Welcome Home Bub!

To those who suspected something afoot because of the online silence...

Hello, we're home! :) Thank you all for your prayers and concern. It made a difference.

Recap of events of this week.

Monday 8 Jan -
Had bloody show in the morning that was heavier than the pinkish discharge described in pregnancy books. More like having a period. Called hospital (Werribee Mercy) and they said, "You can come in now."

That was 7 am.

Got organized, showered, ate brekkie, woke Beth, and we were on our way.

Was hooked up to CTG to monitor bub's heartbeat. Midwife wasn't sure about position of bub and consulted another...and another. They agreed that bub's head was engaged and its back was against my spine, which accounted for my discomfort. Bleeding was sign of cervix opening up, so nothing to worry about.

Was admitted to a double room with ensuite - almost like a hotel room! - where labour and delivery would take place. Loved having all that space as Cheng Ann and Beth were able to room in with me.

Beth and Cheng Ann went off for her swim class and I chatted with Patsy the midwife (love her sense of humour!) about pain options. We agreed I would try gas first and epidural if that didn't help. Have never tried gas before and was wondering how it would work.

Gynae saw me at 10 am and I was induced with prostaglandin gel at 10.30 and made to lie still for an hour while the gel did its work. Had a couple of minor contractions during that time, but was able to talk and stand and walk around.

The major contractions kicked in after lunch. As they increased in intensity and frequency (from 5 mins apart to every 2-3 mins), I got my first taste of gas - and realized IT DOESN'T WORK! All it did was take some of the edge off the pain by distracting me. Counted to 17, then 22, then 24...as the contractions got more and more unbearable. Tried to keep my mind off the pain by trying to predict when the pain would peak and subside. Discovered being in an upright position helped.

After 4 hours of hyperventilating into the gas tube and having THE SHAKES, I finally got injected with an epidural, which numbed me from the hips down but didn't take away THE SHAKES. It was nice to have a break from the pain but awful to be trembling uncontrollably all over. Wonder what Beth thought. Aside from the times an internal exam had to be done and the epi injected, she was there to witness it all - the unglamourous part of having a baby. Wonder what she thinks of it? :)

Midwife asked if I'd like something to eat. Said no, I couldn't stomach a thing.

Just before 10 pm, my gynae came by and did the unexpected - he reached in and BURST MY WATER BAG. Whereupon a huge amount of fluid and other stuff came pouring out like a suddenly released dam. "There's something coming out," I blurted. "It's just faeces," was the reply.

They don't believe in enemas here, apparently. The midwives tell me they used to practise using enemas, but the authorities found no evidence that it benefitted anyone, so the practice has now been dispensed with. Eeww. Felt sorry for the midwife who had to clear the mess.

After the gynae departed, I found myself in pain again. The epi was wearing off! Asked for a top-up which took forever to set up. By the time permission was obtained to increase the dose and the epi was hooked up, I started feeling the urge to PUSH (or poop, depending on how you look at it). And I could feel the contractions, which I wasn't supposed to! (With Beth, I had been fully anaesthetized to the point that I couldn't feel a thing when the time came to push.)

In came the gynae and midwives and more frighteningly, the weapons - all sorts of scissors. There weren't stirrups to rest the legs in either. Cheng Ann supported my left leg, the gynae supported the right and bellowed at me to PUSH. He couldn't understand why I was struggling and gasping in pain. "You can't feel any pain!" he exclaimed impatiently. I had no energy to tell him the epi had worn off and I COULD FEEL EVERY LOUSY BIT OF PAIN shooting through my nerves.

Finally mustered enough strength to deep breathe and push. In between pushes, I took short breaks. Was in a horrible state between despair and desperation. I couldn't go back, I couldn't go forward. And the bub wouldn't come out! What was one to do?

"Use the suction," I heard the gynae instruct the midwife.

After 3 pushes, there was a gush...and I felt bub slither out. The time was 11.17 pm. I couldn't believe it when they plopped her, all bloody and covered with mucus, onto my chest. I looked at her, this wrinkly and rashy little creature with long fingers and long sharp fingernails, her eyes slowly opening to look at me. Cheng Ann beamed and said,"Well done Mummy!" and was invited to cut the umbilical cord.

Beth saw EVERYTHING.

When I later asked her to describe what she saw, she was able to tell me in great detail about her baby sister emerging head first followed by the delivery of the placenta and me getting stitched up (first degree tears).

If she ever becomes a doctor or a nurse (which she has declared is her ambition), this experience will be a most formative and enriching one for her.

When asked what she thought about what she saw, she mimicked Preston Pig's reaction in a library book she'd enjoyed, dramatically turning her head away with nose in the air:
"Pooh! It's DISGUSTING!"

For the record, bub weighed 3.57 kg at birth and was 54 cm long. That's bigger than Beth was (3.35 kg and 51 cm).

Was so drained afterwards I couldn't move for a few hours. When I finally tried to stand, I was all wobbly.

Early next morning as I tried to get out of bed with help, the postpartum pain hit me. As Esther, a midwife and mother of 5 commiserated later, "As if it's not painful enough to deliver a baby, we have to put up with the afterbirth pains too!"

For that, I salute all mothers everywhere who, despite knowing what it's like to have 1 child, go on to have another (and another) anyway. Phenomenal women, that's us!

As for me, this is my last fling with the baby making side of things. NO MORE, I've told Cheng Ann.