I have spoken to many women about their pregnancy journey, and then their birth stories. Most of the things that they dreamt or thought about never actually happened.
While at Problogger last year (Alexander was eight months when I attended Problogger in 2016. I was having a funny conversation with other bloggers and the topic of my fears and worries while pregnant with baby three was discussed.)
New born baby – This cutie is looking very relaxed and has no idea about all the drama that went on before they were born.
When I was pregnant with the twins I had horrible thoughts. I watched a film when I was about five months pregnant and I ended up having terrible dreams. Now, this film was a horror film and just horrible really. One scene had a person put on a tea trolley or hospital trolley (never sure what to call them). In the film, this person met a terrible end and I found it hard to watch.
My dream was being on this trolley as a pregnant woman with twins. They were then trying to tell me that the babies were coming and if they didn’t come they would take matters into their own hands. I was shackled to the trolley and it was uncomfortable, scary, and freaky. They were going to cut me open to save the babies. I of course was screaming, NO! They are not ready. It is too early and stuff like this.
The room I was in was like the bottom of a hospital that was all tiled and not kept very clean at all, it also reminded me of some shows that use disused railway stations as it looked rather like those.
I woke very upset and was thankful it was a dream. Maybe horror films when pregnant is not a good idea!
Flash forward to being pregnant with Alexander and I had all sorts of concerns. They were the following:
Due to having one baby, this child will be HUGE and be horrible to have.
Since I thought that this child might be enormous I would need a C-Section.
The baby would not be head down and cause issues.
I knew that the baby was due on the 7th of January and had no idea that he would come exactly on his due date. I did have thoughts that I might have a New Year’s Day baby and be on the front page of the local paper.
“Local woman gives birth to the biggest baby on New Years’ Day 2016”.
As you can see I still was panicked about having a HUGE BABY!
Scans did show that my third child was indeed on the small side. This however did not relieve my very active imagination and concern.
I was fully aware that this was only one baby this time. This baby could spread themselves to every corner of my insides and be a record weight. I know… I was so fixated on the baby being too big.
I did have my reasons to be freaked out about the birth. The first birth (with the twins) was not fabulous and mind you birth is not pleasant on any level.
The midwifes at the local hospital kept on insisting due to age that certain things would happen and that it might be classified as a high-risk pregnancy. Oh, how silly I thought.
I have already had a high-risk pregnancy with twins and all was well. I do understand things can change but why freak out the mum to be with what ifs. I ended up having a very healthy pregnancy and all was well with our third little person.
If help or intervention was needed to save the baby or myself I would have not stood in their way, however if it is not needed and all is well, then I say let nature decide when the baby comes and don’t intervene.
Maybe the hospital helped with my visions of horrible things happening while pregnant? I think they contributed in a small way. Wanting me to be induced for no actual reason, saying that I will develop gestational diabetes due to age I’m sure was not helpful. For the record, I had my third child naturally on his estimated due date and was lucky not to get gestational diabetes.
All my concerns were unfounded.
My baby was tiny compared to what my brain thought it would be.
This is what happened. I had a normal to smaller sized baby that was very healthy. Lucky nothing went wrong and all my fears were unfounded.
All the scans kept on saying how small it was going to be, however, I could not tell myself that this would be the case. I was freaking myself out.
It also could have been the fact that my second pregnancy with Alexander lasted longer than my first. The twins were born at 34 weeks and 2 days. Alexander came exactly at the 40-week mark. This meant more time to grow. More time for anything else to happen… I did not know but I knew that anything past 34 weeks was overdue for me.
Did you do this?
Are you currently pregnant and freaking yourself out?
What is the weirdest thought or dream that you have had while pregnant?
I just want to say that all the things that you are thinking could happen will most likely not happen so just relax and enjoy the day. Enjoy the time being pregnant if you can, and if you are able take a nap. You might be too busy soon to rest so get in now. Although this might be hard if you are working or have other children.
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As per my previous post called, “Our latest Family Member”, we had to go to Nepean to have our third child. I did not want to go there due to what happened with the birth of the twins. However we had no choice.
Having birthday cuddles with our latest addition
We were finally at the hospital and due to the stress of the situation hubby parked in the car park. Yes I thought he would drop me off at emergency and go and park the car later. I asked why he did this at the time and he said, “Well, we are going to be here for a while”. Yes true but for someone that is finding it hard to walk due to constant contractions walking across a carpark to emergency to then be told to go to another building was not ideal to say the least!
