FRIDAY 18th JULY
To get me out of the house for a while nana came and picked me up and we went to the super play café with Kiedis and Bryce. We were there for a couple of hours, when I started getting uncomfortable, and my lower back was really hurting. I moved around on my chair and tried many different positions to try and stay comfortable, which seemed to work. At this stage I wasn’t thinking it meant anything, I just thought I had been sitting on a chair for too long.
Nana dropped me home when we had finished at super play, and since I was still feeling the back pain, I grabbed my pillow and blanket, and my heat bag, and lied on the mattress I had in the lounge room, with the heat bag on my back. It helped a little bit, but the pain was still there. I took 2 panadol, and lied down again, with the heat bag again, and after a while it seemed to go away. I managed to get to sleep okay, so I went to bed around 11pm.
SATURDAY 19th JULY
Today is my due date!!!
I woke up at 5:30am, feeling like I needed to go to the toilet (yet again!!), as I tried to get out of bed (which has proved hard for months now, as the surround on our bed is higher than our mattress, so I have always had to kind of rock to get upright), I felt a release of pressure and heard a pop and then it felt like I had wet myself. I managed to get out of bed, and as I stood up the fluid just kept coming, so I squatted beside the bed, and pulled my towel down from the end of the bed and put it under me, while I called to mike and woke him up.
He woke up asking what was wrong (he actually thought I was throwing up, he said later, that’s what it sounded like), and I said “my waters have broken”, and he jumped out of bed so quick, (I’ve never seen him move so quick), asking what to do.
I told him to go wake G-ma up, who was in the next bedroom, so he went and knocked on her door, and said “Jess’s waters have broken”, and then G-ma jumped out of bed fairly quick too. They both then came back into the bedroom, by this time the water had stopped flowing like it was, but it was still leaking out. G-ma got me a towel which I used to stop the leaking while I made my way to the bathroom, to have a shower and clean up.
I hopped in the shower, while mike went back to bed, as he had to work in the morning for half the day. While I was in the shower, G-ma rang the hospital, to let them know what was going on. They asked if contractions had started yet, what colour the water was, etc. they said to have some breakfast, and then make our way in when we were ready.
6:50am – Contractions started now and are coming every 3-8 minutes, and lasting 30-60 seconds each. They aren’t consistent at all, and are a little painful, but they are bearable, I can still do everything normally, and happily. Before we headed into hospital, we took a last ever belly photo too. Mike headed off to work at 8am, after checking and double checking that I was ok and that it was ok for him to go.
last ever belly pic - 8:16am - 19th july 20089:00am – G-ma and I headed to the hospital, and I was admitted. We sat in the waiting room for a little bit, before the midwife (Anthea) came down to see us. She took my blood pressure, and asked a few questions, and then took us to our room.
I was hooked up to the CTG machine to monitor the contractions and your heart rate. The contractions are still irregular, but you were coping well with them. Your heart rate didn’t change much, if at all.
Anthea then attempted to do a specula exam, but it was too painful (it made me cry), so she did an internal. This made me cry more, as it hurt quite a bit, because my cervix was a fair way back. I am 1-2 cms dilated, and 1cm long, but it is thinning.
10:30am – we had the option to stay at the hospital or go home for a while, and since we only live 2 minutes from the hospital, we decided to go home, and get some breakfast, and get some things together to head back in when mike got home from work. On the way home we stopped in at the shopping centre to pick up some bits and pieces for the day, and then headed home.
When we got home, I hopped back in the shower, as the contractions were getting a bit stronger. Mike came home soon after that, and he ended up getting in the shower with me. He was massaging my back, and talking to me, and keeping my mind of things. While in there, we discovered that I couldn’t stand being touched on my lower back while having a contraction, as this was where all my pain was.
When we got out of the shower, mike made a sign that said “contraction happening, don’t touch me, where it hurts” for me to hold up when I was having a contraction.
We then got our stuff organized and packed up the car and headed back to the hospital.
