My Birth Story.

I've been toying with whether or not I should actually write this post, especially as I don't remember a lot of what happened when Charles was born. But one of my aims with this blog was to write some posts that we can look back on and remember all of the adventures we had. And my birth story is probably my biggest adventure of them all so far so how could I not include it?

So get yourself a cup of tea and get ready for some TMI.

I was due to have Charlie on the 19th January 2014, but as we all know not a lot of babies come on their due date and this wasn't the case for our little man. Early on in my pregnancy Charlie had a lazy day where he wasn't really moving so we were taking in to be monitored and everything was fine. On the 21st of January at 3pm I realised he hadn't really moved all day and after doing the normal things to make him move that wouldn't work I rang the hospital who told me to go in so they could monitor me. Charlie was fine and so was I but as it was the second time it had happened and I was overdue they decided to keep me in and induce me the next day.
I was so scared, Ben and I had been talking about whether we were going to get a fish and chips or a kfc on the way home and all of a sudden I wasn't going to be leaving the hospital without a baby. You have all these months to get prepared for the fact your going to have a child but it all changes when you find out that you are actually going to him in a few days.

 first night staying in hospital.



He makes me laugh!

On the 22nd of January the wednesday morning at 9am I was given my first lot of pitocin. (This is a pessary that was put inside my vagine to soften the mucus plug). I had to be monitored for an hour on the machine but after that I was free to have a wonder round the hospital and thats just what I did. I walked and walked, Bens parents live right next to the hospital in fact I could see into their house from my room on the ward and Pepper was staying with them. This meant that I could take her for a walk around the hospital as I really missed her and it cheered me up no end!

Taking Pepper for a walk around the hospital to try get this baby out.

Then at just gone 3 I had another set of pitocin. I felt uncomfortable but more than anything I was tired! The night before I stayed in the hospital and it was SO HOT! Not only that I had never stayed in a hospital before and with everything on my mind I had around 4 hours sleep. So as they were doing the nightly drug rounds I was able to have a sleeping tablet. Tucking myself up I was looking forward to a good bit of sleep before the day in which I was sure Charlie would arrive.

3 hours sleep later!! My waters broke!! It was 2am exactly I was woken up to the sensation that I was weeing myself it was so strange cause I just couldn't stop it. It was everywhere so I wiped my legs and waddled out into the corridor to tell the midwives. I was so scared and was having contractions every 20-30 minutes. I was so exhausted so was told to try and get some sleep but I just couldn't. Ben was allowed to come to the hospital and we were given a private room, he got to me about 4am by which time I was really uncomfortable and really emotional. I had a bath which felt AMAZING and the contractions all but practically stopped not amazing! We went down to the labour suite and I was examined and was told I hadn't dilated at all so was given another lot of pitocin and sent on my merry way back up to the ward. The plan was that I would go back down at 5pm to be put on a hormone drip that would bring on hard and fast contractions. We went about the day just like the day before I tried to get some sleep but the ward was busy and I just couldn't get my head down.

 When Ben arrived at 4am!

 The bath helped so much.

Trying to rest whilst feeling really uncomfortable.

At about 4pm I started to feel really ill, my contractions were back and I was so tired I was really struggling. Then I started being sick. This is where everything goes a bit fuzzy as by this point I had had only 7-8 hours sleep over the period of 3 days! I was examined as I wasn't coping very well and found out I was 2cm dilated but there was a hold up on the labour suite and I wasn't able to go down til half 6. So I was allowed to have a bath and oh boy was that bath a god send. I was able to actually fall asleep as the water soothed the pain of the contractions I remember I would come out of sleep to have them and then would fall straight back to sleep again. Bless Ben he sat on top of the toilet watching over me as he didn't want me to drown. After 45 minutes they were ready for me downstairs and this is where things are really are gone from my memory.

