I have three beautiful daughters and was kind of hoping for a
little boy. Well okay, I was kind of obsessed about it!! Of course the ultimate outcome
is for a healthy baby, but my preference was totally one way.
Whilst the waiting for the
labour to start (From 36 weeks onward, after all this was my fourth baby, surely I would
not make it to 40 weeks!!) I did a couple of crossstitch bibs and whinged alot to Jane about
really wanting the baby now. I became very impatient, especially after I had learned that
this baby was 100% a BOY!! I soon realised that my much wanted son was going to take his
time.
At 40 weeks I was just about unbearable to live with (Just ask my poor husband!) Why
wasn't my baby out? My mother-in-law was getting just as impatient because she was only here
in Canberra for a limited time and would have to return to Perth soon.
I began to start on
the "Natural" methods of induction. These included lots of sex, which, by the way, just kept
hubby happy! Long walks, bumpy rides, hot curries, caul., quite a few more homeopathic things,
I even resorted to two things I though I would never do or ask for. One was the Castor oil!
All that did for me was make my tummy grumble, not even a laxative effect. The second was
asking Jane for a 'Strip and Stretch'. I had quite a few at 41 weeks in a four day period but
that still seemed to do nothing. Finally at 42 and a half weeks I succumbed to acupuncture.
NEVER AGAIN!! Mind you it did seem to start a few regular contractions. After the
acupuncture, which I might add was extremely painful for me, we came home. The contractions
slowed but were still there and much different from the Braxton Hicks that I had had to deal
with for the last few months.
I'm not sure of the time but it was evening and I started to
have a shocker of a migraine. I don't suffer any pain with my migraines, I just get a really
bad dose of what they call the 'Aura'. My left side started to go cold then it started to
tingle and then go numb. My fingers started to curl and was feeling very anxious.
It felt worse than the others so asked Rob to take me to hospital. At the hospital
they monitored me and gave me a neurological exam. Then my eyes started seeing the floating
spots and zig zaggy lines so I waited for that to pass then we came home. I had rung Jane
and Marion to tell them what was happening and Jane came over to see how I was and to drop
something off.
Whilst Jane was there my eyes started to go again and I became very scared
as this had never happened before. So of I went to hospital again where they gave me some
Maxalon. It was at the hospital that I really started to pay attention to the contractions.
They had become much stronger and very regular. They even started to hurt alot. Great,
I remember thinking 'GREAT! I'm planning a homebirth and am going into a stronger labour in hospital!'
! Marion came to the hospital to make sure I was still okay for homebirth given my migraine
trouble. After I had reassured her that I wanted to go home for the birth, the Dr gave me a
final check and sent us on our merry way with a 'Good Luck'.
The contractions were getting
alot stronger to the point were I could not talk through them and Marion came in for a cuppa
before heading home at about 1am with strict instructions to call ASAP if it kept getting
stronger. Marion later told me that she was expecting a phone call on the way home and was
quite surprised not to get it! I went to bed with Rob to try and get some sleep.
It was lovely at first because every time a contraction hit Rob would rub under my belly,
but Rob soon fell asleep so I coped with it in my own getting sleep in between. I got up
at 3am for a drink of
milk and noticed that since I had been in bed the contractions had slowed but had gotten more
painful. Mum had gotten up also and we had a little chat and laughed about Rob's snoring
and then we both went back to bed.
At 6am I awoke thinking great, I've slowed down the
labour from lying down but before the thought was out of my head BANG! BANG! BANG! Three
really big contractions' one on top of the other that had me holding my breath. I jumped
out of bed and woke Rob. Rob then rang Marion and Jane who came over straight away.
I jumped straight into the pool and was in instant heaven thinking it should
be law to have a birthing pool for every labour. The relief is immense! The contractions
eased in pain a little and I was able to relax.
