Birth story - Bryony and baby Christopher

I didn’t really get to write my previous birth story as it went so wrong and this isn’t the space for that story (although mums who don’t get a positive birth story I hope you find a space to share, because your story is important too). But it never occurred to me to share my latest birth until I was reading another lovely mum’s c-section story.

I’m sorry this account is so long, I thought it would be short and sweet until I started writing it!

So…

Due to complications in my last birth I knew I would have a C-section as I would not feel safe or relaxed birthing in any other way (my first two births where normal, non eventful vaginal births so I have done it , but couldn’t convince myself I could this time around).

My doctor was instantly on board and I attended her rainbow clinic to discuss my plan and to keep an eye on us both. I unfortunately ended up going to regular scans (sometimes twice weekly, sometimes weekly) because baby was measuring around the 3rd centile (about 50% tummy and head measurement but less than 3rd for legs). We spent the whole pregnancy worrying that he was going to be tiny, might need to be induced early, might have to stay on the nicu (hugely triggering for us as our daughter spent a lot of time there). One midwife carelessly said “we just need to see if you’re feeding your baby as well as he needs you to” rather than “let’s see how your placenta is doing;” This was obviously a ridiculous thing to say and it’s a good job I knew full well this was none of my doing and I wasn’t responsible for how our placenta performed. Our placenta function was checked each time and lucky for us it remained healthy and so no induction was needed.

We chose the 19th March for our baby’s birthday as it is his Nana’s birthday too and we hadn’t got her a present yet plus it was the first possible date and I’d had quite enough of being pregnant by this point! I had a scan on the Tuesday and baby was estimated to be around 6lbs.

We had to go to the hospital for 7am. It was the strangest thing going there knowing I was going to have a baby today, but no signs of labour! They got us on the ward and I had to gown up and put on the sexy socks! Me and my partner were chatting nervously and had a little cry to each other. We answered the millions of questions for the nurses. Then the doctor came in. Every one of the staff had read our notes and knew all about our previous birth, no one asked about it and I didn’t have to retell the story to anyone, I was so grateful, and felt so well cared for. We had been told we were second on the list that morning so there would be a couple hours wait, but our doctor said she didn’t want us sitting round worrying so ”let’s have a baby” and bumped us to first on the list. Again I was so grateful, this was so thoughtful.

I walked round to the theatre and my partner was shown to another room to get into scrubs (bright pink ones, he looked well hot ; my ER fantasies from teen-hood being lived out here!) I was clutching my open backed gown shut until someone spotted and gave me another to wear round the back! My partner hadn’t been able to locate my slippers in the suitcase so I was in my boots too

I was sat on the bed while everyone bustled around me, put the spinal In while I was hugging a cushion and then laid me down. I got a bit emotional at this point as I was so anxious about the baby’s health, and (weirdly) about what it would feel like (I think I was worried it would hurt despite the anaesthetic) as I’ve never had any surgery before. My partner was ace at calming me down, stroking my hand.

The surgery was the weirdest thing. I could feel them moving my legs and stuff but not exactly what they were doing. I felt like they were wiggling my tummy but this was them covering me in iodine I’m guessing. Then nothing until they were pressing on the top of my stomach and all of a sudden he was there; purple, startling like mad and totally perfect! And 7lb 4oz, so not so tiny at all (although the smallest I’ve had). I was so relieved and happy I was crying pretty hysterically, which is really hard to do when you don’t have control of your body from the armpits down! The anaesthetist was a bit concerned until my partner assured her I was just crying.

My partner was allowed to cut his cord, and baby did a little cry. He was put straight on my chest. He was rooting like anything already and kept working his was across so that he was rolling up onto my face though so my partner took him for a cuddle and I had a bit more of a cry. That was one happy daddy!

