Alrighty, I am on day two of being "poo" free. and my hair is a GREASY mess right now with the detox going on. UGH. For those of you that have no idea what I am talking about; let me explain. I have stopped using any chemicals in the shower. (I am working on the makeup...) I have started washing my hair with baking soda and apple cider vinegar.
So far, so greasy. It apparently takes your body a while to adjust to this no poo routine. While you use shampoos, you strip your hair of its natural oils. Your scalp then overproduces oils to make up for this. When you stop using shampoo, you need a bit of time for your body to figure out what's going on and stop producing all the excess oils. Hence my pony tail and greasy mess of a head even when I have just stepped out of the shower. I can't wait until the promised time comes when I will have beautiful hair that needs to be washed once a week. Ahhhhhh I am dreaming of it right now!
I am also not using toothpaste anymore. I am making my own with coconut oil, baking soda and peppermint essential oil. It works great. I am also making a body scrub with olive oil and brown sugar. (I have been doing this one for years as I just love olive oil on my skin!) I just read about a face wash with olive oil and castor oil. You mix the two together and apply it to your face. Then you get a hot wash cloth and just steam the oils and wipe away at the end of a minute. I will let you know how I get on with this one.
It seems as I have jumped off the deep end but I just can't stand spending loads of money on those so called "natural" body products that don't even work that well. I have been spending £5.99 for shampoo for the last year. It still has some pretty nasty stuff in it. I ran out of shampoo this week so decided to take the plunge! I also love the satisfaction of using every day things to make products that work really well; I feel so self sufficient!! I plan on using these on Henry as well so that this is the norm and he doesn't have to "de-tox" at the age of 29. It makes me cringe to think about all of the chemicals I have exposed myself to over the years (hello- smoking cigarettes?!?!?! yuck!)
So- I will keep you updated on my no poo transition. If you have any questions, I have lots of links bookmarked! And if you see me- yes I have showered today ;)
Saturday, 26 February 2011
Friday, 18 February 2011
babywearing
Firstly, I have taken a look at my life and realised that I am on the internet WAY TOO MUCH. I have cut down to one hour at night and occasionally during the day if Henry is asleep and all my "chores" are done. So I may not be around as much. Secondly, I just read a brilliant article on babywearing and I would like to write a post about it. I am OBSESSED with wearing my child. I love everything about it. I don't remember how I came to decide when I was pregnant that I wanted to wear my baby but I know that at 17 weeks pregnant I bought my first wrap. We all know that my birth was less than ideal. I had a slow physical recovery and could barely walk for the first few weeks. As a result, I used my stroller/pushchair/pram (whatever you want to call it!). I was gutted that I couldn't just pop the wrap on and go. I bought a cheap, second hand pram off of eBay because I knew deep down inside that using a pram just wasn't going to be my style. I entered my postpartum days with a hybrid wrap called a "papoozle" made in Scotland by the Tots Bots company. I also bought an Ergo second hand at the recommendation of my friend. The papoozle didn't offer my newborn enough support and the Ergo felt too open and stiff for him. So I bought my beloved Moby wrap and it was love at first wrap. I used this wrap nearly every day for six months. I wore him at home when he was fussy and out for walks. I wore him when we went out to dinner or to the pub. He went everywhere with me and was always so happy and calm. I liked having my hands free and my baby within kissing distance. The Moby and I were a match made in heaven. I decided that I wanted to try a few other kinds of carriers and bought a cheap mei tai and a babasling. Neither of them did it for me the way the Moby did. I knew though, that eventually Henry was going to get too heavy for me to use the Moby so I planned ahead and bought a Didymos woven wrap. Oh my goodness. This wrap is like a diamond for most women. My husband bought it for me on my birthday trip to Germany. It cost about £100 (more than my engagement ring!!! haha) and is way more than I would normally spend on anything baby-related but I am not ready to stop wearing him! Two weeks ago the inevitable happened. I was about to leave my house and little Mr. Strong Baby took both of his shoulders and got himself out of the wrap. That was the end of the Moby. It was such a sad day for me. I then pulled out the didymos and had a go. The learning curve for woven wraps is a bit intimidating as you need to actually hold the baby and wrap the wrap around him BUT this leads to an amazingly tight and sturdy carry. It is brilliant. He is so secure and so happy in it and my back feels much better!! :) So back to the article that I read today. It is great! It validates how I have felt about carrying my baby. I will include it at the end but just wanted to mention why I like it so much. As a babywearer you sometimes get some rude looks or comments. A few of my favourites are: "You are ruining his spine by wearing him like that. There is not enough support." OR "He is squished in there- poor child."I would like to print this article out and read it to them. I also encountered a lot of strange looks from my family members when I was home for Christmas. They soon understood when Henry would drift happily to sleep or calm right down in it. He has been in his pram a few times. Daddy and Grammie usually take him out in it and when I don't have any trousers washed and need to wear a dress- he goes in the pram! (Luckily it doesn't happen too often). So, have a read of the article. Babywearing is an amazing bonding experience that I hope to continue for as long as possible. Awesome babywearing article. It takes you to the middle of the article. You need to scroll up :) Here are some pictures of me, Daddy and Grandpa wearing Henry!  |
| Moby |
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| Ergo |
 |
| Grandpa with the Ergo |
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| Daddy with the Ergo |
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| Moby |
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| Didymos hip carry |
Sunday, 6 February 2011
Information overload Part II.
