One Born Every Minute – Pain Relief

I will start with my most recent labour – well I have done it 5 times!!

With my last two pregnancies I have had gestational diabetes so sadly I have had to be induced at 38 weeks.

I was really lucky to have such an understanding midwife. I didn’t want to be put on drips – one for Glucose and one for synotocin as I found they really restricted my movement with my last labour, so we agreed that she would see how I progressed naturally and I had to check my blood sugar every 15 minutes.

I had a pessary put in at about 6.30 am to soften my cervix, which caused me to have very mild contractions throughout the morning. I did some bouncing on a birthing ball to try and get things moving along and went for a walk with hubby but I wasn’t convinced anything was happening.

To cut a long story short, the pessary had done its job and I was examined and taken downstairs for my waters to be broken. This was about 14.30 and it didn’t take long for my contractions to start!

By 15.20 I was in active labour as they like to call it, but I was comfortable just rocking by the bed, chatting to the midwife and my husband.

By 16.30 I really wasn’t convinced that my contractions were strong enough as I’d been studying the monitor and my contractions were only lasting about 45 seconds. We joked with the midwife that we’d be here a while and she asked if I minded her disappearing to go and get her sandwich. I agreed and hubby disappeared to phone his mum to check up on the other kids (it was about 17.00)

The poor midwife was gone all of about 5 minutes when things stepped up a gear. I pressed the buzzer and back she came, eating her pilchard sandwich (I hate fish)! And I told her I was starting to feel like I needed to push.

This is when things get a bit hazy. I sort of went into my own trance as things were getting intense, but I still felt I didn’t need gas and air.

By now it was time to push. And push I did. I was aware of what was going on and got very frustrated with the midwives who were telling me not to push. When your body is telling you to push its very difficult to stop!!

I remember the stinging – the worst part of giving birth and for that I wanted pain relief, but it was all over very quickly in the end and Eliza was born at 17.35, after just 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Why was I told to stop pushing?? – she was born like superman, with her arm up next to her head – no wonder it stung!!

 

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