Warning: The post ahead contains a little more detail than you might care to read :) Proceed at your own risk.
Labour was induced on a Sunday morning by the breaking of my waters. We then sat around or I should say the husband sat around while I was pacing and taking the stairs in a bid to get baby's head to drop further down. We were hoping that contractions would start naturally after the waters were broken but all the pacing and rocking was to no avail. By 12noon, a decision was made to induce via the use of oxytocin.
So off we went to the delivery suite. I had the oxytocin drip put into my arm and contractions soon kicked in. I was a little nervous because I had read about the increased pain during contractions because of induction. I was also weary about possible risks with hormone inductions.
I must have been a little delirious because I remember saying to my midwife, " Is this all the pain I'm going to feel? This is actually quite manageable, sooo much better than the first time around!"
She gave me a big smile and just nodded along saying " Oh yes, it's not too bad is it? You are doing very well."
Then oh boy....did I remember. The pain oh the pain!
However labour this time around was only a mere 2.5 hours. Yes, it was ONLY 2.5 hours of blinding, searing pain and baby was out. Hurrah! I was so proud of myself for I had done it naturally, with no drugs and the best part, with no tearing. (this was so different to my first labour experience)
I was so glad and relieved that it only took 2.5 hours because as word of mouth goes, the second labour is usually half that of the first labour. My first labour took 20 hours and really, I was not game to take on 10 hours of labour the second time around without drugs.
I must mention that I also used the TENS machine when the contractions started. The TENS machine is a small contraption with leads coming out of it that you attach to your lower back on a gel pad. It works by sending pulses to two spots on your lower back (you follow the diagram to identify the right position to put it) which helps with the first stage of labour. I didn't have this for my first labour but managed to secure one for my second. I was skeptical about its functionality and effectivity at first but the machine worked as well as I had hoped, negating the pain in the first two hours. I would start the pulsing whenever I felt a contraction coming on and stop the pulsing once the contraction was over. I got to select the strength of the pulsing, the logic goes - the more pain, the more intense pulse. Towards the final 30 minutes of my labour I was no longer aware that the machine was still going until baby was out. To those who are reading this post and are pregnant or planning to fall pregnant, get this machine! Rent it or buy it, it's worth the money.
Back to the topic at hand.... Warning: Here comes more detail you might not want to read about. In case you are wondering why I'm putting all this info on the blog, it's because someday I might want to read this and remember my experience on that Sunday.
After the birth, we were going to spend the night (baby,husband and I) at the birth center and leave the next morning. I had breastfed the baby at the delivery suite but I thought I would give him another short feed before resting for the night. It was 6pm and while breast feeding him on the bed, I felt a very VERY sharp pain in my abdomen. It then passed and I was fine again. After I was done breast feeding, I told the husband that I would hand him the baby for him to tuck into the cot and I was off to use the toilet before getting in to bed. I took 3 steps away from the bed and then felt a huge gush of blood running down my legs.
I thought "Oh no, here we go again. Got to clean up." The gush of blood had happened at the delivery suite as well, but that it is normal post birth.
I got to the toilet but before I could use it, I felt a lot more gushing and this time I could feel big clots falling into my pants. I called out to the husband to tell him to get the midwife. She came in and I told her I had just bled again to which she said its normal. However when I said it felt like clots, she rushed in immediately, took a look and in a very stern voice told me I had to get myself to the bed and sit down.
I asked why since I wanted to use the toilet. She then said if I didn't I was most likely going to faint. She pulled me out and plonked me on the bed and before I could really take stock of what was happening, a doctor and some nurses came running in. Everyone was acting frantic (as frantic as doctors and nurses could get that is) and it was at this point that I realized this was not to be taken lightly. Something serious must be going on.
For the next 30 minutes they worked hard to stem the bleeding and to get all clots in me out. I had more drugs put in me to get the bleeding to stop. My abdomen was pummeled and rubbed which was so painful that I needed gas to get me through it. I didn't need gas for labour pains but I needed gas for this. This gives you an idea of how painful it was.
Thankfully they managed to stop the bleeding and I was kept in hospital for 2 days so they could monitor that all was safe and well. I lost 1.6 liters of blood that night. I had thought that with the labour being over I had gotten through the most difficult part of the pregnancy. Little did I know that I would have a hemorrhage right after. It was a life endangering moment and I am glad I made the decision to use the toilet before lying down to sleep. Had I not have gotten up, the blood would have continued to pool in my abdomen and I may not be blogging about it now.
All in all I'm glad I had a very quick labour but not so glad that I had a hemorrhage after. I have been told that should I decide to have another child in the future, there is a significant risk of this happening again. But that's a bridge that we won't have to cross till much later and maybe not at all.
For now, I'm off to enjoy baby and be thankful that I am here, back to blogging once again. :)
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
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