Fionn's Birth Story

So I was wondering what the best way to start this would be and I guess, at the very beginning, they say it's a very good place to start! 

I'll probably take a few posts to share my background, starting with Fionn's birth story, I actually wrote it 4 weeks after he was born, so it's nice even for me to read again. Daithí is 4 weeks old tomorrow and it's funny, the differences I'm already noticing between baby 1 and baby 2.

Note; this post will also be a good introduction to how bluntly honest and often too open I can be. I've deliberately included things I wish I had read about in other peoples' birthing stories when I was trying to do some research when I was pregnant.

So here it goes...

I am absolutely loving motherhood, it's so hard to believe it's only been 4 weeks. The changes in Fionn are HUGE! He's doing so well, putting on weight, and starting to sleep in a pattern. I knew I'd have to write off the first 6 weeks because yeah, I'm breastfeeding on demand. It's tough, but so definitely worth it. I have decided to donate breast milk as I am over producing, it is something I would definitely recommend everyone look into if it's something you can do, most people can give blood, but breast milk is in a much higher demand than you'd realie, for pre-term and seriously ill babies.

I was very, very lucky with my labour, I had a sweep at 4 days over, and was disappointed when I thought nothing was coming of it, so I spent the next two days on my birth ball (If you don't have one, get one, I actually can't tell you how great they are for so many things) and walking to try move things along. I thought maybe something was happening at 5 days over, so called the hospital and was called in, I was only 2cm, so was given another sweep and sent home. Contractions started at 11pm that night (what I thought were contractions earlier, weren't, it's so hard to know, or so I thought, because it's not something I'd ever felt before, but believe me when they start you know!). Anyway, I took some Paracetamol and went to bed with my contraction timer on my phone. I wasn't able to sleep, but knew I had to conserve my energy, so I just lay in the dark with my eyes closed breathing through them and timing them till about 1am, when they got too painful to lay still through, and I didn't want to wake up Shane, so I got up. I was managing by myself, but still managed to wake my Mam up at about 2am, I was sending her back to bed but she made me a cuppa and stayed with me. at about 2.30am they got really, really bad and I felt like I needed to poo. Mam thought I had hours of this ahead of me, so she thought it best let Shane sleep and hold off going to the hospital, but come 2.45am I rang the hospital and could hardly talk to them with the pain, I got Shane up and Mam dropped us to the hospital. Arrived at the hospital at 3.10am and he was born at 3.39am!!

I had planned a water birth, but there was clearly no time for that, I got to the hospital, having to stop between the car and the labour ward for a contraction, got in, had an internal exam, the midwife said the waters were bulging and I was 8cm, so she gave me some gas, I took one mouthful and had to get sick, so ran (I say ran, it was probably more of a waddle) to the bathroom, didn't actually get sick, so she guided me back into the room, I got another contraction so knelt up on a chair, with that my waters went, literally everywhere, I was mortified, but there was no time for that, she got me up on the bed, I was adamant I didn't want to lie on my back (your tail bone is curled up and gives you about 12% less space to push when you're on your back), so I was kneeling, but she couldn't hear a heartbeat, so I had to lie down, as soon as I did she could see his head, so I pushed a little, his head came out, then about 20seconds later the next contraction came and I pushed and he was born. It all happened so quickly he didn't even know he was born, so they had to shake him a bit to get him breathing, but he did within seconds and was put on my chest. The afterbirth came on the next contraction with hardly any push, which I was happy about because I didn't want the injection to speed it up (it was really frustrating, they ask you pretty much in the middle of a push if you want it, and it was only that I knew strongly I didn't want it and Shane knew that we were able to strongly say no! I had a delayed cord clamp (to allow the blood from the placenta be pumped to him, as babies are born with up to 1/3 of their blood in the placenta), Shane cut the cord. I tore slightly internally, so had two stitches, I was given the gas so she could give me a local anesthetic. Again, I was strongly against having an episiotomy, as they have a much longer healing time, but luckily they aren't done unless completely necessary in the UK.

He was weighed, and had a nappy put on right beside me and put straight back on my chest, I had asked for uninterrupted skin-to-skin until he fed, so we were left with him on my chest and brought in two coffees. He latched on himself and fed for about 5 mins, then Shane held him, and I rang my Mam, she was over to the hospital like a light to meet her first grandchild. The Midwife came back and gave me things for a shower and Shane dressed him. The only thing that noone had mentioned and so I was not prepared for was the gush of blood as soon as I stood up, it really took me by surprise as it went everywhere, but the midwife didn't bat and eye lid and it was all cleaned up by the time I got out of the shower. I wasn't aloud up to the recovery ward until I had peed, they have to check to make sure nothing is ruptured. Holy shit, I would have taken another hour of contractions over the sting!!! It was the most painful part of the entire process! but I managed to walk to the recovery ward wheeling Fionn.

I wanted to go home that day, so once the pediatrician checked Fionn over, and I had a midwife help me with the first proper feed we were sent on our way! The whole experience was amazing. I was happy I managed it without any drugs, the breathing I learned in the anti-natal classes definitely helped, the contractions were bad, but knowing they would end in 60seconds made them manageable. As for the pushing, it actually felt nice in a weird way, it wasn't painful, just amazing knowing that it was finally time to meet him!!

And then the fun began!!

I'd love any feedback/ questions/ comments :-) <3 X