Sylvia shares her stories from four different birth experiences
It?s quite a common assumption that if you have one type of birth then your subsequent births may be fairly similar. For Essential Baby member Sylvia this was hardly the case, with her experiences including emergency caesarean, forceps and an unexpected home birth.
Baby #1
On the May 9th 1994, 8 days before I was due, I woke up at 4am with pains. Being my first I wasn?t sure if it was contractions or not. They were uncomfortable and regular, but not painful. We went to the hospital at about 10am and they told me I was 2cm dilated and my cervix was ready so they sent me home to get some rest. At 8pm we made our way back to the hospital in full labour.
The first internal showed I was 5cm dilated so they were happy for me to stay. By 4am I accepted gas as pain relief but it made me freak out and I started throwing punches at the midwife. It was then decided an epidural was my only option.
I slept on and off with the machine keeping an eye on the baby and monitoring contractions which luckily were still coming at regular intervals. My midwife Greg left at 3pm, 2 hours after his shift ended. He really wanted to see me through the delivery. I was told I was 10cm dilated before he left and asked if I had any desire to push but I didn?t.
The midwife who checked me in came back on duty and she was shocked I was still around. She found I was 10cm dilated and asked if I needed to push and again, I didn?t. It was at about 6pm and after many more internal examinations she discovered he was brow. My uterus is retroverted (tilts backwards) and anteflexed (folds forwards). She said there was no way he was coming out. I was asked if I minded if a couple of students could do an internal to feel the baby?s presentation and by this time I really didn?t care.
Thankfully I had the Epidural earlier so it meant that I could be awake to meet my baby. I signed the forms and was sent to theatre for an emergency caesarean. At 20.02pm, 36 hours after it started, Christopher Dean was delivered with the most gorgeous head of strawberry blonde hair. He was 2 hours old before I got to hold him, a moment I will never forget.
Baby #2
Chris was not quite 2 when our second baby was due. The end of my pregnancy was hard as I had gained so much weight and my blood pressure was high.
The hospital tried to push for an elective caesarean but I didn?t see any point as there was a reason Chris couldn?t get out. Part of the protocol was to have an epidural which I agreed to, as long as I got my VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean).
We didn?t know what we were having and were anxious to find out. On April 4 1996, we did. Labour started hard and fast and it was only two hours before I was 7cm dilated. I had the epidural as expected, though later I found out that you shouldn?t have an epidural past 6cm.
The epidural slowed down the labour and Sintocin (an induction drug) was given to speed things up again. They were starting to get worried as the baby?s heart rate was erratic at times.
Two hours later I was 10cm dilated but the epidural had stopped my urge to push and the baby?s heart rate was starting to worry them. With forceps and my legs in stirrups they pulled out the baby at 12.06pm. They told me it was a girl and whisked her away to give her oxygen. She had her cord around her neck twice and around her chest once.
Afterwards I hemorrhaged so they started putting drugs in my IV and stitched me up after having had an episiotomy as well. It was an extremely scary time but I was glad to have the VBAC I wanted.
Baby #3
On January 31, 2000 I went to the doctor for a check up. We knew the baby was a boy and that he was measuring ahead for my dates. I felt really odd so I asked him to do an internal examination. He told me that my cervix was ready and he didn?t think he would see me again in two weeks time.
That night I was woken up at 12.01am with what I thought was a really bad bowel so I went to the toilet and went very well. I went back to bed and four minutes later I felt it again. I had a shower and woke Brett thinking it must be labour. I couldn?t tell him how far my contractions were so he timed them and there was only a 3 minute break.
Brett had a shower and I called my mother. I thought we had plenty of time. My mum was there by the time Brett was ready and when she walked in the door I was on the lounge and said ?I think I have to push?.
There was a moment of slow motion here as she had a look to see my waters bulging and his head crowning. Brett was phoning the ambulance and my sister just arrived as my mother called for towels.They got them under me just as my waters broke and the ambulance officers arrived and casually wandered towards the house.
My sister told them the head was nearly out so they picked up their pace. They walked in and said ?I think we need to get you in to the ambulance?. Everyone in the room said at the same time ?she isn?t going anywhere?. They were a little taken back, but put their gloves on and delivered him only 47 minutes after the first pain woke me.
It was the most amazing experience of my life. My only regret was not saying I wanted my mother to deliver him. It was only by two minutes that she missed out. Ben was born two weeks early by my dates, three weeks early by the first ultrasound and was 7p 11o and 52cm long. He was peeling like he was overdue and he was definitely considered a rapid birth.
Baby #4
In February 2005 I found out I was pregnant with my fourth baby. I joined the due in October group on Essential Baby and the pregnancy traveled nicely. At 21 weeks we found out we were having our second daughter and were happy to be having our second pigeon pair. We named her Domonique Ella and from that time and it just seemed so right.
My whole pregnancy I feared a repeat of Ben?s birth. My midwife gave me her personal numbers in case it replayed itself and she would have come to deliver her at my home. On the October 1 I started getting some pains and I was under instruction to get checked straight away.
I was 2cm dilated but my cervix wasn?t ready. I was on edge all week after that as I had started bleeding. Early in the morning of the October 8 I started feeling those strange pains again which quickly turned into contractions I called my mum and sister (to babysit) and told them to come to my house.
I told my mum she should travel with us in case we needed to stop in a hurry. It had been drizzling and the ground was wet and slippery. On the way to our car she slipped on the wet grass and slammed into the neighbour?s fence. I realised she was hurt and helped her into the car. It was an interesting trip with us both saying ?ouch ouch ouch?. When we got there the midwives saw us didn?t know who to help first.
They got me on the bed and got Mum an ice pack. I was only 4cm dilated but the midwife said that means nothing for a rapid birther. It was only a few minutes later I felt the desire to push and the midwife was telling me not too as my cervix wasn?t ready. My body was telling me otherwise. My baby girl was born 13 minutes later and just 42 minutes after the first twinge with a head of very fine white hair. We later found out that my mum had broken her nose and cracked a rib. We still have a good laugh about it from time to time.
I had four babies with four very different stories to tell!
Leave a message for Sylvia in our Features Member forum.