Once parked hubby told me to get out of the car when I was ready. He had to wait a bit due to a contraction happening just as he opened the door. My legs were like jelly and I found it really hard to move due to the contractions making all my legs, pelvis and back go into spasms and just freeze. It was very painful, and I had to wait until they were over. So if you can imagine me walking then having to stop in the middle of the carpark every 5mins that would give you a picture of what it was like. Maybe a wheelchair from emergency might have been the way to go! This was arranged when I had the twins…. Although I think the race to get to the hospital freaked hubby out and he just lost it with the idea of a wheelchair and just wanted to get us to the hospital.
Once we figured out where we were supposed to be (the birthing suites or rooms) the nurses/midwives knew who we were due to Katoomba Hospital ringing ahead, which saved a lot of fussing about explaining everything.
I was then asked, “Would I like some pain relief?”
My response was YES! OF COURSE I WANT DRUGS TO HELP ME
Someone then said what would I like, and I then said, what do you have????
Yes open to everything and all if it helps make the pain go away!
I was offered morphine (I was told that I needed to use the gas to get the morphine injection. I found it interesting that I was having gas to therefore get another drug. The nurse said the injection can hurt a bit, and she was right. I think someone I mentioned this too said that it is injected into the muscle and that would explain why the nurse wanted me to be on gas to have the injection. I thought it was strange, but it did help a bit) and once that worked it helped a great deal. It certainly took the edge off the pain for a bit. Hubby said that once it started working I looked very out of it. I did not care! Bring on the medicine to make it not hurt as much. I am not a fan of natural birthing that you will feel it all. Even on drugs to take the edge off it hurt, so I can only imagine how horrible it would have been without them.
During this phase of the night I was telling hubby that I did not want to do it anymore, that I just wanted to go home and not be here. I don’t want to do it. Please can we go home I said? He just looked at me and said, “It is a little late for that” I know it was but I was scared and did not want to do what I knew was coming.
Why can’t the husband or partner do the subsequent child? I have visions of saying it is your turn. I then can hold his hand while he pushes out our child. Science has given us so much and maybe it can work on this. I know that men having kids will probably never happen but why can’t the baby come out small via your belly button and grow on the outside. Maybe a good idea???? (Maybe a futuristic idea) Not sure but might save all the bother of pushing a baby out of your bits…. Let me know your thoughts.
While I was still under the trippy and nice effects of morphine they prepped me for an epidural. Although before this happened I explained my fear of having it again and not working. When having the twins I had one and felt everything but could not move my legs. I was constantly asked by the doctors, nurses and midwives with the twin birth to move my legs but could not. I told them if they wanted them moved they would have to do it. Annoying that they never listened. I was hoping that this birth would be different.
I did not know what to do. I did want the epidural but did not want a repeat of what happened last time. I know that there can be no guarantees but I thought I would give it another go and hope for the best.
The anaesthesiologist listened to my fears and what happened last time as did the midwife. I then decided without a doubt to see if it will be different this time. I was told all the horrible things that could go wrong and the chances of it happening. I was completely freaked out. I still thought it was the way to go.
I had it done and the epidural started working. It was so good that I managed to fall asleep. Yes I slept while still having contractions. Who knew that this was possible? This epidural was completely different from the twin birth, I could not feel anything, I was blissfully unaware of anything for a long time, well until it started to wear off and the baby was pressing on my hip bone and pelvis and I could not get comfortable. I asked for more drugs… however they said that I could not have more and it was time to get the baby out.
The midwife told me that due to the morphine and the position of the baby that its heart rate was dropping and I needed to get it out as soon as I could. I said that I would do my best. She mentioned that we still had time and that it was not in distress yet, but if it went on any longer it could be and then they would want to make an executive decision on how they vacate the baby from my belly. Gosh, NO!
I did not want to have a C-section or have any unnecessary things happen unless it was life threatening, and I do understand if the baby is under distress but I was so close to having it happen naturally.
I tried to push while lying on the bed and sitting up a bit, but it was no good. I could not get comfortable and it was terribly painful due to the baby’s head on my hip and pelvic bone…. Very sore indeed!