Ok- the other one was getting wordy but this is actually the original topic I wanted to write about so thought it would be better to give it its own post.
It all boils down to the fact that there is so much information available to us. I am a member of a website called babycenter. It's basically a big chat room type site with different groups to suit your needs. I started looking around on there and found all of these "crunchy" and hippy mama groups. This was so up my ally and I started to go nuts researching all of the different ways I can make my life more natural. I also found myself joining all of these natural parenting pages on facebook. These pages give you links to visit or links for other blogs that give you even more links to visit and so on. It's endless. The information is literally endless and I am overwhelmed.
Just for fun I will tell you about my internet searches for the day. They are in no order, just what I can remember. (Don't forget refreshing babycenter and facebook all day...)
* I am recovering from the stomach flu so I was searching ways to naturally cure diarrhea. (fun times).
* I bought some Dr. Bronner's soap so was researching just how to use it, which then led me to amazon.co.uk looking for Dr. Bronner's hair conditioner.
* I was on amazon.co.uk looking for coconut oil which then led me to look up how to use the coconut oil again.
* I was looking up how to make a natural bathroom cleaner which led me to look up natural laundry detergent and information about soap nuts.
* I was looking up how to go "poo free" which then led me to look up natural cosmetics and then information about how to make my hard water soft.
* I was looking up organic babyfood and what Henry should be eating which then led me to a thyorid diet which then led me to want to eat only locally grown vegetables and things in season...
The problem is that I will go onto babycenter or something similar and realise that I am no where near natural enough and then overload myself with information on how to make myself more natural. The other issue with babycenter or the leakyboob or those sites is that I want to help my fellow mamas so I am on there trying my best! Plus my real life friends need me too!
Then there is the issue of my facebook pages. I love them- don't get me wrong, but they are constantly giving me new things to think about and articles to read. So then I research about circumcision or vaccinations or something esle. It's endless people and it's overhwelming. Part of me longs for the days of reading a book at my Mom's house while she shake and baked some pork chops and then cleaned up with fantastic spray. I, of course, want to live better BUT it sure is information overload out there.
Then there is the problem of the fact that my husband and I are sitting here side by side with him on his stupid iPad and me on my laptop with the telly going in the background. What kind of example are we setting for Henry? I think I am going to have to impose some sort of information and technology de-tox.
I want to do so many life and diet de-toxes that I just don't even know where to begin... ahhhhhhhhhhhh.
Information overload Part I.
Somedays I really just want to shut down my iPhone or my laptop. It is amazing how dependent I have become on having the internet at my fingertips. As recently as 2005 I was still checking my e-mail at school because I was too poor to afford the internet at home.
I used to happily log on to MySpace and then facebook to see what my friends were up to, then check my email and occasionally check the weather. That was it. I moved on from there to paying all of my bills online and getting my bank statements e-mailed to me. From there I started buying and selling things on amazon.com and using google instead of an encyclopedia. Even this amount of use was acceptable. I had a PC at the time so I had to be home and sitting at my desk. I worked full time and was still a student so I didn't have a lot of free time.
