Baby one!
I had was going to the Mercy hospital in Heidelberg, the appointment waits were long. I was a private patient in a public hospital. I was under public. I had reached 40 weeks pregnant, I had mild hypertension.
My last check up there saw my blood pressure and heart rate quite high. Nothing out of ordinary for this pregnancy.
They were concerned and had me go up to maternity ward were they inserted the gel to loosen the cervix and start the contractions. With lack of rooms I was put into the public emergency waiting room in my gown shivering from coldness and pain.well
Was absolutely disgusted to be honest. After many complaints of pain and feeling cold they found me a room and it was in that room I would give birth.
My waters were broken, and I was being induced.
The pain was okay the nurse said to me “you won’t be laughing for very long” and those world stuck to me because wow was she right. The pain went from 1-what felt like 10000. It was so extremely intense my eyes were rolling in the back of my head, my heart was racing faster than usual. Every contraction was someone had a clamp down there and was opening it harder and wider. I was checked and only 2cms!
Now we are on to the second day.
The pain was still so strong and I felt like I was coming and going. While they were checking me they wanted to monitor baby’s heart due to mine being so high. So they inserted a long tube into my vagina onto the babies head which had a little clip thing that went under the skin on her head which can read the heart.
The midwife came to me and said, “your body is working way too hard we need it to relax your, only now 7cms.”
We need to give you an epidural. I was adamant I didn’t want any pain relief. I wanted to do this on my own and feel everything.
I wasn’t offered anything else.
“ No no” I screamed, they then said “ your pain is going to get worse and we don’t want to give you a cesarean. I then said fine just do it with my husband saying you need it please.
Right. Waited 45 minutes for a Dr to administer it which felt like 5 hours. ( I was now begging for it) finally here! Sat up and ready to go. “Okay, don’t move, stay still.. I know you can”.
Okay now I was all done hooked up.
Waiting for the pain to disappear.
5 minutes went past still nothing.
15 minutes past, why can I still feel everything?! Crying with pain. Mum calls someone, they start doing the ice on my legs, “can you feel this? What about this? And this?!” YESSS I feel everything!
Turns out the machine wasn’t switched on. By this time guess what I was ready to push this baby out!!
I had 4 Drs in the room all saying no no we need to rush her into surgery her heart rate is too high, the babies heart is too low, I was freaking out. I didn’t know what to do but I needed to
Keep pushing. The midwife just looked straight into my eyes and said “ “look at me and push, just keep your eyes on me” ignoring everyone as she said to them I can see the head, look!
So push I did. They gently placed the baby on my chest, as I lifted the leg, I screamed it’s a girl! I was so excited!!! What a surprise!
I pushed the placenta out and was shown where the baby grew and what it looked like. I was shocked.
I had my baby girl. 5 pounds. 2kg. Born healthy, just small! My sweet baby girl. Born on the 3rd day I entered the hospital and was shivering in that emergency room.
Baby Two!
Again at the Mercy Hospital in Heidelberg,
No waiting room shivering this time!
This story and experience is a different one.
Found out the sex of my baby thanks to hubby and daughter! They were begging to know! And it was a boy! “Lucky, one of each!” Everyone would say!
During my last few ultrasounds they noticed quite a lot of fluid around the baby in the womb. Specialists came in and were concerned. He was swishing around in there with that much fluid. Although the kicks were very powerful still. They were worried that he was also on the larger side, which didn’t surprise me, my husband is a big tall guy.
As I was sitting quite high, he hadn’t dropped, they said I had better stay in the hospital for a week or until you give birth.
It is very dangerous, if your waters rupture which could happen so easily because of all the fluid, it will be like a balloon filled with water popping and the cord will come out and that could kill you both.
Well, that shook us. All of us.
The school drop offs/ pick ups and lunches were done all by my parents and husband. Very stressful.
They visited every night. I was so emotional every time one of them left. I didn’t want to be alone. I was basically bedridden. I just wanted to be home with my loved ones but was so scared what if I was and something happened. Everyday I was checked by the nurses and Drs. One nurse said to me, “if your baby doesn’t go down and lock into position your going to need a cesarean. I was so upset. I didn’t want to believe her.
After one week in hospital they said oh looks like your good to go home! I was scared but happy!
I had rules to abide. No driving, no lifting.
Nothing strenuous.
I was booked in to be induced the following week.
Awesome. Nice and quick so nothing would happen. This was two weeks earlier then my due date. I was fine with that! Especially if he was on the bigger side.
I had an appointment with the dr standard one before being induced in 4 days.
We get into the hospital and wait for our appointment.
We go in, sit down, she opens her books and says “well you were actually supposed to induced yesterday” me and my husband look at eachother in shock! What?! We were thinking. We would never forget the date I was being induced. Looks like there was a mistake made as computer said one thing, books said another. Anyway we were told to go down to monitor my heart rate which was high.. again. As usual.
After some time, a nurse comes to me and says, we have a room in the maternity ward, we will one and get you shortly. Can your husband go and get your things. I didn’t know how to feel!! Scared probably comes to mind!!
Off we went and again, I was inserted the gel, it wasn’t really working that well. Not well all, so with that they told my husband to go home and come back in the morning. “No way I said. I want him here please”
They turned to my husband and said “she’s going to be here a while your better off getting some sleep.” My husband refused as I was mess and had all these dreams during my pregnancy I’d be giving birth alone!!
Crazy hormones!
