Birth story

Finally, the day has arrived.  I started to feel contractions at midnight of 27 Jan 2016. That's one day overdue.  At first, I thought it's BH, so I just brushed it aside.  Then it was 20 minutes each duration and about 50 seconds each time.  By 3am, there was bloody show.  I didn't know it was the mucous plug that came out until I reached the hospital.

Very quickly, I was transferred to the Delivery Suite upon arrival.  The nurse hooked me up on the machine to check baby's heartbeat and contractions and everything is good.  Except that my cervix was tightly closed.  Not even 1mm.  It was 4am and since there is no progress, the nurse told me to sleep.

Woke up at 7 and was told ObGyn will come by 9am.  He came by 11am and checked my cervix.  Still closed and tight.  Baby's head is high still.  Dang.  He doesn't want to induce me.  Instead just want to monitor my progress in the normal ward.  He said if he induce me now, will probably end up with c-sec coz looks like no progress.  I asked if I can go home and monitor.  He said up to me.  I decided to stay coz the roads are super jam now and I am at better hands here.  He said there are contractions though not very near and there's bloody show means something is starting.  So better stay here and let the nurse monitor baby's heartbeat and my contractions.

After waiting the whole day, with mild contractions coming and going and then disappeared all together, I began to worried that it's BH after all.  However, when ObGyn saw me at 5.30pm my cervix were still closed. No progress at all.  He said it's time to induce now.  No choice.  Sigh, one of the things that I have been avoiding but now have to happen.

At 10pm, the first pill was inserted, pitocin I think.  Contractions started again but bearable.  Still was able to sleep.  By 4am, the second pill was inserted.  This time the real labour contractions started and I am talking about the mother of all contractions.  Like over 130+ TOCO, according to the monitor.  I asked for pain killers but told to wait.  Need to monitor baby's heartbeat and contractions first.

By 6am, the contractions was closed and painful.  But guess what, cervix still closed.  The midwife told me induced is more painful than normal.  So I decided to take epidural.  Another one of those things that I wanted to avoid but no choice. Coz I thought to myself, if I wait for the cervix to open, that's like ages and with this mother of all contraction pain, I don't think I can made it.  Besides, I might end up with csec if still no progress.  So epidural, that is and that's the best choice ever.  I felt so relieved and was able to sleep and rest.  The downside was my legs were numbed.  Like paralysed.  I couldn't feel it at all.

ObGyn came and saw me by 9am.  Checked and found only open 1cm.  Can't believe after 2 pills and the duration of 7 hours contractions, still not much progress.  Dang!

So he started me on oxytoxin which is drip type of induce.  And he popped the waterbag.  But by now, I can't feel a thing.  So slept and slept and slept while waiting. 

By closed to 11am, the midwife checked and found that I have opened to 4cm.  Relieved, but waiting continue.  By 12.30pm, the midwife found that baby's hearbeat is irregular, meaning she is not happy inside.  So she called ObGyn and he came and checked and found that I have fully dilated.  I can finally deliver her.

They propped me up and told me to start pushing.  Because of the epidural, I didn't know how to push.  With all the wrong technique, baby's heartbeat is dropping again.  This time ObGyn came and told he need to help me by vacumning her out.  So, I did the pushing and he did the vacumning and baby was out by the 3rd push.  Phew!  Finally our baby girl is here.

After, 33 hours of labour, induced and with epidural, I managed to birth our girl naturally, 2 days overdue.  No csec.  I have a lot of bleeding and ObGyn did episiomy to help with the delivery, so I have some stitches.  All those things that many people said to avoid, I did it.  Except csec, thank God.

The checking of the cervix was painful and unbearable and I was checked 6 times without pain killers.  After epidural, I was checked 3 more times.

I truly salute those who have natural birth, without induction, without pain killers and without all those artificial help.  But if you have a case like me, with zero dilation, then don't regret choosing all those methods that many said against.  It was the best choice for me.  As long both of us were fine.  My mom was urging me to do csec after seeing me suffering for so long.  DH told me only to have a kid after seeing me going through these crazy contractions.  

I am glad I still managed to do natural birth.  At least I can tell the world, I have finally experienced a natural birth.