Then I moved away from home and the facebook addiction started. I was on there constantly as I didn't have very many friends here in the UK and desparately missed my life back home. I also had a laptop for the first time in my life and was able to be online and in my bed! Then I learned about multiple tabs and would seach the internet for lesson plans, news at home, anything else besides doing actual work- all while being on facebook. This was pretty bad but the pinnacle of my internet addiction was when I got my BELOVED iPhone.
Oh iPhone, how you have changed my life. I no longer need to turn the telly on or a read a book when I can't sleep and wake up my husband. I no longer need two hands to search the internet while nursing my baby. (It really did save my life while nursing though...) I am on my phone all. the. time. I can use it everywhere. I no longer need to wonder about anything because together my iPhone and google can answer all of life's great questions.
The problem is that I am a curious person by nature. I like to research EVERYTHING. It got really bad when I found out I was pregnant. I would sit there for hours researching every pregnancy symptom known to man. Then I needed to look up things to buy for the baby. Then I needed to research all about cloth nappies. Then I joined babycenter and was on there talking to other moms-to-be about our daily problems. It's only gotten progressively worse since I had the baby. I wonder where I find the time to even go online. I am up way after he goes to sleep just sitting here seeing if people are going to tell me about their dinner or work that day. It's becoming a serious problem... I honestly think I am addicted to the internet. I can't imagine a day without it. This is a serious problem and one that I am hoping clears up when the weather becomes better and I can go outside. If not- I might need to fast!
Friday, 4 February 2011
What I like about England.
So I tend to rant and rave about all of the things I hate about England. I pretty much do this daily to my poor husband who listens patiently to me attack his homeland. England has his faults like any other place in the world but there are some pretty amazing things about living here that I am not ready to give up.
1. National Health Care: I had insurance on the day I landed in this country. I have had insurance for the past two years that I haven't been working. All of my prenatal care, my attempted homebirth and my hospital birth were all covered. I didn't have to pay a thing. If anything goes seriously wrong I will receive excellent care FOR FREE. I will never go bankrupt because I can't afford my medical bills.
2. Proximity to the Continent: I can be in France in under 2 hours of driving. That also means that I can take a short flight to anywhere in Europe. It's also relatively inexpensive to fly to Europe so I can go multiple times a year!
3. I can walk everywhere: I can walk to the doctor's office, three supermarkets, hair dresser, chemist, children's centre, train station, swimming pool, beauty salon, tiny movie theatre, numerous cafes, restaurants and FIFTEEN pubs.
4. Buying local is SO easy: My town has a few butchers, an artisan bakery, basic bakeries, and a gourmet food centre with local and international food as well as a market on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
5. History: England is so full of history. The house I used to live in was built in 1450. There are cathedrals and castles at every turn. It's like a wonderland of historical treasure! :)
6. The food here tastes better: The chocolate is AMAZING. I can't even begin to eat American chocolate. The milk doesn't have any added chemicals and it tastes so much better. The cheese is from Cheddar and it is delicious!! The bread is not loaded with sugar and tastes much better too. The butter is fresh and made with one ingredient! The produce is from up the road and fresh. The meat doesn't have any chemicals and is locally grown as well. It just tastes cleaner and fresher than in the States!
7. The BBC: There are channels on the T.V. and on the radio that have NO adverts. Awesome.
So there you have it- there are some things that I really like about living here!!
I apologise if this doesn't read as smoothly as usual. My mother in law decided to talk to me throughout the entire composition! :)
Macknades
butchers
bakery
Canterbury Cathedral
MY TOWN!
1. National Health Care: I had insurance on the day I landed in this country. I have had insurance for the past two years that I haven't been working. All of my prenatal care, my attempted homebirth and my hospital birth were all covered. I didn't have to pay a thing. If anything goes seriously wrong I will receive excellent care FOR FREE. I will never go bankrupt because I can't afford my medical bills.
2. Proximity to the Continent: I can be in France in under 2 hours of driving. That also means that I can take a short flight to anywhere in Europe. It's also relatively inexpensive to fly to Europe so I can go multiple times a year!
3. I can walk everywhere: I can walk to the doctor's office, three supermarkets, hair dresser, chemist, children's centre, train station, swimming pool, beauty salon, tiny movie theatre, numerous cafes, restaurants and FIFTEEN pubs.
