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My due date was 9th May 2004, I’d spent the last few weeks wondering if an elective c-section was going to happen as the baby had been breach all the way through. On 8th May I’d gone to watch my football team play their last match of the season, I stood up all the way through hoping gravity would have some effect but nothing happened!! When we got home I had a curry, on 9th I had 2 pineapples but still nothing!!
In the evening of the 10th, I had a bit of a show and then the morning of 11th the contractions started just as DH had gone to work. I decided to be sensible and write down when I got them, how long they lasted and if they were front or back!! It carried on all day, my friend and my mum came around, DH came home from work and we went to see SIL for her birthday. All the time the contractions were getting stronger but we didn’t let on to anyone that the baby was on it’s way!!!
I went for a bath at 10pm and then went to bed for some rest. Got up at 11.30pm and was bleeding so the hospital said to go in. Got there at midnight as was told my waters had broke, was examined at 2am to be told I was 0cm but would be kept in as I was bleeding. DH was told to go home!! I was up all night, contractions every 10 mins and at 7am I asked for some pain relief and was given 2 paracaetamol!!!
DH came back at 9am and I’ve never been so pleased to see someone!! I was put on a monitor at 11am and was told I wasn’t in labour as the contractions weren’t strong enough and were too far apart. I nearly killed the doctor at that point and asked for more pain relief – cue 2 more paracaetamol!!!! By 2.15 my legs were giving way with every contraction and if I lay down my legs wouldn’t stay closed!!!!
DH went to get a midwife and demanded that they gave me an internal. The midwife said ‘oh, you’re 7cm, better get you to a delivery unit’ I was so please as that meant I could have lots of pain relief but I was also annoyed that they’d left me to get that far!!
Got to delivery at 3pm to be told I was 9cm and so couldn’t have any pain relief except gas and air. They asked if I’d like to try and give birth on the birthing stool which turned out to be like a toilet with no front in!! So, I sat there for a couple of hours of pushing with the midwives on the floor looking into the ‘toilet’. Lucy Elizabeth was born at 5.15pm weighing 6lb 13oz and I didn’t swear once!!!
Apparently I kept my sense of humour throughout and it took 2 hours to stitch me up, with 4 different people having a go!!! I kept loosing lots of blood everytime I moved and had my bedding changed 3 times between 11pm and 4am, so , I was very light headed and the nurses brought me cakes to get my sugars back up!!!!
I even got a private room on the maternity ward so I could get some sleep!!!