Baby no. 2
Feb. 20th, 2024 12:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
whitewriterThe appt for the induction to begin via cervidal was booked for 3pm on a Sunday afternoon.
At 14:15 we were furiously trying to run out the door, my mum had come post church and was going to take Wendy to her house on a pram with the train.
And I had spent the morning driving 45 mins to Hornsby to get a spare part for the newborn attachment I had purchased second hand in November 2023 before realising in 2024 that it was missing 2 clips that were absolutely vital to having it attach to the frame of the pram in a safe manner.
At the last min on Saturday night, I found a family in Hornsby giving away the same attachment for free - but most importantly it was the same model with the same missing clips --
Mountain buggy has stopped selling them (their website claims it sold out of clips) and - well, I could essentially need this pram the very next day - so I drove another 45 mins there and back to pick up this pram. The family said they didn't think the clips could come off (but if you look at the instruction manual - they actually arrive detatched - but also, like, if you have used the pram even once: you would have had to put them on, and then anytime they would have been used you'd need the clips both to be on: so why on earth would you ever detach 1 set and not the other set, is beyond me. You'd have unpacked the box, put the clips on, and then thats it. Why would they ever get taken off...
Anyhow
so I'd sourced the clips the morning right before the induction.
And now we were running out the door to get the bus to the hospital.
The app states the bus is not visible. Actually, every 2nd bus is not visible on GPS which means to me, that it's not coming. Or has been cancelled, essentially. The next was coming in 20 mins. So prepared for a 20 min wait (and to be 15 mins late) - the ghost bus arrived and we ended up being on time.
It's super hot and muggy 32 degrees. Overcast.
We get to the hospital and go inside, there isn't much of a wait time (unlike last time) and they attach me to a CTG. I get Pete to fetch me water but I'm also hungry. Due to the appt. time I've skipped afternoon tea and Lunch was a bit average tbh. so I'm hungry and thirsty and the CTG looks... weird. Reassuring features +++ but there's almost 0 baseline and the kid is just overly excited.
Eventually they take the CTG off and I go eat food, take a break etc. But they're concerned due to the borederline CTG and we put it back on. Whiz bang it's improved heaps - and now they're happy to put up the Cervidil. So the earliest it could have gone in was 15:20 (20 mins for the CTG) but now it's 18:45. They put it up. Pete and I look at the clock and think, well how longs this gonna take - no point him staring at the wall until 8pm- so he goes home and I try and have a shower and go to sleep.
In the shower, I feel a lot of cramping pains in my pelvis and legs - the shower is nice but it was painful at the same time. Then I laid down on the bed afterwards and felt a lot better.
Meanwhile I could hear my room mate panting and doing all sorts. She's had the same cervidil put up but I think it's her 1st time.
I actually slept some. But anytime the DR or midwife came into the room to see the other lady, I got woken up too. So it really wasn't that restful.
At 3am i woke up pee - and then had some cramps, but nothing regular. Napped a bit
At 4am I woke to pee again.- and had some pink stuff in the tissue on wiping.
At 430am I went again to the toilet just cause I felt like I wanted to and when I wiped there was frank blood - so I buzzed the midwife and show her the pad. She puts me on a CTG (it looks great) and the midwif goes to call the doc to make a plan
The plan is to do a VE and see how the progress is going - and then take it from there. Apparently I'm 4cm.
But as well all know, this is a subjective no.
4:50 the doc comes in and says she wants to do a VE to confirm and break my water to see if the bleeding is from the water around the baby or outside.
At this point I probably should have told Pete to husstle his butt to the hospital. He was awake, at home. I figured he was coming (loz).
She breaks it, and then I feel pain +++ .
I've packed my bags and things super quick cause I figure they probably want me in birth unit soon for monitoring and etc.
The midwife comes and she sees me already packed and in a fair bit of pain. She looks at the other lady who still hasn't sorted all her things. Then she looks at me.
