Childbirth, enter at your peril.

[englishangel]

OK girls here it is.

[Vonny]

Where to start!

I'll break you all in gently - 1st labour was just over 48 hours (epidural, venteuse, 2nd degree tears, the works), 2nd labour was much quicker and (can't believe we did this ) as soon as the pain got BAD we went to the cinema to see Moulin Rouge Came out the cinema at 11.30pm and headed straight for the hospital & within 2-3 hours the baby was born

[Mrs C.]

Madness!!

1st - 48 hours - general anaesthetic, eventually (for tired me!!) for forceps delivery.
2nd - about 10 hours - and the midwife expected me to know what was going to happen - which I didn`t cos I`d been "out" with the first!!

Well, you have to make the most of the facilities!!

[Vonny]

Well, you have to make the most of the facilities!!

You certainly do!

2nd time round for me the midwife muttered something about how it was "going to be a few hours yet" before anything happened but next time she appeared in the room I was pushing!

[Happy]

I take it you ladies have read the debate currently raging about charging people for epidurals?

[cj]

Only the one experience thus far, and both the pregnancy and birth are making me think twice about another. Our older daughter is from my husband's first marriage, so I like to think of her as an oven-ready chicken with bringing her up as the cooker in which I bung her! My contractions stopped after about 10 hours and I went to sleep on the bed for a couple of hours by which point the midwife was wanting to get us to hospital as baby hadn't turned and we needed hormones to start it all up again. It was, simply, the most excruciating pain I have ever felt in my entire life and I have forgotten the exact feeling enough to consider doing it again because the resulting person is just amazing and makes my heart leap every time I look at her.

Health Warning: Expectant first-time parents are encouraged not to read these messages!!

[cj]

I take it you ladies have read the debate currently raging about charging people for epidurals?

I'm not sure I understand what the epidural is for, because you can't be 'under' it for the worst bit, can you ie. you have to feel 'the burn' as the baby is delivered? Or as my friend said, "Ooh, that must have chaffed a bit!" I wholeheartedly endorse a bit of acupuncture. It really does help the first stage contractions - needles go in ears and feet if you're wondering.

[Vonny]

I take it you ladies have read the debate currently raging about charging people for epidurals?

Sod that

I'm not sure I understand what the epidural is for, because you can't be 'under' it for the worst bit, can you ie. you have to feel 'the burn' as the baby is delivered?

I didn't feel any pain at the end - just a kind of tugging. bl**dy hurt like hell before the epidural though.

[Happy]

Epidurals? The combined sort (there were 2 a while ago) mean that you feel nothing from waist down but still have the use of your legs to potter about, make tea, have a conversation without clenching teeth. That sort of thing. Its having your cake and eating it, unless something goes awry.

It's the sight of the needle they use that knocks you out.

[Katharine]

My second son was born at home - in Islamabad (!) It was considered safer than hospital delivery. The first labour had been short and sweet in Leeds so I did not have any fears.

When I went into labour we called the doctor and midwife - eventually the doctor arrived, examined me said 'At least another hour' and went downstairs for a fag. Soon after I let out a yell, she got upstairs and got the gloves on in time to prevent Patrick hitting the mirror on the other side of the room!!! The midwife appeared about three-quarters of an hour later!

We had been told that we needed John's birth certificate, our marriage certificate and a local birth certificate to register the baby as British. We asked the doctor about this, she got out her prescription pad and wrote 'To whom it may concern: this is to certify that I delivered to Mrs Katharine Dobson, wife of John Dobson, one baby boy 25 August 1975' It really sounded as if she had brought him in her black bag!! The Embassy accepted that as a local birth certificate and gave him a certificate of registration of a birth.

[cj]

This is what four hours can produce. There can't be anything on telly tonight! (Don't know as we currently don't have one - another thread perhaps. "Who lives without TV?") As soon as I became pregnant I entered this parallel universe, where random people would stop me in the street and discuss their, their daughters's, sisters's, aunties's etc. experiences. It really was "joining the club". Some things I'd rather not have heard then, though it makes you immune to anything gory afterwards. My brother (currently childless) starts to go pale when I talk about tearing and stitches. Second time is supposed to be easier, isn't it ....?

