My Labour

At the time I thought 8pm was a really peculiar time to go into hospital but it turns out it's best to start an induction at night. We were shown to the ward and told to settle down and the midwife would be round shortly. Slightly bewildered and anxious I unpacked a few of my things and got changed into my pyjamas and we waited patiently. I remember not really saying much to Gavin at this point. I think both of us were as nervous as each other. I think we'd both prepared for things to go a certain way and so quickly we'd been shoved down another path and it was taking us a while to our heads around it.

So that night my induction began, I had the first dose of Prostin, the gel used for inductions. By the Tuesday morning the midwife told me I was 2cm dilated. We were over the moon! I knew it wasn't going to be a quick process but 2cm was definitely progress. I had another dose of the Prostin that morning and it was another waiting game. By the Tuesday night, the midwife from Monday night was back, she examined me and shattered all hope. She didn't think I wasn't 2cm dilated. She didn't think I was dilated at all. So after a difficult time, numerous examinations, a doctor thinking my waters were broke and he could feel the baby's head, a scan, umpteen doctors poking and prodding, it was eventually decided that no I wasn't dilated, my waters hadn't broken and the Prostin gel hadn't worked so far. 

That night they gave me the last small dose of gel, and I had the worst night ever. I couldn't sleep, I was so uncomfortable, i was disappointed, I was upset, I was sick. I just felt horrible and I was miserable. Each night through my whole stay at hospital Gavin had to leave each night as your partner isn't allowed to stay in the hospital. Through all my examinations I had been moved into a room on my own. So through the night I was lonely. I felt completely isolated and like a bit of a failure. My body want allowing me to have this baby. Through the night I had resigned myself to the fact the induction wasn't going to work. I wanted a section. At 6 o'clock on Wednesday morning a doctor came in to examine me (again!!!) she confirmed that I still wasn't dilated. Eventually, by the time Gavin had arrived 3 hours later it had been decided that I was to have a Cesarean section. 

Finally confirming the section was a relief. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. We were finally in control again. Even though the birth of my son was in the hands of a medical team and it was no longer up to me to get him out, I was so happy just knowing how things were going to pan out. After a lot of waiting about at 16:05 that afternoon, my beautiful son arrived into the world.

Kirsty x