart from a few Braxton hicks. So I went to my usual midwife appointment on the 3rd where she gave me a membrane sweep and said that baby was very low down and I was already 2-3cm…. I was all excited thinking it would all be happening very soon. Also my belly was measuring slightly big but I was told it was nothing to worry about and baby felt about 8lb. Nothing happened.

Getting more and more fed up of long walks and curries we decided to (sorry TMI) have sex and see if this would get the baby out. This was on the night of the 6th. Almost straight away I started getting period pains like I did in my first labour and knew that this was it…at last. I was unsettled most of the night but not really in pain or having strong contractions until about 5am when they started to come strong and close together. I woke James, told him that it had started and to run me a bath. I couldn’t sit in the bath though, I needed to be up and moving around so James put my TENS machine on.  After a few more contractions I rang delivery suite who said to come straight in. Whilst trying to get dressed my waters broke all over the landing carpet…which I then trailed all around the upstairs as I couldn’t keep still. We picked my Mum up and went to hospital…with a towel between my legs as my waters kept running. Not glamerous at all!

The midwife examined me and I was 7cm but she could stretch me to fully dilated, she even got another midwife to check as I was coping really well at this point. In the delivery room I kept moving about and using my TENS. As the contractions got stronger I started on the G&A and soon felt the urge to push. At this point I got on the bed but on all fours as I didn’t want to lie down. I started to push but couldn’t really do it in that position so I then went on my back. Still sucking on the G&A and screaming that I couldn’t do this anymore, I delivered his head at 9.43am…and then it all went crazy. He was stuck at his shoulders. The midwife pushed the emergancy buzzer and what felt like hundreds of people came running in. This part is all a bit of a blur to me but I remember hearing the midwife say shoulder dystocia to the doctor and thinking oh shit that doesn’t sound good! All the extra bodies got hold of my legs and pushed them right back near my head and the midwife managed to pull him out. His body was delivered at 9.46am. 3 minutes seems a hell of a lot longer when your baby is at risk. James didn’t get to cut the cord as he was immediately taken by the doctors to check that they hadn’t broken his clavicle which is sometimes what happens in this situation, but thankfully he was fine. The midwife weighed him and said he was a big one at 10lb 13oz. We then got our first cuddles.

The midwife later came to explain to me everything that had happened, even with my legs right over he was still stuck so she had had to put her hand inside and manually dislodge his shoulder. She said they have a critical window of 7 minutes once the head has been delivered. Luckily Nathan was out in 3 with no ill effects. I didn’t need any stitches and felt a lot better than when I had given birth to my daughter at 7lb 13oz.

Nathan James

7th October 2014

9.46am

10lb 13oz

Thanks for reading