[Euterpe13]

First pregnancy was bliss ( I felt all Mother-Earthy) with a rude awakening at labour : the midwife in prenatal classes had left me totally unprepared for the sheer agony of strong contractions without dilatation ( Mary will understand this...) . Also, husband was working, and I was left alone in my room.
Result - I threw up with every contraction for 10 hours, and thought that I would go mad - primipares should never be left alone, it's far too frightening.
When the midwife ( a wonderful woman) finally decided to send me for a C-section, she was told that the anaethetist had not arrived ( this was Sunday morning,crack of dawn).
So we did it the natural way, but Seb got stuck ( he was 4.600 kilos/ 10.15 lbs) and I was so tired that the midwife was, at one point, on my stomach bearing down to help me push... On top of this, the table was not properly fixed, so my husband was underneath it holding it up as I pushed, whilst a friend from Geriatrics held an oxygen mask over my mouth...because there was no-one else around.
7 people were reported the next day, and 4 of them fired for not turning up in time for work !
It took me five years to screw up the courage to have another...

But, on the good side, the second time is much easier : 4 1/2 hours, and you at least a) know what you are doing and b) are psychologically prepared for it. In fact , for Laura , I obviously appeared super-confident because the gyno intern asked if he could deliver instead of the midwife, which I accepted, and he then invited about 12 other people to join him in the delivery room, as instruction.... I told my mother we should have sold tickets !

But I do have 2 gorgeous, strapping children to show for it !

As to men - my husband was so terrified the first time, that he refused to come into the room for Laura until she was actually coming out. Said that there was no way he could have gone through that.

[englishangel]

As I starterd this I suppose I had better join in.

Has anyone noticed there are no men here....yet? perhaps we should head some of the Hertford threads PERIODS... and the like.

First child, I had just finished my midwifery teaching Diploma so all the staff knew I knew wht they were talking about. Husband sitting beside me going, "WHat does that mean in English?"

I went in the night before my due date thinking my waters had gone, (they hadn't) but BP was high so they decided to induce me with prostin. had mild contractions all night then in the morning baby was moving so much that they couldn't get his heartbeat so midwife put a clip on and waters went, gallons of it.

I had one decent contraction and said "OK, I'll have an epidural" (strictly to control my blood pressure you unsderstand). the anaesthetic registrar was someone I had last 'met' under the table at a med students party

Rapid first stage (2 1/2 hours) with the drip, much to the surprise of the midwife, then a very long second stage (3 1/2 hours) as I couldn't feel a thing. (NICE). Eventually pushed him out (3.725 kilos, 8lb 5oz) with theaid of a mirror. Very nasty tear which the registrar made a complete mess of stitiching so I had a big haemotoma.

Second labour (twins) induced at 36 weeks because of severe pre-eclampsia and twin 2 not growing. Once in labour I said I needed to go to the labour ward (where I should have been anyway) and was told it was full. I got there 2 hours later and had an epidural immediately (before I even had and exam cos they thought I would be quick).

21.45 epidural working properly,
22.15 exam 2cm dilated, waters broken.
22.45 Twin 1 heartbeat dipping to 60 AFTEr contractions, very bad sign, husband trying to be reassuring (what did he know?)
22.55 want to push. Moved from nice big comfy room and bed to small room with delivery TABLE.

The world and his wife came in.

23.05 skinny little boy born screaming (push, no don't bother) 2.21 kilos, 4 lb15oz. (this is the BIG one?)

Twin 2 lying across or they would have been closer together but had to turn her.

23.15 PUSH, no don't bother, pink round screaming baby girl (face up so looked like a unicorn) 2.77kg, 6lb 3oz. so much for growth retarded.

Easy peasy.

Took a month for the BP to subside though.

[Laura M]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm never going to have kids, you guys have scared me far too much!!!!

*runs and hides in a corner*

Actually I'm supprised no one has ever made a horror film about childbirth. (No Alien does not count to any menfolk lurking and thinking that film is an accurate portrayal of childbirth, the real thing sounds far more painful.)

[englishangel]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm never going to have kids, you guys have scared me far too much!!!!

*runs and hides in a corner*

Actually I'm supprised no one has ever made a horror film about childbirth. (No Alien does not count to any menfolk lurking and thinking that film is an accurate portrayal of childbirth, the real thing sounds far more painful.)

Sissy, and you a Wessex Ranger