It was suggested that I be on my side with a leg up in the air and to help reposition the baby… it did not help with repositioning but it was more comfortable to push from this weird acrobatic position. Not the way I was thinking it would happen and definitely not glam but childbirth is not a glam affair.
I was told to put my chin to my chest, hold my breath while having a leg up in the air all on my side. Yes a strange visual! I then had to hold my breath while working with the contraction and these contractions this time I felt over my belly and also to in my back but now I understand what contractions actually feel like. I found it hard to do all this while holding my breath. I had a terrible time as holding my breath made me want to pass out and I could not let out a sound or a grunt due to losing the momentum to push (energy or something with the breath). The midwife wanted me to do it in lots of threes so that we could get the baby out. Oh god, I found it hard just doing one!
After holding my breath I found that I wanted to throw up and they were concerned and I had a sick bag just in case. It did not happen but I felt nauseous and also had a bit of reflux during the whole process of holding my breath to try and get baby out.
During all of this a doctor came in to see how progress was going. I think the midwife wanted the doctor to check in to make sure that we had a backup plan if baby went into distress and needed help to come out. GOSH, now the doctor was talking about forceps and other things…. I hated the salad servers last time and due to the epidural not working I felt everything…. It was like I was being killed. I did not want that ever again.
The doctor left and then the midwife and nurse were talking about cutting me. WHAT THE???? YOU ARE GOING TO DO WHAT NOW?
They said that it would help the baby come out. I said no PLEASE DON’T CUT ME. I ended up negotiating them to give me more time to get the baby out.
I did not want them to cut me. No please no!
They were very keen to give me an episiotomy but I had no idea that is what they were wanting to do. I just did not want to be hurt even more if not needed.
I was so determined to get this baby out now! Hubby said you need to get the baby out. I got angry and just pushed and pushed and pushed. I was nearly passing out due to holding my breath and my acrobatic poses but I was on a mission.
The midwife yelled, wow we see a head full of black hair! Oh gosh, really this baby is going to have darker hair? I thought it would be like the girls and be bald and blonde, but you never know right. We still did not know if it was a boy/girl that was still a surprise. I however knew once I got told the hair colour that it was a boy, I just had a feeling. Strange but true. Hubby said that it could be a girl, but I just had an inkly at this stage that it was a boy.
I kept on pushing and then baby was out and here in the world. The midwife and nurse said that they should have threatened me with the doctor and episiotomy hours ago.
Alexander and I on his birthday
I was lucky that all went well, I could do it all naturally and that I did not get cut! Yes very lucky indeed. Maybe getting angry was the magic ingredient.
In comparison to the twin birth it was much nicer. We only had the midwife a nurse and hubby and myself in the room. With the twin birth we had 2 doctors for each baby, a humidicrib for the baby and about 30 or so trainee doctors it felt. The room was packed and it was crowded. I did not have any stupid things that happened before happen this time. When was about 5cm dilated and in the birthing suite waiting to have the twins I had two doctors come in to tell me it would be great if I could wait till I was 36-38 weeks….talk about stupid! I also had nurses try to give me medicine I did not need after I had the babies and the list continues. This did not happen with the birth of our third child.
I was very upset to not be able to have our last child at Katoomba Hospital but was grateful that the experience was better and nicer than the last. I must say that pushing a person out of you is hard and tough, but the ladies that helped us for the birth of our son made it a more calmer process. So thanks so much to you all. One thing that was a bit weird was that the midwives that helped me had the same names that I had. The night before the baby was born the midwife on duty had the same first name, then there was shift change and the next midwife had my middle name. It was like I was meant to be there. Odd indeed.
What was the birth like for your second or third children? Did the process and what happened differ from your first child?
Was it more of a calmer experience with the second or third child compared to your first? Let us know.
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have been very busy dealing with our latest addition.
Our third child was born on the 7th of January, exactly on his due date. Yes how prompt is he. We had a little boy and his name is Alexander. The twins are super excited to be big sisters and to give him cuddles and help out.
Our latest family member Alexander was born exactly on his due date. How clever is he! Only 5% of babies do this. Maybe he will be a prompt person? You never know right?
