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What does it feel like to give birth?

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    #212
    Whispered
    Registered Users Posts: 14,772 ✭✭✭✭Whispered


    Diamond Doll wrote: »
    Yeah I guess I was a bit of a weakling, to even need anything. :o

    I dunno I just freaked out feeling the scalpel. Most mums wouldn't have cared!

    Omg no. Please don't think this of yourself. I would care! I was so scared when I was told I had to have a section. I sobbed. You're not a weakling and the vast majority of people would have a problem with being cut without pain relief.

    If you had been told "sorry but it has to happen or your baby is in trouble" I'm sure you'd have dealt with it admirably. :)


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    #213
    IvyTheTerrible
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,949 ✭✭✭✭IvyTheTerrible


    Diamond Doll wrote: »
    Well I only had the epidural at 10cm. And the actual birth only lasted around ten minutes. So what happened was she showed me the scalpel, then held it down there, then said, "You can't feel that can you? Can I go ahead and cut?"

    The epidural hadn't yet kicked in, and the head was half-way down, so I was like, "YES I can feel it, it's really cold, please don't cut me down there with that!" She was all shocked and injected me down there with a local anaesthetic immediately. And all was grand. Got stitched up, dunno how many stitches. But all healed physically very well!

    You were able to get an epidural at 10 cm? Over here, they won't give one til you are 3cm dilated and not after 7cm.


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    #214
    mirrorwall14
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,751 ✭✭✭mirrorwall14


    IvyTheTerrible wrote: »
    You were able to get an epidural at 10 cm? Over here, they won't give one til you are 3cm dilated and not after 7cm.

    Possibly prepping for an emergency section? I was about to be given it (at 4cm) but doc wanted to do one last check before they did it. Turned out I was fully dilated and baby was coming faaaast... I may be a first time mom but I told you I needed to push :)


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    #215
    Xdancer
    Registered Users Posts: 752 ✭✭✭Xdancer


    IvyTheTerrible wrote: »
    You were able to get an epidural at 10 cm? Over here, they won't give one til you are 3cm dilated and not after 7cm.

    Same here. My labour progressed so fast, they just about caught it at 7cm.....thankfully. It wasn't very strong though, I could still feel a lot but it took the edge off. I could still feel when I needed to push so no need for coached pushing (how can they know when YOU need to push????) and I was up and walking around 2 hours later.
    Still had a 2nd degree tear though. The stitching seemed to take a lot longer than the pushing.


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    #216
    Diamond Doll
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,344 ✭✭✭Diamond Doll


    IvyTheTerrible wrote: »
    You were able to get an epidural at 10 cm? Over here, they won't give one til you are 3cm dilated and not after 7cm.

    The anaesthesist was too busy arguing with the midwives about other patients to give me one sooner. In fairness I was probably not quite 10cm when he started, but it took about 15 minutes (I think) with the needle in my back, and I was pushing by the time it was out.


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    #217
    Neyite
    Administrators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,947 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Neyite


    IvyTheTerrible wrote: »
    You were able to get an epidural at 10 cm? Over here, they won't give one til you are 3cm dilated and not after 7cm.

    I've a funny feeling that it's similar in the hospital I laboured in. While I don't remember the specifics, I do remember the midwife stressing to me that I had up until a certain point to opt for the epidural and after that, the offer was off the table.

    In my case I knew early on a section was a distinct possibility so it was more discussing when, not if, I'd likely need to get it, and that it would be topped up in the event of a section.


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    #218
    January
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23,862 ✭✭✭✭January


    Neyite wrote: »
    I've a funny feeling that it's similar in the hospital I laboured in. While I don't remember the specifics, I do remember the midwife stressing to me that I had up until a certain point to opt for the epidural and after that, the offer was off the table.

    In my case I knew early on a section was a distinct possibility so it was more discussing when, not if, I'd likely need to get it, and that it would be topped up in the event of a section.

    This is what happened on my last birth too, midwife asked me about epidural and I said no and she indicated to me that I would more than likely be needing a c section so I should consider it if I didn't want a general anesthetic again.