The nurse wouldn’t stop, kept on going and was basically pushing him to go. He went in the hospital car park and slept in the car for 3 hours.
I woke up as he was walking in the door.
My family freaking out worried what’s going on, daughter crying wanting me..
They break my waters, it burst all under me a huge amount, they then induce me.
My heart rate crazy. Contractions were the same as I remember. They used all the bags up of what brings on all the strong contractions.
I was not dilated enough.. I was crying, crying like I have never before. This pain was insane. My husband didn’t even know what to do. I was throwing up my yum sweet potato chips that he got me that precious day.
The stupid tv wouldn’t change channels all I was watching was MASH on repeat, God I have never hated a show more in my life if I didn’t after this night!
Hubby was trying to comfort me but I could tell he didn’t know how. He was distraught seeing me this way.
I was given the gas and shit did I suck that up. I was getting so dizzy and light headed from that,
They said we need to give you an epidural, again I refused and they said no your heart rate Is too high, okay fine. The dr came pretty quickly, I remember I sat on the edge of the bed and as I did more water came pouring out. I had snots dripping into my mouth and saliva dripping onto my lap, I was crying my heart out saying the Hail Mary over and over while my husband was wiping my face.
The dr said to me “stay still I know you can don’t tell me can’t” that made me even more angrier.
How rude he was.
Epidural in. Body relaxing.
It had been some time now and I had been on and off sleeping. The dr came in and checked me. She said, “the baby is still high. Can you push for me” I did and still nothing.
She warned me if he hadn’t in an hour I’d have to be rushed in for an emergency cesarean. I was devastated. I was a crying mess. I wanted to badly to feel his head coming out and getting that all on camera and holding a mirror and all the stuff you see on Instagram birthing photographers. I looked at everything they had set up for all of that. I was so angry at my body. I felt like my body had given up on me.
She came back and checked me again. “Okay Vanessa, We need to get you in, your heart rate is way to high and the babies is too. He is stuck“
Suddenly everything that nurse said to me back when I was in hospital just a week earlier came flooding back and I was even more upset and so sad.
It was a mad rush I was watching the nurses and my husband getting all my bags, labelling them all and I was wheeled off. The dr checked me once again and asked me to push while I was getting more epidural into me. No, still nothing.
I was so scared, where was my husband? It felt like so long I had been without him. As they were getting me prepped for surgery, I was asking “where is he, where is he?!” He is coming they are getting him ready, the assured me. Yeah right, just as they had the scalpel in their hand he sits beside me. Ready, they asked. I could feel pressure as they said I would and not long after they said “are you ready to meet your baby?” Yes, yes!! I said! They lifted him over the blue sheet, I was in shock, crying, exhausted I slightly pulled down the sheet to touch him but they took him to be checked, measured and wrapped him in a blanket.
The nurse came beside me with my husband and said, “let’s weigh him shall me” how much do You reckon he weighs?! I couldn’t care I just wanted to hold him.
He weight in at 7pounds. They were shocked. They thought after the ultrasounds, he would be bigger. Well he was just perfect. Even with the cone head he had from coming down into position. I was so upset because I thought maybe if I had waited and pushed harder then ever and stood my ground stronger, I could have had the delivery I had prayed and wanted.
I got to cuddle him and have some amazing photos. Even when they lifted him out my husband got them, they look professional!
I was so proud of him as I wanted a birth photographer but they were pretty pricey.
While cuddling him, I started going in and out and I was really tired, my husband asked if they were putting me to sleep to close me up but no, they said she is probably just tired.
He was rushed out of the room with out baby boy. I was yelling “where are they?! What’s taking so long! Why is this taking so long please”
They said to me, “Vanessa, you have lost a lot of blood and we are trying to sort that out, just stay calm, everything will be okay,”
I blacked out and woke up in recovery. Two nurses beside me.
All I was looking for were my husband and baby.
They said “when you come too and wake up more and your feeling better we will move you to your room where your baby and husband is.”
They kept asking me if I we okay. I lied and said “yes I’m great” Just so I could be with them.
I got to finally be with them! I was in bliss! I was overwhelmed with emotion. Happiness, guilt at myself, and so much love.
The following day my husband came with our daughter, she was over the moon. It was the best thing I’d seen, seeing the love she instantaneously had for him.
We had both parents come to see us. It was a nice day, was tiring and everyone was pretty worried and concerned. We both received beautiful gifts and gorgeous letters, drawings and flowers from my daughter.
I was so tried and pumped up with so many drugs.
That day I had a check from some nurses and Drs. Which was quite frequent.
It was apparent that I needed a blood transfusion from the amount of blood loss I had during surgery. I was quickly given the blood.
They warned me that I may need another if the numbers didn’t go up,
The following day, they didn’t. They gave me a iron transfusion and I was resting in bed.
The people next to me were so loud and noisy and rude. They kept on going up and down and down to the foyer and up again. Whilst I had a nurse checking on me, we noticed they smelled like marijuana, we looked at each other and I was instantly moved.
Hubby grabbed the bags, and the nurse grabbed the baby.
I had my very own private room, where my husband could stay.
I had my milk come in and all the sore lumps that come with it. My new baby helped with making them disappear!
I had lots of help, and the nurses were lovely.
The next day, we were good to go. My numbers were up and it was time to go home to my other baby.
What an experience.
Mentally I feel like I didn’t succeed. I feel my body and all of me failed. I failed myself and I still think that to myself, but I know that one of us wouldn’t have made it. So I’m lucky and grateful for the Drs.