Back on the labour suite I asked for the epidural, it was something I wanted to avoid but with no sleep and how badly I was coping I knew I needed the help. Because of this decision I wasn't put on the drip until about 10 as I had to wait for the epidural. In this time I was given gas and air and I thought it was amazing, the nozzle was really loud but I felt like the noise helped distract me from the pain as well in a weird way. There was a student doctor who had been around since wednesday morning and I said it was ok for him to be there for us to hopefully tick off a birth he needed for his course. He was really funny and we sat talking about Hollyoaks for ages, it was great for Ben as well as I felt he got to escape everything for an hour by having a normal conversation with another man.

Hooked up to the epidural waiting for the drip.

By the time I was put on the drip I was 4cm dilated and was told I would be examined again in 4 hours. I remember nothing of these hours. At 1am I was examined again, I remember the nurse telling me things weren't going that smoothly. Charlies head was 'moulding' which meant that his head was getting squashed. The drip was also making my contractions come on really fast to which Charlie wasn't coping so well. She went and got the doctor to ask his opinion and he said I should carry on and to up the drip some more. I believe this was the wrong decision by then my waters had been broken for 24hours and it was quite clear we all weren't coping very well. I was only 5cm!!
The next 4 hours went by and I have no recollection of them what so ever. According to Ben I was passed out. So passed out that the midwife and himself were having to lift me up to use the bedpan which at some point I knocked all over myself to which they had to change me and the sheet whilst being completely incapacitated. At 5am I was 8cm dilated and by this time Ben had had no sleep whatsoever since the 4 hours he had had the night before, I was obviously exhausted and distressed and so was Charlie. I got the impression he really didn't want to give me a C-section and gave me another 2 hours to see if I would progress to the full 10cm I needed to be before I could push. Ben says even if I had of progressed there was no way I would of been able to of pushed.

At 7am I was examined again and was still at 8cm and the decision was made to give me an emergency C-section. I was so relieved and so was Ben. He said it was mad how as soon as the decision was made the room was full of people. He got into his scrubs and I was prepared and then wheeled round the the operating room. Ben had to wait outside whilst they got me ready and as I had already had the epidural they just needed to top it up. Problem was that the epidural I was given was insufficient it had only been working on certain areas all night so when it came to whether I could still feel the funny spray I could. I remember being really scared about if the epidural didn't work and they went ahead and being able to feel what they were doing and feeling so scared that I would die from the pain that must occur from being cut open. One of the only things I remember is all the people in the room having to say their names and who they were in relation to the operation. I had to go under a general anesthetic so Ben wasn't allowed in the room, we got to say goodbye and then Charlie was born at 8.28am on the 24th January 2014.
Charles John Robinson - 8lbs13.5oz

From what Ben tells me he heard a cry and looked through this hole in the door. Charlie looked as he says 'black' from being so blue. The call button was pressed and loads of people ran in to the room but before the last person got to go inside they were coming out again as whatever the problem was sorted itself out. He was given Charlie and was able to feed him all by the time I was awake again.

I was given so many drugs that for many hours I still can't remember a lot. I remember not being able to see Charlie properly and asked for my glasses even though I couldn't see because I was still drugged up not due to lack of sight. Throughout my whole pregnancy I was convinced that I wanted to name the baby James, but we both wanted to wait to meet him before we named him to see what he looked like. Ben however wasn't keen on the name even though it's his middle name, but when I was awake and holding him he said I could call him James if I wanted to. Charles was my second favourite and Bens first favourite, he looked like a perfect little Charles and that was what we decided on together.
I had an infection and was given antibiotics and was so swollen. As you will see in a minute. We were allowed to go back upstairs and started spending some time as a family together until our family came to meet the newest addition to the family. We were in hospital a total of 5 days after Charlie arrived but over a week for me.

 Having my first cuddle.

 I love this photo.

First family photo.

I'm going to do a separate post on life after his birth, he ended up spending time in scbu and we didnt end up leaving the hospital for 5 days. And I want to go into that in a bit of detail.
The experience of having Charlie was definitely just that, an experience. Even though a lot of people said it was traumatic it still hasn't hit me as that. I would do it all over again if the outcome was the same. Ben and I can't wait to do it again.

What was your birth experience like? Were you induced? Also had a C-section? Share with me in the comments.




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