Cyndi shares her birth story
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My birth story is still very surreal to me even two years on. And most people I tell don’t believe me!
I went 15 days overdue and was induced. I was given the gel and then monitored for an hour. I was not at all dilated and nothing was happening. So I was told to go to a movie or a have a coffee at the nearby mall and come back for more gel at 12. We got to the mall and things started happening. I was in a lot of pain but managed to get my phone fixed and my hubby got his smoothie all while having contractions and freaking out the public.
We rushed back to the hospital and had to argue with the midwife to be checked as she thought it was just a reaction to the gel. When she did check I was at 5cm (in about 2 hours). I spent time in the bath and eventually gave up and just took the gas. It really affected me and I was in LahLah Land for the rest of the labour, I couldn’t follow the conversations as there was a time delay in my head. I apparently didn’t make any noise because I didn’t want to scare the other lady (there were no other mums in the ward that day).
My husband spent the labour holding my hand and doing soduko. He apparently only knew when the next contraction was coming when I would squeeze his hand. I can remember being really annoyed that he wasn’t doing more but apparently I only yelled at him in my head. I did throw up at one stage and just missed his feet. I also kept my eyes closed for pretty much the whole time. Opening my eyes made me feel nauseous.
I refused to let them take the gas away from me even though it was making me very high. I can’t remember how any of the pain felt, I just know it was there. I ended up needing to have forceps used. The Obs was awesome and old school so I was given a local on the perineum. He warned me it would hurt but that it was ok, there was very little I could say that would offend him. At this stage an orderly came in to ask if I wanted dinner… The Obs yelled something I can’t repeat and told me to push. I did (in complete silence apparently – again I was sure I was screaming) and my 7lb 11oz boy was born. Only with gas and a local (which I count as very little medical pain relief) and one small swearing tirade when the midwife tried to turn the gas down!
My midwife says that she uses me as an example now of women just getting on with it.
My friend uses me as an example in her child birth classes. So if you hear about a woman who gave birth silently that was me…
I only have a few regrets – not being alert enough to see my boy come out and not seeing my husband’s face when he cut the cord. Other than that I had an amazing experience and I am not scared to do it again.
Turn your face to the sun and all shadows will fall behind you!
