My Labor and Delivery Story

How I became Maci's Mummy -

On Monday 11th the pains started, I wasn't sure if this was the real thing but all I knew was that it was a pain that I have never felt before... I rang the midwife labour line and spoke to a lovely lady who told me that she thought that this was it, this was the start of the most excruciating and astonishing experience that I would ever have. We made our way to the Hospital (this was at about 11:30 pm) thinking that this definitely was a false alarm, oh how we were wrong! Little did I know that I wouldn't be leaving the Hospital without my baby in my arms.

When we made it to the hospital my contractions had become a lot more frequent and painful I was beginning to believe that I may actually be in labour. Calum dropped me at the main door so that I didn't have to walk up the horrendous stairs from the carpark to the lifts in the hospital, all I can remember was getting this overwhelming pain take over my body and grabbing onto the nearest thing to me which happened to be a wheelchair that was parked in the opening of the big doors.

We finally made our way up to the labour ward and we were shown to a little room and this is when it all became slightly blurry from this point on... as significant things were happening I recorded the time on my phone so that it would help me when I came to writing this post.

At 1am (after arriving at the hospital at 12:30ish) I had my first examination which showed that I was already 3cm dilated. So at this point I was given the choice to either go home or stay at the hospital because my contraction at this point were regular and progressing well, I decided to stay at the hospital because of how quick everything seemed to be happening.

At 12pm (Lunch time) I had another examination which showed I had only progressed to 4cm dilated and at this point my contractions had slowed down and almost stopped.
I was then given the choice if I wanted the midwife to break my waters because they believed that if they did this it would bring on my contractions again naturally, so once again I agreed and they went ahead and broke my waters (which literally feels like you wet yourself!)

After breaking my waters we were told to go for a walk around the hospital to try and bring on the contractions again, when we returned back to our room I was given another examination (a few hours later) and I still hadn't progressed anymore, at this point the doctors and midwives started worrying.

I was then told that because my body wasn't contracting naturally that I would have to be put onto a hormone drip to effectively induce labour - the reason why I couldn't go home or leave at this point was because they had broken my waters and if left for longer than 24 hours it can be extremely dangerous for mum and baby as you are both prone to infection at that point. So I was taken down to another room to be induced and once this happened the contractions started coming on extremely strong and before I knew it I was being told I was ready to push if I needed to.

After pushing for what seemed a lifetime nothing seemed to be happening, I was surrounded by medical professionals and it all started getting quite scary. At this point I had been in labour for over 48 hours and I was exhausted and delirious (hence needing notes from my phone) I then started getting the huge urge to push and before I knew it I was demanding an epidural. A Doctor then came into the room and told me that my baby was 'back to back' which was why I was in so much pain and why she wasn't coming out naturally. All I can remember are the words 'Theatre, forceps and episiotomy' coming out of her mouth and simply panicking.

Before I knew it I was getting wheeled down a long corridor staring at the ceiling wondering what was happening, I was then pushed through these huge double doors and faced with an operating theatre which I have only ever seen in movies. I knew the Doctors knew what they were doing and that this is what it needed to get my baby out safely.

The whole thing was terrifying until I saw a familiar face walk into the room wearing scrubs, Calum sat down next to me and I remember asking the anesthetists if I could hold his hand to which he replied 'yes'.

Before I knew it our little girl was born, Maci Rose Thorne was born at 8:05 am on Wednesday 13th June 2018 and from that point on our lives changed forever.

Little did I know, this wasn't the end of the Labour and Delivery story... after Maci was born I was informed that during the Episiotomy I bled out and lost approximately 1.5 litres of blood meaning I then needed a transfusion, also due to the epidural I couldn't really hold Maci for the first 24 hours due to being numb from the chest down meaning Calum gave her her first bottle, changed her for the first time and it was so beautiful to watch.

Its safe to say the Labour and Delivery was immensely scary and traumatising although from the awful experience we got the best gift ever, our little girl.

On Friday 15th June 2018 we left the hospital both doing well and that's the start of our new story...


Until next time,
Stormydoos 



What's In My Hospital Bags? (First Time Mum)

Hey,

For those of you who are new here,  Hello and welcome to my blog. I thought as this post may seem a little 'random' that I would reintroduce myself to those of you who are reading my blog for the first ever time. 

I am Storm, I am 19 years old from the UK and I am a trained Beauty Therapist. I have been blogging for as long as I can remember and it is definitely my guilty pleasure. Now you're probably wondering why I'm writing a post about Hospital Bags, well... I am expecting my first baby any day now and I couldn't be more excited (and scared!) Obviously a huge part of having a baby is the preparation you need to make including packing those all important hospital bag/s and when searching through the internet for ideas I realised that there isn't enough posts helping ladies so I figured I would add my piece. 

Obviously everyone's birth's and labours are different so what one women may need another may not so this is just a rough guide of what you may want to pack in your hospital bags (one bag for baby and one for you!)

What's In The Baby's Bag 



Pre made bottles of formula (I am not breastfeeding and I have chosen to use 'Cow & Gate' formula)
Blanket of some kind 
1x Pack of Pampers Newborn Nappies
Baby wipes (I am using 'Waterwipes')
1 tube of Bepanthen cream
4 Large muslin squares
1 'fleecy' baby grow
6 vests
6 baby grows
3 cotton hats
1 pack of 'Dummies'
Also make sure you have the carseat with you as the hospital will not let you leave without it!




As I mentioned above this list will vary depending on what labour and delivery you have, I am expecting a 'low risk' labour and delivery and should hopefully be out of hospital within a couple of days. Also if you are Breastfeeding you will need different items too.

What's In My Hospital Bag.


Thin Dressing Gown
Underwear (You may want to purchase 'disposable underwear)
'Nighty'
New Set Of Pajamas
Vest top/Bikini top (If you're wanting a waterbirth, make sure its one you don't want to keep!)
Deodorant
Toothbrush/es (One for you and your birthing partner)
Toothpaste
Phone Charger
Face wipes
Hairbrush
Breast Pads
Maternity Pads (Oh the glamour!)
Slippers
Spray Bottle For Water
Hairties
Lip Balm
Moisturiser 
Change for the Carpark
Snacks (easy to eat, such as; crisps, granola bars etc)
Change of Clothes To Come Home






If there is anything that I have missed off this list please leave it below in the comments!

I hope this post has helped some of you to pack your Hospital bags and If this is the case I would like to take the opportunity to say Congratulations and good luck with your labour and delivery. 

It is likely that my next post will be introducing my little girl to you all, how crazy is that?

So until next time,
Stormydoos