I never thought about writing a birth story when I first had Levi, I’m not even sure I knew what a birth story was back then. It’s almost been 2 years so my memory is foggy but I will do my best!
I was overdue with Levi and booked in to be induced at 40weeks10days. I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep and was up wide awake at 3am. I cleaned the house, showered, repacked my hospital bag, pottered around in his room, showered washed and blow dried my hair (all in one go, seems like a lifetime ago!) all before 6am. I called the hospital and they told us to come in at 9am. It’s a surreal feeling when you leave home, knowing fully well that you’re leaving as a couple and going to return as a family. By the time we checked into the hospital and were ready to be induced it was about mid-day. The doctors inserted a cervidil tape as the first point of induction, I was told that it would probably stay in for about 12 hours and then they would insert the gel to move the induction forward. I remember feeling disappointed knowing It would still be another 12 hours before anything was going to happen. They took me to the ward where other mothers who had just had their babies were recovering, I got myself comfortable. Phil left to go home and do a few things quickly, I don’t remember exactly what he was doing. At 1:20 I started getting contractions, painful, fast. I sat their silently crying in agony until a midwife walked in and asked me if I was okay. I explained that I was getting painful cramps in my stomach so she put her hand on my belly and timed them. She smiled and said “we better get you into the birth suite”. I frantically rang Phil and my parents to tell them all to come up to the hospital. By 5pm I was sobbing from the pain, people can tell you and tell you how much labour hurts but nothing can prepare you. I was in an out of the shower for an hour. The midwife offered me a pethidine shot which I quickly accepted, it didn’t do anything for my pain. They then tried to offer me gas but I declined, it just wasn’t something I was interested in. I also had to have my waters broken by the doctor which when you’re in labour isn’t the most comfortable feeling in the world. By 7pm the pain was unbearable and I asked for an epidural. It is amazing how your whole mood, mindset and body can change once that epidural is in. All of a sudden everything was calm, I was relaxed, we were talking and making jokes, everything was just calm.
I wasn’t fully dilated until 1oclock in the morning, then it was time to start pushing.
Nobody tells you this but it is actually so hard to push when you can’t feel your body from the waist down. I couldn’t get a good grip on the bed or feel my bottom to do that deep push that everyone tells you about. Everyone kept saying “push like you want to poo” but I literally couldn’t feel anything to be able too. Eventually we had to turn the epidural down or off? I’m not sure exactly what happened but quickly the numbing effects started to ware off. The contractions were starting to hurt and every time the midwife stuck her hand in my cervix I cried in pain.
I pushed for a good hour and half before we realised nothing was happening, the midwife called for the doctor who was able to tell us that Levi was facing upwards rather than down which meant he couldn’t come out. If we weren’t able to turn him we would have to be taken down for an emergency C section. I was shattered, I’d been labouring for 14 hours and for what?
Suddenly the room filled with what felt like 20 people, all standing, watching and waiting to take me away. The doctor told me she was going to use the vacumn to try and turn Levi and if we couldn’t do it then we had to go. The pain was immense, but with one swift move she was able to turn his head.
She put the vacumn down and told me to push, I only had to push 3 more times and he was out.
I heard his little cry and they put him straight on my chest, I cried tears of joy. I couldn’t believe what I had done and that he was finally here and I was a mother! It’s an extraudary feeling to bring life into the world, I absoloutley love it. I had a couple of stitches from a small tear but other then that my recovering was farely easy, having Levi home was so surreal but the most amazing thing ever.
I couldn’t love this human anymore.