Ever since I had my third child I have had no time. Yes you can probably relate if you have just had a baby. Up all night feeding, expressing breast milk and just trying to settle the baby. The house is a total mess, laundry needs sorting, folding and to be put away. Things need to be tidied, chucked out or just put away. The essentials are happening, we are clean, have food and all is well, although life is a bit of a mess at the moment while we adjust to another person and trying to get into a routine. This is especially true due to having two kids who are full of beans that don’t seem to remember not to run, jump and bounce everywhere. It is not helpful once you have finally got the baby to sleep. Plus school drop offs and pick ups and also after school activities makes it harder to keep a routine. I have just planned to have food for Alexander, change of clothes, nappies and be ready if he needs anything while we are out.
This is my little boy. It was taken exactly when he was 5 weeks old. He looks very grown up here and also to a bit cheeky. I love the fact that you can see what he might look like when he grows up but also to that he such a cute little baby, well if I do say so myself. I am bias, I’m his mummy so I am allowed to be.
Our latest addition is hard to settle after a feed. He did not latch on well to the breast. I did try breast feeding but he screamed the place down that he had not gotten enough milk. I thought all was good as he was asleep after these feeds and then attempted to put him to bed. Once tucked into bed he screamed the place down. He gave all the signs that he did not get enough and was indeed still hungry. Oh how could you be hungry???? You have just had some from each boob and now you are claiming you did not get enough! Oh well. I did more and more and that did not fix the issue.
Breast feeding was terribly painful and I thought it would get easier. The midwives said it was normal to have a bit of discomfort and you will get used to it. They came and saw how the baby was latching on and to see how I was dealing with the feeds. I did everything they said but due to the baby being fussy and getting into such a state he was angry and then very unsettled for feeding (It was like the baby was angry that the café or restaurant did not have his food ready at the time he requested. Terribly annoying when you have such bad service!) This is not the time to try and be putting him on the boob. I then got annoyed, angry and stressed and this was the same for the child. Not ideal.
I then came to the conclusion that I should just express my breast milk and feed the baby like I did with the twins. Our new little person seems much happier getting more milk in the bottle. He is still getting breastmilk and I am less stressed about feeding and he gets it when he needs it.
Expressing my breast milk while in hospital.
However due to him not latching on properly he hurt my nipples and this in turn made me get ill with mastitis. I left hospital to only be back one night and that one night I was up all night dealing with the baby. He feeds well when it is in the bottle but sucks in too much air and therefore holds a lot of wind. Trying to burp and wind a baby is tough when it goes on for over 4 hours!
Yes, it is stressful and exhausting. Then once you hit the 4 hour mark or less you are due for his next feed and you have to do it all over again. Plus add changing nappies for a child that screams like you are killing him while you try and get rid of the pooey nappy.
I have tried to write this post for days now and today he has been all over the place and very unsettled, so I have been adding to my post in stops and starts all day. He seems to like cuddles and wants to be with you. This is nice but when you have a house to look after, other kids and things to do it gets difficult. Maybe when he finally sleeps I can sleep too or get something else done. Lately I have been more focused on sleeping, hence why other things like house and blog have been unloved for a while.
As mentioned I was only home for a short time and that time I was hot and bothered with a fever, I also got extremely cold and had the worst headache I’ve ever had (I could not handle light and found it hard to see). I had temperatures that were 38.9 and an hour after having Panadol it came down to 39.6. So not much of an improvement. I felt terrible; very ill and like I had an extreme case of the flu or more like the walking dead. I called the hospital and they suggested I come in to be looked at. They agreed that I had mastitis and I ended up having antibiotics via an IV drip and stayed in hospital for another 3 days. Not fun, the IV antibiotics burnt when it went through my vein and made me have a very tender hand for the next week or so.
The cannula for the IV. I always hate having them done. Very painful.
I did mention to the hospital before I left that I was burning up and was feeling all hot. I was told it was my hormones and that it will all settle down soon. It was obviously the infection starting and it just got worse when I came home. One of the midwives at the hospital said that I did the right thing by coming back to the hospital as she said it only gets worse if not treated.
I was convinced that I would have the baby earlier than it coming exactly on my due date, which in fact only 5% of babies do. So he is terribly clever to have done that. Maybe he heard the doctors say when he was meant to come, so thought he would adhere to that date. Maybe he might be a prompt person and always on time. I have no idea, but it is weird he came exactly when predicted.
I was so over being pregnant. I was approaching my due date and still no baby! Any week over 34 and 2 days for me was overdue; I had the twins at this time and any time after this felt like an eternity.