4. Buying local is SO easy: My town has a few butchers, an artisan bakery, basic bakeries, and a gourmet food centre with local and international food as well as a market on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
5. History: England is so full of history. The house I used to live in was built in 1450. There are cathedrals and castles at every turn. It's like a wonderland of historical treasure! :)
6. The food here tastes better: The chocolate is AMAZING. I can't even begin to eat American chocolate. The milk doesn't have any added chemicals and it tastes so much better. The cheese is from Cheddar and it is delicious!! The bread is not loaded with sugar and tastes much better too. The butter is fresh and made with one ingredient! The produce is from up the road and fresh. The meat doesn't have any chemicals and is locally grown as well. It just tastes cleaner and fresher than in the States!
7. The BBC: There are channels on the T.V. and on the radio that have NO adverts. Awesome.
So there you have it- there are some things that I really like about living here!!
I apologise if this doesn't read as smoothly as usual. My mother in law decided to talk to me throughout the entire composition! :)
Macknades
butchers
bakery
Canterbury Cathedral
MY TOWN!
Saturday, 29 January 2011
MY confessions as a mother.
This one is for Bethany. :)
1. My baby frustrates me. He doesn't mean to but he does. When he gets up every two hours ALL NIGHT LONG I don't find it cute, I find it annoying. It was OK when he was a newborn but I am over it. (That being said, I still show up for every cry and usually feed him... he is pretty cute...)
2. I spend most of my mornings alternating between napping and feeding Henry in bed. That way there I get some much needed sleep. Most days we don't go out of bed until 11.
3. I am tired. ALL. THE. TIME. Even when he sleeps and we nap together, I am tired.
4. I still do not fit into ANY of my pre-pregnancy jeans and very few of my pre-pregnancy tops.
5. My baby rarely wears outfits. I am lazy so he lives in sleep suits.
6. I will use eco friendly disposable nappies rather than do a cloth nappy wash sometimes.
7. I will put Henry in his pram instead of wearing him solely depending on whether or not my outfit is conducive to babywearing.
8. I would rather my husband give Henry pumped milk in the middle of the night just so I don't have to get out bed. I am awake, I am just that lazy.
9. I NEED time to myself. I need to go out with other adults sometimes. I did it for the first time tonight and it was amazing. I felt so good to not have a huge diaper bag or a 20 pound car seat to lug around.
10. I also NEED help. I need someone to help with the cleaning and the cooking and the laundry. I am not supermum and I don't mind admitting it!
To quote Bethany: "I just wish more moms opened up and talked about the mistakes we make and the mishaps that have happened to us. I wish we'd quit feeling mommy guilt and take a real, honest look at how we're all (mostly) just trying to do our best." I couldn't have said it better!!
1. My baby frustrates me. He doesn't mean to but he does. When he gets up every two hours ALL NIGHT LONG I don't find it cute, I find it annoying. It was OK when he was a newborn but I am over it. (That being said, I still show up for every cry and usually feed him... he is pretty cute...)
2. I spend most of my mornings alternating between napping and feeding Henry in bed. That way there I get some much needed sleep. Most days we don't go out of bed until 11.
3. I am tired. ALL. THE. TIME. Even when he sleeps and we nap together, I am tired.
4. I still do not fit into ANY of my pre-pregnancy jeans and very few of my pre-pregnancy tops.
5. My baby rarely wears outfits. I am lazy so he lives in sleep suits.
6. I will use eco friendly disposable nappies rather than do a cloth nappy wash sometimes.
7. I will put Henry in his pram instead of wearing him solely depending on whether or not my outfit is conducive to babywearing.
8. I would rather my husband give Henry pumped milk in the middle of the night just so I don't have to get out bed. I am awake, I am just that lazy.
9. I NEED time to myself. I need to go out with other adults sometimes. I did it for the first time tonight and it was amazing. I felt so good to not have a huge diaper bag or a 20 pound car seat to lug around.
10. I also NEED help. I need someone to help with the cleaning and the cooking and the laundry. I am not supermum and I don't mind admitting it!
To quote Bethany: "I just wish more moms opened up and talked about the mistakes we make and the mishaps that have happened to us. I wish we'd quit feeling mommy guilt and take a real, honest look at how we're all (mostly) just trying to do our best." I couldn't have said it better!!
Friday, 28 January 2011
Birth story.
I am lazy so here is my birth story :)
It's long..............