12:00pm – we arrived back at the hospital, and headed straight to our room. I tried sitting on an exercise ball with a wheat bag on my back, but it didn’t do a lot, and I soon gave up the wheat bag. The pain in my back is 10 times worse than any pain in my stomach, which I don’t actually think there is any.
2:00pm – the midwives encouraged me to get up and walk around a bit. So we went for a walk outside, so G-ma could have a smoke. When I was having a contraction, I would lean into mike, and he would just hold me. In between, I was walking around in circles, talking to G-ma and mike.
2:30pm – I decided to get in the shower again, as the pain was slowly getting worse. Contractions are now around 5 minutes apart. I was kneeling on the floor of the shower on towels, and leaning into a chair. I had the water running onto my back, until I was having a contraction, and then it was unbearable, I had to move out of the water each time.
3:30pm – the shower wasn’t helping anymore, so I got out and hopped on the bed. Lying down was great, only because I got to lie down and sort of rest in between contractions, but the pain was still the same.
4:00pm – they tell me you are not in the right position, your back is against my left side, and you need to have your back against my front, and you also need to move your head. I am now sitting on the exercise ball again, moving my pelvis around in circles, trying to encourage you to move around. Mike is sitting on a chair in front of me, so I am leaning into him while having a contraction. He is breathing with me and talking to me, and praising me.
4:20pm – I had another gush of my waters, when I got up off the ball to go to the toilet. Our new midwife Ana, tried massaging my back for me, but I'm not sure if I like it enough for her to keep doing it.
4:40pm – my labour is now established! Woo hoo!!!!
5:40pm – I’m still sitting and swaying on the exercise ball, as the contractions are getting stronger and closer together. Ana says that I will have another internal done around 7:30 – 8:00pm, as requested by Dr Klomp.
6:00pm – by now I am getting sick of the ball and think I might like a change of scenery and to try something different. So I ask to try the bath. There are consent forms to sign first, so we get them out of the way, and the Ana goes and runs the bath for me. While Ana is out of the room, mum goes out there too, and tells Ana that I am getting short tempered while she (Ana) is not in the room, so I receive one on one support from Ana from this point onwards.
6:15pm – I walked up and down the maternity ward hallway twice with Ana and mike, before getting into the bath at 6:50pm. (Thankfully, I am the only person in the ward at this time)
7:15pm – some contractions are starting to get very painful and overwhelming, so I decide to ask for the gas.
7:18pm – it doesn’t feel like the gas is doing much, so it is turned up.
7:25pm – the gas is turned up again.
7:40pm – I hopped out of the bath and was lying on a mattress that had been set up in the bathroom for another internal. Your head is at Station O, my cervix is thin and stretchy, and I am 7 cm dilated. YAY!!!! My Mucousy/bloody show is seen now, and they tell me things are getting closer, and that we should look at moving down to the delivery suite soon.
8:20pm – after lying on the mattress for a while I got back in the bath for a bit.
8:35pm – I am starting to feel pressure now, like I need to do a poo, at the peak of my contractions. Ana is now telling me that I should get out of the bath, as we need to move down to the delivery suite. I had to walk down to the delivery suite, and had to walk past nana Bev and Popa John, who were sitting in the waiting room.
9:00pm – I am now comfortably settled in the delivery suite now, and still using the gas. (Although I swear the gas wasn’t working or turned on in the bathroom, because I am actually smiling while using it now). Ana or mike are massaging my back while I am kneeling on my knees and leaning over the bar in front of me. I was using some funky looking contraption.
9:20pm – I’m starting to feel a lot of pressure now, but they say that I am not bearing down yet. Another internal is done, and they say your head has descended, and then those sweet words, I AM FULLY DILATED!!!! YEAH!!!! More bloody show is seen.
I start to feel my body pushing in some of the contractions now. It is the weirdest feeling ever, because it is not something that I can control. It’s like when you are straining to push out a poo, and your whole tummy tightens and tenses up, except that you can’t stop it from happening.
