On the evening of the 5th of January 2012, Jürgen and I had a braai and enjoyed the warm summer weather. As we sat on the patio overlooking the river in our backyard 'forest' I thought how blessed we were. In the past year our prayers for a new car, a new house and a baby had all been answered. Soon we would be meeting this little blessing that had been growing inside me for 40 weeks. It had been an easy, enjoyable pregnancy and apparently baby was loving the womb too - she showed no signs of coming out.
At the last gynae checkup, it was decided that if nothing had happened by the 6th of January, I would need to be induced. The placenta was getting calcified and baby was getting big so I agreed. I was set to go in the following evening at 6pm for the induction. I was happy that the end was near, and a kind of anxious excitement filled the atmosphere as we ate dinner.
What I hadn't told my husband though, was that I had been feeling pains in my lower abdomen for the last hour. They were irregular but certainly noticeable. I brushed it off though. We played a computer game, something we'd been doing to pass the time for the past few weeks. It was a strategy game, Age of Empires, and I lost. Yes, I always lose but this time I had an excuse - my mind was on these rather uncomfortable contractions.
What if you are in labour and having strong contractions and we have to go the petrol station? What will the petrol attendant think of you screaming?
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| Our Pregnancy Photo Shoot |
So we went to bed, not thinking too much of it. At 11pm, Jürgen woke me as I was drifting off and said he didn't have much petrol in his car. "What if I have to take you to hospital?" he asked nervously. "I'm sure you have enough petrol to get there," I reassured him. "I don't want to get stuck. What if you are in labour and having strong contractions and we have to go the petrol station? What will the petrol attendant think of you screaming?" He wouldn't sleep soundly until he knew he had petrol. So off he went in his pajamas to fill up. Apparently, his sixth sense was right on and 6 hours later, I would be glad he did have petrol in his car.
3:00am
"The pains are sore," I said to Jürgen, who sensed my discomfort next to him. The contractions had woken me up. He said we should go immediately but I really wanted to labour at home for as long as possible so I went for a hot bath. I took my cellphone into the bathroom and timed the contractions. I think they were about 30 seconds long and 5 minutes apart. I can't remember so well; I had forgotten what the books said about the timing of them. At this point I knew I was in labour. These contractions took my breath away and were so different to Braxton-Hicks which I only experienced as tightening. Jürgen was ready to take me and I felt ready to go.4:30am
Labour was progressing. I was calm. Jürgen packed the bags into the car; I bounced on my gym ball while leaning on the bed, making a mental note to remember this position for later as it helped a lot. We made it to the hospital in 7 minutes. "I think I'm in labour," I announced as I walked in. THE JOURNEY BEGINS...5:00am
You are definitely in labour...
I'm strapped to monitors and hear my baby's heartbeat and watch my contractions coming on strong and regular. "You are definitely in labour," a kind nurse said. "Your wife is very brave," she said to Jürgen. I was 3cm dilated. My mucous plug came out and the bleeding began. A really weird movie was playing on M-net. It had aliens, robots, cowboys and other poorly designed CGI characters.
5:30am
Now, Fringe is hard to understand on a good day, but in the middle of labour I just couldn't make out what was going on...I'm not feeling so brave. I anticipate every contraction but I don't have the monitors on so I can bounce on my ball and walk around. Jürgen brought his laptop and said we can watch an episode of Fringe. Now, Fringe is hard to understand on a good day, but in the middle of labour I just couldn't make out what was going on (I need to rewatch that episode). I grab Jürgen's hand with every contraction and cannot talk through them.
A lady brings me rooibos tea and when I try to squeeze the bag with the little plastic spoon, it snaps and tea spills all over me. All over my chest in fact, which would be the source of confusion for the rest of my labour as every nurse and the gynae would ask "Has your milk come in?". "No," I'd sheepishly say, "I spilled my tea." We laughed though; at that stage I still had a sense of humour.
