Harrys Birth Story

Hiya all,

I thought it was pretty fitting after watching one born every minute last night that I write down Harry's birth story.

12 week scan

I will start with my due date of the 16th of march (my partner Gareth's 21st birthday) and all was fine, no signs of the dude.
I had a midwifes appointment that afternoon, and as I walked into her office she noticed my face was extremely pale (more than normal as I am anaemic anyway) and I was breathless, I had thought nothing of it because ever since being pregnant I had been tired and breathless, they eventually diagnosed I had a missing valve in my heart at around 26weeks, so I wasn't overly fussed by being breathless it was normal, but the midwife thought I should be checked out and advised I go to the antenatal triage at the hospital.

My sister in law left work and headed to the hospital with me, I must admit I was very nervous as I'd never been in hospital before only to visit others and for my baby scans. I was hooked up to a monitor and a few tests were done, Gareth arrived from work flustered, he thought it was the time, not exactly the way he wanted to spend his 21st but hey ho, I could see the nerves in his face as he didn't no what was happening as we sat nervously behind a curtain. A male doctor came over and did a internal, can honestly say one of the most painful time of my life. I grabbed Gareth's hands so tightly and screamed like a baby. They eventually decided I wasn't in labour at all and baby was fine, but I was however extremely dehydrated so was hooked up to drips and taken to the maternity ward, very hard seeing all the other Mommy's up there with there little baby's and I was there in the corner bed with my huge bump and a drip in my arm.

37 weeks

On the 17th I was so upset, openly crying to the doctor when he came around that I wanted to go home, he took one look at my badly chapped mouth and said not a chance, I remained on the drip, watching Mommy's wash and change there baby's and come and go. It was hard.
18th of march came and I was adamant I was going home, i had got chap stick on to hide the cracked lips and the doctor finally said yes I can go, so 6pm came they removed the cannula and I practically ran off that ward. I remember getting home and just being so grateful of seeing my own bed.

21 weeks scan

The days of 19th, and 20th ticked on, I heard every wives tale under the sun to 'bring on labour' I was exhausted and did want my baby but some of the things were bizarre, and if it was going to happen so be it, I don't think any amount of rubbing frogs on my head* would help!

4d scan 27 weeks

Sunday the 21st, Gareth thought it was about time his son came so he got me doing laps around our garden, he wouldn't let me back in until I had done 25, and our garden is not small! PE was never my forte at school so I was less than pleased about all this physical exercise.
That afternoon, I was getting niggles, so i got a note book and started writing down times, they were getting closer but not painful at all, I didn't get my hopes up, we had my moms home made chili for tea and it was lovely. To bed we went and the niggles continued, but still not too bad, at 3am I woke with worse pain, and Gareth helped my put on a TENS machine that we had hired from boots. It was great, I went back to sleep wearing it. At 7am Gareth left for work, me telling him I'm fine, honest, I'll phone you if I need you, roll on to half 8 when I was mooing on the bedroom floor things had changed, my sister was here and I'd locked myself into the toilet, as I was sure I was going to poo myself! I wasn't gonna have a baby just a giant poo that's what the pain was like, right in my bum. My sister told me in no uncertain terms to get the hell out of the toilet, so I got out and finally spoke to the hospital they told me to go up to see what was happening. My lovely sister in law Ellen, drove me there, how I don't no as I had my head right in her lap because I felt so sick, she recalls almost abandoning the car on the car park around 10am and I was met on the ramp by a midwife and a wheel chair I was put in a room, put my fetching nightie on and was examined, I was 7cm!! The pain was bad but bearable, Gareth was informed and he shot to the hospital from his work, he looked worse than me not knowing what was happening again, I remember him walking me to the loo because again I thought I needed a poo (AGAIN!) but I didn't, turns out they were just contractions and pains in my bum area again. I was given gas and air (which i thought had a lovely biscuity tatse) and manged to have little naps, my waters were bulging but never popped like you all see in the movies, so were popped for me and around 12 dinner time I was fully dilated and ready to go.

daddy's 1st cuddle

pushhhh and 3 hrs after being fully dilated out flew my boy, 3:25pm in the afternoon he literally flew out, it was no gradual thing, all at once this perfect boy was here. My reply was 'what's just happed' i was in shock about it all. Harry was taken to the heat box to be checked over! When the midwifes saw his size the soon realised why he was 'stuck' after being told i would be having a 5lb baby by the sonographer at the 4d scan, i had just given birth to a 9lb 6oz baby!

