Hannah's Story
Each story is presented in the mother's own words and may include language, phrases, and memories that some readers might find unsettling
My pregnancy was not a great one but also there were a lot of things missed in the lead up to my daughters birth. In hindsight I should have been booked for a planned C-Section, even my physio suggested it whilst she gave me the crutches as the last two weeks I couldn't walk! I went to urgent care on the Sunday about pains in which I was admitted into hospital a week before my due date. Listen, pack your bag for more than a couple of days just in case because I was in there for a WEEK! So technically I was in early labour but was admitted because my blood pressure was high which was unusual as I'm normally the average. The Monday they were going to induce labour through a sweep. Now, I originally wanted a water birth because they are less traumatic for someone who has gone through CSA, but I wasn't allowed to because of my BMI so on my notes there was to not be as many internal checks (as in hands going up) as that made me tighten up. The first sweep failed, it was too painful, they planned for the next day and to give me gas and air to get through it.
Around 1am my waters broke although I think it was my mucus plug as it was thick, but there was also a lot of fluid. I told my nurses, they checked me over and said to try and get some rest whilst monitoring contractions. They suggested taking a bath.... Girl the bath was so low and so mall. I ran it, sat in for five minuties and got out because how was I going to be comfortable in a tiny low bath when I couldn't even walk without crutches! Like....
Of course, since you are in labour, you are not allowed food so I didn't get a chance to have breakfast so I hadn't had any food since dinner at like 6pm the night before. I was tired and hungry but progressing. I had a playlist I had set up but after the first round of it, it wasn't played again which was sad as it would have helped. I had a Pethidine injection around 9am to help, as well as gas and air. This would be my downfall, because I was SICK. I was throwing up but because I hadn't eaten anything it was just bile, I was drinking water and just throwing that up too. It was not the vibe. By 11am I was "fully dilated" and had been transferred into a delivery suite where I would stay for the next 6 hours.
I kept going back to 10cm, they kept me on my back then tried to move me to my side as I kept being sick. I was tired of trying to push, wasn't allowed to go to the toilet. I was SCREAMING! The pain was horrible and drugs were not touching it. There was SO many internal exams, it felt like every half an hour I had a hand up me. Turns out my waters hadn't fully broke so I had this big needle thing put up me to "poop" it. By 3 o'clock I was asking for stronger drugs, they put a catheter in so that was fun. They gave me an epidural around 4o'clock, which failed. I could feel EVERYTHING. I got told off for making too much noise yet I had been doing this for over 15 hours at this point. Pea was stuck in my pelvis and not moving. By 5pm they said that if nothing progressed I would be wheeled to theatre for an emergency c section. I just said do it. By 5.30 it was decided and off I was wheeled away, and given a spinal block and omg there was no pain, I couldn't feel anything past my waist. It was bliss! So I was awake and they put this sheet to block it out, and basically cut me open, move my insides out of my body, take out baby and then put everything back and sew me up!
When pea came out, there was no noise and honestly I held my breathe waiting as I couldn't turn around to see what was happening so I just laid there waiting to hear something. What felt like a lifetime but was properly 30 seconds I heard a noise, she pooped and peed and was cleaned up. I can't remember if I got to hold her in the room but they sewed me up and carted me down to another room where I eventually got to hold her before getting my friends to order some food, being told off by the nurse for getting outside food and then it's like right time for breastfeeding! We stayed in hospital for five days after that, where I was suspected of having sepsis (but wasn't told this until I read my notes), lots of needles, lots of bad food but omg the toast after giving birth, if you know, you know, or will know!