Labour on-line

Hello everyone! Back with the news that my bump has gone
In its place I have a new family! My baby girl was born on 20th July, her due date, at 5:40pm. I was in labour for over 20 hours but the midwife isn’t counting the time before I was 3cms dilated. Childbirth – my God, what an experience! This is my story:

My forewaters went at 5pm on Thurs 19 July. (When the baby’s head engages it can sometimes create a separate pocket of water underneath it. These can go, though the rest of your waters can remain intact.) My contractions started at 8:30pm and were five mins apart. The midwife – Sheila – arrived at 9:30pm.

After a couple of hours, I put the TENS machine on. Andris, my husband, pressed down on my back and helped me through each contraction.

At 12:30am I was only 1cm dilated. It had been pretty hard work and I found this lack of progress quite demoralising. As the night wore on, things slowed down so I stomped about the house trying to get the action going again. It felt strange trying to bring on these painful contractions. I’d say to the midwife, ‘Whoa, that one hurt,’ and she’d say, ‘Ah, good.’

But by 5:00am on Friday morning the contractions had dropped off and I was only 2cms dilated. The midwife left and I went to bed.

At 7:15am I was woken by painful contractions and we were off again.

The second and brilliant midwife, Joanne, arrived at 11:30am. By this time, my contractions were regular, painful and intensifying. I had reached 4–5cms. I could now get into the birthpool. I felt great. Things were progressing, I could do it!

By 2pm it was all slowing down again. Joanne suggested that we break my hind waters; otherwise I could be in labour all night. I was only 6cms, but then my waters went – all over the sofa and labour took off like a rocket! I took off the TENS machine and got into the pool. Contractions came at two mins apart.