The next installment - full on labour (From Oxford Mail)

The next installment - full on labour

4:25pm Friday 15th August 2008

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Here's the next part of the story as promised!

By 8pm I'm in quite alot of pain, and walking up and down and the back rubs are no longer sufficient!

I ask hubby when he thinks I'll be able to have gas and air, so he asks the midwife when she returns "ooh of course she can have it...you've done so well to get this far without!". Now she tells me - note to others who have this to come - ask for pain relief up front!!

So, the gas and air is amazing! The first breath I take is unnerving, my heads falls back and it's like that hideous moment when you're 18 and wish you could erase the last 4 hours of merrily knocking back Bacardi Breezers.

After that I love it and hubby and the student midwife think I'm hilarious. I wish I'd had this little hose shape friend by my side hours ago. I'm supposed to start breathing in when I feel a contraction start and stop when it peaks, but after I get used to it, I have it well and truly stuffed in my mouth permanently and it's not going anywhere. Hubby tells me afterwards that he asked a few times if I was actually having a contraction and I just gave him an 'of course I am, honest' look and carried on the breathing deeply.

After a further two or so hours the contractions are even stronger and the gas and air really isn't taking off the edge like it was before. I haven't cried or sworn yet but feel I may be on the brink. I'm also on the stability ball with husband sitting facing me which is the best position I've found, but by now I'm kind of hanging round his neck; far less dignified than when we arrived and I was pacing quietly.

Around 10pm/11pm I ask for an epidural, the pain is overwhelming and despite wanting as natural a birth as possible, I can't carry on 'breathing' my way through this! Unfortunately the anethetist is in surgery. This is when my baby elephant impressions began, so I'm told.

Now I'm on a huge orange bean bag on the bed, draped over it and rolling off the side each time a contraction gets really bad. Two long hours pass before they finally find someone to come and save me - during which time I do quite well on the swearing front with 'crap baskets' being the favoured profanity, very odd!

I also see a young woman stop and smile by the bed. I laugh and husband asks why, but I tell him it's something really stupid. After the labour I tell him about her; she was from the war and was a wren, and I believe it's husbands grandmother who passed away 5 days previously. All very strange, I feel like I've created it in my head but it was very real.

The epidural - wow, instant pain relief. The anesthetist tells me I'll have to sit really still, but I'm in sitting position and still as a statue before you could say I'm in labour, get me out of here. After it kicks in we doze on and off for about 4 hours, until it's time to start pushing - labour is actually a pleasure now as each contraction comes and goes with the same level of pain as a mild stitch.

More to come - the birth (in between feeds and nappy changes which we're actually really enjoying!).

x