Carlie F

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My Birth Story…. by Carlie Felts

I was due to be induced at 39 weeks exactly, we had moved house at 38 weeks exactly and had a mad rush trying to get everything sorted out. I’d had a fairly straightforward pregnancy luckily but was stressed out completely with the house move, panicking how I would cope with twins as well as three other children, had suffered really bad ear infections and jaw pain and was so hot I thought I would explode!!
(Being 8 months pregnant with twins in 40-degree weather is not fun).

Anyway, there I was on the day frantically trying to pack my bag, we finally reached the hospital at 11am. Jamie parked outside the maternity reception so I could go and sit in the cool waiting room while he parked the car. 45 minutes later he returned (there were major parking problems due to building work!) and I’m sure the receptionists thought I had been abandoned!

We went up to the delivery suite and I was put on the monitor and all the usual checks done on my blood pressure etc etc then they gave me the first prostin pessary thing, monitor again, then off for a trudge round the hospital. This pattern of monitor and trudge was only broken when they decided now was the time to put the cannula in (I had been dreading this bit since I found I was having twins!). Luckily I had asked for anaesthetic cream to be put on my hand, it takes an hour to work but it was really good and having the cannula in wasn’t as bad as I had expected. By 7pm nothing was happening so I had the second dose of prostin and a new midwife, she was so convinced these babies would be here in the next hour or so she wrote out all the little ankle and wrist bracelets ready! Off we went for a trudge and back for the monitor again (which was a pain as the babies were still fidgeting and we kept losing the trace!).

At 9pm on one of my trudges my waters started to leak slightly which was exciting! However by 10pm nothing was happening so they admitted me to the ward to stay overnight, with plans to start the drip after breakfast. As soon as I got to the ward I started having little pains, but I thought they were just false ones so didn’t say anything. Jamie went home and as soon as he left they really cranked up in intensity, by 11pm I was having to stand up and breathe through each one and was wondering around the dark corridor back and forth. By 11.30 they were quite strong so I thought I ought to tell a midwife, but she shooed me off to bed saying she would bring back the monitor with a cup of tea. I had just got to my bed when she overtook me and said she was taking no chances and we were off to the delivery suite!

I was met by a fantastic midwife who was the only person NOT to try and convince me to have an epidural and who popped me on the monitor (again!!!) and despite me saying to not ring him yet, she rang Jamie. Luckily she did as he was just about to get into bed and he sleeps like a log! He had to wait for my mum to get home then return to our house so he got to the hospital at about 12.30. I was 3 cm dilated at that point and still chatting away between contractions, by about 12.50 I had started the gas and air and at 1.02 William was born head first! My contractions continued of their own accord and I was told to wait while they checked which way twin two was laying, to shouts of “cephalic, cephalic” from the midwife (who sounded just as happy as I felt!). Maddie was born at 1.05am and Jamie nearly keeled over! We had somehow convinced ourselves that we were having two of the same! They weighed 6lb 6 and 6lb 4 respectively and we didn’t need the paediatrician (who actually got chucked out between the births!) or the registrar who wandered in saying he was going to top up the epidural or something, to be told she hasn’t got one!

He then came over to me with big smile, patted my shoulder and “well done, next time I’ll make sure you get a triple strength one!” it was all very surreal but had gone so smoothly. Jamie was shaking his head saying “you’re made for this really aren’t you?” after all the horror story births we had read about we had just the midwife and her assistant there (aside from the wandering sleep deprived bit players who kept getting chucked out!) it was great!

Sorry! What a ramble xxxxxxxxxxxx

Carlie, mum to Grace 8, Hope 4, Andrew 2, William and Maddie – (6/9/03)

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