Mary Shares Her Birth Story
I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes at 32 weeks pregnant and suddenly had to change all my plans: birth at a different hospital, find a new midwife, and put my low intervention plans right out of the window.
I was told my baby was big for my size so I’d be induced at 40 weeks. My waters broke at 39/1 and traces of meconium were present so I found myself hooked up to a synto drip pretty quickly. Contractions came hard and fast, and bizarrely I felt virtually nothing in my tummy but everything in my right thigh! It was agony and I could not even stand.
My baby’s heart rate also kept dropping so they prepped my for an emergency C section and I opted for the epidural regardless as I was in such pain. Dialing back the synto restored my baby’s heart rate and we let the labour continue slowly. Once fully dilated I stopped the epidural and my baby was born about two hours later, drug free, after a total labour of around 14 hours. She was actually slightly smaller than average but in perfect health.
Prior to being in labour I was under the impression that an epidural meant that I would not be able to push her out without being coached. I had no idea I could stop the drugs and let things go naturally. The epidural got me through the intense pain of an induced labour but I was still able to give birth naturally, and walk out of the delivery room. Given the choice, I’d do it that way again!
