Baby Buchanan is here!!

So I was booked in for an induction for 8am Thursday 19^th April at 38 weeks + 6 days. My specialist decided that it was best I deliver in Wellington Hospital due to baby’s multicystic dysplastic kidney and also a utercele in the bladder. Masterton hospital was not equipped if there were issues with baby so they didn’t want to risk me delivering in Masterton and then things going wrong.

I have known a few people who have been induced and they all ended up getting a c-section which is really not what I wanted…. I was really upset to have to be induced but it was what it was and knowing that we would have the specialist team on hand was reassuring.

So here is how things went:

Thursday 19^th April

8am
We arrived at Wellington Hospital ready for my induction, bright eyed and bubbly and excited about meeting our little one. I was examined by the registrar who declared that my cervix was very thick and closed – meaning that labour was no where near. 2mls of Prostaglandin gel was given to kick start labour. From there we were told to work around for 6 hours and be back to be examined again. We wondered around the hospital -walked up multiple flights of stairs and generally got bored.
2pm
We were back at the delivery suite and I was full of hope – only to be told I was only 1cm – poos. They decided to leave things up to nature in hope that labour would naturally kick start over night so I was moved to a pre-natal room and left for the night. As the afternoon progressed I started to feel some tightening – more like period pains, but nothing to rave about. As night time came the feelings subsided and I felt a little disheartened.

Friday 20^th April
8am
I was moved back to the delivery suite and had another examination – still only 1cm! Another 2ml of Prostaglandin gel was given and was told again to walk around for 6 hours and be back by 2.
11am
This time I made it to 11am before I had to be back at the room as the pain was intense. I was trying to breathe through it but it was so painful.
1pm
Contractions had really started but were very irregular and lasting about 30secs, I was so tired I was actually falling asleep between contractions.
2.10pm
Time for another examination. The thought of the exam brought me to tears - they were so painful! The midwife recommended I suck on the gas for the exam. I don’t know what was worse, the gas or the exam! I felt sick, light headed and it tasted foul! The registrar did his thing and then exclaimed I was only 2-3cm dilated! I felt like a failure…. The only good news was that it was enough to break my waters. So they did that and they gashed out! Then the contractions really started…. However they were still very irregular and lasted from 30sec to 1min. They wanted them more regular so hooked me up ready for sytocin..
3pm
Sytocin started at 2ml per hour and made the contractions hard and fast and 1min apart. It was at this point I caved and took the midwifes advise to get an epidural. I was so tired and couldn’t keep going for 7 more cms
4pm
The anaesthetist struggled to get the epidural in as I didn’t have much space in between my spine, she thinks it was because of all the Pilates I had done during pregnancy, and it had built up the muscle too much over my spine – go figure! After 2 failed attempts she was called into an emergency so I had to sit, arched over, during contractions and wait for her to come back. When she did she gave me fentanyl to try and relax my back. That gave me an out of body experience where I felt light headed, and really spaced out. (I later learnt that fentanyl is the date rape drug! I can see why!!)
5pm
The epidural was sited
5.40pm
Epidural started working and it was instant relief – I don’t regret it one bit. I could still feel some of the contractions but they were nothing like they were. They were totally bearable. I was also hooked up to a self medicated pain relief which I later learnt was morphine. This gave me the shakes and made me feel a little nauseous.
6.30pm
The sytocin was upped to 8ml per hour to get things moving along.
7pm
Another examination, but due to the epidural I hardly felt it. My midwife said to expect around 5cm; yeah I was 10 and ready to push! The epidural was left to wear off so I could feel and control the pushing – stupidest thing ever! The pushing hurt so much more than the contractions!
9.05pm
Pushing started. The head came out a few inches and from there I lost it. I became one of those useless women you see on the TV who keep saying “it hurts too much, I can’t do it!” I had 2 midwifes and Cody telling me otherwise, and of course by this stage it was too late. Somehow I managed to get through the pain and push him out in 45mins – although it felt like hours!
9.52pm
Braxton James Buchanan was born weighing 3.700kg (8lb 3oz)

He came out screaming and was put straight onto my chest where he wee’d and pooped on me! Nice one– I couldn’t believe he was finally here. It took us about 5 minutes to finally ask if it was a boy or girl! My mum and sister were waiting outside so my sister poked her head in to ask what flavour.

I was then stitched up – with 10 stitches! The midwife then went on to tell me that as soon as the head was out she slid her finger under his armpit and pulled him out so he was born in one go. I think this is what caused the excessive amount of stitches, which really pisses me off because they were so uncomfortable – but that’s all in the past now….

Because Braxton wee’d straight away they were too concerned about his kidney/bladder but he did have to have cloth nappies (those big old fashioned ones you have to fold up) so that they could weigh them and keep track of how much urine he was passing.

After 3 days he had an ultra-sound done on his kidney and bladder, the scan showed that the good kidney is functioning well and is a little enlarged as it was doing the work of 2 kidneys but that was to be expected. It also showed he had a 2cm uterecele in his bladder which is a blockage. 2cm is border line needing to be operated on so they made an appointment for us to see a surgeon in 2 weeks to check up on it. Braxton will also have a Fluoroscopy – which is where they will insert a catheter via the urethra into his bladder and fill the bladder with a special coloured dye and saline until the bladder is full and he begins to wee. As he is wee-ing they will take x-rays. I am really worried about this procedure as it sounds quite invasive L

Once both of these have been completed then the specialist will determine where to from there.