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Saturday, January 10, 2009

The Birth Experience! PART ONE!


Gosh! Where do I start!?

I'll start with the Birth plan that I actually had in mind, but little did I know that I was going to experience something completely different.

The way I imagined it all in my mind was that I would wait until I was to go into labour naturally and when the time had come I had planned on keeping as calm as I could knowing that when it was all over... our little angel would finally be in my arms.

In the delivery room I wanted Daniel (obviously,) my Mum and my dear friend Heather with me as my support and to witness the birth. My Aunty Karen was also in town at the time for Christmas, but unfortunately I was only allowed 3 support people with me. Besides them I had expected there to be no more than 2 other people in the room with us - the Midwife and a helper.

I had actually witnessed my good mate Natt giving birth a few months before, and she did it all with only one midwife in the room (besides me and her partner.) Heck she made it look so easy! lol! So basing it on from what I had witnessed in her experience... I began to get a fair idea of what I wanted for when my time came.

I decided from the start that I wanted to have the gas to help me through my contractions, because I have suffered in the past with ruptured ovarian cysts and was told by a nurse that the pain is very similar to child birth! If that were true (which it was!) then I wasn't going to try and be brave, because ovarian cysts are EXTREMELY UNBEARABLE, and even morphine wasn't enough to ease the pain!

So I agreed to the gas from the get go, and had decided to make the decision when needed for the pethidine. I wanted to do it with the gas alone, but if the pain was as unbearable as I'd imagined I was prepared to agree to the pethidine too.

But one thing I knew I definitely did not want was an epidural!!! I have heard many horror stories about the epidural from friends and on the Internet, and even at antenatal class they made it look terrifying!

For those who are unsure of what it is, it's an injection into the small of your back, using a curved, hollow needle. The needle goes between the vertebrae of your back, and into the space outside the coverings that surround your spinal cord. A fine tube is passed through the needle and then the needle is removed. The tube is taped up your back and over your shoulder. The anaesthetist injects a local anaesthetic into the tube to numb the lower part of your abdomen. Generally, your legs and feet go numb as well so you can't feel your contractions any longer.

It's a very serious procedure and the wrong move can really cause some serious damage. I've heard of people that have tried to have the epidural but it has taken the anaesthetist many many attempts to find the right spot. In some cases it can take hours of sticking this large horrible needle in and out over and over again to the point where it's simply too late. That was enough to turn me off, not to mention having to wear a catheter, being completely numb from the waist down, and the risks as big as being permanently paralysed with the wrong move!

So I had decided that I definitely did NOT want anything to do with this, and I actually wrote in my birth plan - under no circumstances give me the epidural! (Unless it is for an emergency C-Section.) But boy!... Did things change!

The other huge thing that I had anticipated was the moment that Kayla was to enter the world. I had been doing a lot of research about the moment of birth and ways to connect and bond strongly with your baby from that moment on. I was really big on the skin to skin contact where the baby is placed immediately on their Mothers chest where they would settle and breastfeed while they got use to their new surroundings .

I learnt that newborns can even crawl from their Mothers belly up to her chest and latch on to the nipple to feed (much like a kitten!!) I decided I wanted to do that, as it apparently makes the bond between Mother and baby even stronger. So I had it all planned out, and that moment was all I could dream about!

I was a little devastated when I found out towards the end of my pregnancy - that because I had gestational diabetes and was on insulin injections, Kayla was going to have to be taken away in special care to be monitored for the first 24 hours as they would need to keep an eye on her glucose levels. But the doctor did tell me that I would be fine to have my cuddles with her for a good hour or 2 before they would take her away, so I was happy with that at least and I was able to prepare myself to be away from her the first night...

But even that didn't go to plan!

Now for what REALLY happened...

Well things immediately changed for us as soon as we learnt that I was going to have to be induced on boxing day! This made everything so much more real, putting a date to the big moment was a very overwhelming feeling alone! I knew it was coming... but so soon? Dan and I became anxious but excited and for the first time the reality of becoming parents really hit us both harder than ever before!

When the time came suddenly to be induced, the midwife was about to make the cervidil induction when she realised that I was actually already in the early stages of labour! "Can you not feel those contractions?" the midwife asked me with a puzzled look on her face. "Ummm? I thought that was just the baby kicking?" I replied.

She had a chuckle and assured me that I was already having quite strong regular contractions and she was very surprised that I was not feeling them. She inserted the cervidil anyway and told us that I would most likely go into labour that night.

When I settled in my maternity room, I noticed that the contractions (which to me still just felt like baby kicks) were getting a little longer and stronger, but still no pain. Here was me laying in bed, with my Mums laptop playing solitaire while all these poor other women around me were moaning with pain with every contraction they had. I remember thinking to myself "This labour isn't so bad! This is easy peasy!" And as time went on, even the midwives were calling me a freak of nature! Word got around the ward very quickly that I was some kind of Super Woman that couldn't feel pain! *giggles*!