Henry’s birth story
08.08.10 12:30- Philip and I are at a bag pipe event two hours away from home because I figured the baby was never going to actually come out! I then go to the bathroom and realise that I have had a bloody show. I decide to wait for contractions before leaving the event.
08.08.10 23:30- I decide to go to bed as I only got four hours sleep the night before. Unfortunately I start having a bad stomach ache that feels like bad gas. They don’t seem to be coming in any pattern but they are definitely coming and going. I have a poorly stomach all night and the pains don’t go away.
09.08.10 morning- My midwife shows up during the few minutes of sleep that I manage to get that morning. She is supposed to give me a sweep but decides to do it later so I can hopefully get some sleep in case I am in labour. (Doesn’t happen...)
09.09.10 13:30- My midwife comes back to do a sweep. She examines me at the same time and we realise that I am 5 cm dilated!!! WOW. I really hadn’t had any strong contractions, just slight tightenings. She decides to go about her day which I am fine with and leave me alone (Philip is in London getting some work in case today isn’t the day).
09.08.10 16:35- My midwife rings me to see how I am doing. My contractions are about 3-4 minutes apart and lasting 40-50 seconds. I have called my lovely friend Harrie over to stay with me because Philip is stuck in traffic!!!!! Bless her, she just had a baby the week before and she was brilliant. She set me up with my tens machine and I bounced on the birth ball.
09.08.10 17:40- Philip is home!! YAY. I am still contracting every 3-4 minutes and lasting 40-50 seconds. We decide I can go into the birth pool as I am still coping well. Another vaginal exam shows that I am 7 cm dilated and fully effaced. I can get in the pool!! My friend Rachel comes over as well for support!
09.08.10 18:00- 20:00- I continue to contract well and they are getting stronger. I decide that now would be a good time for me to make use of all that gas and air they brought!! I also decide that it would be a good idea to video skype my Dad!
09.08.10 20:50- The second midwife shows up with more gas and air! I am starting to feel some pressure at the height of the contractions and things look like they are progressing really well.
09.08.10 22:45- The contractions are starting to make me want to push. I am still coping with gas and air and am breathing through them. My MW decides to do another vaginal exam to see what is going on. She finds a thick anterior lip of my cervix and decides to rupture my waters. When she breaks my waters she sees that there is meconium and I will now need to be transferred to hospital via ambulance .
09.08.10 23:11- The ambulance arrives. I put on a bathrobe and dry myself off. I am desperately clinging to the gas and air mask as I do not want to be transferred and would like to be as high as possible!!! The ride is pretty tough and my poor MW has to hold my bump the entire time. It takes about 30 minutes to get there but being strapped to a stretcher when you want to push and can’t makes it feel like a year!!
09.08.10 23:45- I arrive at the hospital after sucking down an entire canister of gas and air and am well out of it! The first thing I ask for at the hospital is an assisted delivery.
10.08.10 0:00- I consent to having a vaginal exam and they find that I am fully dilated but have a lot of meconium in my waters. I still feel the need to push and try to do so desperately. I can’t find a comfortable position to save my life and am in a lot of pain from the ambulance ride over. I try to lean on the sink and then try to crawl on the bed on all fours but nothing is working. My contractions are extremely painful and I am getting really tired.
10.08.10 00:35-They perform an ultrasound on me to see which way the baby is lying. It is discovered that baby is back to back with his face sunny side up. That is very discouraging to me and further spurs me on for my desire to have an epidural. I am pretty sure I start begging for one at this point because I am very disappointed that I am in hospital, on my back and having no luck with pushing. (OK so maybe I am begging for a c-section as I just want baby out and don’t really see how it is going to happen vaginally).
10.08.10 1:00- They FINALLY call the anaesthetist.
10.08.10 1:30- The anaesthetist FINALLY shows up. That is fun. I am having back to back pushing contractions and they want me to lie still on my side with my knees up to my chest. Thanks to Mum and Philip and the MW they get me into position!! Now all the monitors start and I am stuck with all sorts of tubes. I have a catheter, a BP monitor, a foetal monitor and an IV drip giving me sintocinon (2:00). (Not exactly the home birth I had imagined!!) The epidural is a super strong one but I still feel lots of pressure.
10.08.10 2:20- They decide to half the amount of sintocinon as it is too high. I am told not to actively push as they were hoping baby would turn on his own. (Again- fun times!)
