Baby Greenhouse Birth Stories

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Reece's erratic heartbeat led to a c-section for MaryMc
The midwife checked me internally and said that labour could be a while off but it had begun. She left the monitors on me for a while and left the room, next thing the baby's heartbeat dipped to 80bpm, I panicked and got Leslie to get the midwife asap. She came back in, quickly followed by another and they looked very alarmed. They got a junior doctor to come and after some hush-hush words they told us things weren't looking good and that a section might be on the cards so they took blood etc to prepare me for it.

Well, as you all know last Monday night/Tuesday I had been getting pains all day. The midwife said that she thought I was in early labour. As the day went on I began to feel worse and worse so at around 7.30pm phoned the hospital. They told us to come in for a check.

I had a bath and we reached the hospital around 9pm where they took us into the admissions room. They did the routine procedures, checked urine, bp etc and linked me up to the monitors. The baby's heartbeat was fine (around 160bpm) and small contractions were showing up. The midwife checked me internally and said that labour could be a while off but it had begun. She left the monitors on me for a while and left the room, next thing the baby's heartbeat dipped to 80bpm, I panicked and got Leslie to get the midwife asap. She came back in, quickly followed by another and they looked very alarmed. They got a junior doctor to come and after some hush-hush words they told us things weren't looking good and that a section might be on the cards so they took blood etc to prepare me for it.

I was left on the monitor for 2.5 hours and the heartbeat became erratic again and went as high as 188bpm and as low as 120bpm. I was terrified, the pains were still coming and the machine was showing stronger contractions.

After a while, we were taken to the delivery suite where another doctor came to see me, I was put on the monitors again, all seemed ok, the baby's heartbeat was stable but the contractions were stronger. The doctor then decided that they would be keeping me in overnight for observation and that they would induce me. Leslie was all set to go home at this stage (around 1.15am). She inserted a gel and within 1 minute the contractions started peaking bigtime, but the baby's heartbeat went erratic again. One second it was 120bpm, the next it was 180bpm, this continued and wouldn't calm down.

The doctor came back in and told Leslie that he was going nowhere, the baby was obviously in distress and told us that a section would need to be carried out immediately.

Next thing, I am getting wheeled to the labour theatre on my bed where there were about 10 people waiting.

The anaesthetist told me exactly what she was going to do, then gave me a spinal block. This took effect immediately, then a catheter was inserted (my big fear remember). Leslie had went to the car to get my bags whilst this was being done and I began to panic that he wasn't coming back so my heartrate increased. Next thing he was sitting on a stool beside my head amd I calmed down again.

At 01.50am the doctor told us we had a little baby boy, Leslie was sitting in tears, I had been in them from the start but to see Leslie cry made me worse but in a happy way. Reece cried straightaway, I will never forget that noise but they took him for a puff of oxygen anyway and then brought him over to us where I got a kiss!

Whilst they were finishing working on me, Reece was given his vitamin K jab and cleaned up. He measured 49cm and weighed 7lb 2oz! Leslie had a cuddle. We were then taken to the recovery area where I phoned my mum (they bent the rules and let me use my mobile). Reece was put into an incubator for one hour to ensure all was ok and for extra heat. Leslie left at around 3.00am. Reece was then placed into my arms and about 30mins later we were both taken to the maternity ward.

The feeling came back to me around 7am but I was kept in bed until 10pm that night. I felt so helpless, I wasn't able to feed or change Reece and could only cuddle him when a midwife placed him in my arms. The next day (Thursday) I was able to do everything myself and it felt so good!!

I got my staples out on Sunday morning and we were then allowed home. Leslie came and got us and we then went shopping to Mothercare and Next for blue clothes!

I am so happy! Reece is a fantastic, content little baby. As long as he is fed and clean he is happy! I am yet to hear him cry properly, not that I am complaining.

I am so proud of my little man, my dream has come true, he was worth waiting on and I will never forget what I had to go through to get him. I really hope any of the girls who are ttc and read this, especially those going through treatments get their blue lines very soon. Your day will come and it will be well worth the wait. Trust me!