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    #219
    Lucuma
    Registered Users Posts: 1,356 ✭✭✭Lucuma


    Ms2011 wrote: »
    Had my episiotomy with absolutely no drugs & didn't feel a thing, can only presume adrenaline had kicked in & masked any pain.

    Are you sure they didn't give you a local anaesthetic?
    I find it hard to believe they would cut anyone without giving them a local anaesthetic


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    #220
    IvyTheTerrible
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,949 ✭✭✭✭IvyTheTerrible


    Diamond Doll wrote: »
    The anaesthesist was too busy arguing with the midwives about other patients to give me one sooner. In fairness I was probably not quite 10cm when he started, but it took about 15 minutes (I think) with the needle in my back, and I was pushing by the time it was out.
    Ah fair enough! I was between 2 and 3cm when the contractions really started with a vengeance (baby back to back, so basically felt like one never ending contraction). My husband had to convince me I'd be able to walk back to the birthing room or whatever it's called to get the epidural, got there and by the time they did the epidural, I was 7 cm dilated (in the space of about 25 mins) so they told me I was lucky I was able to get one! :)


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    #221
    Ms2011
    Registered Users Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Ms2011


    Lucuma wrote: »
    Are you sure they didn't give you a local anaesthetic?
    I find it hard to believe they would cut anyone without giving them a local anaesthetic

    No I had nothing, I felt that lovely (:p) burning sensation of the head coming out but not the 2 cuts I got.
    The surgeon came in then to examine the damage & I could feel him having a prod around :o


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    #222
    Lucuma
    Registered Users Posts: 1,356 ✭✭✭Lucuma


    Ms2011 wrote: »
    No I had nothing, I felt that lovely (:p) burning sensation of the head coming out but not the 2 cuts I got.
    The surgeon came in then to examine the damage & I could feel him having a prod around :o

    But they numbed the area before stitches right?


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    #223
    irishgirl19
    Registered Users Posts: 1,609 ✭✭✭irishgirl19


    Ivy my baby was back to back too! Felt like no break between the contractions!
    I was 1cm when I got my epidural because I was on the syntocin drip for 3 hours with no change and was in bits


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    #224
    IvyTheTerrible
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,949 ✭✭✭✭IvyTheTerrible


    irishgirl19 wrote: »
    Ivy my baby was back to back too! Felt like no break between the contractions!
    I was 1cm when I got my epidural because I was on the syntocin drip for 3 hours with no change and was in bits
    Yeah it was intense indeed! :) No pain in the stomach area at all.
    I'm 7 months pregnant now, and the baby is back to back again, hopefully she'll move!


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    #225
    Ms2011
    Registered Users Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Ms2011


    Lucuma wrote: »
    But they numbed the area before stitches right?

    Oh yeah, I'd an epidural for that cos it was repaired in theatre by a surgeon :)


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    #226
    irishgirl19
    Registered Users Posts: 1,609 ✭✭✭irishgirl19


    IvyTheTerrible wrote:
    Yeah it was intense indeed! No pain in the stomach area at all. I'm 7 months pregnant now, and the baby is back to back again, hopefully she'll move!


    Congratulations! Hopefully he or she will move. They didn't know my baby was back to back until she was being born. Next time I'll spend more time on the ball lol


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    #227
    Diamond Doll
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,344 ✭✭✭Diamond Doll


    IvyTheTerrible wrote: »
    Yeah it was intense indeed! :) No pain in the stomach area at all.
    I'm 7 months pregnant now, and the baby is back to back again, hopefully she'll move!

    Wow I can't believe you're that far on already! Exciting times! :D

    Would you say you're more or less apprehensive second time around?


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    #228
    IvyTheTerrible
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,949 ✭✭✭✭IvyTheTerrible


    Diamond Doll wrote: »
    Wow I can't believe you're that far on already! Exciting times! :D

    Would you say you're more or less apprehensive second time around?
    It's a different type of apprehension, I would say. Last time, I was afraid of the unknown, now I'm afraid of the things I know will happen! :)
    It's grand though. I love being pregnant.


