McKenzie's Birth Story
Submitted by hottjd
My due date came and went and I was starting to get frustrated about when my little boy was going to arrive!
It was Tuesday evening when I started to feel some slight contractions. I was out with my mum and brother, and three days past my due date they were poking fun at me about when I would "pop." I wasn't sure at first what I was feeling, but as the evening went on, the contractions got more painful and closer together. I fell asleep in between contractions that were 30 or 40 mins apart, but I was wrecked tired the next day.
That Wednesday morning around 10 AM, the contractions had finally stopped, but instead of catching some sleep, I had a doctor's appointment. My husband and I walked the 2 km to the hospital and when I got there, the contractions came back and were 15 mins apart by the time I got to see the doctor at around 3 PM. The doctor told me I was about a cm dilated and told me that there was no need to book in to be induced as she thought I would have the baby by the following morning!
We went back home and my husband slept while I watched TV and my contractions slowly got worse and closer together. I didn't want to head in too early to be sent home but I was worried about making it in time to receive enough antibiotics as I had strep B.
It was about 1 AM Thursday morning when I finally gave in and we got a taxi to the hospital. I was using a TENS machine and it was helping me with the pain. When the doctor saw me, I was 3 cm dilated. I was sent upstairs and at 3 AM I was given my first dose of antibiotics. Then my husband and I walked around outside to try to forget the pain and pass time.
At 6 AM, I went back inside and asked to go to the delivery ward. The midwife checked me and I was 6 cm dilated. The pain was getting bad but I was really excited. I asked for the home-birth room and we were brought up to the delivery room. I was feeling anxious in the delivery room—the contractions were coming strong and I was trying to use gas and air. At 7 AM, I was given more antibiotics through my drip. At 9 AM when the midwife checked me, I had only moved on half a cm!
She started to get really annoyed, tried to break my waters even though I told her not to and started pushing Pethidine even though I had said no drugs. She convinced my husband, so I was getting annoyed with him and she didn't seem to care that I was just laying on the bed now sobbing through contraction pains.
To my luck, it was just time for her to go home and she started telling another (younger) midwife and her student midwife about me, saying out load that I had refused drugs and not moved on any in the last three hours! And they were agreeing with her.
When she left the room, the new midwives, Catherine and Nicole, read my birth plan and then approached me. They wanted me to try moving around instead of taking drugs and maybe go for a shower. I was so relieved! I had a shower but wanted to go back to the gas and air. They showed me how to use the gas properly so that it worked, because the last midwife had shown me wrong! I was relaxed again. Just before noon, I was really feeling pain so they decided to check my progress and I was 9.5 cm dilated! After getting on the bed to be checked, I couldn't get back down and asked for Pethidine.
Just after noon, I wanted to push, so Nicole gave one last look, just as my waters broke, and then told me to push next time I felt the urge. I was so happy to finally be at the end of the labor! My husband watched as my son's head emerged, followed by the rest of his body.
At 12:28, lunchtime, my little boy entered the world, weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces (3.87 kg)! I had asked not to be cut and had not ripped so I was so glad not to need any stitches!
I'm so glad that the shift change happened just when it did or I don't think I would have had such a wonderful experience giving birth to my wonderful son, McKenzie Okojie Koh.
Read more birth stories or share YOUR birth story now!
It was Tuesday evening when I started to feel some slight contractions. I was out with my mum and brother, and three days past my due date they were poking fun at me about when I would "pop." I wasn't sure at first what I was feeling, but as the evening went on, the contractions got more painful and closer together. I fell asleep in between contractions that were 30 or 40 mins apart, but I was wrecked tired the next day.
That Wednesday morning around 10 AM, the contractions had finally stopped, but instead of catching some sleep, I had a doctor's appointment. My husband and I walked the 2 km to the hospital and when I got there, the contractions came back and were 15 mins apart by the time I got to see the doctor at around 3 PM. The doctor told me I was about a cm dilated and told me that there was no need to book in to be induced as she thought I would have the baby by the following morning!
We went back home and my husband slept while I watched TV and my contractions slowly got worse and closer together. I didn't want to head in too early to be sent home but I was worried about making it in time to receive enough antibiotics as I had strep B.
It was about 1 AM Thursday morning when I finally gave in and we got a taxi to the hospital. I was using a TENS machine and it was helping me with the pain. When the doctor saw me, I was 3 cm dilated. I was sent upstairs and at 3 AM I was given my first dose of antibiotics. Then my husband and I walked around outside to try to forget the pain and pass time.
At 6 AM, I went back inside and asked to go to the delivery ward. The midwife checked me and I was 6 cm dilated. The pain was getting bad but I was really excited. I asked for the home-birth room and we were brought up to the delivery room. I was feeling anxious in the delivery room—the contractions were coming strong and I was trying to use gas and air. At 7 AM, I was given more antibiotics through my drip. At 9 AM when the midwife checked me, I had only moved on half a cm!
She started to get really annoyed, tried to break my waters even though I told her not to and started pushing Pethidine even though I had said no drugs. She convinced my husband, so I was getting annoyed with him and she didn't seem to care that I was just laying on the bed now sobbing through contraction pains.
To my luck, it was just time for her to go home and she started telling another (younger) midwife and her student midwife about me, saying out load that I had refused drugs and not moved on any in the last three hours! And they were agreeing with her.
When she left the room, the new midwives, Catherine and Nicole, read my birth plan and then approached me. They wanted me to try moving around instead of taking drugs and maybe go for a shower. I was so relieved! I had a shower but wanted to go back to the gas and air. They showed me how to use the gas properly so that it worked, because the last midwife had shown me wrong! I was relaxed again. Just before noon, I was really feeling pain so they decided to check my progress and I was 9.5 cm dilated! After getting on the bed to be checked, I couldn't get back down and asked for Pethidine.
Just after noon, I wanted to push, so Nicole gave one last look, just as my waters broke, and then told me to push next time I felt the urge. I was so happy to finally be at the end of the labor! My husband watched as my son's head emerged, followed by the rest of his body.
At 12:28, lunchtime, my little boy entered the world, weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces (3.87 kg)! I had asked not to be cut and had not ripped so I was so glad not to need any stitches!
I'm so glad that the shift change happened just when it did or I don't think I would have had such a wonderful experience giving birth to my wonderful son, McKenzie Okojie Koh.
Read more birth stories or share YOUR birth story now!
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