As I said, I was ready for the baby to come and was trying to coax it out. Here are some of the things I tried:
I was doing squats
I was having raspberry leaf tea
I went walking and tried to be more active
I ate chilli
I even had talks to the baby in my belly and was telling it that it needed to come soon as I was over it all. It of course did not listen.
As many women who are in the last trimester of their pregnancy you get to the point where you just want it to be all over and done with. I did not want to have the birth and was a bit worried about all that due to the drama from the twin birth and was concerned that it might be repeated.
My pregnant belly. Taken on 2nd of January 2016. Little did I know that just 5 days later the baby would be born.
I could not bend over. I was having pains and could feel things starting to move in the right direction but no labor had started. Damn! How annoying.
The hospital was doing their standard freak out as they were telling me that if I don’t have the baby by 39 weeks or I go over my due date they would like to induce me. What the????(The hospital said that if I go too far over my due date that could be high risk and they are not equipped for this, so if this happens then I would need to go to Nepean to have the baby) I have had an uncomplicated pregnancy. It is one child and not two like last time. I am not high risk, I did not develop gestational diabetes and have remained active throughout. I have even only gained 8kgs during the whole pregnancy so that was something that was good news for me. Although I felt like it was a lot more and I was HUGE.
I woke up at 4am on the 6th of January and noticed that things were happening. Yes 4am seems to be the lucky or weird hour that things happen. When I was pregnant with the twins my waters broke at 4am so this was strange that it all started again at this time. This was the day that the twins were going to vacation care and I had to get their lunches ready and all organised so that we could drop them off. I could not go back to bed and ended up having painful contractions that were extremely painful and I found it hard to walk and do anything. I checked the internet to see what needed to happen before I went to the hospital. The sites that I visited said that if I cannot walk and talk during contractions and if they are coming more frequently, if I lost my mucus plug, if I am in pain and not coping and so on. I thought this was all the case so phoned the hospital.
I spoke to a midwife who then said that it sounded like things were progressing and if all of the above had happened then it might be wise to come in and get looked at. She also mentioned some other things like breathing and something about pillows and my back and hubby helping. I was finding it hard to concentrate due to the pains that kept on coming and going.
Once hubby was we dropped the kids off at vacation care and then went straight to the hospital. This was just after 9am and they gave me a once over. The midwife we saw said that I was only 1 and half centimetres dilated and that I was not ready. Damn! Why can’t the baby be ready! All that pain to only be slightly ready…..very annoying.
13th of January, not even a week old.
While at the hospital the midwife told us that if we had the baby before a certain time we could come to Katoomba Hospital. If we had it after 7pm that evening then we would need to go to Nepean as Katoomba during this 24 hour period did not have a Doctor on call for the maternity ward and therefore could not have births there during this period. What the???? I go to a hospital for all my maternity care and now I cannot have the baby at the hospital of choice. Hubby and midwife suggested maybe mind power can help make the baby not come in this 24 hour period. I told both of them that I don’t think this would happen, as my body was doing things and feeling like it would be soon.
The midwife said that the way I was presenting that it will all kick off at 7pm and therefore would need to go to Nepean. I thought no way. But this lady sees a lot of women so maybe she knows what she is talking about. I thought we will see.
Hubby and I had plans to have lunch with some of our close friends so we went to the local pub all while having contractions. We went to the shops and although it was very slow going for me due to the fact contractions made me seize up and it was like all my legs, lower back and pelvis was in a muscle spasm. I could not move while it was happening, and during this I could feel the head banging to go further down…. YES painful!
7pm comes and we are reading stories to the kids and tucking them in for bedtime. My contractions were super painful and getting closer together and it was harder to talk and to do anything. They were 5-6mins apart at this stage.
I think the midwife jinxed us, as she predicted the time and the fact that it would all happen. Damn now we have to go down the mountain to Nepean due to the local hospital not being able to have us there. I called the hospital and this was a hard phone call due to being in pain with contractions coming and going. They said that we cannot come there, and that they would call ahead to Nepean and we needed to leave now due to the time it takes to get down the mountain and the times of my contractions. Oh great………a trip down the mountain in a car while I am screaming and in pain.
