Emily Rose Birth Story

Due to Gestational Diabetes & high blood pressure I was booked in to be induced on Wednesday 27th April at 8am. I was advised to ring the hospital at 7am to confirm they had a room for me.

This is how our day(s) went - April 27th - 7am - Rang hospital to see if a room was available for me. Due to a large number of births the night before I was advised they wouldn't have one till 10am and to come in then instead of 8am as originally planned.

10am - Arrived at hospital but our room was ready yet and we were asked to wait in the waiting room and offered tea whilst we waited.

11am - Finally we are shown to our labour suite and I changed in to my ''birthing nightie'' ready for my examination and tests etc.

11.30am - Blood pressure was taken (A OK), Blood Sugars taken (A OK) and heartbeat of Emily Monitored (A OK). We were then advised to go and get something to eat in the restaurant before starting the induction as it could take a while to ''kick in'' and I needed to keep my sugar levels under control.

12am - Had a lovely meal in the restaurant and toddled back down to await the induction, now getting impatient about getting it all started.

1pm - First Pessary is inserted, has to be left for 6 hours to work, baby is hooked up to monitor and I was told not to move off the bed for an hour !! Out came the reading book.

1pm-7pm - Lots of BP monitoring along with foetal monitoring.

7pm - Another exam and another pessary as cervix still not softening.

11pm - I am transferred to a ward for the night with minor contraction, more like Braxton hicks I'm told.

April 28th - 9am - Back down to the labour suite. Monitoring BP & Emily's Heart rate.

10.30am - Another examination, so painful I had to have gas and air just to endure it. A gel is inserted, another 6 hours to wait.

10.30am - 4.30pm Lots of BP monitoring along with foetal monitoring

4.20pm - Praying for some dilation otherwise it's back up to the ward for yet another wasted night.

4.30pm - Another exam with need of gas and air. Yes !! 3cm dilated. Doctor suggests we break the waters. Hourly monitoring of my blood sugar levels began.

4.30pm - 6.30pm playing cards, reading and watching TV, waiting to see if I start to dilate further

6.30pm - Still 3cm dilated, bugger........getting very frustrated now. Doctor moves on to the next phase and hooks up a drip to speed up the contractions.The final option of induction.

6.30pm - 10.30pm - Using gas & air as required I am examined at various intervals to check the progress. Continuing to watch TV, play cards and joke with hubbie.

10.30pm - Only 5cm dilated and coming pains are starting thick and fast. Gas and air being used almost constantly to relieve the intense pain.

10.30pm - 11.30pm - Loads of pain and at 11.30pm STILL only 5 cm dilated.

Now things REALLY progressed..................

11.30pm - I asked if it was too late for an epidural as gas and air no longer working and the pains are constant no breather in between. A call for an anaesthetist is put out as I am only 5cm.

11.45pm - I want to push............I beg Gary for ''help'' and he calls for the midwife '' can we have some help in room 11 please'' he says so calmly !! Midwife enters the room and I tell her I need to push, or rather shout at her that I need to push !! She says ''No Karen, you can't push, you're only 5cm''. ''I HAVE TO PUSH'' I yelled at her. She does an examination and I hear her ring the buzzer '' can we have a second midwife please and cancel the anaesthetist. ''You're fully dilated Karen'' I hear. I went from 5cm to 10cm in 15 mins !! OMG. By now I am hallucinating and can hear voices of people I know are NOT in the room with me, like my mum !! But despite having the gas and air glued to my face, I can feel every contraction. As I start to push, crushing my partners hand to oblivion, I can feel the head come out as I push. I hear Gary say to me '' I'm not putting you through this again'' I open my eyes and look up at him and the poor man is as white as a sheet. The second midwife told me to take the gas and air away.I yelled '' NO'' and continued to suck on the gas and air. I hear her say ''right that's it'' and she matched round to the side of the bed and wrestled the gas and air out of my hand......Both midwife for calling to me for one last push..........here is where it gets weird. I was in so much pain I started talking to myself, trying to encourage myself to get that one last push to get Emily out in to the big wide world ''One last push Karen, Come on Emily, Just me and you Girl, we can do this'' I was shouting but found out afterwards I never once said these words out loud.........

11.51 - My last push, a very loud long scream through beared teeth and my beautiful baby girl was born and placed on my stomach. She's just perfect.

Due to gestational diabetes both Emily and I were kept in for a further 2 days to make sure both our sugar levels returned to normal before being allowed home.

1st time father & baby both doing well...............oh and mum too !!

-- Karen DS 10th Aug 1986 - VB - 9lb 13oz DD 13th Aug 1988 - VB - 10lb 9oz DD 28th Apr 2005 - VB - 9lb 4oz