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    #229
    Lucuma
    Registered Users Posts: 1,356 ✭✭✭Lucuma


    IvyTheTerrible wrote: »
    It's a different type of apprehension, I would say. Last time, I was afraid of the unknown, now I'm afraid of the things I know will happen! :)
    .

    Ha ha ha....I'm exactly the same! Naive excitement got me through the last pregnancy. This time around I know exactly how tough the newborn phase is so nothing to look forward to or be excited about there (((shudder))). I also now know though that the really tough part of it doesn't last that long, or at least didn't last that long on no.1 (no colic or anything though...god knows how the next one will be)

    I'm excited about labour and being in the hospital coz I really enjoyed that last time! Weirdo I know!


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    #230
    Digs
    Registered Users Posts: 2,102 ✭✭✭Digs


    Lucuma wrote: »
    Ha ha ha....I'm exactly the same! Naive excitement got me through the last pregnancy. This time around I know exactly how tough the newborn phase is so nothing to look forward to or be excited about there (((shudder))). I also now know though that the really tough part of it doesn't last that long, or at least didn't last that long on no.1 (no colic or anything though...god knows how the next one will be)

    I'm excited about labour and being in the hospital coz I really enjoyed that last time! Weirdo I know!

    It's gas how everyone's experience is different, my newborn stage was an absolute dream! Am looking forward to that bit. My daughter found her voice around 3 months, 3-6 months was the "toughest" for us!


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    #231
    Lucuma
    Registered Users Posts: 1,356 ✭✭✭Lucuma


    Digs wrote: »
    It's gas how everyone's experience is different, my newborn stage was an absolute dream! Am looking forward to that bit. My daughter found her voice around 3 months, 3-6 months was the "toughest" for us!

    I just can't handle night feeds. I suffer from insomnia and can only sleep when everything is perfect - total darkness, total silence, 2 pillows of the correct firmness, room neither too hot not too cold, have to have my own separate duvet, no illness or stressful situation keeping me awake. If everything is perfect I can sleep. If there's any glitch in the matrix, I can't.

    A newborn who could wake at any moment and needed to be fed through the night was a serious glitch in the matrix!! My mind couldn't relax enough to fall asleep inbetween the feeds. I couldn't handle the fact that I could have to wake up again at an unknown interval, so my mind responded by not being able to close down at all! I felt like I was ''on duty'' at night and therefore had to stay awake. No sleep. Nightmare. As long as night feeds last I'll have this problem. Dreading it tbh.


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    #232
    Ms2011
    Registered Users Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Ms2011


    I found having a newborn second time round so much easier than first.
    There's not that shock to the system like there was with the first because I was already used to putting someone else first.
    I didn't feels as exhausted as I did first time round either, though it helped that this baby slept like a trooper at night from day one.
    All in all the things I was dreading about having a second child when I was pregnant never really happened, she just slotted right in as though she had always been there :)


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    #233
    Digs
    Registered Users Posts: 2,102 ✭✭✭Digs


    Lucuma wrote: »
    I just can't handle night feeds. I suffer from insomnia and can only sleep when everything is perfect - total darkness, total silence, 2 pillows of the correct firmness, room neither too hot not too cold, have to have my own separate duvet, no illness or stressful situation keeping me awake. If everything is perfect I can sleep. If there's any glitch in the matrix, I can't.

    A newborn who could wake at any moment and needed to be fed through the night was a serious glitch in the matrix!! My mind couldn't relax enough to fall asleep inbetween the feeds. I couldn't handle the fact that I could have to wake up again at an unknown interval, so my mind responded by not being able to close down at all! I felt like I was ''on duty'' at night and therefore had to stay awake. No sleep. Nightmare. As long as night feeds last I'll have this problem. Dreading it tbh.

    Ah gad can see where you're coming from there, insomnia and newborns wouldn't mix at all!

    I mooched from one snooze to the next, although I think it's true what they say you never sleep the same again after having kids, always on alert!

    Ms2011 glad to hear you say that, #2 is due in June and I'm really looking forward to it, hoping this baby just slots in also. If my daughter taught us anything every phase passes, nothing lasts forever, I reminded myself of that when she toddled in at 1.30am this morning and plonked her bum in my face for the remainder of the night :)


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