Hi. its really weird being back on the laptop typing again I’ve really missed it. I thought id do Hugos labour story as I did one for Phoebe and its actually quite a funny but short story so here we go..
I lost some plug on Sunday the 28th , which I then had my sweep done at 40weeks which was on the 30th June at 3.30. I lost more ‘show’ and then lost A lot more when I got home and I started to get such bad back ache. The midwife told me my cervix was soft but not stretchy and I had no clue if that meant much or not, I started to get a lot of Braxton hicks after the sweep so I started to time them for a hour as it was on and off.
So I messaged the girls this and said I was heading to bed in case anything was to happen and I needed the rest. I purchased an exercise ball on prime that night to just because I was fed up with being pregnant aha!
The husband was then off work the next day like normal and we were trying everything possible to get little man to come out, we did lots of walking, sex, and curry in the last week and then when my ball arrived Kurt pumped it up straight away and I was on it every half hour or so doing the figure of 8 and bouncing. I kept getting a lot of mucus/brown discharge throughout the day and specially after our walk to the shop.
We had our dinner but i didn’t fancy much of it and I hadn’t felt Hugo move much in the last 2 hours so I rang up the ward around 6.30 and headed up at 7.30 to be monitored. everything was fine and he was all ok but no signs of labour what so ever. Mum took me back home and was like don’t go ringing me in a few hours saying your in labour lol..
I got back home at 9ish and got straight back on my ball as my back was killing me. I kept doing circular motions back and forth then..
I was mid doing a circular motion and I felt him move his whole body into the centre and then I felt an actual pop and it was like his head had dropped into my cervix and was engaging. I was in a lot of pain and fast.
I started to time and pace around the room the husband was watching the football and he was like your doing that thing you did when you went into full blown labour with Phoebe(rubbing my belly quickly) . I was like I think I am finally in labour.
I started to then panic, I ran a bath and thought I best ring mum which was at 9.34 and she answered the phone and was like ….Erm yeah? I was like well I’m running a bath and I think I’m in labour she was like oh my goodness your kidding erm ok right well ill pack some bits and then be with you incase it takes a while and goes into the night. I hung up and i was getting stronger contractions nothing like what I had with Phoebe and I was around 4cm with her. I got into the bath and it helped so much specially with my back. I kept splashing the water over my bump in between contractions and then holding on to the rails while they were happening. I managed to control them with really good breathing which I surprised myself with.
Kurt got me some paracetamol and the hospital bag at the ready, mum arrived at ours around 10 and she started to time them and I had 3 long ones in the bath and she was like its time to get out and ring I think.
So I phoned up and the midwife was trying to talk to me and ask questions while I was having huge contractions on my bed. Mum was answering most of them and she said if I can bare with it at home to do so. Well it was bloody painful but I didn’t want to manage it at home and I said I wanted to get checked over, Kurt wasn’t aloud in straight away due to COVID so me and mum started to make our way to the car, I was mid contraction walking to the car and had a massive one on top of our stairs as I couldn’t walk down them, I felt something come out of me and I thought it was my waters.
I got into the car and I was about to have another one, then half way to the hospital I had another one and when I was getting out the car and at the labour ward doors, mum dropped my bag off and off I went on my own, they buzzed me in and I popped on my mask. As I was walking into the ward I had another contraction but this time I felt the need to push like I was going to have a poo.
the midwife waved me down and I waved back as I was mid contraction and I waddled down to her and she put me in a room and said someone would be with me shortly. I had another big contraction and I had another urge to push. The midwife came in and it was the lady who checked me out when I had reduced movements she was like oh hello didn’t expect to see you back so soon!
I still had my mask on and she told me to remove it as I was mid contraction and she could see I was in a lot of pain and could barely breath with it on, she then noticed blood on my shorts and asked me to swing round so she could check me over. She asked if I thought about pain relief and I said gas and air was my first go to but something stronger if the pain was unbearable which it was getting that way.
I took my shorts off and she went to do an internal and this was at 10.30pm. She said Emily is your husband driving or is he waiting outside, I said no he’s at home and having to walk she said well you need to ring him and tell him to start walking you’re already at 7.5cm so I rang mum told her well tried to tell/talk to her and tell her Kurt needed to start walking then I hung up.
She then gave me gas and air and some dihydrocodeine and checked me over again at 10.45 and said I’m now 9cm so I rang Kurt twice 20.49pm-10.51 and told him to run, the midwife said sometimes labour slows down around 9cm. Then Hugos heart rate dropped and I was told they needed to break my waters as it hadn’t by itself, The midwife then rang Kurt 6 times to try make him get a wriggle on she got hold of him by 10.56pm and he said he was a few minutes away and she said he needs to run otherwise he could miss it.
He came through the doors in seconds with a mask chucked at him and I then started to push, while Kurt arrived the midwife was trying to find a vein to put a cannula in on the left arm but couldn’t find one and it was looking like I wasn’t going to need it.
I had my legs on a stirrups and just kept pushing the midwife was so amazed how I kept going without hardly any breaks in-between I just wanted him out and he wasn’t waiting, the doctor came in as they said I may need to be cut to help but by time he got in Hugo was born at 11.07pm.
Hugo was placed on to my chest with the umbilical cord still attached to me, the feeling was just like I was floating on a cloud.
Kurt was so proud and amazed how quickly it was! We managed to get actual birth shots and me delivering the placenta .
while I was catching a breath the amazing midwife team gave me an injection to help pass the placenta and then put me back together, I had a 2 degree tear and a slight rip in my labia minora I had local anesthetic for the stitching of the tear but she said it would hurt more giving me another anesthetic injection for doing the labia so she gave me gas and air to have during.
I was stitched up and breastfeeding Hugo by 12.35.
Hugo George Ladd – 7lb. 1st July.
Kurt left at 3.00am and I managed to have a shower and get a change of clothes by 4 and taken to the main ward, I tried to get some sleep as Hugo slept but I think with it all happening so quickly I was in and out of sleep and managed to get a hour and then woke at 6 and had some tea and toast.
We got discharged as was home by 11 that morning..
Emily Ladd 