10.08.10 2:35- I request a top up as the pressure is becoming very uncomfortable again!!! (15 minutes later I get my top up.... my patience is running thin!)
10.08.10 3:00- The doctor comes in. She does a vaginal exam and sees that baby is starting to come down a little bit. They also notice even more meconium in my waters (if they only knew that’s all Henry does is poo!!!)They then tell me that baby is going to be delivered in the operating theatre with either forceps or a caesarean section. This is scary as I need to be prepped for a c-section and sign a consent form. (A FAR cry from my nice home birth!)
I am at least told that I can push with my contractions and I do so to the best of my ability. I was hoping for some kind of miracle that the baby would just pop out on his own!! I also pray to my mother at this point for at least a forceps birth and not a c-section!!!
10.08.10 3:35- I am wheeled to the theatre. Philip is in scrubs. I notice that he looks hot in his scrubs even though I am rather scared and preoccupied.
10.08.10 3:43- Epidural topped up. (THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!!)
10.08.10 3:47- They do that one two three push me onto the other bed thing and then strap me into these ski boot stirrups. VERY uncomfortable. It is super bright and there are FIFTEEN people in there. I feel like a wounded animal at the mercy of all these people. Thank goodness that Philip could be at my side the whole time. Mum had to stay in the other room.
10.08.10 3:54-After 4 pushes with a lot of help from good old Keillands forceps Henry William Mason is welcomed into the world at 8 lbs 12 oz YAY. I feel loads of pain when they are pulling him out and am so relieved that he is crying and appears to be completely unaffected by the meconium. They put him down on my belly and I give him a kiss but I can’t really hold him due to the position I am in. He goes to be with Philip
10.08.10 3:59-4:45- I deliver the placenta and all that good stuff and am sewn up for the next 45 minutes........ FUN TIMES!!!! I can feel pretty much everything even though they keep shooting me with local anaesthetic. They keep telling me it will only be another 5 minutes but I know that they are lying. The nice anaesthetist holds my hand as Philip is holding Henry (and has gone next door to show a very anxious Grammie that all is well!)
10.08.10 4:45- I FINALLY get to hold my baby boy and have cuddles.
It's long..............
Henry’s birth story
08.08.10 12:30- Philip and I are at a bag pipe event two hours away from home because I figured the baby was never going to actually come out! I then go to the bathroom and realise that I have had a bloody show. I decide to wait for contractions before leaving the event.
08.08.10 23:30- I decide to go to bed as I only got four hours sleep the night before. Unfortunately I start having a bad stomach ache that feels like bad gas. They don’t seem to be coming in any pattern but they are definitely coming and going. I have a poorly stomach all night and the pains don’t go away.
09.08.10 morning- My midwife shows up during the few minutes of sleep that I manage to get that morning. She is supposed to give me a sweep but decides to do it later so I can hopefully get some sleep in case I am in labour. (Doesn’t happen...)
09.09.10 13:30- My midwife comes back to do a sweep. She examines me at the same time and we realise that I am 5 cm dilated!!! WOW. I really hadn’t had any strong contractions, just slight tightenings. She decides to go about her day which I am fine with and leave me alone (Philip is in London getting some work in case today isn’t the day).
09.08.10 16:35- My midwife rings me to see how I am doing. My contractions are about 3-4 minutes apart and lasting 40-50 seconds. I have called my lovely friend Harrie over to stay with me because Philip is stuck in traffic!!!!! Bless her, she just had a baby the week before and she was brilliant. She set me up with my tens machine and I bounced on the birth ball.
09.08.10 17:40- Philip is home!! YAY. I am still contracting every 3-4 minutes and lasting 40-50 seconds. We decide I can go into the birth pool as I am still coping well. Another vaginal exam shows that I am 7 cm dilated and fully effaced. I can get in the pool!! My friend Rachel comes over as well for support!
09.08.10 18:00- 20:00- I continue to contract well and they are getting stronger. I decide that now would be a good time for me to make use of all that gas and air they brought!! I also decide that it would be a good idea to video skype my Dad!
09.08.10 20:50- The second midwife shows up with more gas and air! I am starting to feel some pressure at the height of the contractions and things look like they are progressing really well.
09.08.10 22:45- The contractions are starting to make me want to push. I am still coping with gas and air and am breathing through them. My MW decides to do another vaginal exam to see what is going on. She finds a thick anterior lip of my cervix and decides to rupture my waters. When she breaks my waters she sees that there is meconium and I will now need to be transferred to hospital via ambulance .