Hubby and I are in the car and screaming down the mountain due to impending birth (well I was definitely screaming). During our trip a P plate driver decides we are trying to race him and he revs up his car and tries to get in our way. A learner driver nearly crashed into our car, a truck nearly collected us and people did not get out of lanes so that we could get there more quickly. During the trip I of course was screaming and yelling due to the pain and the pressure was getting intense in my pelvis due to the baby pressing and pushing with even more gusto. I did not want to have the baby on the side of the road, or in the car. I was just hoping we would get to the hospital in time.
When you were pregnant did the hospital of your choice close at the time of labor or was not available for whatever reason? Did you have to race to go somewhere else when labor hit? Let us know.
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Nearly seven years ago I became a mum for the first time. The twins came early like many babies do. We were ready as much as we could be. I had my bag packed ready to go. I never left the house without my neonatal card so that wherever I was I had it at the ready.
When the babies were born they were whisked away from me, due to being premmie. I of course was still attached to machinery so a nurse had to assist with all this. Hubby went to the NICU with the babies. After all was organised, I was placed in a wheel chair (as I could not move my legs from an epidural) and hubby escorted me to the NICU to see the girls.
After I saw the babies, I then went to my bed upstairs in the ward. All other new mums had their babies with them, this was a fact that was obvious by the screaming and seeing the little of bundles in the cots next to my room mates for a time.
Mum and her baby
It might sound strange but I had a disconnect going on. I was so tired, sore and just needed rest. I managed to get some sleep and then got woken up by nurses and other noises at the hospital. I lay there in the bed thinking, did I just have babies? It felt so odd, to have babies and not be with them. It was like in a weird way it did not happen. It could just be the fact of not sleeping for 30 hours plus did this.
I made sure that I worked on getting the babies breast milk and visited all day and nights as well. I even changed nappies in a humidicrib! This is rather difficult as the nappies were so tiny and so were the babies. Plus you can only have hands go in a certain area of the crib. You will know the awkwardness if you have done this task. NICU nurses should get medals for these amazing feats.
What was your first experience of motherhood? Were your babies premmie? Did the same thing happen to you? It was a strange feeling suddenly to be someones mum. I did have practice with my wonderful cat, but it is not the same is it? Well there are similarities but very different on the whole. The similarities is that you have to feed, take care, and give heaps of cuddles. One difference is your cat does not talk back and your child will.
Let us know your thoughts. Why not continue the discussion on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
In the news recently was a report stating that actress January Jones has eaten her own placenta, well actually via capsules not actually eaten. Jones was saying how she did not know if it would work but was willing to give it a try. I have heard of this, most animals do this although not a lot of humans do.
The actress says that she has had so much energy and the reason behind the energy is eating well, vitamins and placenta capsulation. I personally think it all makes sense. The placenta was the life force for the baby or babies in my case. I just don’t know if I can do the eating part, maybe if someone did the placenta capsulation I might have been oaky with it, and I did not see it or the preparation and just got the capsules. I know I am a wuss.
After the birth as you all know you have to wait for the placenta to deliver, once mine arrived my husband was very curious about it. He told me it was massive and I really would not want to look at it, as it was weird looking. According to James it looked like a Doctor Who prop. After this I had to look, he was right, it looked like it had tentacles everywhere.
I honestly was never that type of mother or person who was going to eat her own placenta and for that matter take it to someone to make it into capsules. Maybe I should of, it does hold all the nutrients that the baby needed and your body could use after the whole experience of childbirth. Maybe if I had done that, I would have had more energy in the first year or so. However, dealing with two babies at once would drain anyone I would have thought.
I think if it works for you, why not. On the placenta benefits info site they list all the health benefits, maybe we need to get over the yucky idea of it and give it a go. If there was a service at the hospital to turn the placenta into capsules and you just paid a small fee for this privilege, then I think more women might give it a go. Personally it is the yuck factor and the issue that the placenta appears like a big disgusting blob (I do know that it is wonderful and miraculous, but not that good looking), having no contact with the yucky thing, would make sure that I would be more interested to try.
Did you eat your placenta or have it in capsules? Did it help with energy levels, and other things? Did you decide to not eat it and bury it under a tree in honour of the birth? My friends mum did that after her baby brother was born. What are your thoughts about the hospital providing the service for the capsules? Send in your comments.
