This Time Around-Labour and Birth

This time around is so much different than with Joss and before it all melts away I want to jot down some thoughts on the differences and similarities of the first little bit of time with both of my amazing babies starting with their births.

This time around I laboured at home till about 90 minutes before Jasper was born: This was totally different than with Joss who was induced over 2 ½ days.  I was where I wanted to be it was just me at home with Joss and even then I flipped the TV on so I was pretty much on my own and it was a good place to be I stood just outside the back door so I could hear Joss if I needed to and really appreciated that “this was it”. Even when we got to hospital once with the exception of about 20 minutes it took to asses me and the 10 minutes at the end we were walking the hallways on our own.

This time around there was no epidural: There was some screaming and yelling about 30 seconds before I started pushing because I wanted one and it was too late but I didn’t really want one it was just transition talking and after everything was said and done it was so much nicer that I hadn’t had one.  Once Jasper and I had bonded had skin to skin contact and he had his first nurse I was able to get up and have a shower and move around and didn’t feel as out of it as I did after Joss.  It was so nice to have a shower right away and not just a sponge bath until the epidural wore off.  By the time the epidural wore off with Joss, Philip had gone home and I was afraid to leave Joss to shower so it was the next morning before I got a proper shower.

This time around I was upright and moving for all of labour except the pushing (with the exception of about half an hour I purposely laid down to slow the contractions as I was seriously worried Philip was not going to make it home from work they were coming so fast and hard): If I had not been coaxed onto the bed to be checked I also would have probably pushed on all fours on the floor but they got me on the bed and then wouldn’t let me turn over to push this will forever go in my gripe book. With Joss they put me on the monitor when my contractions started as I had been induced and they wanted to make sure Joss was coping and then left me on there for almost three hours and I was too stupid to ask them to let me off.  I was in so much pain it was insane.  By the time they let me off I was not sure what to do with myself and when they came to “check me” and broke my water and attached a head monitor on Joss restricting my movement I gave in and asked for an epidural.

This time around my water broke spontaneously: They broke my waters with Joss and I don’t remember feeling anything but it may have just been a small leak.  This was an all-out gush while I was standing at the nurses’ station wearing jeans that I then had to waddle and drip back to my room in, but oh it felt so good to have the pressure released.

This time around I swore like a sailor at the top of my lungs:  I wasn’t exactly sweet with Joss but I was afraid to truly let go, this time not a problem ask the two midwives who attended my birth I said so pretty horrible things.  At one point the midwife told me I was going to have to stop screaming and listen to what she was saying.  I informed her I could scream and listen to what she was saying at the same time. Also ask anyone on the second floor of Southend Hospital as I was screaming at the top of my lungs.

This time around Jasper crowned and didn’t just pop out in one push:  Okay I pushed for seven minutes and it only took 3 pushes one for him to come down one for him to crown and one for his shoulders but considering it only took 3 pushes with Joss and probably would have only taken one or two if I had started out pushing correctly with her.  I have to say not having the epidural made it SO much easier to push (says the woman who only pushes three times a baby).

This time around I walked out of the hospital four hours after Jasper was born and less than six hour after we arrived instead of 48 hours after Joss was born and 5 days after I arrived:  This was the closest thing to a home birth I was allowed to have and it was so nice to be tucked up in my bed at home and to be able to sneak in and kiss Joss good night when we got home.