Birth story - Amy and baby boy

*Trigger Warning* - use of contractions, newborn surgery, NICU, episiotomy.

Thursday afternoon when I was 35+6 we had a 36 week growth scan which didn’t go to plan. Babies growth was still slowing but the consultant saw what they believed to be dilated bowels indicating a blockage and surgery at birth was suggested. The hospital we were with didn’t have a surgical unit so wanted to transfer our care to another hospital in the area and we were told to wait for an appointment there.

I went to work with the intention of tidying up my work and finishing for maternity leave early the following day. That afternoon we got a call for an appointment the next day at the new hospital.

Fast forward to 9pm, I was led in bed finally starting to relax after crying most of the day after the scan and I felt a pop and my pyjama bottoms were wet. I headed to the toilet, I expected it to just be my mucus plug but it wasn’t and my waters started gushing! I called my wife in and she took a look and the waters then turned brown/green so contained meconium. We called the new hospital and they did not have my notes so advised us to call the original hospital. We called them and they said they didn’t want me to birth there but as there was meconium I would need to give birth immediately so to start driving to them.

We turned up at about 10pm and I was put on the monitor. I was having very minor toughenings but they weren’t consistent and did not feel any more than braxton hicks and I was examined but was only 1cm dilated. The two hospitals spent the next couple hours arguing over where I would give birth. The decision was made to stay at my old hospital. The consultant offered me two options due to the meconium - induction or c-section. I chose induction.

We were taken to the delivery suite at about 2am - the room was lovely despite not being on the MLU we initially wanted. There was already dimmed lighting and electric candles. I took this time to drift in and out of sleep.

The hormone drip was started at 4am and contractions came quite quickly but were still manageable and 5am they upped the dose and the contractions got a lot more intense and I started on gas and air. I spent some time on the birthing ball but the monitors kept coming off so I did end up on the bed. At about 7:00 they examined me and said I was 8cm dilated. At this point I started to feel the need to push. 7:20am I began pushing and next thing I knew I looked up and the room was full of people and the consultant was telling me babies heart rate was dropping and if he wasn’t here in the next few minutes they would be using surgical techniques. Two pushes and an episiotomy later baby was here and on my chest. Born at 36 weeks exactly weighing 5lb 3oz and completely gorgeous.

Baby was whisked to NICU with my wife whilst I was left to recover for a couple hours before I could go visit but when I did it was incredible.

Fast forward 3 weeks, 2 hospitals and 1 surgery later our baby boy was allowed home!