Although I didn't give birth that night, the contractions were still getting stronger and closer together, though it still didn't hurt one bit! The Midwives were now surprised that I hadn't given birth yet and it was arranged for me to have another cervidil the following morning.

During this time, I was beginning to get a bit cocky about the pain free contractions and even said to Dan that I could fly through this labour without any drugs!... HA!!!

Things were starting to really drag on! 2 days had past and still no baby! Next I saw Dr Egor (Who is absolutely lovely!!! I MUST send him some flowers!) who decided that he would break my waters first thing the next morning. They were actually ready to be broken there and then, but he felt that it would be safer to wait as it would be better to go into labour in the early evening and not at silly o'clock!

So the next morning, at 8am the 29th of December, that is just what he did and this was the first pain that I had experienced so far! (It's not the nicest procedure! The tool that he used to break my waters looked like a flippin crochet needle! YOUCH!) But the pain soon faded and it was time to get settled in the birthing suite and wait for it all to happen.

I called Mum to come in at this stage but it wasn't looking like my friend Heather was going to be able to make it! She was flying in from Perth that night (she wasn't expecting me to be induced early when she booked her flight!) but she was to arrive in Townsville at 9:15pm, so it wasn't looking good, so Aunty Karen took her place and soon joined us in the birthing suite.

Time went on, contractions got stronger and still no pain. I was very chuffed with myself and got too comfortable with the thought of having NO pain through the whole thing. But then the midwife set up the drip to help bring on labour quicker and................ OH. MY. GOD!!!

So THAT'S what painful contractions feel like!!!

Almost instantly the pain of each contraction finally kicked in... and they only got worse from then on!

To be continued...


I finished this just in time for the Bubettes next feed, so I'll leave it at that for now and continue with part two tomorrow (or whenever I can.)

But I can not end this post without a few more cutsie piccys of the gorgeous Kayla! After all... this blog is all about her! :-)

Sleeping Beauty...


After a bath...



Cutie Patutie...



Kayla sleeps...

Kayla starts to wake...

Kayla wakes up...

Kayla gets tickled...

KAYLA SMILES!!!
(Finally caught on camera!)


SmileyCentral.com Thanks for stopping by! xx

9 Comments for Kayla - Click here to comment too!:

Anonymous said...

ooohhhh...love the smiley pic...that one is going into Nanny's brag book!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos, great story too. Looking forward to part two! Grandma, Grandad & Mum had a look at the pics too. And of course Bonnie did too and pointed and waved and said Hello to Kayla's photo! Whenever I look at the photos I show her and tell her that they're pics of her Cousin Bubba Kayla (she has to be bubba Kayla since Bonnie is friends with other Kayla from Michael's band as well)

Jacquie
xox

Kayla's Mum said...

Kayla's Nanny - *giggles* xx



JMay - Awww cute! I can't wait to see BonBon and Bubette together in person!! xx

Peach said...

WOW - smiling already and it doesn't seem to be wind !!!! HOW COOL!!!

Love the pics and so so amazing your story - especially as I was texting you "what's going on?" at the time too! I really have to take my hat (if I had one) off to you - the labour sounds intense and really, even the breaking of the waters made me wince - there's NO WAY I could have gone through that!! NO WAY! And you doing all that makes me feel like a right wimp (BUT STILL I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT) - Harry's head now measures 39 on circumference, I am SO GLAD I didn't push that out!!

You're an utter star!! And an inspiration to women everywhere

(although if I ever have another I will still not be pushing!!!)

Brilliant brilliant stuff XXX

Kayla's Mum said...

Peachy poo - aww haha! Hey! Don't be so quick to praise me! The health system is much different here... you can not choose to have a C-Section.

Only the doctor decides if they feel that it is best, but it can only be agreed for an emergancy.

But I assure you I probably would have went with a C-Section too if I had the choice, HELL NO would I have done it this way! :-P *giggles* xx

Kristy said...

Hahah Kayla has such a smug look on her face what a cutie!!

I had a c-section I think I would have preferred the punani ripping torture LOLOL!!

Kayla's Mum said...

Kristy - LMAO! You're a mad woman! :-P xx

islandgirl4ever2 said...

WOW! That's really some story!! I am glad that you didn't feel any pain until the VERY end... I've heard such horror stories about labour pains!! I'm starting from the very beginning and reading up to the most recent... The pics are sooo cute... What a beauty!!!
God bless you!! And felicitations- Congrats to you and hubby!! ---Leesa

Kayla's Mum said...

Leesa - wow you got busy didn't ya! :-) Thanks for takin the time to read my long stories! Yeah the pain was HIDEOUS but all worth it in the end :-) xx