Our girl is home...

Hello everyone,

It does feel good to be a mother again Our second child, a little girl this time, arrived on Thursday, 12th June, at 5.33am via normal delivery. We have named her Ananya.

The baby was due on 8th June. About 1 1/2 months ago there was a little scare that she might arrive early and we had a bit of stressful time. But we are so glad that I could complete full term pregnancy and all went well. So here goes the diary from the labor room....

On monday and tuesday I had to go for check-ups since baby was over-due. Both days the amniotic fluid was getting lesser so they decided to induce me on Wednesday. 7.30 am we arrive at the hospital with bag, a bit of anxiety on my side.
8-9 am CTG is done... baby is keeping fine. shortly after the doctor gives a gel to induce pains. I am asked to report after 2 hrs for another round of CTG.
11.30 CTG for 1/2 hr and then doctor checks to see if cervix is dilated. negative. Again I'm asked to report in 2 hrs for CTG.
I go to meet the nurse in the meanwhile to see if my room is arranged. I am given lunch.
3 pm again another check-up. Husband drops by to see if the baby is there or not He leaves in 1/2 hr. Soon after doc gives me another shot to induce pains. I get off the bed to visit the loo and a sudden pang of pain shoots up. It rendered me absolutely immobile.
Midwife asks me if it was contractions or pushing kind of pain. It was the latter. So she checks if I'm dilating. nope. But I'm crying out of pain so they move me into the bed near the labor room. My kind mid-wife is massaging me with a warm bag to soothe my backache and all the while holding my hands. Doctor comes in 10 minutes and finds i have dilated 2 cms. I am begging her to go ahead with a c-section (my first one was a c-section and this time I chose to deliver normally, when possible). But the doctor is so patient and gives me a pethadin shot. It just doesn't work.
Then I am moved into the 'action' room and after horrific 10 minutes the anaesthesian arrives to give me epidural. Thank God... i can still feel the contractions but it is bearable and it gave me ample energy for the rest of the journey.
I was dilating soooo fast that they had to give me something to calm down. All this making me drugged and drowsy (but I was still conversing in German... bravo... hee hee).
So well this is going on.. I already had said bye to the first 2 shift midwives and doctors. The third set arrive. They are giving me water, something to nibble all the while and taking care to draw out my urine.
By 12 (midnight) I dilated completely but the water bag is not yet broken. So by 1.30 the doctor comes in and breaks it. I don't feel a bit of pain or discomfort when they do internals, thanks to my epidural.
So again we wait and wait but it's just not happening. The midwife could see the head progressing down but very slowly. They had to again adjust my contractions as the baby was doing all the pushing and i was happily dozing off
By 4 am (thursday)they decide to take me off the epidural so i could push as well. Then the contractions strike me with full force in 1/2 hr. But with good breathing tips I was doing good (and screaming good as well).
10 minutes to 5 i request for a break and i'm given a mild dose of epidural. But since the baby has been in for a long time after the water bag break the doctor is called to see if the baby needs a vaccum suction. I'm taken off epidural again for the final part. Bet you, it gives tremendous energy after a nap even if it's just for 5 minutes.
Doctor, her senior (strong guy), 2 midwives... we are all ready. I push with good breathing as instructed. It was 3 pushes every contraction for 4 contractions. We decide to try once more before going ahead with vaccum.
And so there went the final try... the doctor climbed on next to me on the bed and pressed my tummy while i pushed with all might... i sort of got desperate to end this whole thing. And one shot the most beautiful thing i have ever experienced. The baby landed before me with a good cry.
She was covered in slime and blood but yet was beautiful in my eyes. They gave her to me after cutting the cord and I was just crying forgetting all the pain I had undergone just few minutes back.
We came home on Sunday and now despite all the feeding schedules, taking care of the older one etc., it feels very good to have a baby again in the family. Well ofcourse we have decided there will be no more additions to the family but at this point I think I wouldn't mind
I should also mention that 4 nights in hospital away from my boy... seems like suddenly he has grown up so much. That kind of depresses me. He is only 3 and was the baby of the home just until a week ago and now... well.. we all must grow up!
This has been a very good hospital experience for me. Wonderful people at the hospital, in the labor room, the sisters, the nurses in the baby nursery... ever willing to help and answer all silly questions. I wasn't so relaxed when my boy was born... but may be this time I also know what to expect.
Now a midwife visits me home for after-care. She had also visited me before delivery and is an angel.

There goes my loooooong birth story. I hope to upload a picture in the other thread soon

Mothers-to-be reading this... do not get scared reading all the 'pain, screaming' part. It is worth it all.

Latha