How was your labour and delivery?

Chelsea - posted on 01/26/2011

My daughter came a 29w 6d due to ruptured membranes since 14 weeks . I was woken up with pains at around 3 30 am . It didnt feel like labour just some back pain so i had a shower and tried to lay back down . By 5 30 i was in agonizing pain and my partner called an ambulance . I arrived at the hospital at 6 53 am to find out that i was fully dilated. My daughter was in the breach position so they started prepping me for an emergency C-section . By the time we got to the operating room there was no time for a c-section and the doctor informed me that there was no choice but to deliver naturally . There was no time for anything to ease the pain within 4 pushes she was out . She weighed 3pnds 1.6 ounces and was transfered immediately to a hospital with an NICU . The hospital was an hour and a half from where i live. This all only happened a few days ago . She is still in NICU now but she is stable and i just can't wait to bring her home .

Marylea - posted on 01/25/2011

I was 28 weeks pregnant when my daughter decided she was ready to escape. I was making dinner and all of sudden I had some really bad back pain and it felt like my baby had dropped a bit. Then the pain went away and I went back to what I was doing. I kept getting some pain in my back but figured it was my sciatic nerve (I had sciatic nerve problems during my pregnancy). Finally I told my hubby I was in a lot of pain and needed to lie down so I decided to go to bed. After sleeping for a short time I woke up in A LOT of pain. I had a feeling that I was having contractions. It was about 9pm, I called my mom (I was only 18 at the time) and asked if this was normal she said it was probably braxton hicks but that I should monitor it. I'm very pain tolerant so even though it hurt I wasn't making a big fuss or anything. My hubby came to bed with me and I laid there beside him in pain for hours not sure what to do or what was going on. I called my parents again when I realized that the contractions were about 15 minutes apart. They told me it was probably nothing (this was at about midnight) I tried to sleep but kept waking up so I started writing down the contractions and realized they were about 4 minutes apart. I called my parents again and told them that I needed to go to hospital right away (we didn't have our own car) by that time it was 4am. Just getting out of bed made me throw up. When I got to the hospital the nurses told me it was probably false labour and that everything was probably fine but they would get the doctor and do some tests. They did a test for a certian hormone (don't remember the name) but the results didn't matter because the test came back positive for amniotic fluid. After that everyone started to finally take me seriously instead of thinking that I was just being a baby over some braxton hicks. They quickly gave me some pills to stop the contractions and shots of steriods. The town I was living in was very small and they don't deliver babies there unless its an emergency because they can't do c-sections there. They put me in an ambulance to get me to the airport but when we arrived at the airport I was 8cm so they drove me to a different hospital in the next town because it was closer than the other hospital I had been at. The plane that arrived for me had two parametics from the children's hospital and they came with us to the hospital. I was wheeled into the hospital lifted from the gurney onto a bed and told to push. My daughter was born at 9:35am April 20th 2009 weighing 2lbs 4ozs. It took almost 5 hours for them to get a breathing tube into her lungs. The doctor had to stand there all that time with a hand pumped oxygen mask over her mouth. I am so thankful to them and to God for all the work that was done to save my baby's life. They didn't give up on her. After she was stabalized they flew us both to the closest hospital with a proper NICU. She stayed in the hospital for almost 4 months.



Marylea~

Check out my blog at

www.me-myselfandbaby.blogspot.com

Carrie - posted on 01/21/2011

my 1st baby was a easy pregnancy not countin the constant morning sickness got induced on jan 16 at 6am after 12 hrs of labor we hadnt progressed ne so we decided to do csection he was born 7lbs 10.5oz n very healthy. my 2nd baby i was put on bed rest at 3 months. at 7months i started havin contraction n was in labor for 3 days. the 1st day i had asked my grandma bout it cuz thats where i was livin n she told me to go lay down n c if that helps it helped a lil bit but happened off n on for 3 days i called my mom n she came n got me n took me to the hospital after bein there a hr my dr came in n checked me i was at 5cm they rushed me to a emergancy csection n took my baby to the childrens hospital 3 counties away he was born at 28 weeks weighed 3lbs he didnt come home till his due date n weigh 11lbs