It took much longer to sew me up than it took to get him out which I didn’t expect but I didn’t notice much other than weird sensations of pressure on various parts of my lower body, but definitely no pain at all (still not sure why I was worried there would be?!). Daddy was sent off to get changed and baby popped in a cot next to me, rooting furiously on the towel he was in and starting to complain about being hungry. I was rolled off the theatre bed and onto the bed to be taken round to recovery ward which was quite unnerving, but everyone was clearly very practiced at it and I was very safe.

I got uncontrollable shaking that kept coming and going, which is apparently a side effect of the drugs they give you. Recovery ward was weird again (not in a bad way, just so unusual) as they kept checking every half hour or so to see where the feeling had returned to. I got quite excited when I could move one of my toes! I got unbearably itchy at one point and they gave me something (another expected side affect apparently) which calmed it down, and that disappeared completely once the feeling had returned everywhere. The sensation of feeling returning was quite strange. I could feel a line coming from top of my head and from my toes, and they eventually met in the middle.

Meanwhile baby popped on the boob and fed like a champ, and I was given some tea and toast! My partner was with me the whole time.

We were wheeled round to the post natal ward which was a bit of a comedy farce as they were having some maintenance done and there was noise and equipment everywhere, and I had to be wheeled into a neighbouring ward room to then be backed into my own. Covid rules stipulated that my partner only had 30mins visiting time left but a wonderful nurse came and closed our curtains and said “no one can see who’s visiting or not now” and gave us precious family time we nicknamed baby “Benjamin button” as he had such a little old man face

Baby was a nightmare that night feeding every half hour they checked and said no tongue tie but I’m still not convinced, but thankfully his feeding has substantially improved now. But a lovely nurse came and took baby for me in the early hours and I managed a few hours sleep. I went home the following afternoon, although if it hadn’t been for Covid rules stopping my other kids coming to visit I would have stayed another night. I’d lost quite a bit of blood and they said I was border line for a transfusion but I could go home if I felt ok. So I lied and said I felt fine and didn’t tell them when I nearly fainted in the shower which was a bit unwise really! I was just desperate to see my other kids. If you remember trying to hide that you were drunk from your parents as a teenager, that’s exactly how I felt trying to walk back to my room after my shower trying not to let on that I couldn’t actually see fully thanks to the black spots in front of me.

I was given 4 cocodamol tablets (I got more from gp) and 6 weeks worth of blood thinning injections to take home with me (I don’t think the injections are standard, but because of the blood loss) and iron tablets (I took two before remembering why I didn’t take them long with my last pregnancies- no one needs constipation with a C-section scar liquid supplements don’t have this affect ).

The recovery was much harder than I was expecting, but my wonderful little sister (who is handily a doctor) stayed the week with me and kept my pain meds flowing, took on care for my disabled daughter (her carer got Covid that week in a fit of bad timing), saw to my boys (even in the middle of the night when one got a stomach bug in more bad timing) and helped my partner get to grips with being daddy of four now! Baby’s feeding was still naff and I was in a lot of pain, I supplemented with formula on the second night, and then expressed milk on and off for a few more days as was bleeding but managed to feed him with not too much discomfort in rugby ball position (on advise from feeding midwife and a la lech league leader). I also found silver nipple shields and jelonet gauze great for recovering from nipple trauma. I tried nipple shields too which had helped my eldest feed, but he was too small to get his mouth round them it seemed.

I was sure I wouldn’t need the full 6 weeks to fully heal from the section, but made the mistake of picking up my 16 month daughter at around 3/4 weeks and caused a bit of a haematoma (which thankfully went away on its own) and was very sore and swollen for another week or so.

And now suddenly he’s 3 months old and a perfect little dream (although in my dream he sleeps a bit more!) Absolutely thriving and up from 9th centile birth weight to 25% and back to ebf his first 6-8weeks were so fussy and unsettled with reflux and colic (whatever that is) but he’s completely settled now and such a happy little contented little guy!

Again, sorry that was so long, but hopefully someone found it interesting, comforting, informative or maybe just relatable.