As the nerves start to kick in, I start to wonder whether having a baby in France is a good idea! My bags been packed for weeks and I now probably have the crucial french vocabulary mastered (after all only the Gyne and Pediatrician speak english).

So here is the build up and the big event!

I’M LATE!

40+3: Wednesday, Where Are You Little Bear?
5am I noticed a strange popping sensation in my vagina. I noticed around 10am increased discharge and my bowels were pretty loose and in the evening i had very bad diorhea. My stomach was SO rigid it was hard to feel the baby move and therefore I started sucking on ice cubes to try and encourage movement – which it did. Between 1 and 3pm I had strong but irregular contractions which seemed to pass. The baby was more active late afternoon and evening once these had passed.

40+4: Thursday, Mucus Plug But Not As We know It…
At 7am in the morning I had been to the toilet for a pee and then when I came back about 10 minutes later noticed this very cool sensation between my legs. When i checked there was a big blob of what I can only describe as a jelly / gel / snot like substance. As this was yellow/whiteish I was not sure what it could be. Having read the books I was expecting the mucus plug to be blood tinged but having checked online at some of the health forums it seems this is (well part of) the plug. There was probably about a full tablespoon and it was cold not warm.
I quickly got in the shower, put on an outfit and also a maternity pad just to make sure of any blood. At 4pm i had another plug drop, this time about a teaspoon and it did contain a small amount of brown colour.
From 4-10pm I had mild period pains irregular so for example; every… 6mins, 14mins, 11mins, 8mins, 4mins, 15mins. I called the midwife who said to stay at home as really they need to be consistent for at least an hour (which these were not). So an exciting day but still no baby!

40+5: Friday, Business as Usual.
Well apart from a couple of twinges in the night and increased discharge this morning nothing.

40+6: Saturday, A Sweep On The Cards?
With the fact nothing was happening I started to think about the Sweep I would get Monday morning. I was feeling really down and as huge as an elephant!.

40+7: Sunday, Could It Be Happening?
12:05am Sunday – Having only gone to bed 30 minutes before I was awoken with a cramp pain I would associate more with really bad constipation or gut rot as opposed to period pains. After 1hour and 30 minutes of regular 10 minute pains I awoke darling husband. We then realised in the next hour they were 7 minutes apart and I was struggling to hold a conversation and was crying with the pain. I called the hospital struggling to remember the vocabulary and in fact I think i spoke mostly in english!

3:30am Sunday – The hospital agreed as the contractions were 7 mins apart to come in. Well thats what i thought anyway – thinking back they really could have said anything I was going regardless.

4:30am Sunday – Arrive at Hospital, the car journey meant I was 5 minutes apart. The journey was in the pitch black on the ropey roads which are rural france. Rather disappointing when the midwife said I was only 1 cm dilated! I was put in the prelabour room to let the dilation progress. The midwife came in with a birthing ball which gave hubby and I great amusement as it was useless! I had felt sick since the contractions were 5 mins apart, when I got to hospital I had been drinking water. BIG MISTAKE, as I was vomiting it back up and the midwife told me no more just wet my lips with water or spray the evian compressed water spray on my face.

7:00am Sunday – I’ve been having contractions now 4 mins apart for 2.5 hours and was in pain and uncomfotrable. At 7am I was only 1.5cm dilated. I went to my private bedroom to relax and continue the dilation. At least the bed was a bit more comfortable. Hubby on the other hand kept having to get to my side as his hand was the only thing getting me through contractions. The breathing technique of breathing in and then blowing out slowly through pierced lips (like blowing through a straw) was just not cutting it.

9:45am Sunday – Finally I am 3cm dilated and was now offered the Epidural which I was screaming YES YES YES GIVE ME THE DRUGS!

10:00am Sunday – I am now in the labour/delivery suite. I have baby monitors on, drips in and now just waiting for the epidural.

10:15am Sunday – BAD NEWS, it seems the anaestatist is busy it may be midday before I get the edpidural. As we are in France there is no other pain relief so I really am in agony. Thank god I can swear the place down, and the french midwives don’t have a clue what I am saying!

12:00am Sunday – I was now 4cm dilated – so much for 1cm an hour! Jeez I thought I was going to be in labour forever! I was now getting contractions 3 mins apart and in agony – i mean AGONY. The contractions were awful, I was ga-ga (no drugs still at this point). I was squeezing hubbies hand and really just not with it at all. I suddenly realise that I probably only ever want to have the one baby – after all why i am I going to go through this again!

1:30pm Sunday – Finally the Edpiraul. It took 30 minutes to get it in and working but after that I was in 7th heaven and all the pain had gone. It was a difficult time as I could not understand a word the anesthetist was saying, I suddenly got a panic attack that they were going to damage a nerve and I would never walk again. Once it took effect all i was experiencing was pins and needles in my legs and feet. So hubby massaged them to help with the circulation, I think it was a welcome change for him from me squeezing his hand!. In addition to my drip I was hooked up with a chemical drip to help regulate the contractions.

2:30pm Sunday – PAIN FREE! God what do women do without edpiurals, for me there is no other alternative and if we have more children (which at this point became a possibility again!) I am booking this baby in with the drugs from the minute I get to hospital.

2:40pm Sunday – 6cm Dilated, the epidural has also sped up the contractions so all going well. I am chatting away and feeling NO PAIN whatsoever. So little pain I was actually writing this blog entry!

4:00pm Sunday – Wow really going quick now, the midwife thinks 8-9cms. I am now on an oxygen mask for the baby. I was shaved a little for ‘hygiene’ reasons, not much which was good. We can hear the baby monitor and now the babies heart beat is very much affected by contractions and it dipped from an average 145bpm to 80-90bpm. It was quite worrying but we were assured all was o.k. I was given a catheter and bedpan to empty my bladder, nothing in permanently and I didn’t feel anything.

5:00pm Sunday – We realised the babies heart beat sounds a little bit like an Ibiza mix beat. It seems I am almost fully dilated and the midwife expects the baby to arrive before 6pm.

5:45pm Sunday – Delivery begins, I have a 5 person team (YES 5 PEOPLE!) including a Dr, 2 midwifes and 2 assistant midwives. As I was numb I could not feel the contractions but as I was monitored. My legs were in stirrups and I was 100% comfortable and ready for labour.

6:05pm Sunday – 4 pushes and the baby is out and put on my chest. Hubby and I are amazed by the full head of hair he had. He did not come out wailing which is normal apparently for epidural babies. He was covered in the blue/grey, and he seemed huge. Within 5 minutes he was taken away for the APGAR test and to be checked over. Hubby went with him and the midwife quickly came back to tell me he was 9lb.

6:10pm Sunday – I was stitched up as I was cut, just 4 stitches luckily and done straight away.

6:15pm Sunday – Hubby & Baby were back. Baby was put on my chest and we were left for 2 hours to bond together. The midwives come back and check on us every 15/20 mins but it was a lovely time together and the epidural meant I was still numb below so feeling on top of the world.

The next 24 hours were pretty scary, after all my french was pretty limited. They wanted to take Jamie away from me to put in the nursery so I could get some rest but after 10 minutes I wanted my baby back and was screaming down the intercom for them to bring him back.

I had amazong care and seriously will have my next baby in France. I was in for 4 days and had check ups from the Dr, Midwives and Pediatrician every day (midwives were actually 5 or 6 times a day at least!).

So there you have it, my birth story. And here is the little fella just 24 hours old.

Filed under: Hospital, Third Trimester of Pregnancy: Weeks 27-42. | Subscribe | Comment | Trackback