Aimee - posted on 01/19/2011

my first pregnance was ok everythin was really good untill 32 weeks and i started to have pains and phoned the hospital and they told me to go through when i got there they put me on the monitor and said there was no sign of labour but goin to keep me in all day i was havin more and more pains no one would listen so at 10 oclock at night i said i can not take this pain any more i need to push and the nurse and doc come in to give me a internal and didnt have to the babys feet was hangin out so they had to rush me down to theather and have a emerg c section and she weighted 4lb 3 ounces and in hosp for 6weeks. my second child everythin went really well preg was excellent and then 35 weeks came and i had the pains again so i went through to the hosp again and they put me on the monitor and they said the same again u are not in labour and they said we better keep u in cause of your quick labour and then at 5 oclock at night i was havin more pains put me on monitor again and they showed i was in labour and then at 8 oclock pains got really bad had gas and air and them at 12 oclock my baby was not comin but the head was there so had to cut me and give me a vontose and he weighted 6 pound and i was aloud home with him the next day. my third preg everythin went wrong from the beginnin i had a band in my stomach as the baby was growin it was goin across his chest that can cause anpitation to a limb so when i got to 34 weeks they told me that the week after they was goin to bring him but that night i went into labour so went to the hospital and they put me on the monitor this time i went to a diff hosp and they said yes u are in labour but in slow labour so at 7 oclock in morn i was 2cm dilated and at 9 i was 7 cms dilated at 11 oclock they took me down to labour suit the pains was not to bad and three pushes and he was hear but had to go straight to scbu as he had breathin problems he was 3lb 14 he was in hosp for 8 weeks. fourth preg was the same i had this band again but this time it was not any were near my baby so the hosp told me and my partner to have a abortion we said no and changed hosp and then seen a top sergen and he said that she was ok and didnt have to go through it and i got to 34 weeks again and had a scare by my ex husband chasin me and i got home and i started to have pains and i went into hosp and they said u are in labour but very slow so i was in for 4 days and the pains were in my back and the hosp said again i was not havin contractions as the monitor was not showin any so my partner went home and i was in pain i was cryin and when my partner came the next day the pains got worse and worse and my partner went over and told the doc and they said the docs were on the way when they arrived and checked me i was 9cm dilated took me down and i had her in sec of bein down there i had a quick luv and took her to special care and weighted 4lb 10 and in hosp for 2 weeks only as she had jaundice. fifth preg everythin brill and good nothin went bad and at 35 week i went into labour in the van as with my partner at work went to hosp and it stopped and then in labour for 3 days and then went to sleep nothin then i went to the toilet and blood was every were a nurse told me i could lose it i wanted my partner but would not let him on the word still no pains went down stairs and after 2 hours i had him he weighted 4lb 15 and was 34/ 35 weeks even the docs dont know and they said for a prem baby he was big boned and he had a bottle with in min of a ounce and shocked the hosp because prem babys dont normally have suckin motion and i bought him home next day

Tammy - posted on 10/28/2010

i was so not ready to have my baby i was only 34 weeks i felt a bit so i went to the doctors but he sent me to the hospital to get checked over when i was in the hospital the put the monitor around my stumoch i wasnt in labour or anything so the young nurse was gonna send me home but then the big head doctor come in & checked the results on the monitor when he looked he had noticed my baby was losing her beat so he sent me down for a emerancy c-section i was put to sleep cause they didnt have time to give me an epidorel they had to get my baby out other wise i would have lost her i am so thankful that the head doctor came in cause the nurse was about to send me home & i would have lost my baby girl

Kylie - posted on 09/10/2010

I skipped labour! I went to hospital at 26 weeks + 6days complaining of a headache. I actually said "I think I'm just neurotic, but can you just make sure I don't have pre eclampsia" My husband thought I was being silly so dropped me off and went to work!

Well I had severe early onset preclampsia and they decided to deliver my baby the following day by c-section.

My actual delivery was lovely. I was determined (despite being hooked up to drugs and catheterised) to walk into theatre, which I did. My husband held my hand and we talked about our honeymoon whilst they cut into me.

My baby was delivered, no one saw what gender he was, except the anaethetist thought he was probably a boy but couldn't be sure!

I was so confused as I head crying after about 10 minutes and was actually really angry. "why are they letting me hear babies, don't they know how hard this is already?" and I saw people's eyes smiling from under their masks, and my husband said " that's our baby"

Joseph weighed 1lb 7oz, and still managed a cry, I was so happy.

