This is how Denise’s birth story starts. It was a Monday morning when I first noticed a strange twinge of pain in my tummy region, but being a first-timer I continue on with the normal day’s routine without mentioning this to anyone.  Tuesday rolled around and those twinges were becoming more regular but not too much discomfort.  After eating dinner I thought it may be best to go to bed and get some rest, BUT every time I tried to lay down I would get a shooting pain in my tummy, so sleep didn’t happen.  My hubby kept saying “What should we do?” I said, “there’s nothing to do.”

Then at 9:00 pm, I thought I’d ring the hospital and check on what should be done, I was told it was a long way off yet and to try and get some rest.  I tried but couldn’t, so I called again and went into the hospital.  They gave me an internal and told me I was only 1-2cm dilated and it was a long way off yet so they gave me something to rest and I finally or three hours sleep.  Not that I realized, I woke up at what felt like half an hour later. I buzzed the nurse and said, “Am I meant to be still feeling this pain?”.  She said yes you’ve been asleep for three and a half hours.  So I called for my Hubby to come back to the hospital at 6 am Wednesday 24th January.

By 8 am I was in the birthing suite and having contractions every two minutes. At that time, I’m already 7cm dilated and it continues for literally hours.  Without any pain relief, but an excellent support system for Hubby, mum and sister I continued to work through the pain, thinking to myself every contraction brought me closer to my baby.  And that thought is what got me through my labour.  Finally, at 3 pm, they ruptured my waters and that’s when the pain intensified tenfold.

At 5 pm I had the urge to push. The doctor came in and said I wasn’t quite fully dilated, but if I need to push then go ahead.  FINALLY, at 7:03 pm my baby girl arrived in this great being world, with mummy on her side, nanny and Aunty holding my leg high in the air and daddy saying, “KEEP IT GOING” and holding mummy’s hand.

After such long and tiring labour, I thought it was all over UNTIL they told me that I had to deliver the placenta.  Normally this should proceed within 10-15 minutes after the birth, but when 30minutes then an hour passed, and endless pushing the midwives and doctors were under great stress that I would have to go in for an emergency caesarean to have the placenta removed.  NO thanks, I said to the nurse, not after 36 hours of labour!  So they tried a procedure where they inject something into the umbilical cord. The hospital did not permit this procedure as yet as it had not been approved by the medical board.  So I had to sign a consent form stating that I agreed to this.  Which I did.

Finally at 8:15 pm an hour and 12 minutes after my baby was born I had finished the joys of childbirth. Oh, then I spent another 20 minutes being stitched up. So It was about 2 hours later that I got to nurse my baby and breastfeed her for the first time.

Thank you for taking the time to read my experience. I hope that other new mums will find it helpful!

Denise

Revised on 7th December 2021