After Jane and Marion arrived they started
ringing my helpers, Robyn Frencham and Jane Haverfield, who both came straight away. Mum
started taking some black and white arty shots of Rob and I in the pool together which look
really great and asked if I wanted the girls woken up. I said that it would be better to
get them up when I felt like pushing which happened not long after I said it. The girls came
out and Caitlan, 5, started to smile and rub my shoulder, Taryn, 3, looked confused and
Shae-Rhiannon, my first homebirth nearly 2 years ago, wanted to know why she couldn't get
into the pool too! Shae's job then begun.........she kept giving me my drink and in the end
I felt rather water-logged but very hydrated!
After only a few really painful contractions
I got the feeling that the baby was slipping down. I could feel his head move quite quickly
and I asked Jane if she could break my waters as the pressure was amazing. She suggested that
I do it as I have long fingernails but I declined so she came over to do it but there was
already a little hole in them and when I leant back they started to squirt out. The next
contraction had me on my feet and before I knew it my baby's head was coming out between
the contractions! What a wonderful feeling when that head is out!!
I then squatted a
little bit, trying not to go down into the water and my beautiful son, Khye Robert, was
delivered into my husbands hands behind me. He was quickly swept around to me, while
giving out a lusty cry, and I caught an eyeful of gorgeous reddy blonde hair (All my
kids have light red hair). I was very happy and a little shocked at how quick he came
out and sank down back into the water with my new baby in my arms.
Unfortunately this
is were the trouble started. Not long after I sat down, Khye stopped breathing. Jane
felt the cord which had stopped pulsing and picked him up to check him out. He turned
a horrible shade of purple and his heart rate had slowed. He picked up quickly and then
slowed again.
The cord was clamped and cut and Jane administered oxygen. The time went
very quickly for me and I was feeling very scared and even more shocked. Funnily enough
though I was also glad that I was not in hospital because if I had been I would not have
gotten the chance to see everything that was happening to my baby and to be directly involved
in everything going on. Khye's breathing picked up after a while and 20 mins after the birth
was breathing okay without the oxygen.
He had to be watched for the next 24hrs for signs of
respitory distress and luckily didn't suffer any problems. The girls and my mother-in-law
were very worried but very happy to see that Khye was alright and wasted no time in giving
him his first cuddles.
I wanted to go and have a shower and a think, so after the placenta
was delivered, with a bit of effort, I went and did exactly that. To tell you the truth,
I didn’t want to touch Khye for a while, I was feeling too scared. All I really wanted to
do was go to bed.
Jane kept asking if I wanted to hold him, before my shower, but I kept making excuses
why I couldn’t.
After my shower I was feeling much better and Jane said that Khye was
doing really well, so I sat down to hold him. Once he was in my arms I felt a very
strange feeling. It felt like a power surge going through my body into Khye’s and he
opened his eyes, looked right at me and I’m sure he smiled. It felt like noone else was
in the room, it was a very spiritual moment and I knew then that Khye was going to be
just fine. It didn’t stop me of course from watching him like a hawk all night and
apologizing to him for not wanting to hold him after his troubles!!
During the night,
while I was watching him, he woke up. The light from the moon was shining straight
onto his face....I felt that strange feeling again. That power surge that seemed to
connect our bodies, to give us both strength. He looked up at me and we stared into
each others faces.....and then he smiled. We then got wrapped up in each other and
fell asleep with him at the breast.
I would like to say thank you to Marion Woodman
for being a great midwife and friend. To Robyn Frencham, Jane Haverfield, Mum Bolin, my
husband Rob and Caitlan, Taryn and Shae-Rhiannon for being great helpers and knowing
exactly what to do when the time was right.
I would also like to thank Jane Reid.
Jane, you are, without a doubt, an extremely special person. You go above and beyond
the role of midwife and give your all to your women. You pass on strength in times of
need and you are always encouraging and supportive, no matter how many times an impatient
pregnant woman might ring you!! You make every individual woman feel special and you are
a one in a million friend. Thank you for being there and making my last two birthing
experiences very memorable and happy ones.
My last homebirth, my last baby. I am sad
that there will be no more pregnancies and no more labours, but I feel very blessed to
have our four beautiful, healthy children.
