My Birth Story

Before we begin, TW! This is not a nice story, it involves an emergency c-section and some baby worries. It is also a long story!

If you are pregnant and worried about birth then just remember, every pregnancy is different, every labour is different. Just because this is what happened in my birth story, it does not mean it will happen to you. 

My due date was 10th May, I gave birth on the 21st! She did not want to leave. I had a sweep booked for the 20th and just incase that didn't work then the midwife booked me in to be induced on the 22nd.

I was terrified going in for the sweep. I had heard that it was painful and I was not looking forward to it. It wasn't as bad as I thought, it felt just like when they exam you during labour so was just a glimpse into what was coming. My midwife sadly couldn't do the sweep, my cervix was closed and back so was not in a good position for a sweep. I was so upset because I went through the pain for nothing. 

My partner and I were really hoping that the I wouldn't have to be induced. Due to covid-19 we found out that my partner wouldn't be able to come into the hospital with me and would only be able to stay with me once I was in established labour and could only stay a little while after the birth. If I had to be induced then I would have to be on my own for hours without him and I hated the thought of that. 

To try to kick start things I bounced on a birthing ball for a while and then decided to go for a long walk. During the walk I started to get pains in my stomach, this was around 7pm. I thought it was just normal pains that I had been having for a while, plus I wasn't used to walking so thought I was just super unfit. When we got home we had dinner and the pains continued. After dinner I tried to time the pains to see if it was anything. They lasted a few seconds and were a few minutes apart so I knew it was contractions. I didn't want to say anything to my boyfriend at first because I didn't want him to worry but he knew something was wrong. We continued to time them for another hour before calling my parents (who were driving us to the hospital) and the hospital.

When we called the hospital I was told to call them again when the contractions lasted for a minute each and were every three minutes and when that lasted for an hour. I did just that. I bounced on the ball and I took deep breaths and I timed them. The baby centre app has a really good contraction timer that i used. I started getting very sick and threw up everything I ate or drank. When it was ready I called the hospital. They told me I could either go in for an examination or wait at home until I felt like I needed to go in. I was in a lot of pain (I'm a wimp with pain) so I said I would go in.

Turns out, I was only 1cm dilated. At 1am I was sent back home to wait it out. The woman never actually told me when to come back. She said not to bother timing the contractions and didn't say when I should go back, she just said come back in a few hours.

I went home and took a bath which helped with the pain a little. My mum had lent me her tens machine so I used that for a while and tried to sleep. I couldn't get even a minute sleep. Everytime I got close to sleep i got another contraction and it woke me up again. At around 7am I was in so much pain. I had been sick so many times and most of the time I had nothing to throw up. The contractions were so strong now and I was so tired. My boyfriend took my phone and called the hospital for me and they said to go back in. 

I went in and waited in the waiting room. I waited and waited. I think I scared this poor woman who had just come in for an examination and had to sit with me for at least half an hour while I was struggling with contractions. Luckily this time I was 5cms! Unfortunately my cervix was still quite far back so the midwife had to pull it round and to the front. This was the most painful bit so far. I was then taken round to a room and told to call my boyfriend for him to come up. I was so worried beforehand that I would be told to go home again, so when I was told I had a room I was so happy.

I had my blood pressure checked, babys heartbeat, I was tested for covid-19 (not as bad as I thought it would be) and had just the general checks you get when in the hospital. My heart rate was high because I had been so sick so they gave me some anti sickness and kept an eye on it. At this point I was given gas and air for the pain.Neither of these helped. I was still in a lot of pain and I was still very sick. The gas and air only made me feel even sicker and everytime i tried to use it I felt worse.

After a few hours I tried to eat some belvita biscuits and immediately threw up. A few hours after that I tried some jelly and once again threw that up too. I had been trying to sleep this whole time and when I couldn't i was bouncing on a ball trying to get things going. I was given a pethidine injection to see if that would help with the pain but nothing helped. Every now and then the midwife would come in and check my vitals and check babys heartbeat. Each time everything was fine except for my heart rate.

At 5ish the midwife examined me again and I was 7cm! Great. Things were moving along. I was close. The midwife said that now it was just waiting for my waters to break and of they didn't within a few hours then they would have to break them.

Next came the change in shifts, I got a new midwife. I just want to say that the first midwife was great, her exams weren't that painful and she was lovely. When the next midwife came along she took down all my details, checked everything again and once again my heart rate was high.

When the second midwife checked I had either gone down to 6cm or stayed at 7cm, this wasn't clear. She also checked the babys heartbeat. This midwife got worried. Babys heartbeat was not what it should be and was going down when I had a contraction. I think it was referred to as late d cells. Another midwife was called in for a second opinion. They checked me over again and again they said her heartbeat was not what it should be. 

