I want to hear stories, lots of stories!

[TheBreastmilksOnMe]

I'm 30 weeks pregnant and I'm just obsessed with reading other people's birth and labour stories. I've exhausted the birth announcements thread and I'm looking for new tales. Please indulge me

[Clearlymisunderstood]

Mine is pretty boring but here goes:
Was my due date, absolutely no signs of anything starting to happen, was feeling really despondent and worrying about when baby would finally make their appearance. About lunchtime I had a pain that made me wince, had no Braxton hicks or anything previously so was unsure as to what it was. Got in the bath and the pains started becoming more frequent and painful, was only in the bath for about 20 mins as couldn't get comfortable. Got out and tried timing contractions, went five mins, four mins, three mins apart straight away so called labour ward who informed me that as it was my first I should stay at home for at least an hour.

After about 10 mins told oh that there was no way I could stay home and so we needed to go to hospital even if they only checked me out and turned me away again. Journey to hospital was horrendous, I was sitting on the floor behind the drivers seat as the only place I felt comfortable, contractions pretty constant by that point. Got to the hospital (about a ten min drive) car was left double parked outside with all windows open as no way was I letting oh leave me to park properly. Checked out by midwife who informs me I'm 4cm dilated and started filling up the pool. Started on gas and air which made me fall off the bed, cue oh trying to catch me!

Midwife checked me again, if gone from 4cm to 9cm in 30 mins so was ushered over to birth pool. Pool helped so much with pain, was like a hot bath, not what I was expecting at all thought it would be fairly cool for baby. Didn't like the gas and air so just carried on moving around in the water trying to ease the pain. dreaded rig of fire came, I remember shouting that I wanted a caesarean and mw saying sorry but too late! Two pushes and baby girl was born. Had to be reminded to pick her up out of the water, think I was so relieved that the pain was gone I didn't even remember the baby! That wonderful amazing feeling when I picked her up and saw this beautiful little thing that we had made! Two mins later my mum arrived, she was gutted that she missed it but was lovely with just me and oh tbh.

Had a 2nd degree tear (due to my impatient pushing) and dd weighed 7lb 7oz and was born at 4.50pm so just under 5 hours from first pain

I'm 6 weeks pregnant now, can't wait to do it all over again! It is so worth it!

[TheBreastmilksOnMe]

What lovely story Clearlymisunderstood, thank you for sharing, was this your first?

[princesscupcakemummyb]

mine arent exciting either im afraid lol

heres birth story number (one)

at 40+5 i went into be induced at my request after much convinicing it took to consultants but decided on the day i got their i actually didnt want it anymore and waited for the consultant to do me a sweep instead so waited in hospital all day for this and finally got one at about 11pm by this point im exhausted consultant said i dont think it will work as your cervix is still high and thick but she did try though anyway i went home after that had a bath went to bed was midnight by this point fast asleep got woken a hour later by strong contractions
got to hospital about half hour after being woken straight to delivery was 8cm dilated already so was very fast
contractions decided to slow after a while so the midwives broke my waters to help as i was carrying a excess amount of waters the baby turned out of the birth pos and went to slightly sideways as this stage i had a choice c section or they could try to turn the baby i opted for the attempted turn to put her back into the correct pos it worked but it took 2 consultants and 2 midwives to do this and it did hurt that was the unpleasent bit about my labour but i was thankful i didnt need a section contractions still hadent speeded back up so i was then put on a drip this did work and after a hour i started pushing baby was quite big so was quite hard to push out eventually pushed her head out then body quickly followed she was born at 6.05am weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces went home 2 hours after delivery

[princesscupcakemummyb]

my second birth / dc

woke up at 41 weeks exactly after a good night sleep i had my show when i got up that morning i had some tight-nings which just shrugged them off thinking oh well more braxton hicks they remained regular but not painful all day after about 6 hours i thought oh wait these are contractions lol as they started to hurt but not badly so i had my tea about 5 after that i arranged the childcare for my first child she went off to the childminder and i got on with my relaxing but keeping busy got to contractions down to 3 mins apart called the hospital who said i should go in now to be checked by time i got their they where every 2 mins got examined and was 4cm dilated i thought great going to be ages yet babys heartbeat changed a bit so was put on the monitor to check for 30 mins it was fine after that 30 mins my contractions where lasting longer went to delivery suite was about hour and a half after that at 11.40 my beautiful daughter was born after a fast pushing stage she was born weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces perfect in every way

[MidnightRose]

Had my first 6 months ago.

My waters went the day before 39 weeks, but didn't go into labour until 8 the next morning. Woke up with full on every 3 min contractions, was having a home birth so the midwife came straight over and told me the baby had gone back to back.

The contractions were intense but no where near as painful as I was expecting, I just went into my self really and didn't speak to anyone which I found helped with the pain. Midwife left and came back at 11:30 with some gas and air as I was feelin the urge to push. Got into the pool and my little girl, weighing 6"11 was born at 1:00. So an easy 5 hour birth, which I would do again if I could guarantee a sleeping baby next time!!

[Reality]

Here's mine!