He is 16 months now, and absolutely fine!

Jennifer - posted on 09/10/2010

In March 2008, I was 32. 5 weeks pregnant when I went into labour. For 4 days I was in active labour. On Tuesday, 4 March 2008 at 09:30, my gynae came in and said to me: "You'll have to call your husband, we're taking out this baby in half an hour." The NICU was ready for his arrival and the specialist was in the operatiing room when Alexander was born with an initial AGPAR of 7/10. Here is a piece I wrote to friends and family a year after that day. I am sure many of you would be able to relate... I call it "the minute that lasted a life-time"

When Alexander was born, even when he was blue, even when the nurses avoided my eyes, even when that horrible CPap machine was forcing him to breathe and to live, I never thought for one moment that he could possibly die. He was in NICU for a week (in I should add, the best hospital with the best neo-natologist in the Western cape and Possibly the country). It broke my heart to leave him, and it broke my heart to sit with him, my finger longer than his head. We begged the Neo-Natologist to bring him home, becaus ein my heart of hearts I knew that this is where he wanted to be.

So after a week and many fevered calls to various friends, contacts and strangers, our little baby was allowed home, with dire warnings that he could not go back to NICU once discharged. We had prepared a room - disinfected, cleaned and teddybeared in profusion and loaded our little man into a carseat on top of a heat pad and a heart rate monitor. We were so nervous, because it was still 2 hours till my brother arrived from Pretoria (he was to nurse as well as another nurse we had hired.

Alexander had to visit our paediatrician daily and had to be monitored 24/7 with temperature, saturation and vital signs monitored every 2 hours. He didn't have the energy to feed, so had a nose tube through which a high concentration of formula (esp. for preemies) or breast milk was delivered safely into his stomach.

And so we carried on - each moment as it came. Two weeks later, after a good many ups and downs, we finally got the go ahead that 24 hour care was not necessary any more, the nurses could go! That was on the friday, and on the Saturday we had to "go it alone". It was 09:30 - time for a tube feed, and as Willem injected the milk into the nasal tube, those tiny fingers came up and ripped the tube halfway out.

This deposited the milk into his lungs and he choked. He stopped breathing and immediately his lips went blue. The world stopped. Willem started mouth to mouth, we turned him upside down... the milk ran out his nose and mouth and then.. a breath, a cry a little boy who survived again. In that moment, I realised that I could becoma A MOTHER WHO HAD A CHILD DIE. I saw in that moment a lifetime's pain and heartbreak. I saw all that he could be but wouldn't. In that moment my heart shattered... and burst with joy again when he breathed and cried.

That was the minute that lasted a lifetime.

I will never forget that moment in time, and will always admire my little boy's fighting spirit.

Emily - posted on 09/05/2010

I was 29wks and 6 days when i delivered. I was in labor from July 2nd til July 19th when James (my premie son) decided that he wanted to bring himself into this world. I had really bad back labor because i have a pinched sciatic nerve in my lower back that got worse further and further into my pregnancy. James was 2lbs 15oz when he was born at 5:01am on July 19, 2o1o. And he was the smallest premie in the hospital at that time but was the healthiest. He had no lung complications and no other issues that the doctors thought he would possibly have.

Congrads to you mommies. And Good luck to you all :)

Deanna - posted on 09/01/2010

with my daughter I went into labor (31 weeks) at 5 am and spent 5 hours at the hospital until they stopped it. a few days later I went back because I start again. I was rushed to the hospital and laid up in bed for a week dilated at a 3. they stopped giving me the meds to stop my labor (because they could only give it to me for 48 hours). so within 12 hours I went into labor again. went from a 3 to an 8 quickly. got an epidural waited 2 hours, pushed 30 mins and had a beautiful baby girl. with my second I was sent home 2-3 times told I was having false labor (35-36 weeks). the third time I went in they decided to induce. I was in a lot of pain, got another epidural. labor stopped, induced me more. I was there 12 hours before I started to push. he was stuck so the doc had to suction him out...so painful! my little girl just slipped right out. she was 4lb 7oz he was 8lb 7oz. both healthy and happy. if I had gone full term I probably would have gone c-section. recovery was a lot better the second time around.

