Trusted Instincts Lead To A Delivery
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I had a fairly straightforward pregnancy -- things were progressing as they should until I reached seven months. At that time, I had protein in my urine, swollen ankles and hands, and my blood pressure shot up to 150/100. Doctors told me I had to stay in hospital until my blood pressure went down. I was in hospital for just over a week, and at 35 weeks pregnant, I felt a bit fed up.
One night I saw some spots of blood, but the midwife reassured me that it was common to have a show weeks before the baby was actually born, so I didn't panic. A few days later I didn't feel so good and thought it was because of my high blood pressure. I had bad trapped wind (so I thought!), and my back was killing me.
It was about 8 a.m. when the doctor came on his rounds and told me I could go home. He had put me on blood pressure medicine, and said things should work themselves out. I said, "That's great but I'm feeling a bit funny today..." I went on to tell him my symptoms, and he just told me that it could be the early signs of labor, or it was, as I suspected, trapped wind.
Instinctively, I asked for an internal examination. I don't know why. I didn't really feel that bad, but I asked him anyway. He was a bit reluctant and said he didn't really feel it was necessary, but to put my mind at rest he would do one anyway. I was lying there feeling very unladylike when he said "Oh my god, you're six centimeters dilated."
If I hadn't been lying down already, I think I would have fainted with shock! They wanted me to go straight to the delivery suite, but I went outside for some fresh air and to phone my birth partner. She was in the middle of an interview and sounded a bit angry when she came to the phone. When I told her what was wrong, I could hear her screaming and apologizing to the interviewers! She was with me within 10 minutes and we made our way to the delivery suite. I was now seven centimeters dilated and the midwife said I should have this baby fairly quickly.
Hours later I was still pushing! In the end they said my baby was facing the wrong way. They wheeled me into the operating room as a precaution. If the forceps didn't work, they would have to do an emergency c-section.
Luckily the forceps worked, and I had a healthy little girl. She weighed in at just 4 pounds, 14 ounces. I couldn't feel anything from my chest down because of the epidural, but my heart was almost bursting with pride. I would do it all again tomorrow; it was a great experience!