5:00am
I think I was 4cm. I ask for the epidural which I had planned for. I'm again lying on the bed, strapped to monitors which is the worst way to labour. The stupid movie had finished. I am wheeled to the delivery room and hooked to a drip.7:00am
Somewhere around 7:00am (I try not to clock watch). Baby's heart rate is not as active as they'd like. I cannot get the epidural if it does not improve. I have to lie on my left side and breathe oxygen to see if it improves. I am in intense pain. Jürgen can see the monitors and offers me his hand as soon as the contractions start building. I count to 40 every time and breathe through them.Around 9ish. After lots of prayer and pleading with God, I am told that her heart rate has improved. I am so relieved. When the anaesthetist walks in I want to hug him. Getting the epidural was easy. I didn't feel a thing. 10 minutes later my legs are numb and the pains are gone. Jürgen and I can finally relax a bit. I was 6cm. At some stage the Gynae comes in to check and breaks my waters. She says she will see me later. Jürgen goes to get some food and he brings me an energade and jelly babies.
10:00am
I feel weird. I throw up the jelly babies. I feel better. I get an injection to help dilation from a nurse who looks at my tea stain curiously. I don't think anything of the injection...10:00am
What the heck was that injection? I start feeling very sleepy and groggy...Sometime later - I'm too sleepy to look at the clock. I fall asleep between every midwife visit - I progress about a cm every hour. I smile and listen to her talking and then I fall asleep again. Jürgen watches more episodes of Fringe and reads a gardening magazine while telling me about growing herbs. I can't focus on what he is saying and drift off again.
2:30ish
Ow. I'm awake. The pain is returning and I cannot get a top up from the epidural because I'm 8-9cm. I have to lie to my left again because baby's heart rate is slow again. My one leg is numb still but the other is getting feeling and it feels crampy and I'm so uncomfortable on my back. I ask to lie more upright so the bed is adjusted.About 3:00pm
"I need to push!" I scream as this intense pressure fills my lower body. I'm still only 9cm and the midwife says I can't push yet. "I will call the gynae now," she tells me. "ONLY CALL HER NOW!!??" I think and panic a little. Fortunately she lives 2 minutes from the hospital. It's so difficult not to push. I squeezed Jürgen's hand and panted through them. I was in tears. Then she walked through the door. I wanted to hug her even more than the anaesthetist. |
| Sarah Grace just born. |
They got the vacuum to try suctioning her to a better position.The room was so hot and I felt the sweat dripping. They got the vacuum to try suctioning her to a better position. Another contraction. Jürgen and the nurse are behind me pushing my back; I put a foot on the gynae's hip. I push. I struggle. "Don't panic!" they tell me. I hear the suction. "PUSH Linda!" they yell. "This is hard!" I cry. "There's a reason it's called labour," the gynae says.
They keep telling me not to breathe out on a push but I'm exhausted and can't focus. I still feel high from the injection they gave me so it was like an out of body experience. I hear myself screaming. I fall back after every push and almost pass out.
I panic but pray from deep within...
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| Linda and Sarah Grace |
"She needs to come out on the next push, Linda." A sudden strength comes over me and I give it my all. I feel her head coming. She is out. I hear her little cry and all the happy hormones quickly flood my system. Sarah Grace has made her way into the world. Born at 15:16pm weighing in at 3.24kg and 50cm long. I see her and fall in love.
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| Newly born... |
I lie there, overwhelmed, exhausted and euphoric. It takes long to stitch me up. The gynae told me it was an Atarax injection I'd been given and that had made me sleepy. I fall asleep again even though I want to wake up so badly. I'm covered up and left in the delivery room to sleep for the next two hours.
I wish I had been more awake post birth. I could not take in what had happened and wasn't really 'in the moment.' When I awoke I wanted to hold my baby. They brought her to me and I breastfed her. She latched immediately. I kept her with me for the whole night and I was just so happy to have this gorgeous, healthy baby girl, my daughter, in my life!
Coming soon... the birth story of Sarah Grace's sister Rachel Ruth!
Find more birth stories here.
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