Okay lets go she says - she tells the other midwife that she better take me down first as the other is not yet packed. (and the implication is I look further into the process also).
She offers a wheel chair but I say I'm fine to walk -and then she picks up my bag for me and we start. She looks pregnant too (maybe like 25 weeks) but I don't inquire because maybe she isn't.
05:30 approx.
We take the public lift, me having contractions about 2 every 10 mins, maybe 3. And I'm trying to be quite - anyone can get in the lift, and anyone can be walking around in the hallway (which I later find out as we go through the hallways in the day time, it's teeming with people who know me - consultants, ward clarks, nurse CNCs, nurses).
but it's so early in the morning the hallways are empty.
She tells the ward clark we're changing from 5E1 to birthing and we walk into the doors at level 3 - and the more painful things get. There's two rooms and I ask which one? She says choose - so I pick the one dead ahead. I get on the bed for 2 mins - contractions still going - just enough time for her to rehook up the CTG before I'm looking for the shower - I find the door and go in (lol almost barge in) and start taking off my clothes and turning on the water.
How funny I think, the pain this time - is not in both hips but rather at the pubic symphasis only. Right in the middle. Great - cause there's only one hose shower head and one unchangeable one.
I turn on the hose and it's great. Nice and warm.
I start up the back showerhead -
still contracting - and now I'm no longer in the hallway all bets are of regarding noise i start to howl. It hurts so much.
She asked me if I was ok with active management of the 3rd stage - and I said yes. I figured someone told her I was a midwife.
The 2nd showerhead goes on and the damn hose goes cold! I'm like what hell is this?! Then I want to poop - I barely had time to do any prior because the cervidil did not inspire the feeling to poop, and after it was removed and i was ARM'd I only managed a small one.
I did poop, I'm sure, all the while I'm yelling at the midwife I want to poop!
And she's like can you come back for monitoring? I managed to come back to the bed for 2 mins but then I returned to the shower (poor thing was probably chasing me a little - but she was experienced to know that when things go fast you go with the flow )- and someone had come to help her and was watching the CTG while she was with me. And I was just howling, and pooping, and then the burning started.
Somewhere in all of that the doctor came and said oh okay it looks like it's going quick. And I said Thank God it's quick (I don't really believe in God per say, but you know - higher power, nature, etc).
I stuck my head in the warm shower. And I hear her say the head is out. The burning is A+. I didn't get that last time. and then I say "where are you contraction??" and then there is a second big burn and I think by then the body was out and I hear her say the cord is around the neck tight - but she removed it - and then a wet body was in my hands and she was guiding me of sorts back to the bed, away from the shower -
and the pain was gone. It was great. I couldn't see.
Not sure why. Perhaps my glasses were fogged up or wet. I said - Where do I go? Like I was confused - and perhaps I was a little. Because 5 mins ago I was howling in a shower, and 2 mins later there was burning and now here we are walking around and a baby is in my arms.
06:27 - baby was born.
I sit on the middle of the bed and with not much fuss the placenta was out. And then there was some fundal rubbing and 40U hung due to PPH Hx as discussed in the elevator when she asked if there were issues and I said PPH 1L - are you going to hang 40U prophylaxis? lolz. Man midwifery is all about the policies and she said yes absolutely.
- and the injection came - yes. I felt it. She had to flush my giant hand canula and explained beforehand.
Then the doc who ARM'd me (and came in before) came back in and was ready to suture me.
The midwife informed me it took 20 mins. And I'm like really?
There was the stinging of the antiseptic wash down below - and I was sucking on that gas like no tomorrow.
You think birth is painful but actually I think feeling that needle go in and out - sharp but there was local there numbing about 90% of it - and then the gas making me feel high and light headed as I clutched that baby - I could tell she was smaller, much smaller than Wendy.
They rubbed her some extra because she was a bit quite for the first 5 -10 min or so but she cried fine. All I wanted was to not get so high off the gas that I dropped her.