09.08.10 23:11- The ambulance arrives. I put on a bathrobe and dry myself off. I am desperately clinging to the gas and air mask as I do not want to be transferred and would like to be as high as possible!!! The ride is pretty tough and my poor MW has to hold my bump the entire time. It takes about 30 minutes to get there but being strapped to a stretcher when you want to push and can’t makes it feel like a year!!
09.08.10 23:45- I arrive at the hospital after sucking down an entire canister of gas and air and am well out of it! The first thing I ask for at the hospital is an assisted delivery.
10.08.10 0:00- I consent to having a vaginal exam and they find that I am fully dilated but have a lot of meconium in my waters. I still feel the need to push and try to do so desperately. I can’t find a comfortable position to save my life and am in a lot of pain from the ambulance ride over. I try to lean on the sink and then try to crawl on the bed on all fours but nothing is working. My contractions are extremely painful and I am getting really tired.
10.08.10 00:35-They perform an ultrasound on me to see which way the baby is lying. It is discovered that baby is back to back with his face sunny side up. That is very discouraging to me and further spurs me on for my desire to have an epidural. I am pretty sure I start begging for one at this point because I am very disappointed that I am in hospital, on my back and having no luck with pushing. (OK so maybe I am begging for a c-section as I just want baby out and don’t really see how it is going to happen vaginally).
10.08.10 1:00- They FINALLY call the anaesthetist.
10.08.10 1:30- The anaesthetist FINALLY shows up. That is fun. I am having back to back pushing contractions and they want me to lie still on my side with my knees up to my chest. Thanks to Mum and Philip and the MW they get me into position!! Now all the monitors start and I am stuck with all sorts of tubes. I have a catheter, a BP monitor, a foetal monitor and an IV drip giving me sintocinon (2:00). (Not exactly the home birth I had imagined!!) The epidural is a super strong one but I still feel lots of pressure.
10.08.10 2:20- They decide to half the amount of sintocinon as it is too high. I am told not to actively push as they were hoping baby would turn on his own. (Again- fun times!)
10.08.10 2:35- I request a top up as the pressure is becoming very uncomfortable again!!! (15 minutes later I get my top up.... my patience is running thin!)
10.08.10 3:00- The doctor comes in. She does a vaginal exam and sees that baby is starting to come down a little bit. They also notice even more meconium in my waters (if they only knew that’s all Henry does is poo!!!)They then tell me that baby is going to be delivered in the operating theatre with either forceps or a caesarean section. This is scary as I need to be prepped for a c-section and sign a consent form. (A FAR cry from my nice home birth!)
I am at least told that I can push with my contractions and I do so to the best of my ability. I was hoping for some kind of miracle that the baby would just pop out on his own!! I also pray to my mother at this point for at least a forceps birth and not a c-section!!!
10.08.10 3:35- I am wheeled to the theatre. Philip is in scrubs. I notice that he looks hot in his scrubs even though I am rather scared and preoccupied.
10.08.10 3:43- Epidural topped up. (THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!!)
10.08.10 3:47- They do that one two three push me onto the other bed thing and then strap me into these ski boot stirrups. VERY uncomfortable. It is super bright and there are FIFTEEN people in there. I feel like a wounded animal at the mercy of all these people. Thank goodness that Philip could be at my side the whole time. Mum had to stay in the other room.
10.08.10 3:54-After 4 pushes with a lot of help from good old Keillands forceps Henry William Mason is welcomed into the world at 8 lbs 12 oz YAY. I feel loads of pain when they are pulling him out and am so relieved that he is crying and appears to be completely unaffected by the meconium. They put him down on my belly and I give him a kiss but I can’t really hold him due to the position I am in. He goes to be with Philip
10.08.10 3:59-4:45- I deliver the placenta and all that good stuff and am sewn up for the next 45 minutes........ FUN TIMES!!!! I can feel pretty much everything even though they keep shooting me with local anaesthetic. They keep telling me it will only be another 5 minutes but I know that they are lying. The nice anaesthetist holds my hand as Philip is holding Henry (and has gone next door to show a very anxious Grammie that all is well!)
10.08.10 4:45- I FINALLY get to hold my baby boy and have cuddles.
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