They knew that they might have to intervene and that i might need help getting little one out so they took me to another unit in the hospital that was more suited in case something happened.

Here's where it gets blurry. I don't remember much and to be honest, I'm glad. My poor partner has told me as much as I can handle but I still don't know everything that happened. 

When we got into the room i gave a urine sample. From this they could see that i was servery dehydrated and they gave me a drip, eventually. They took blood samples in case I needed a c section but those sat on the side the entire time. I had a belt placed on my stomach to monitor baby but I don't know if the midwife just didn't put it on properly or if the machine wasn't working because they kept having to move it to get a clear reading when I got a contraction. My cervix was checked again and i had gone up to 8cm which was great, it meant things were still moving along.

Because the belt was having issues they tried putting a clip in to get a better reading. To be honest I'm not sure what or where this clip was but it didn't seem to work. Babys heartbeat was still low and still had late d cells so they needed to get things moving quicker. I had my waters broken, which was unpleasant.  I remember begging them for pain relief because i was in so much pain but they had to wait for some reason.

Then it got even scarier. They couldn't hear her heartbeat. I don't remember this. I just remember a really nice Irish woman coming in and helping the others. There was about 5 or 6 people in my room at this point. She was helping the others and was so sweet to me and reassuring. Then I was told i needed a c section. I said yes, no matter what I just wanted her safe and i had already told them that if that's what needed to happen then that will happen. 

My partner later told me that they didn't hear her heartbeat for 5 minutes. That's when they rushed me down for the c section.

In the operating room i was given an epidural and the surgeon asked me a few questions and ran through things with me. I was shaking. I was in so much pain and i was so scared and dehydrated and I couldn't stop myself from shaking. I was given an epidural and laid down. I was then given a catheter which I felt. The surgeon told me that he would spray me legs and abdomen with a cold spray to test the effect of the epidural. He sprayed it on my arm so I could feel what it should feel like and told i should feel it, but not the cold.

I felt it. I felt the cold. I told the surgeon and he tried the spray again. Someone then said how I had said ouch when they put the catheter in so the epidural hadn't worked. They told me i needed another one but because they hadn't heard her heartbeat for a while they didnt have time to sit me up. Instead I was rolled onto my side while they tried again. This time it worked. I still could not stop myself from shaking.

Everything was rushed. They had such little time that they couldn't get full covid-19 ppe on in case we lost her. They needed to act fast. 

Then suddenly she was out and she was screaming. She was breathing. The surgeon, nurses and midwives literally sighed in relief. They honestly thought that she wouldn't make it. They were relieved that she was alive. She was cleaned up and I got to have my first cuddle.

I cried. Of course I did. I was a very hormonal new mum and after all that I had finally held my baby.

Labour was 28 hours long. Millicent was born at 23.37 on 21st May 2020. She weighted 7lb 14oz. She absolutely healthy and beautiful. 

We were never told why they couldn't find her heartbeat or what went wrong. There was no reason for it. She was healthy, she was breathing, she had been fine all day.

From looking back on everything it is clear that i was severely dehydrated. I don't know how that would effect labour but my contractions seemed to stay at the same rate for hours, they even slowed down. I hadn't eaten since 8ish on the 20th and I had brrn throwing up since 10ish on the 20th. I hadn't slept, I hadn't eaten, i threw up all my fluids. I should have been put on a drip or something a lot sooner than I was. 

Unfortunately due to covid-19 my partner could only stay with us until we were moved to a ward. It was awful being away from him and alone. It's terrifying being a new mum but being alone and away from your partner is awful. 

We stayed in the hospital for a day and a half and were finally sent home on the 23rd. My after care was poor. My cannula came out twice because it was so hot that the tape holding it down wouldn't stick. In the end they had to stop the fluids early because the cannula came out and bent. I couldn't eat or drink because i couldnt move from the pain to reach the table and once i was i couldnt move with her in my arms. When someone finally pushed the table closer and i got a little to drink, someone else came by and pushed it away. I wasn't helped much in hospital and even less when we left. I also had been given no information on caring for the c section wound or what to do if i needed help. Thank god for the Internet. I ended up having an infection in the wound and having to go back to the hospital multiple times to get it checked and then finally getting antibiotics but even after those the infection was still there. It was only once i went for the 8 week checkup that I was given antibiotic cream which has helped so much.

Millie is now 10 weeks old and growing so big! At the last checkup she was 12lb 10oz! Being a mum and watching her grow is the best thing in the world. It was difficult getting her here but she is perfect.