The Doc was telling me that she can't see if I move my legs - and that I need to stay still and relax my bottom. These things I know but when its you in there - and it's your legs and super sore bottom being poked -
I had a 1st most likely and a Left labial graze. They couldn't see any protusion in my vagina.
And I still had anal tone. Well it was a 1st degree so- there shouldn't be any.
I apologised of sorts to the midwife about a standing birth and how that would have messed her shoes up. She said a good birth at the end of her last nightshift is always welcome. And you know what I know she really meant what she said because if I had me as a woman I would have been pleased with that too.
Plus - it wasn't too close to handover, 6:27 means enough time to get your notes done and hand over on time and be out the door.
at this point, I'm sutured and kid is in my arms and I'm thinking 2 things: feed the baby and
...where is Peter?
She gives me my phone to call him -- he's almost at the hospital (lols what took 1.5 hours, we live a 20 min stroll away)
Apparently he had breakfast and a shower before he left the house. To be fair I didn't impress upon him that it was going to be quick and he should husstle. I had been warned by others who had a 2nd baby - but the day before, we spent it discussing Wendy's birth and the events of 7 hours - of which, none he remembered .
What he remembered, was putting Wendy into the car seat to take her home.
If I could insert a roll eye emoji in here, I would.
I was thinking quick like 9am.
Not quick like 20 mins after entering birthing suite.
To be fair 7 hours for the 1st time was already quick.
Then mid feed, Pete finally walks in.
I get offered a cheese toastie and I gladly accept. Yay- no more food restriction and lack of apetite due to such. In labour I'm supposed to have my BGLs checked hourly and a plan from endocrine followed but it happened so quick I even skipped that morning's fasting check - and none was done in labour.
The day midwife comes in too and the night one comes to say good bye and congratulations.
The day one starts up paperwork and suggests I have a shower. To be fair, I literally just had one - but I don't know what it is, after labour you just feel so stinky (even if it was only a 20 min one).
So I agreed and Pete stood by (which is probably what he would have done too when I was in labour, if he was there) and sorta tried to help hand me things.
I could see on the sides of the bath tub the bloody watered down splash from the standing birth I'd just had and I pointed it out to him.
I rinsed between my legs (that actually felt good to be properly cleaned) - and he'd brought the deoderant I'd forgotten to pack.
I didn't swell up because I didn't have nearly as much fluid as last time -
EBL only 350 ml.
They do baby's post birth BGL and its 2.3 -- apparently for the first BGL, >2.1 is accepted and its >2.6 thereafter (3x pre feed BGLs to be attended in order to ensure baby is stable considering GDM may impact their own BGLs in utero and therefore how much insulin their pancreas made.
I had a lot of trouble controling my BGLs this pregnancy compared to with Wendy - 4-5 hyper readings per week was a standard to minimum. Which didn't make me feel good about anything.
I could walk okay. Gingerly but okay - I suggested walking to postnatal but the midwife wasn't keen so we waited for a wheel chair.
Got up there and had handover, I had to correct one thing - re: 1st not 2nd degree tear. But otherwise super straight forward.
I smelled baby 2.
She smells nothing like baby1.
She smells like a human. No roses or rainforest. I was rather disappointed actually and the brief thought went through my head- this is my baby, right? Lolz. She hadn't left me since birth so she couldn't be anyone else. During the paed check before discharge I asked about this but the paediatrician who didn't have her own children, also didn't know why it would be so (that one child may smell so different from another).
Maybe it was the short birth - only 27 mins all up. The discharge summary says I started active labour at 0600, and was fully at 06:20 and that it was 2nd stage for 7 mins.
I'd take a short labour any day over a smell.
That was rather fun. Why would anyone want a longer labour where they got to get used to the pain .... rather than just get pummeled hard for 20 mins and then for it to just all be over and done with?
Also - strangely, no afterbirth pains.
I'm not normal.
- most women c/o afterbirth pains +++ especially after no. 2... and it's worse with successive births.
I'm clearly something special.
