[lauren85]

I had a trouble free pregnancy. No morning sickness. I found the more I ate the better I felt and I was constantly hungry! I did however put on 30kg from start to finish. Falling pregnant for me wasnt an easy task. I have Polycistic Ovarian Syndrome and it took a year of trying and 10kg weight loss before I fell pregnant naturally so to have a trouble free pregnancy was brilliant! Towards the end of my pregnancy I had elevated blood pressure and was so swollen I resembled the 'Michelin Man'. It all went down hill from 39 weeks till I had Sophie.

It started with going over that due date! That date was the date I had set in my mind. I wanted this baby out and that was the day, so to go 8 days overdue killed me! But then I also had pre-labour for 4 days before Sophie was born, having contractions every 5-10 minutes for 4 days! Sleep was a thing of the past! I ended up going into Hospital the night before Sophie was born, as I was meant to be getting induced the next day, where the Midwife gave me some panadol (seriously, what is panadol going to do when your contracting every 5-10 minutes?) and some sleeping tablets and told me to get some sleep ready for the big day tomorrow. At about 2am I was in agony and completely over it. The midwife gave me an internal and discovered I was 3cm dilated. The midwife said she was going to give me a small shot of pethadeine, I could have got down and my hands and knees and kissed her feet! It was enough relief for me to get 2 hours sleep....the most sleep I had gotten in 4 days. When I woke up at 5am, the contractions were so much more intense. Breakfast was delivered but food was the last thing on my mind. I had a sip of my cup of tea and instantly threw up. The midwife did another internal and discovered I was 6cm dilated and decided I should now make my way to the birthing suite. My fiance wasn't with me, so I was frantically trying to contact him to come in ASAP.


I spent the next 2 hours in the birthing suite on my own while my fiance took his time getting there, not realising I was actually in active labour this time and not the pre labour I had been having. After my fiance saw how much pain I was in and doing it all myself all morning, he was a fantastic support. He got me ice to chomp on and drinks of water all day. It took 8 hours to dilate from 6cm to 10cm! My contractions were all over the place and there was no regular pattern to them. This was due to my PCOS. I also had to have a catheter because no matter how hard I tried I just could not wee, and having one of them in mid contraction is not pleasant! I spent a lot of time in the shower and just walking around the room swaying from side to side. To be honest, I had absolutely no energy left to do much else. They ended up giving me syntocin to speed my contractions up and make them somewhat regular, and then decided to break my waters at 10cm!!!! The hook she used to break the membranes (which she said were unusually thick) cut the top of Sophie's head about 10 times because she broke them so late in the labour! My poor little poppet was already hurt and she wasnt even in the outside world yet.



I knew all along that Sophie was posterior and I kept telling them this so they could get a clue as to why it was possibly taking so long. They kept telling me the baby had turned. I knew it hadnt and it wasnt until they did a second ultrasound scan at 10cm that they said 'oh yes, the baby is posterior'. It was like Sophie heard them and she starting turning in my pelvis then. That pain was like a whole other level! it lasted for half an hour and it was at this stage I was begging for drugs or a ceaser! I had gone drug free throughout the whole thing but it was too late, the baby was coming and I just had to ride it out! I was so exhausted I fell asleep between contractions which were now 40 seconds apart, but still managed to give the biggest almighty pushes which the doctor was saying was 'plus two' pushes, whatever that means!? We pushed for what seemed like a lifetime and the babies head would come out and then as soon as I took a breath to push again it would slip back in again. The doctors saw how exhausted I was and decided they were going to vacuum the baby out. I have never felt so relieved in all my life, until they started vacuuming! I thought the baby turning was bad, this was worse! On top of this, I had torn and they did an episiotomy as well.

