Claire's Birth Story - Girl on a mission

I was pondering about what to blog about when this little gem popped into my inbox and solved all my problems - it's my latest birth feature! 

Claire is another fellow Kiwi Mumma who blogs over at Girl on a Mission. She gave birth to her adorable little boy Keaton on 22nd of April 2013 - which was also her birthday! So, if you don't follow her already I suggest you head over to her blog and say hello. You can also follow her on Facebook as well.

This is her story...

1. What was your due date?

My Due Date was May 5^th 2013.

2. Were you early or overdue?

I ended up being 2 weeks early, I thought I would be overdue, so my predictions went well out the window.

3. Where did you plan on birthing?

Planned on birthing at the hospital – I was super scared throughout my pregnancy, so wanted to be at the hospital in case anything went wrong.

4. Did you have a birth plan?

Yes I had a birth plan – a few of the things I wanted were:

- Bradley to be the only one with me

- Normal delivery unless there were complications

- Would try and go all natural

- Bradley to cut the cord – he was really scared to do this, it     was rather funny.

I stuck mainly to it, except for going natural – lol, it was like give them all to me NOW!!!!!

5. Did your birth go according to plan? Tell us about your labour and birth.

Well, I went into labour on the 21^st of April (a day before my birthday) – from the moment I fell pregnant, my husband said that I was going to have our baby on my birthday. Anyway, I woke up with contraction’s that were very far apart, and called my midwife to give her the heads up. My parents were in South Africa as my sister had had a baby two weeks before, so they had planned on being with them for four weeks, and then coming back the day before I was due, to be with us.

My cousin was with us, so we went to the shops because we were going out for a work dinner that evening. I felt fine, and was timing my contractions the whole time we were out, we even stopped at the café for some chocolate cake. As the day progressed the contractions became closer, but not painful, I called my aunt, and she and my cousin came over. The evening approached, and we got ready to go out for dinner. We got to the restaurant and I lasted about half an hour, the contractions suddenly came full one, and we had to leave. I got home, and jumped in the bath to try and manage the pain. Around 8.30pm the contractions were so bad, I called my midwife and she said to go to the hospital. We got there in record time (I think Bradley had been waiting for this “tv moment” for years – he drove like they do on TV – I just remember telling him to stop going over bumps.

Once in the hospital – I was in such a daze, the nurses at the hospital said to get on the bed, so I got on there and I stayed there. I probably should have walked around and tried different positions, but I think I was so exhausted, I just wanted to lie there and do nothing. I was 5cm when I got to the hospital.

My birth plan stated that I didn’t want any medicinal help if I could help it, well that went out the window – I had a bit of everything, although the Gas made me actually vomit, so I stopped that pretty quickly – Bradley however found much joy in having a few breaths of it. I eventually had an epidural, and that helped, until I realised that it had not taken on my left side completely, so I could feel stabbing pains at every contraction.

It finally came time to push – and I pushed and pushed for two hours. I was so exhausted. Turned out Keaton had his hand on his face and was at a funny angle, so would not come out naturally, and had to be delivered by a ventouse delivery. That was super easy, and with one push he was out.

We didn’t know what we were having, and we were all convinced it was a girl, so when he came out and Bradley said it’s a boy, I was super shocked, I said “ are you sure”, I was shown that he was in fact a boy! Born 2.50am, on my birthday, weighing 3.107kg, and 48cm.

6. How do you feel after the birth?

I was completely overwhelmed after the birth. I didn’t cry when he was born, and I felt weird about that. I think I was in shock because later that day when it was just Keaton and myself in the maternity suite, I just looked at him and cried and cried. I felt great after the birth, I could not pee though, so they would not take the needle out my hand until I had, that eventually happened. In all honestly, the episiotomy was more painful than anything else.

7. What are the top five items you packed in your hospital bag that you couldn't have done without or wished you had packed?

MUST HAVES

- Water bottle

- Snacks for Bradley

- Phone charger (had to keep taking pictures)

- Breastfeeding tops (Keaton slept the first few nights inside    my top, so these were a life saver)

- Nipple shields – only got these on the second day, and wish I had them from the get go. It took a while for Keaton to be able to suck on my boobies without them, so a definite must.

8. What's one piece of advice you could offer to any Mum preparing for childbirth?

You can’t prepare for something like this. Be open to change your mind. The emotions you go through are crazy. It’s the best thing that will ever happen to you, and you just can’t plan for it.

9. Is there anything you would do differently next time?

I would probably try more positions next time to manage the pain, try to go without meds, but I guess I will only be able to plan for that when the time comes.

Thanks so much for sharing your story with us Claire! I love reading these stories - everyone is so different!

If you would like your story to be featured on the blog you can contact me at akiwimumma@gmail.com - this feature is not just for bloggers. Any Mum's are more than welcome!