I better go to bed - Kiddo slept so well during the day I fear the night will not be so.
At 14:15 we were furiously trying to run out the door, my mum had come post church and was going to take Wendy to her house on a pram with the train.
And I had spent the morning driving 45 mins to Hornsby to get a spare part for the newborn attachment I had purchased second hand in November 2023 before realising in 2024 that it was missing 2 clips that were absolutely vital to having it attach to the frame of the pram in a safe manner.
At the last min on Saturday night, I found a family in Hornsby giving away the same attachment for free - but most importantly it was the same model with the same missing clips --
Mountain buggy has stopped selling them (their website claims it sold out of clips) and - well, I could essentially need this pram the very next day - so I drove another 45 mins there and back to pick up this pram. The family said they didn't think the clips could come off (but if you look at the instruction manual - they actually arrive detatched - but also, like, if you have used the pram even once: you would have had to put them on, and then anytime they would have been used you'd need the clips both to be on: so why on earth would you ever detach 1 set and not the other set, is beyond me. You'd have unpacked the box, put the clips on, and then thats it. Why would they ever get taken off...
Anyhow
so I'd sourced the clips the morning right before the induction.
And now we were running out the door to get the bus to the hospital.
The app states the bus is not visible. Actually, every 2nd bus is not visible on GPS which means to me, that it's not coming. Or has been cancelled, essentially. The next was coming in 20 mins. So prepared for a 20 min wait (and to be 15 mins late) - the ghost bus arrived and we ended up being on time.
It's super hot and muggy 32 degrees. Overcast.
We get to the hospital and go inside, there isn't much of a wait time (unlike last time) and they attach me to a CTG. I get Pete to fetch me water but I'm also hungry. Due to the appt. time I've skipped afternoon tea and Lunch was a bit average tbh. so I'm hungry and thirsty and the CTG looks... weird. Reassuring features +++ but there's almost 0 baseline and the kid is just overly excited.
Eventually they take the CTG off and I go eat food, take a break etc. But they're concerned due to the borederline CTG and we put it back on. Whiz bang it's improved heaps - and now they're happy to put up the Cervidil. So the earliest it could have gone in was 15:20 (20 mins for the CTG) but now it's 18:45. They put it up. Pete and I look at the clock and think, well how longs this gonna take - no point him staring at the wall until 8pm- so he goes home and I try and have a shower and go to sleep.
In the shower, I feel a lot of cramping pains in my pelvis and legs - the shower is nice but it was painful at the same time. Then I laid down on the bed afterwards and felt a lot better.
Meanwhile I could hear my room mate panting and doing all sorts. She's had the same cervidil put up but I think it's her 1st time.
I actually slept some. But anytime the DR or midwife came into the room to see the other lady, I got woken up too. So it really wasn't that restful.
At 3am i woke up pee - and then had some cramps, but nothing regular. Napped a bit
At 4am I woke to pee again.- and had some pink stuff in the tissue on wiping.
At 430am I went again to the toilet just cause I felt like I wanted to and when I wiped there was frank blood - so I buzzed the midwife and show her the pad. She puts me on a CTG (it looks great) and the midwif goes to call the doc to make a plan
The plan is to do a VE and see how the progress is going - and then take it from there. Apparently I'm 4cm.
But as well all know, this is a subjective no.
4:50 the doc comes in and says she wants to do a VE to confirm and break my water to see if the bleeding is from the water around the baby or outside.
At this point I probably should have told Pete to husstle his butt to the hospital. He was awake, at home. I figured he was coming (loz).
She breaks it, and then I feel pain +++ .
I've packed my bags and things super quick cause I figure they probably want me in birth unit soon for monitoring and etc.
The midwife comes and she sees me already packed and in a fair bit of pain. She looks at the other lady who still hasn't sorted all her things. Then she looks at me.
Okay lets go she says - she tells the other midwife that she better take me down first as the other is not yet packed. (and the implication is I look further into the process also).
