Ok, where were we?? I'm a bit confused as it"s nearly 4am and we"re in the middle of a feed.....
So I was in pain, on gas and air, in a labour room with possibly no waters but lots of 'thick' meconium. I wasn't sure as to what was going on but I coud sense they were worried.
The same doctor came back and wante to check once more for my waters (internal number 4) and up he went with his stabby hook and I remember thinking how horrible all this was. He wasn't gentle, he kept poking and I was trying to keep my legs relaxed as the midwife kept shouting at me to focus on her, look at her and relax for the sake of the baby. I must have looked quite wild really with panic and pain in my eyes and between puffs I kept apologising that I couldn't do it, that I couldn't relax and that I wasn't deliberately being awkward. Goodness knows what Steve made of it, he may have stepped out at this point. The Dr did say however I was now 3cm which seemed like progress but the thought of another 7cm of that agony was terrifying.
Then I was left alone as they went to discuss and to be honest the next hour or so is awfully hazy. It all seemed to go so quickly and I had no idea of time at all. I seemed to keep my eyes closed a lot of the time and I was in my own zone. On opening them later on I remember seeing an extra person there not in scrubs and she informed me that she was a consultant and without worrying unduly they were a little concerned about the earlier trace showing baby's distress and the quantity of thick meconium that had since emerged and they wanted to do a quick foetal blood sample (fbs) and this would involve me lying on my left side with my right leg as high as it could go whist a Dr went up my cervix to make a scratch on baby's head to test whether he'd ingested the meconium and needs to come out sooner rather than later.
Ironically they ask permission to do these procedures and horrific as it sound (and indeed was) what person would prefer to say no to what could potentially save their baby as opposed to the indignity and pain of another vaginal examination. So in entered two new Drs, one who'd lost a glasses lens and therefore had brought a female colleague to undergo the procedure as he couldn't see and hadn't got his second pair. I was still sucking on the gas and air as they kept trying to keep me informed and i really didn't care what they were telling me, i wanted it over and done with and then onto my side I went and up went my leg!
The Dr performing this proceudre was a woman and she was 100 times more gentle than the previous Dr and having scrabbled about a bit informed us that I wasn't 3cm at all, just 2cm which meant that she couldn't access the babies head, but the meconium was thick and all about down there.
Not sure on times again and durations from this point but at around 6pm I opened my eyes to see the room full of people again and mid contractions was told that due to the inaccessability of my cervix, the lack of progress, the trace indicating distress and the quantity and consistency of the meconium they'd rather err on the side of caution and perform a cesearean on me.
I'd known for a while this was where it was headed and didn't care, I just wanted my baby safe and sound and so I nodded and from then on it was all action stations. A consent form was thrust under my nose with about 7 things that could go wrong that I was meant to read and understand and then sign!! I did my best but it wasn't my neatest writing! An anesthetist came in to tell me what shew as going to do for me and tried to make me understand what would be happening but again, contractions were taking priority here!
Steve was asked to collect all our belongings and find an outfit for baby and a nappy and was taken to get scrubbed up as well, and I was sat on a bed and wheeled down to a theatre. I just remember calling out 'it's all in a plastic bag labeled newborn' as I was carried off as I couldn't imagine what he"d pick out!! This meant being disconnected from the gas and air but they gave me the plastic mouthpiece to 'chew on' which was almost so silly it was funny. I was however chewing on it rapidly when the contractions went and was getting louder with the pains - lots of oooooowwwwwwww's going round the hospital at that point.
I remember being told to sit very still for the spinal injection, there was no time for an epidural to take effect and with contractions about every 3 minutes and horribly painful I was amazed how my body did just sit still and do as it was told for that very important moment! I was also amazed at how quickly the injection took effect. My legs began to tingle and I was asked to lie down quickly and suddenly the contraction pain was no more. I was able to talk and even joke, until the shakes took over! Theatres are cold and I was scared.
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