Melysa - posted on 09/01/2010

i have 5 kids 1st born 9 days early when she stopped moving and started to go into distress so they did an emergency c-section my 2nd was 3 weeks late but a normal healthy delivery 2 hours labour my 3rd was 10 days late and a perfect labour (i actually got to reach down and pull her out my self it was amazing) my 4th my husband had gone to work taken the car for the first time in 3 weeks and had just called me to see how i was as his run(he drives a truck) took him over 2 hours away and we had a scare the day before (our labour is always short) 15 mins later my water broke and it took me 20 mins to get hold of my hubby he was a while away so i said i would walk to the train station and meet him at the hospital i was not getting contractions but did not want them to start at home and have no time to get to the hospital esp not with 3 older kids around got there and was monitored but as there was no labour they put me in a room i delivered 3 days later at 37 weeks, my 5th i was 35 weeks on april fools day my waters broke just after taking the kids to school i had been bleeding lightly for a few weeks but was now living too far from public transport so i had the car, when i called my hubby he got in one of the company trucks and raced home got half way home before he realized the date and was starting to disbelieve me he called his mum and mine they told a few people and then he got a call on our way in asking what he was doing no-one believed we were on our way to the hospital, including my dad who did not believe it till the next day when i sent him an update, we spent 5 days in hospital until i noticed the colour of my waters had changed and they said he had 6 hours to get out but i was not allowed to move and they would not induce i was scared to death that i could lose my little man they took me upstairs my mum came and took the little kids my brother in law took the 2 big kids and i slowly went into labour he was born about half an hour before their deadline but he was not breathing, once they got him breathing they held him up for me to see and told me they had to take him to nicu i sent my hubby with him and went for a shower (the fastest post birth shower i ever had) i got out got dressed and went to my boy he had wires tubes and this big red helmet looking thing holding on his cpap i was told that he would be for 2-3 weeks but he got better fast when they let him downstairs he could not hold his temp and was taken back this happened 3 times before they released him he was 6 days old

Amanda - posted on 09/01/2010

My Labor and delivery was scary but fast. I was 33 weeks pregnant and I didnt sleep much so i was laying in bed at 2am and then got up and went to he bathroom and noticed i was bleeding, it made me nervus but i was seeing if it would slow down so i just kept going and check i went and layed down, around 4am and then i felt a roll down my back and then a pop. I kinda yelled and my fiance jumped up and asked if i was ok i said no and ran to the bathroom and then my water broke all the way, and right then my contractions started. My fiance woke up my mother inlaw and we went to the car. Right away we noticed my contractions were 3 mins apart. and we live almost a hour away from the hospital. I started to be in more and more pain so my fiance called 911 just incase we didnt make it to the hospital, we had to go to a different hospital first because we didnt think i was going to make it but that hospital doesnt deliver babies, but they brought me in and checked me and I was only 3CM so they put me in the ambulance on the way there i was telling the guy i need the push and he kept telling me no no dont push. Once we got to the other hospital and they were pulling me out of the ambulance they checked me and noticed i was crawning. They rushed me to a room and i told them i need to push and they told me not to until they noticed my sons head was coming out. My doctor just came in the room at just the right time to deliver my son. Luckly she was there because the cord was rapped around my sons neck. I got to the hospital at 5:30am and had my son at 5:38am. I had no time for any pain meds or anything, but i didnt want them any way. They took him away fast and got him breathing and cleaned. The brought him to us and said give hima kiss we have to take him to the nicu. After a hour i was able to see my son so a nurse took me and my fiance to the nicu, when i looked around the corner and saw my son me and my fiance started crying. Our little baby had wires all over him and a tube down his throat. monitors all around him. it was just so sad. They said he was luck becasue during the pregnany i developed diabetes. So he was 5 pounds 7.9 oz. He ended up having to stay in the hospital for a month and he came home on a monitor.
I love my son so much he is my life.