She offers a wheel chair but I say I'm fine to walk -and then she picks up my bag for me and we start. She looks pregnant too (maybe like 25 weeks) but I don't inquire because maybe she isn't.
05:30 approx.
We take the public lift, me having contractions about 2 every 10 mins, maybe 3. And I'm trying to be quite - anyone can get in the lift, and anyone can be walking around in the hallway (which I later find out as we go through the hallways in the day time, it's teeming with people who know me - consultants, ward clarks, nurse CNCs, nurses).
but it's so early in the morning the hallways are empty.
She tells the ward clark we're changing from 5E1 to birthing and we walk into the doors at level 3 - and the more painful things get. There's two rooms and I ask which one? She says choose - so I pick the one dead ahead. I get on the bed for 2 mins - contractions still going - just enough time for her to rehook up the CTG before I'm looking for the shower - I find the door and go in (lol almost barge in) and start taking off my clothes and turning on the water.
How funny I think, the pain this time - is not in both hips but rather at the pubic symphasis only. Right in the middle. Great - cause there's only one hose shower head and one unchangeable one.
I turn on the hose and it's great. Nice and warm.
I start up the back showerhead -
still contracting - and now I'm no longer in the hallway all bets are of regarding noise i start to howl. It hurts so much.
She asked me if I was ok with active management of the 3rd stage - and I said yes. I figured someone told her I was a midwife.
The 2nd showerhead goes on and the damn hose goes cold! I'm like what hell is this?! Then I want to poop - I barely had time to do any prior because the cervidil did not inspire the feeling to poop, and after it was removed and i was ARM'd I only managed a small one.
I did poop, I'm sure, all the while I'm yelling at the midwife I want to poop!
And she's like can you come back for monitoring? I managed to come back to the bed for 2 mins but then I returned to the shower (poor thing was probably chasing me a little - but she was experienced to know that when things go fast you go with the flow )- and someone had come to help her and was watching the CTG while she was with me. And I was just howling, and pooping, and then the burning started.
Somewhere in all of that the doctor came and said oh okay it looks like it's going quick. And I said Thank God it's quick (I don't really believe in God per say, but you know - higher power, nature, etc).
I stuck my head in the warm shower. And I hear her say the head is out. The burning is A+. I didn't get that last time. and then I say "where are you contraction??" and then there is a second big burn and I think by then the body was out and I hear her say the cord is around the neck tight - but she removed it - and then a wet body was in my hands and she was guiding me of sorts back to the bed, away from the shower -
and the pain was gone. It was great. I couldn't see.
Not sure why. Perhaps my glasses were fogged up or wet. I said - Where do I go? Like I was confused - and perhaps I was a little. Because 5 mins ago I was howling in a shower, and 2 mins later there was burning and now here we are walking around and a baby is in my arms.
06:27 - baby was born.
I sit on the middle of the bed and with not much fuss the placenta was out. And then there was some fundal rubbing and 40U hung due to PPH Hx as discussed in the elevator when she asked if there were issues and I said PPH 1L - are you going to hang 40U prophylaxis? lolz. Man midwifery is all about the policies and she said yes absolutely.
- and the injection came - yes. I felt it. She had to flush my giant hand canula and explained beforehand.
Then the doc who ARM'd me (and came in before) came back in and was ready to suture me.
The midwife informed me it took 20 mins. And I'm like really?
There was the stinging of the antiseptic wash down below - and I was sucking on that gas like no tomorrow.
You think birth is painful but actually I think feeling that needle go in and out - sharp but there was local there numbing about 90% of it - and then the gas making me feel high and light headed as I clutched that baby - I could tell she was smaller, much smaller than Wendy.
They rubbed her some extra because she was a bit quite for the first 5 -10 min or so but she cried fine. All I wanted was to not get so high off the gas that I dropped her.
