My labour story

By Hand On The Hip - 7/13/2020

Hello loves!

I am so grateful to all of you for reading my blog posts and sharing so much love! Blogging is my therapy and I am so glad that I have a lovely audience to share my experiences with. Labour is something that's a really scary thought for all women. And naturally, I was scared too, terrified actually! The thought of pushing out a 3 ish kilo baby out of my vagina did not sound like my idea of fun! To make matters worse, my doc parents, who normally don't even leave a scratch on me untreated, weren't around due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Nevertheless, I had to gather all the courage that I could possibly muster and get moving!

My final self-portrait photoshoot at 38 weeks

Like most women, I wanted a natural, vaginal birth and had done everything I could to prep for it. As mentioned in my post earlier, I consulted Dr. Ujwala Parashar for my pregnancy. She was phenomenal and helped boost my confidence by constantly telling me how well I have been doing. I had an uncomplicated pregnancy and took good care of myself. I ate right, I took my supplements, I did everything by the book. My doctor wanted me to have an episiotomy-free delivery and introduced me to this pelvic muscle trainer called Epi No at 34 weeks. It's basically a balloon like device that is inserted in the vagina and blown up in order to stretch the opening. It sounds petrifying for sure, but it wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be. I also regularly did my kegels, perennial massage, squats, basically everything you could think of in order to have a smooth delivery. Ans somehow, in the process, all of my efforts helped me prepare mentally and I was ready to push out my bundle of joy!

At around 37 weeks, my doctor did an internal examination and noticed that there was no sign of labour. She said that she would do a membrane sweep the following week. Now what the heck is a membrane sweep, you might ask. The curious cat that I am, I decided to Google it and it was not a good idea! A membrane sweep is basically the stripping of the cervical membrane that the doctor would have performed in order to induce labour. I was totally freaked out at the thought of going through something that painful and somehow, after a couple of days, at 3:00 am my waters broke and I was in labour. We immediately rang the maternity ward, wore a massive pad and drove to the hospital.

The doctor and midwives examined me and at around 1:00 pm, they induced labour in order to minimize risk of infection. A couple of hours passed by and we noticed that the baby's heart rate was dropping quite rapidly. One would expect me to be quite restless at a time like this, but surprisingly, I was super chill throughout the process. Before the contractions could get excruciatingly painful, I asked for an epidural. Of course, I was frightened of getting my spine pricked, but the anaesthetist did a fantastic job and I didn't feel a thing. I was even more relaxed after that, but there was very slow progress with my cervix dialating. After trying for a few more hours and dialating upto 5-6 cm, the doctor suspected that the umbilical cord might be around the baby's neck and decided to do an emergency C section.

Took some reassuring photos for the family overseas

The post-epidural chill selfie

I was taken to the operation theatre where a huge team of doctors and midwives were ready for us. My epidural dosage was upped and although I could feel everything, it was painless. At around 9:41 pm, my little one said hello to the world! :) It was a magical moment and I literally had tears in my eyes. Soon after they sewed me up, I had a bad trip and was shivering for a while. I was unable to form sentences and thought I was having a stroke or something. In no time, I had a complete meltdown (Let's blame the hormones!) and the doctor held my hand, reassuring me that it was going to be okay. I asked for my baby to be placed on my chest and instantly, there was an oxytocin release that made me feel perfectly fine! :)

When we met Neel for the first time

Some mommy-baby love

And just like that, I was a mum to this little red tomato-like human being! :) The feeling of being a mother was surreal! I was overwhelmed with all kinds of emotions and I do wish every individual gets to experience this priceless feeling of being a parent. Was I disappointed that my birth plan went for a toss? Maybe. But in the end, all that mattered was that my bub and I were happy and healthy.

Now for those of you who are expecting a baby soon, here are some things that I would like to share with you -

  • First and foremost, do maintain your calm! Trust me, it really helps. Always remember that you want to have a pleasant experience and for that, you will have to be relaxed and happy.
  • If you do not have a high pain tolerance, an epidural is a lifesaver! Do make sure you inform your hospital/doctor well in advance.
  • If you've had a fairly normal pregnancy, be fully prepared to go into labour anytime after 38 weeks. I was told that with one's first pregnancy, it's quite possible for one to deliver at 38 weeks.
  • Use a mattress protector post 36 weeks so that you don't end up soiling your bed like I did when your waters break! :p Well, it's A LOT of water and not a tiny splash of it like they show in the movies!
  • Sleep well and sleep long hours during your pregnancy and try to get as much rest as possible!
  • And lastly, do not be bummed out if things don't go according to your plan! Eventually, the only thing that matters is the health of the mother and the child.
I hope you enjoyed reading my story. I have lots more to share, especially the postpartum bit. But until then, stay safe and happy.

Love,
Hand On The Hip

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