My Baby Girl has arrived!
:DD:
Hi ladies. So my baby girl arrived on the 13th June (it was a Thursday and not a Friday thank heavens) after a 1.5 hour labour. I was disappointed with the labour itself as it wasn't what I had wanted or planned for my last experience of it, but at least we both got through it ok which is what matters the most. She is 3 weeks old already and I can't believe how fast the last few weeks have flown. She was induced in hospital which was painful, intense, fast and quite horrid and not at all like the 3 natural labours I have had. The young nurse I had failed to insert my first canula correctly so from 9am til 12 noon I my left wrist and then arm was really painful and I could barely move it. It was 3 waisted hours as we eventually realized at noon my whole left arm and wrist was swollen with fluid as she hadn't inserted it into my vein. She then tried to insert it into a vein in my right wrist and failed again so got ob to come in and she got it right really quickly. So from the time that drip went in to when I pushed baby out was 1.5 hours and it was unbelievable. The contractions were intense and painful right from the start and I asked for an epidural quickly afterwards but didn't have time. Then it all quickly turned into a nightmare as baby's heart rate kept dropping and we had to get her out fast. All of a sudden there were about 9 medical professionals in the room (doctors, midwives and nurses) and I had had to have my lower legs put in stirrups (awful) and pushing and pushing but poor bubs not coming. About 4 injections 'down there' in case of episiotomy (which I didn't have to have thankfully) and baby had to be vacuum delivered and given oxygen for quite a while. I barely got to hold her straight away before they whisked her off to special care for 2 hours and I was left shaking in shock from head to two for at least 1 hour afterwards. If only they had told me I could say NO to being induced. And I was very disappointed by the experience. To make it worse, I had been to the toilet and had a large bloody show prior to my waters being broken so I'm sure my sweet baby girl would've arrived on her own that day or the next day anyway. But, it's all ok. A week after she was born we had to spend another night and day in special care as baby was very jaundiced and my milk supply was low (never had that before either. Have always had an over supply with my other 3 babies) and she has only just started to gain good amount of weight.
Anyway, my dream of one last baby girl has finally come true and sometimes I can still barely believe it. I tried for almost 4 years. And this little girl is perfect. We named her Lucia Anna Catalina and she is very much like her sister with a mop of black hair and dimples (our 2 boys missed out on the dimples). Our other 3 children are besotted with her and feed her little top up bottles and our older daughter is changing her bottom. It is soooo sweet and we are soooo very blessed. And it hasn't been an easy journey to get here. Lots of disappointments prior to conceiving this little precious bundle and once I had conceived her I suffered from Hyperemisis Gravidarum and was still taking half a Zofran right up until I had her (otherwise breakfast wouldn't stay down), thyroid issue. But it was all worth it and I enjoyed most of being pregnant and feeling baby moving inside my tummy (miss that now). And a few nurses I have visited believe I've had low milk supply due to the stress of the labour and birth and an unpleasant hospital stay afterwards. But all is good. Home now and baby sleeping in bassinet right next to my bed and our other 3 children have been sleeping in my bed with me as DH has been sick with some throat and cough virus so he has been in one of the kids beds just to avoid spreading germs near baby.
So.….I did indeed have NO pain relief whatsoever this time....not even the gas and air which usually I love and was looking forward to :( The tens machine I hired didn't do a thing to take the edge of the pain either. I would never have agreed to being induced if I'd known how painful and quick it would be but none of the nurses or doctors warned me about any of that. And I never knew it would be risky for baby either. She weighed 3.754 kg (about 7lb7 I think) so was my heaviest baby out of all 4 (though have been lucky that all my babies have been pretty small). And breastfeeding is getting better. I have been eating 'boobie bikkies' and taking fenugreek capsules to help increase my supply for bub. Will send a photo too soon also. And thankyou to all of you here at GD who kept encouraging me to try to get my second girl. I greatly appreciate it and hope that those of you trying (especially other older ladies) achieve their dream. xxxooo