I was very worried that James my husband would not be with me when I got taken to get my ultrasound. No one could give me a time. However I was lucky to have a nurse let me know a possible time frame. This was good as I then told James to come and then we could wait for the nurse to take me to get the ultrasound. I could not walk there, I had to have a wheelchair and a nurse take me and James.
We were getting quite concerned as the orginal hosptial that we were meant to thave the babies in worried us and told us we needed to check to see if they are o.k. The doctors at Neapean seemed concerned but not overly and were not putting any rushes on things. Finally we were at the right place and waited our turn. A lady came out to greet us and then took us into a room where the ultrasound machine was.
I was lying down and found it hard to see the screen as my head was facing the other way. Neapen did not have large screens so that the pregnant woman can see too, very annoying. While she was looking, she paid attention to their fluid levels, but mostly with twin a as that was the child that had the waters breaking. She also looked at their height, and weight.
It was not long after that we ended up back in my room and later that afternoon a visit from a doctor that I saw once on Sunday night and another doctor I had never seen before. The doctor that I had met on Sundy said that they were good sizes and the doctor that I had not met said that there is something, and we said yes… thinking it was bad. He then said, “They do have very small heads”. I said that their weight is fine, though. Both doctors agreed. I was not fussed or concerned about head size as this would be a bonus to have small heads, why would want a big head that you then have push out of you. I asked if the fluid was o.k and they said that the levels that they have are fine.
I was happy that and quite pleased that they were small but good weights. I was doing the count down to when I could stop taking the pill not to have the babies. Wednesday night is the end of the 33rd week and Thursday is the start of the 34th week. When the nurse came to give me the drug on Tuesday I mentioned that I wanted to check when they had me listed to stop taking it. She had no idea. I then said that I should not be on this drug on Thursday and as it was Tuesday, Wednesday is the last day, Yes. It will finally happen. The babies will be coming, I was so scared but knew this needed to happen.
The nurse came back and then happily told me that my last drug for not having babies was 12 midnight Wednesday night. I then told her that is the same as Thursday morning, and I would not be taking any of these pills on Thursday as it was the start of the 34th week. She did not get this. I then asked her to go speak with a doctor and make my last pill on Wednesday. Finally after what felt like ages, she came back saying that the doctor has finally written in my file that my last pill to not have babies would be 10pm Wednesday night. Phew!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At last getting off these annoying tablets.
When we came from Katoomba Hospital we were told that we would have an ultrasound to check the babies. As I was losing fluid they wanted to make sure that they were doing fine. Until my waters broke I had no idea that you make more, I thought that once they break and the fluid escapes so to speak then that’s it, you must have the baby or babies in my case. Well Monday came around and we did not have the scan, they forgot about us. It was then apparently scheduled for Tuesday. So more waiting …..
Monday night at the hospital was so strange. A nurse came in at 12 midnight. She asked me if I had my babies. I asked her to look at me and then tell me if I had any babies. I looked big and still very pregnant. Understand it was dark, late, and the fact that she might not have seen me before. However it just goes to show that she did not look at my chart or think to look. I then realised that I had to be on the ball with what drugs they were giving me, and what information nurses and doctors had, I had to be focused on making sure that they did not mix things up, drug wise or patient.
Once she then realised that I was still very much pregnant and waiting to have the babies, she then asked why I was on the medication she was giving me. She suggested it was due to blood pressure. I then explained that it was to not have the babies. I was still on drugs not to have them. Until I got to 34 weeks I could stop the drugs. I could not wait.
I forget the name of the drug that I had to take but it caused me to go dizzy as it lowered my blood pressure, turned my skin all red and hot, gave me the sweats and made it just uncomfortable. Some people have these reactions and I was those some people. Very annoying, as all throughout my pregnancy I never had any issues about my blood pressure it was normal, no heat problems other than earlier on in the pregnancy and every nurse that came in just assumed that I had blood pressure issues.
After the nurse went away , I tried to get some rest. This was not very successful as I then felt the strangest thing. You know how a cat scratches it’s head and really violently , it has both legs up and paws going. Well it sort of reminded me of that for some reason. It felt like the baby that was on my left side had dropped down further into my pelvis and was moving their arms, at the same time the left on did that the one on the right moved their arms I think as well. It felt very strange and don’t know how to explain it to this day.