He was 100% fine, I on the other had was not.

I felt fine but the nurses and doctors faces said otherwise. My placenta came out after having the injection to speed it up. Harry was fed and changed and cuddled by his daddy and auntie Ellen. I didn't get much chance to hold him or do anything, which looking back is upsetting. I had lost quite a bit of blood and was still bleeding a while later, a older lady doctor came in looked at my blood loss and felt my stomach, 'oh no she said', great just the words of reassurance you want to hear isn't it! She put on some gloves and told me to take some gas and air. I can't put what she did next any other way, she shoved her hand up inside me and pulled out what can only be described as 'yacky slimy bloody gunk' turns out some of the placenta had been left in and could of easily poisoned me.

before theatre

Soon after this I was rushed to theatre for the bleeding and to check nothing else was left inside. I remember the anaesthetist coming in and his mouth was moving but I couldn't tell you what he said I felt like I was in a bubble it was all going to fast, all I wanted to do was hold and cuddle my boy. I had some fetching surgical stocking added and a catheter. The lovely midwife Tammy in tow, and the trainee midwife too, I asked if she would hold my hand because I was terrified, and Gareth had to stay in the room with Harry. He tells me he felt so alone, was left with this little boy who needed feeding and changing and he didn't no what to do. Luckily while i was in theatre his Mom came down and changed Harry and helped out Gareth.

I had an epidural and was moved onto the table I remember pinks song 'like a pill' was playing on the radio in the room and I managed a little sing along. 

Looking up into the mirror light above I remember saying 'I really need to get my eyebrows sorted'. The weirdest feeling in the world not feeling your lower half, looking to the end of the bed, seeing 2 legs in the air and asking who's they were and being told they were my own! Odd, very odd! I was all stitched up on my 3 2nd degree tears and was wheeled to a 'recovery room' I shall use this term loosely, because it was more a store room with a rattly air vent that sounded like a aircraft was gonna land at any moment and piles of chairs and other random implements.

 'fish tank'

Gareth had to leave about 9pm and I was alone, in a store room with my baby in a 'fish tank' so far away, I couldn't reach him and I obviously couldn't get out of bed because I had no feeling and to top it off, no emergency button to ring for the midwife. I could hear the screams as other mothers gave birth in rooms around me. I rang my sister in law in tears, she was at home, I told her what had happened and she rang up the hospital and got someone in to me, who then gave me a bed bath and told me her life story of how her husband had left her and her kids didn't want to no her, I am normally a really good listener but at that moment in time I was so tired, and just wanted to sleep, i didn't need to no her problems too.

finally got a cuddle 11pm 22nd march 2010

Finally I was moved rooms, to a smaller 'store room' but at least it had a working emergency button that I had to press every time Harry needed a feed, which made me feel a useless Mommy at the time, i no now i couldn't of done anything about it. That was a long, lonely night, this is the side they don't show on One born every minute. Luckily the trainee midwife that came to my aid was one who had been at my own doctors for my regular appointments and she chatted and cooed over Harry and it was nice to see a familiar face.

cuddles with Dad on the ward

The next morning, the 23rd I was taken up onto the ward and finally felt a bit normal as they removed the catheter, and I could get washed and fresh and finally feed and change my baby myself. I had another night in hospital on the ward and when my Harry's ear tests all came back OK on the 24th March we were off home, I ran for the doors again much like before i had had him, but this time he was with us in his car seat, i felt so lucky. I didn't look back once!

leaving hospital

Getting my baby home was the most amazing feeling ever, that's it I was a Mommy, me and Gareth had made this most perfect of baby boy, and he needed us and we were going to be there every step of the way for him and that was the best feeling ever.

I'm so sorry about the length of this post, its just when I started it all came flooding back and I wanted to be honest.

bounty picture 1day old

Harry
22/3/2010
3:25pm
9lb 6oz
59cm long
Full head of beautiful dark hair

Love Lucy x