The Doc was telling me that she can't see if I move my legs - and that I need to stay still and relax my bottom. These things I know but when its you in there - and it's your legs and super sore bottom being poked -
I had a 1st most likely and a Left labial graze. They couldn't see any protusion in my vagina.
And I still had anal tone. Well it was a 1st degree so- there shouldn't be any.
I apologised of sorts to the midwife about a standing birth and how that would have messed her shoes up. She said a good birth at the end of her last nightshift is always welcome. And you know what I know she really meant what she said because if I had me as a woman I would have been pleased with that too.
Plus - it wasn't too close to handover, 6:27 means enough time to get your notes done and hand over on time and be out the door.
at this point, I'm sutured and kid is in my arms and I'm thinking 2 things: feed the baby and
...where is Peter?
She gives me my phone to call him -- he's almost at the hospital (lols what took 1.5 hours, we live a 20 min stroll away)
Apparently he had breakfast and a shower before he left the house. To be fair I didn't impress upon him that it was going to be quick and he should husstle. I had been warned by others who had a 2nd baby - but the day before, we spent it discussing Wendy's birth and the events of 7 hours - of which, none he remembered .
What he remembered, was putting Wendy into the car seat to take her home.
If I could insert a roll eye emoji in here, I would.
I was thinking quick like 9am.
Not quick like 20 mins after entering birthing suite.
To be fair 7 hours for the 1st time was already quick.
Then mid feed, Pete finally walks in.
I get offered a cheese toastie and I gladly accept. Yay- no more food restriction and lack of apetite due to such. In labour I'm supposed to have my BGLs checked hourly and a plan from endocrine followed but it happened so quick I even skipped that morning's fasting check - and none was done in labour.
The day midwife comes in too and the night one comes to say good bye and congratulations.
The day one starts up paperwork and suggests I have a shower. To be fair, I literally just had one - but I don't know what it is, after labour you just feel so stinky (even if it was only a 20 min one).
So I agreed and Pete stood by (which is probably what he would have done too when I was in labour, if he was there) and sorta tried to help hand me things.
I could see on the sides of the bath tub the bloody watered down splash from the standing birth I'd just had and I pointed it out to him.
I rinsed between my legs (that actually felt good to be properly cleaned) - and he'd brought the deoderant I'd forgotten to pack.
I didn't swell up because I didn't have nearly as much fluid as last time -
EBL only 350 ml.
They do baby's post birth BGL and its 2.3 -- apparently for the first BGL, >2.1 is accepted and its >2.6 thereafter (3x pre feed BGLs to be attended in order to ensure baby is stable considering GDM may impact their own BGLs in utero and therefore how much insulin their pancreas made.
I had a lot of trouble controling my BGLs this pregnancy compared to with Wendy - 4-5 hyper readings per week was a standard to minimum. Which didn't make me feel good about anything.
I could walk okay. Gingerly but okay - I suggested walking to postnatal but the midwife wasn't keen so we waited for a wheel chair.
Got up there and had handover, I had to correct one thing - re: 1st not 2nd degree tear. But otherwise super straight forward.
I smelled baby 2.
She smells nothing like baby1.
She smells like a human. No roses or rainforest. I was rather disappointed actually and the brief thought went through my head- this is my baby, right? Lolz. She hadn't left me since birth so she couldn't be anyone else. During the paed check before discharge I asked about this but the paediatrician who didn't have her own children, also didn't know why it would be so (that one child may smell so different from another).
Maybe it was the short birth - only 27 mins all up. The discharge summary says I started active labour at 0600, and was fully at 06:20 and that it was 2nd stage for 7 mins.
I'd take a short labour any day over a smell.
That was rather fun. Why would anyone want a longer labour where they got to get used to the pain .... rather than just get pummeled hard for 20 mins and then for it to just all be over and done with?
Also - strangely, no afterbirth pains.
I'm not normal.
- most women c/o afterbirth pains +++ especially after no. 2... and it's worse with successive births.
I'm clearly something special.
I better go to bed - Kiddo slept so well during the day I fear the night will not be so.