Jo - posted on 09/01/2010

my son decided to come at 31wks, due to preclampsia that they hadnt picked up yet, had to be transferred to another hopstial during labor, was pumped full of drugs and the steroid shot but only had time for the one shot, labor went for about 15 hrs concractions mainly in my back as he was posterior and they were all over the place, no pain releif at all, bout 20 mins of pushing and our son was born weighing 1725grams (3lb11) i think roughly, he spent 6weeks in special care nursary on oxygyn for 5wks. is now a very happy healthy 11month old :)

Tabitha - posted on 08/31/2010

My first child was born at 37 weeks at 5lbs 8 1/2oz. no epidural, labor and delivery was 1hr 47 mins. my 2nd child was due in June 07 and decided to start coming at the end of Feb 07. I was put on bedrest and lasted till May 11th. My water broke on May 7th and I was admitted into the hospital that night. They pumped me full of antibiotics for a week until that friday (may 11th) when I was allowed to deliver. he was 6 weeks early, 5 lbs 1oz. my 3rd child was right on time, born Oct 13th 7lbs 4oz (after going into early labor 3 months early). I woke up in the morning with some pain but didnt feel like contractions, I had been having urinary problems for a month prior so i figured it was that, 50 mins later my son was delivered by the paramedics on my living room floor. we didnt even make it to the hospital. he was determined to be born right then and there. I am pregnant with my 4th and i am hoping the dr can schedule an induction so I know that I will be at the hospital this time because I have already been having some early labor contractions and still have 2 months to go.

Candace - posted on 08/30/2010

I was exactly 33 weeks. The day before I had my son I woke up experiencing pain in my ribs and shortness of breath. I thought that maybe the baby was pushing up against my ribs and just took some tylenol and went to sleep. Four days later I realize that i'm in a hospital and had obviously delivered my baby. I was then told that the morning after I had expereinced the pain in my ribs my hubby was woken up to me having a seizure. He called the ambulance and had I to be rushed to the hospital having another seizure while in the ambulance. It was determined that the pain and the shortness of breath was my kidneys starting to shut down as a result of high blood pressure. I had no idea I had high blood pressure. Had never been diagnosed with preeclampsia but had now suffered from Eclampsia. After the delivery of the baby I was moved to ICU because my blood pressure was 170/119 and would not come down even after the delivery of the baby. I couldn't have any visitors except my hubby and mom. My blood pressure started to come down the day after my baby was born and I was then moved to a recovery room. I was under a lot of medication so I remember none of the events that happened. My son was born on a Saturday morning, I remember everything that happened from tuesday afternoon. I was released almost a week later. My son born weighing 3lbs 5oz and 16.5 inches long stayed in the NICU for almost a month and was released weighing 4lbs 13oz

Chelle - posted on 08/29/2010

I was 33w 6d. I had been in the hospital just 36 hours before or so and was at home. I couldn't sleep all night long because I had horrible pain in my right side. We took my BP and it was 200/120. We went to my moms house and talked with them. I didn't want to go in to the hospital because despite all the signs and everything they just sent me home. Finally family convinced us and we went. When I got there they didn't believe my BP was as bad as we said and were giving us hell because we didn't call my doctor before going in. They took me back and she saw how swollen I was everywhere and was a little surprised. Then she took my BP and freaked. I was 220/170 and rising. They took me back into triage area, I gave some uring. Within a few minutes the doctor came in and said we have to do an emegrency c-section. I begged to be iinduced cuz the thought of surgery scared me. He told me we had an hour to get my son out or we weren't going to make it. My body was failing. So, they rushed as fast as they could and got me in OR. They did a spinal and it worked so fast that before they could tell me to hurry and move on my own, I was numb, LOL. So they had to move me. Then they said they were gonna poke me and next I heard "here comes the head." I kept thinking "I didn't feel a poke though" LOL! And then he was born. I saw him for a couple seconds and could hear him grunting and struggling to breathe so they whicked him off to the NICU. He was 4lbs 15oz at birth. They said he would easily be in there til his due date. But he was out in a week, even the doctors and nurses were shocked. So, that's my story. Since, I have changed doctors. The ones I had would NOT listen to me about anything! And in my records they were supposed to induce me at 33w4d but instead another doctor sent me home. UGH

Dyasia - posted on 08/28/2010

my labor and delivery was horrid I wasnt prepared at all i had just come from burger king and I was layin on the couch then all of a sudden my lower back and right side startin hurting we called the nurses at the hospital but they said it wasnt labor so i just showered and tried to go to sleep but the pain was getting worse and worse and wouldnt go away it felt like gas pain but a million times worse it was just awful I didnt go to the hospital until close to midnight after I had started bleeding when i got to the hospital i found out not only was i in labor but i also had a kidney infection i had a completey natural delivery no epidural or anything and it wasnt by choice i simply didnt have the time