10:00pm – I moved onto the bed, and was sitting upright, holding on to the handles. Ana has said that I should stop using the gas now, as it will help move things along a bit quicker without it, so reluctantly, I let it go.
10:15pm – I am now in a semi-squat position being supported by mike and Ana. I have now started effective pushing. Every now and then Ana comes round and shines a torch up my Vagina to have a look. With every push, she says she can see more and more of the head. First thing mike asks “does she have red hair?” (Daddy was adamant he didn’t want you to have red hair!)
10:47pm – Dr Klomp shows up. I continue pushing with every contraction. They are still looking at things with a torch, and G-ma’s face is just priceless, she can’t believe what she is seeing. Thankfully she took photos of it all, so I have been able to look back at them and see what she saw. Mike has spent the whole time up by my head, holding my hand when he wasn’t supporting me.
11:17pm – Jasmine Pamela is born (while I was in the semi squat position, supported by mike on one side and another midwife, Monika on the other) and lifted straight onto my chest. You didn’t breathe straight away, but after what seemed like forever, but was probly only 1 minute or so, you started coughing, then breathing, then crying. It was the biggest relief to hear you cry. G-ma cut your umbilical cord, and I got to cut it closer a bit later.
I had to have an episiotomy done, as my perineum just was not stretching enough to let you out. I remember the OB saying, we are going to have to cut you to get her out, is that ok? And my response? “I don’t care anymore, just get her out!!
I didn’t even feel the anaesthetic needle going in, everything was stretched so much, and I think I lost all feeling down there.
Mike and G-ma both said that it sounded horrible when he cut, that it was like cutting through really tough rubber, and that the sound was horrible.
You were left on my chest while I birthed the placenta, which only took 10 minutes. I was given the oxytocin injection in my leg (which I also didn’t feel) to help deliver the placenta. I was then stitched up by Dr Klomp. I never asked how many stitches I needed, but in the photos, the cut goes all the way to my butt hole. OUCH!!!
Once I was stitched up Nana Bev and Popa John were invited in to meet their new great granddaughter. They were the first people to see you!
All in all, my total established labour was 7.27 hours, with 1.17 hours of pushing.
Total labour from when my waters broke was 17.47 hours. I’m told that’s not bad for a first baby.
When you finally taken away and weighed we were extremely surprised to find out that you weighed 9lb 12oz (4.410kgs). No wonder you had trouble coming out.
This is when things turned a bit ugly, I wasn’t feeling the greatest after they took you, and asked if I could have a shower before I tried to feed you, which they said was fine. They sat me up on the edge of the bed, as they were getting the wheelchair ready, and the next thing I remember is G-ma standing over me, holding you and calling my name. Apparently I fainted, I hadn’t even tried to stand up, and I was just sitting on the edge of the bed.
Anyway, they lied me back down, and gave me an oxygen mask, which helped, but I still felt extremely crappy. They phoned Dr Klomp, and he said to put in a drip to re-hydrate me, which they did. I then tried to eat a bit of toast, and Monika gave me a quick sponge bath. They asked if I felt I could sit up to get in the wheel chair, but I didn’t have a hope in hell, so they went to my room and got my bed, and moved me onto that. And then wheeled me down to my room.
I finally fed you for the first time at 4:00am
Dr Klomp came back the next day to check on me, and was not at all happy with my colour; I was still very pale and white.
He ended up deciding that I needed to have a blood transfusion, so 3 units of blood were ordered, and that night I was given 2 of them. The next day after that (Monday) I was feeling a lot better, and could actually get out of bed now without support. I even managed to walk around the hospital a bit.
We were discharged on Tuesday afternoon, as Dr Klomp was happy enough that I was up and moving around on my own.
Your Birth Statistics Were:
Name: Jasmine Pamela Smits
D.O.B: 19th July, 2008
Time: 11:17pm
Weight: 9lb 12oz (4.410kgs)
Head circumference: 36.5 cms
Length: 53 cms
Apgar score: 9 @ 1minute, 9 @ 5minutes
our midwife who delivered you - Ana
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