[Cheeseandonioncrisps]

First baby, my LO is now 13 months........
Contractions started late on the weds night(9 days overdue) not really painful so managed to sleep :D
Next morning I had a show and contractions started to become uncomfortable - had to visit MAU as had not felt baby move since before contractions had started the night before. Had a scan to check what the little monkey was getting up to in there! Turned out he was fine but the sonographer dropped the bomb shell that this was going to be aBIG baby........"around 11lb from the measurements".....wtf?!
Went home and laboured at home until late Thursday night, went back to hospital around 10pm to be sent home again as I was only 3cm dilated - I was devastated and exhausted and cried the whole way home lol. Finally another 24 hours later at about 10pm the next night I couldn't stay at home any longer!! On examination my waters broke and I was 5 cm dilated, 3 hours later and after pushing for only around 10 mins I delivered my gorgeous 10lb 11oz baby boy (12days overdue)with my mum at my side, couldn't have been prouder .

I had gas and air and pethidine and ended up with a 3rd degree tear and torn cervix, think this was due to me panicking and pushing when I should have been listening to the midwives......

All the best x

[amber381]

My experience was a bit strange as I live overseas and they do things a bit differently. I was made to stay in the hospital when I went over my due date by a couple of days, after 2 days of being bored in hospital, was given some kind of stimulus to see how I would react to induction then started with mild contractions. Went to sleep for the night and woke up early, was given an enema, taken down to the delivery room, had my waters broken, had to insist on them letting my husband in as this is not common (having already arranged it beforehand anyway). Then was made to lie on my back put on a saline drip, wired up to continuous CTG, not allowed to stand up, drink or move around, not given any pain relief. They also catheterised me. Every hour or less the Dr would come and have a good feel around causing me great pain. After about 8 hours of this agonising process I was fully dilated and pushed for about 45 minutes, seem to remember midwives pushing down on my abdomen. Anyway they then decided to just do an episiotomy which stung like hell as I wasn't pushing at the right moment that they snipped. Baby came out, healthy and beautiful and despite the horrible experience I was on a complete high for having got through it.

Now 39 weeks with number 2, have found a different place to give birth with a different way of doing things and am ready to go against everything they tell me having realised how stupid the way they did things last time was.

[igirisu]

First time i have shared mine!

I am 22 and gave birth to my son 4 months ago, i had my show on the monday and was in slow labour until the Thursday, Went to hospital on Friday night in a lot of pain and was told i was 2cm and i could stay in if i wanted but it would be better for me to go home so i did.

I wallowed around binge eating and feeling sorry for myself having contractions and crying/laughing (i learned later stuffing my face was a big mistake)

On Saturday night at about 6 i called the hospital saying the pain was unbearable and they told me to hang in there (any woman who has experienced this will tell you its annoying when you feel so uncomfortable and just want to be filled with drugs ) for some reason my whole family showed up at my house and decided to surround me while i was in bed mooing like a cow, finally my partner took me to hospital where i was told i was 5cm! WOOOHOOO cant send me home now!

So my family awkwardly shuffled around watching me in pain pacing around the hospital foyer and eventually i decided it was time to get in to bed and try some pain relief, i had gas and air and threw up and pooped quite badly (sorry tmi) i kept saying i was ready to push and the midwife could not examine me as she said i was at risk of an infection so i got up out of bed and locked myself in the toilet and tried to push my son out in there! with lots of worried midwives and partner outside banging on the door!

got back into bed and pushed for 40 minutes (pooped lots) had an episiotomy and then my miracle was born.

[TheBreastmilksOnMe]

These stories are so interesting thank you for sharing them.

[MamaWren]

I had my second baby last Saturday at 40+11 weeks. I'd had 3 sweeps in the few days before, and although I was 2 to 3 cm dilated nothing happened. On Friday night my dd (22 months) went to for a sleepover at her cousin's house and my dh and I had a lovely relaxing dinner. I woke up at 4am, just feeling wide awake. I had my first contraction at 4.50 and straight away they were every couple of minutes and very intense. I put on my tens machine and called my midwife to come for our homebirth. Just before she arrived at 5.45 my waters went with a pop. DS was born just after 6am, with no drugs, just using tens machine and hypnobirthing techniques.
My first baby was similar, although an unplanned homebirth, with a labour of 2 and a half hours. Both were fantastic experiences! OP, I hope you have a positive experience too.

[Iamanorangesmartie]

Dd1 - waters popped in bed at 10.30pm, contractions started straight away. By 5am I was screaming with pain, so went into hospital, 1 mile away.was in agony and told to stop screaming. Turns out I was in transition, so I was raced to delivery where 6lb 15oz dd1 was born.

Dd2 - had been having mild pains for 2 hours. 8pm Rang the hospital for advice after last time I was told not to leave it too long before going in next time. Had a contraction on the phone and they advised hit bath and paracetamol. 8.20ish, I really need a poo. Did a poo but then realised something else was coming out, a sac. Cue me shouting to DH to grab a towel, he says no, get in the car. I scream no way and after no pushing, she just slithered out dd2 was born and caught by daddy. Waters broke as she came out. Really wasn't painful, just uncomfortable.
We redecorated the downstairs toilet after that one.

Good luck