I ended up getting rest, but was constantly woken by the nurses for more drugs, temperature and blood pressure checks.
The girls (we had no idea they were girls until they were born. We knew we were having either 2 girls or 2 boys) were supposed to be born at 33 weeks and 2 days. Julia’s water broke then, this was Fathers Day, 2008. Interesting though that my husband’s mother had her waters broke with him on Mother’s Day. However the doctors did not think that was a good idea that they were coming so early. I was just pleased that things were progressing and that they might leave my belly and I can finally relax and sleep better. It was getting quite difficult to get comfortable and to also do anything with 2 babies inside you. Hard to walk anywhere, constantly out of breath. Could not use my hands, had a severe case of carpel tunnel syndrome. Was told that after the birth that my hands could get better and there was a small possibility that they would not. I was hoping on them getting better. It was so upsetting to not be able to do anything.
Even though I was glad that the pregnancy was all finally coming to an end, I was very scared and nervous as I had never done this before and did not know what I was in for. I knew it would be painful and might take hours but I was just so worried and scared. I was so glad that James my husband was with me. However I was not prepared for what I had to do, which was wait for a week to have the babies.
My mum and step dad were at our house in Katoomba and due to work we were renting a house in Lugarno in Sydney. We went to stay at the house in Katoomba and visit mum and Gerry my step dad. We were all off to see a play in Blaxland on the Saturday about giving birth and public versus private hospitals. We had decided to have the babies in Hurstville Community Hospital. It is a small boutique private hospital. We had paid up and were just waiting for d day. Little did I know that 4 am the next morning my waters would break and I would be at the emergency section of Katoomba Hospital waiting for someone from maternity to come and get me.
I should tell you though that James my husband has leather seats in his car, and it is a nice car. We were told that the amniotic fluid is like bleach and is not good for leather. He made me wait while he put about 4-5 towels on the seat before I could get in to go to the hospital. Oh well, we made it there and I ended up getting a wheelchair to the maternity section. James had parked the car by this stage and gotten to maternity to meet me there and to make sure I was o.k.
They asked how far along I was and what had happened. I then explained that I was 33 weeks and 2 days with twins. Explained that they had been head down since 26 weeks and that they were good weights and were well. Frightened that they were just going to cut me open as I did not have my doctor and it was way too early. After hearing that I was carrying twins and I was that early the expressions on the head nurse and the other nurses was priceless. They looked so shocked and worried.
They then explained that I could not have the babies at Katoomba Hospital as they did not have intensive care for babies that are born that early. While I was waiting for the doctor, I had steroids to help with the lung development, drugs to not have the babies – they supposedly stop the contractions and in some people the babies still come but it slows it down. These drugs have other side effects that I ended up getting after a while of taking this medication. It causes your skin to be red and flushed, lowers blood pressure and makes you dizzy and also makes you hot and bothered. Until taking these drugs, I did not have a problem with the pregnancy other than complaints that most other women have, water retention and just uncomfortable.
The decided to ambulance me to Nepean Hospital in Penrith. Before they moved me a doctor who still had a beanie on his head, as it was rather cold that morning. Remember I got to the hospital at 4am. They then wanted to put me on the stretcher to go to the ambulance. Before this could happen the ambos’ wanted to make sure that I was not going to have the babies going down the highway. They then took a dolphin torch and looked up me with my slippers still on and me freezing as I was still leaking fluid. All very glamorous. I thought his is just terrible, but then realised that there was going to be more of this and only worse if the babies were going to get out of me. It was a sad and horrible realisation. Child birth is not glamorous or something that one can be modest about. I am sure all women who have gone through this can attest to this. It was just a shock as this was my first child birth experience.
A lovely nurse I think by the name of Deena came with me to Nepean to make sure that I was o.k. and got checked in. I went into a delivery suite to see if I was to have the babies but it did not happen. So on the Sunday night they transferred me to a room in Prenatal.
So after seeing a play of a woman who was supposed to go to a private hospital and ended up in a public one, the same thing was happening to me. I then signed papers to register for having the babies at Nepean and we got a refund from the Private Hospital in Hurstville. Just a pity that I never experienced it, but at least we saved some money. As my waters broke the hosptial would not let me leave in case of infection and if I have the babies, so was stuck at Nepean.
Stay tuned for my next couple of blogs about my week long stay and then the day the girls were born.
