Two births - Two very different experiences

Having a birth plan is such a wonderful thing... It inevitably outlines exactly what WON'T go to plan!

Well maybe not always, but it was certainly the case with the birth of my first Baby. I was hoping for several things, including going into labour naturally (so to not be induced), no drugs (or at least not an epidural) and to use the bath for pain relief. So when I went for my usual ante-natal appointment at 38 weeks and was told my blood pressure was too high so I would be induced the following morning, I had to cross the first thing off my birth plan. I wasn't setting a good start. But the impending arrival of my first Baby was so incredibly exciting (albeit surreal), so I wasn't fazed in the slightest!

5.30am the next morning my husband and I arrived at the hospital. I was so calm and ready. I wasn't feeling nervous or anxious as I was actually really looking forward to the experience of labour (the pain and all - despite not knowing what I was in for!).  We got settled in the birth suite that had the bath (so I was on target for one of my plans) and my obstetrician arrived shortly after. He broke my waters and hooked me up to an IV and gave me the syntocin to kick start this thing they call labour!  Immediately I felt some niggles in my abdomen which was great as I wanted to feel what it was like (and it was barely a niggle, so painless at this point!), but soon I wasn't going to feel anything... I got my blood pressure checked several times and unfortunately it was sky high so not the most ideal medical position for labour. I wasn't given a choice - I was told I had to have an epidural to lower my blood pressure. I was so disappointed.

So by 8:00am, the anaesthetist was inserting a very large needle into the middle of my back!! That was fine, I could handle the needle and the fact my labour would be pain-free as I knew I'd meet my amazing little person very soon. But of course, with this cross on the list also came another cross next to the bath for pain relief. I had very little pain but was attached to drips and monitors and couldn't move from the bed anyway!

It wasn't going to plan at all, but the labour was certainly progressing - just a few short hours later the Baby was ready to come! I was fully dilated and the epidural was wearing off a little so I was feeling things again. But getting this Baby out wasn't going to be easy. Unfortunately his heart rate dropped when I had changed positions and my obstetrician was called in immediately to use forceps to deliver the Baby. Now this process, I can tell You is not pleasant!  If you've seen the size of the forceps You will understand why!  The epidural medication was immediately increased which brought on an immense amount of relaxation so all I wanted to do was sleep right when the crunch time came!  An episiotomy later and a beautiful bouncing boy with a very red little face (thanks to the metal that pulled him out!!) arrived safely. I was absolutely elated and didn't care less what kind of birth we'd just had.

But, the troubles were only just beginning.... Due to the increased dose of the epidural I was numb in my legs and couldn't walk. So I couldn't get up to shower, as I couldn't even stand. I was forced to stay in bed and wait 5 hours before trying to walk. At the 5 hour mark the midwives came down to help me shower. I was able to walk there from my bed but before I even got under the water I collapsed. I had lost a blood clot (of about 600ml, so quite substantial). I blacked out and was laid on my side and came to again. When we tried to sit me up, I passed out yet again!  They called for help and the midwife and my husband carried me back to my bed (with me asking whether my Baby, who was so peacefully unaware and sleeping 'like a Baby', was ok) and my OB was there minutes later. He was taking blood and checking my pulse, blood pressure and temperature and ordering urgent blood tests among other things. I was told I was going on a drip for 12 hours so nil by mouth (my dinner was just being brought in too!) and a catheter was to be inserted and therefore no trips to the loo, in fact no trips from my bed... For 12 hours. I was bed ridden for the first 18 hours of my baby's life.

I was quite overwhelmed with everything that had happened and just had to lay there watching doctors and midwives come and go and check my stats regularly. I was so incredibly uncomfortable as I hadn't had my shower, I had a catheter that was horribly uncomfortable and of course an episiotomy to deal with!  I had to position myself slightly upright in the bed and hope I didn't need to move as it was too painful. But worst of all - I couldn't get up and pick my Baby up to cuddle or feed. He was brought to me by my husband for every feed, but then put to sleep by him. His very first dirty nappy change was done by my husband while I was unable to get out of bed to help! It was an incredibly long night - I was literally watching the clock waiting for 5.00am to roll around so I could finally have my shower (and hopefully feel a bit better). My baby was perfect!  He slept well and I assumed he was feeding well (I had no idea how we were going with the breastfeeding). By the morning I was feeling much better (quite plumpish with all the fluid from the IV - but not lacking energy at least!), so I had my shower and was feeling one hundred times better. I was able to eat some food and walk around.

