Birth stories - natural hospital birth after induction

Birth stories - natural hospital birth after induction ^Featured

Anthea Mara (32) was surprised when her gynaecologist told her that her water might have already broken.

She says that they went to see their doctor a week prior to the birth for a 36 week check-up. “Everything was going well with the pregnancy except for an infection that had caused my feet to swell horribly!” Because of this, Anthea was booked off sick until the 7th of January, but her doctor would have none of it. “I was put on bed rest yet again until the 10th.” She asked for an internal examination to be done on that date to see how the cervix was coming along. The doctor agreed and said if everything looked good they could induce labour on the 10th. “I requested this because I was rather fed-up.” She explains that she had been carrying big, not sleeping well and as a result tired and miserable. “Also, I had these whales for feet and was in terrible pain down there.”

Be prepared

The doctor advised Anthea and her husband to come prepared on the 10th. “That morning, our whole household was a bundle of nerves, anxiously waiting for what the appointment would reveal. Hair and makeup was done as if it were a normal day. We were late for our 08:15 appointment.” When they arrived at 09:00, the doctor proceeded with all the usual foetal check-ups. “He was surprised at the level of amniotic fluid,” recall Anthea. “He asked me if my water had broken and I told him I wasn’t aware of anything. He wanted to know if I was sure because there was very little.” During the internal examination it was discovered that she had already dilated 2cm and her cervix was favourable. “I was told to book myself straight away.” It was off to the labour wards…

Getting Ready

Upon arriving, Anthea was given a gel to soften her cervix even more. She was given breakfast and waited for the gel to do its thing. It took about half an hour. Thereafter she was given an enema and they waited for it to kick in. “By 12:00 it was time to break my water. This after an internal examination almost every hour and those nurses don’t play around! During the internals they would stretch my cervix a bit to make me dilate even further. By 12:00 I was dilated about 4cm.” She recalls the metaphorical paw-paw striking the fan.

No Pain, No Baby

“I was prepared for the pain of the contraction that would follow,” says Anthea, “as with my firstborn my labour progressed naturally but my water never broke. So at some point they needed to do that – without an epidural!” This time she again chose to go without it and the contractions came, as she says, “fast and furious.” “The thing with an induction is that there is no gradual lead up to the strongest contraction. You go straight to 10 on the pain scale immediately.” Anthea says they walked around in the halls of the ward and at one point she was having contraction every minute. “They were relentless. There was no chance for a break in between.” She remembers thinking about asking for an epidural. “But I wouldn’t succumb,” she says stubbornly. She reached a point at 13:30 where she couldn’t be on her feet anymore and went to lay down with a gasmask. “I was taking in so much gas that I was spaced out,” she says, but adds that her husband was amazing at administering it, telling her when to inhale and exhale. “It was very painful.”

It’s time!

“At one time the nurse was giving my back a massage during each contraction, but at 15:00 I was dilated 8cm and I told them that I wanted to push. I was told to not give into the urge and at 15:30 I had dilated 9cm. Thw nurse prepared everything for the gynaecologist and phoned him. I told them I wanted to go to the bathroom and was getting up, but she told me that if I did get up, I would have this baby in the toilet. She told me to turn on my back (I had been laying on my side all this time) and told me if I wanted, I could push. It was 15:43. God alone knows where I got the energy to push after being so drained from the relentless roll of contractions.”

The Ring of Fire

Anthea recalls feeling the infamous ring of fire, something she had not felt with her firstborn for some reason. “And did it hurt! I asked for my doctor and was told that he was on his way, but I should continue to push.” She pushed for all of two minutes through excruciating pain and finally…

A Baby is Born

At 15:45 Morgan McKenzie Mara was born! Anthea says she was rejoiced as she didn’t tear or need any stitches. “She did have a few red marks on her face because she scraped my coccyx on her way out, but other than that she was perfect!” The doctor was surprised at how small their new baby was as all her scans showed that she was above what she should be at that point in the pregnancy. “I thank God every day that the induction didn’t lead to the use of any forceps or suction and that I didn’t end up in a C-section,” concludes Anthea, a very proud mother. - Staff writer

Baby’s weight: 2.7kg @ 38 weeks

Birth Date: 10 January 2013

Attached is a pic of her a few seconds after her birth!

Morgan McKenzie Mara

EDD: 28 January 2013

Birth date: 10 January 2013

Time: 15h45

Weight: 2.7kgs

Length: 48cm

Birth stories - natural hospital birth after induction Featured

Sign in to your account

Birth stories - natural hospital birth after induction ^Featured