The feeling of having a baby vacuumed out of you is such a bizaare feeling and one which I dont wish to experience again. I had been dead quiet throughout the whole labour and even the midwife couldnt believe how quiet I was, but I screamed when Sophie was being vacuumed out. It took a good 5 big pushes till she came out screaming and it was the most amazing moment in my life to hold this beautiful warm baby that I had just laboured for 4 days for. To hold and see and smell this screaming bundle of joy made all of that hard work and torture worthwhile and I instantly fell in love. I am so very proud of the fact I delivered a 7lb 15oz baby girl who was 55cm long drug free. Breathing through the contractions was my only form of pain relief and I did this for 4 days.

I am not in any hurry to go back and have anymore at this stage as Sophie has been a difficult baby. She has severe silent reflux which she is on medication for and has dislocated hips, having to wear a pavlik harness for the next 3 months minimum with talk of surgery having to happen as well but I wouldnt change her or what we went through and have already been through together ever. She is now 7 weeks old and her personality is really starting to shine through now, and I love the fact that she is all strapped up in this harness, she has been in 4 different Hospitals so far in her short life and she has had that much intervention she doesnt want anyone touching her, yet still manages the most gorgeous gummy smiles and laughs and is babbling away at everything now. A far cry from the first 6 weeks with her where she screamed 24/7 because she was in so much pain.

This post has been edited by ~megan~: 05/06/2012, 11:20 AM

[~ Lucy's Mum ~]

Wow OP - despite a trying labour and difficulties with your little one since she arrived your love for her shines through and through and gave me the warm and fuzzies.

I hope things continue to progress positively for you and your precious bubs.

[Leha]

My dd was in a harness for 3 mths. Just wanted to reassure you that it will all be ok. They talked alot about surgery with us but in the end the harness fixed it.

She is 3 now and has no issues. I still have her little harness. The worse thing was when we couldn't take it of and it got poo on it. Was very hard to keep clean. Yoour post reminded me about it again.

The harness is also a real talking point. I had so many people coming up to me and telling me about their child who had been in one.

Congrats on the birth of your beautiful daughter. Enjoy.

[mummyofour]

From one Sophie's mummy to another congratulations on the arrival of your Sophie (and she share's her middle name with one of my other daughters )

Enjoy every minute of her (before you know it she'll be nearly 2 and drawing on the walls..... or that could just be mine )

[lauren85]

My dd was in a harness for 3 mths. Just wanted to reassure you that it will all be ok. They talked alot about surgery with us but in the end the harness fixed it.

She is 3 now and has no issues. I still have her little harness. The worse thing was when we couldn't take it of and it got poo on it. Was very hard to keep clean. Yoour post reminded me about it again.

The harness is also a real talking point. I had so many people coming up to me and telling me about their child who had been in one.

Congrats on the birth of your beautiful daughter. Enjoy.

oh wow thanks so much for sharing I really hope the harness is doing it's job, shes only had it on for 2 weeks and we have to go back to the royal childrens hospital in brisbane every month to get it adjusted and see if it is doing its job. I am praying like crazy she doesnt have to have surgery but if she does, its just another hurdle we get through and overcome. lucky they are so little and dont remember these things hey

[White-Lily]

Congratulations on the birth of Sophie Grace!

My DD was also in a harness for DDH. She was in her harness (Correctio) for 7 months and is now 3yo and doing wonderfully. Surgery was also mentioned to us but the harness did its job. Hope it works for your DD also.
We also kept DD's harness' (she went through 3) to show her when she is older.

[lauren85]

Congratulations on the birth of Sophie Grace!

My DD was also in a harness for DDH. She was in her harness (Correctio) for 7 months and is now 3yo and doing wonderfully. Surgery was also mentioned to us but the harness did its job. Hope it works for your DD also.
We also kept DD's harness' (she went through 3) to show her when she is older.

thankyou so much for sharing your DDH story with me also We went to the RCH 2 weeks ago, when Sophie had had the harness on for 7 weeks and looks like she can come out of it in 2 weeks time!!!!! 11 weeks in pavlik has hopefully done the job excited a lot for my little girl! excited I can now buy normal clothes also, and not expensive onesies especially made her pavlik's or von rosen's

[creepersgonnacre...]

I thought you said you had pethidine?