Things were going smoothly now and we were getting the hang of things. By day 5, I was well and truly ready to not have someone check my stats every few hours (day and night) and get home to start our new life as a little family of three. Of course, my plans were not to be fulfilled again. When we went to be discharged it was discovered that my little baby was too little - too little in the sense that he had lost more than 10% of his birth weight so my breastfeeding wasn't going as well as I assumed. This was so devastating to me as I had desperately wanted to breastfeed but again, my plan was to come crashing down around me. I was incredibly upset and felt so guilty that my little guy had lost too much weight all because of me. I was told the (quite traumatic) birth and the fact it was induced and two weeks early was probably the cause of my feeding issues. But within 24 hours my baby was gaining weight nicely and all was going well again so we were discharged the following day.

I don't discount the experience of child birth based on this not-to-plan birth as my now 22 month old is both happy and healthy despite the dramatic entrance into this world (he just has quite a dramatic and adventurous personality!).

By comparison, the birth of my second Baby was exactly as I would have dreamed. I was hopeful for a more natural experience this time and strangely confident I would get it but also not worried about plans. I was just looking forward to experiencing it again and hopefully differently. I certainly got my wish!!  After a busy weekend of doing odd jobs around the house (like cleaning fans etc) and nesting I was quite exhausted but so happy with the state of the house for the beginning of a new week - the week my Baby was due, I got myself to bed by 10: 00pm. By 11:00pm I was up as my waters had broken. Four days before I was due, so this was pretty cool - I had gone into labour naturally!  I casually got dressed, collected my things and got to the hospital a little after midnight with no pain whatsoever at this point. It was extremely surreal as both my husband and I thought there would have to be more urgency and pain or contractions associated with waters breaking (or at least the start of labour) but I was fine!  I got the CTG machine hooked up to monitor the Baby's heart rate and any contractions. I wasn't having any contractions as such but there was a distinguishable pattern occurring every 5 minutes on the printout so the little niggles I was feeling that I was convinced were just braxton hicks could very well have been contractions. I was taken to my room and told to rest (given it was the middle of the night) until something started happening at which point I would be taken down to the birth suite. Within an hour I was certainly feeling real contractions but they were very minor and more or less painless despite being 2 minutes apart! I told the midwife and she got us set up in the birth suite (the same suite with the bath!) and she checked to see how far I had progressed. I was about 4cm dilated which was quite a shock to me as I thought with 2 minute-apart contractions I would've been further along. But at this point the pain was rapidly increasing and it was really happening. My husband was massaging my lower back to help with the pain and suggested I try the bath which I was very keen to do. So he ran the bath and we used the water on my lower back to help during the contractions that were coming thick and fast now!  The midwife called the obstetrician but suspected it wasn't far off so called out for the other midwife on duty to help out. I was coping so well and before I knew it, I could feel that this Baby was ready to meet us. I was still in the bath and the Baby was coming so a water birth it was to be!! Within minutes his head was out and then the OB arrived! He checked that everything was fine and one last little push and he was on my chest enjoying a cuddle. It was the most exhilarating, magical and beautiful thing I've ever experienced. From being 4cm dilated to having my new Baby in my arms was a very quick 45 minutes!

I felt like a million dollars - I was energised and physically feeling fantastic. Not like I'd just given birth and absolutely nothing like I felt after the birth of my first.  I am so in awe of how magical child birth is and despite a slightly challenging first experience I would do anything to do it all again! I am constantly re-living the experience of my second 10 weeks on and if I was to do it again I would be positive regardless of what lay ahead and look forward to it like I did the first two times.

xo Kellie


Author Bio - Kellie - Living a dream of being a full time SAHM to a toddler and baby boy in the Top End (Northern Territory), whilst trying to dabble in some writing when I can.

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