Our first sons birth

At just 35 weeks pregnant with my first son, I was having a picnic with my group of girlfriends saying “oh I can’t believe in 5 weeks or more I will have a little baby!”

Three days later My waters  prematurely ruptured at 35 + 3 weeks!

I was admitted to hospital and put on IV antibiotics, to ensure there was no infection now my waters had broken. I was in hospital being monitored, and the decision of inducing me was made a possibility. I was so scared at this time I was still yet to have my extra ‘5 weeks of pregnancy.’ The doctors wanted to keep me in hospital, being monitored till 37 weeks but at 35+4 weeks the choice was made to induce me. The doctors decided it was too long, being left with a high risk of infection. I was sent home on Sunday, to come back in the morning to be induced. I was excited to go home and see my fur babies and get my baby bags sorted as I hadn’t finished packing it thinking I still had a while! Eeek.

2 am Monday morning, I woke up to feel I was leaking, it was pink stained (I was wearing pads to monitor fluid loss as I was leaking to see if I had any changes.)

Something had changed… 4am came and contractions got pretty intense, quickly. I had four showers, rocking back and forth on the floor with heat packs and Scott my husband, trying to ease my pain any way he could. I rang my midwife, but she said just come in at 8am when my induction was scheduled. Though, I decided it was time to go to hospital at 7.30am, I felt I had to go in. The midwife did an assessment, and I was 4cm dilated and in active labour! I asked for an epidural as I was having intense back pain. The epidural was put in a 9am. I was very scared of the needle at first but I hardly felt anything, and my mum and husband made me feel really calm. The epidural was the best thing for me!

I ended up enjoying my day in labour, chatting to my mum, husband and midwives it made me relaxed and calm. By 3pm I was feeling tightening and mentioned this to my midwife.I didn’t feel the need to push just yet though… 4pm came, and I felt it was time to push. I was beyond scared as I could feel all the pressure. I did a few big pushes, but I stopped halfway through and all those pushes didn’t really do much. My midwife told me that my pushes weren’t long enough, and I wasn’t focusing on breathing I was just screaming with the pushes.

After bub showed being in distress, my doctor came in told me I’m not pushing effectively & that bub is getting tired. He said he may need to use forceps, or even an emergency c-section, which scared me! So after focusing on two BIG pushes, at 4.28pm Andrew was born!

He was placed on my chest and it was the best feeling, all the scary thoughts washed away and my husband and I were just in awe of our beautiful little baby. I was able to have him on my chest for 20 minutes, in this time my mother-in-law and father-in-law who were waiting patiently in the waiting room came in and met there grandson! He started not having difficulty breathing, because he was born early, he was rushed to the nursery, to get checked and his breathing and heart rate were too high. My husband went into the nursery and got some skin to skin time which brought his heart rate down. 

No tearing or stitches for me (hooray!) I was so nervous with all risks of my baby being but I cannot thank my mum, husband, doctors and midwives at Armadale hospital - they made me so calm. After I got cleaned up, and epidural taken out I was wheeled into the nursery. I then saw my husband holding our son stroking his hair, having skin to skin and it was just a beautiful moment! We had made this perfect human and my husband really enjoyed having some bonding time with him.  He was born on the 1st of May 2017 .