So, what happened yesterday? What didn't happen yesterday might be a better answer! Claire has had the use of almost every tool, fluid, needle and human resource that the hospital offers - not quite according to the Birth Plan that they ask you to create before going into labour!!
The only thing I can think of that didn't happen yesterday, is a natural birth; in that, I mean where the baby comes out from between the legs.
Here's what happened and roughly when.
06:55 Phone call to say that they've found Claire a bed on the Delivery Suite and they'll be breaking her waters within half an hour or so. Come in when you can, but no rush as nothing is going to happen immediately.
07:45/08:00 I arrive at the Delivery Suite where Claire is in her own room (with en-suite toilet/shower). She's hooked up to the baby monitor again, as they're checking that the baby is doing ok in there without any of the amniotic fluids that he's been used to. Contractions are every 5 minutes or so, and Claire was about 2-3cms dilated. Claire was a bit upset, as they found a bit of meconium (baby's first poo) that came out with the water. This means that baby isn't too happy in there.
08:50 Head-honcho consultant, Mr. Forbes, and his entourage comes around and speaks to Claire to check that all is ok. From about this point on, it's clear that the midwife, Alison, and the student mid-wife, Rosa, will be with us throughout the duration of the birth, which is reassuring, as they're brilliant people to have around.
10:00 Claire's been on the monitor constantly, except getting up to go to the loo. The contractions are still 5 minutes apart and they have, by now, getting her ready for the real possibility that she'll need to go on the drip. But before that, Claire's offered an epidural, as her contractions are strong now, let alone when the drip kicks in.
FYI: The drip is a synthetic hormone that is put directly into Claire's hand that will tell the body to start pushing. The amount of the hormone in her body determines the size of the contractions, ultimately leading to the baby's arrival. Supposedly!
10:30 The midwife calls in an expert to stick the drip needle in Claire's hand, as they're aware that Claire is pertrified of needles, but the drip will not only be used for the hormone, but also for saline, as Claire's a bit dehydrated, understandably.
11:00 Doctor Roberts the aneathatist (pre-warned is mad, but absolutely brilliant) arrives for the epidural and instantly lightens the air, cracking jokes and whistling the tune of 'You look wonderful tonight' whilst working his magic and sticking things into and onto Claire's back. (I couldn't see what he was doing, as I was facing Claire, trying in vein to reassure her)
11:30 (or so) Doctor Roberts is done, and he's still full of witty banter. Claire's relaxed a bit more now and the drug being injected into her lower back will start to work soon.
12:00 The epidural has been working great and Claire can no longer feel the contractions, which would be extremely painful by now without it, as the drip has been working for 10-15 minutes.
12:15 The midwife, Alison, decides to stop the drip, as the aforementioned baby monitor shows that the baby's heartbeat drops just after the contraction. This means that the baby isn't too keen on the hormone, and stopping it shows his heartbeat back up in minutes.
13:00 The doctors, other midwifes have been in and out at this point, checking the graph made by the baby monitor and writing events on it's timeline as they happen. The registrar doctor decides that the dip in the graph showing the baby's heartbeat may not necessarily be because of the hormone drip and wants to try again. Alison doesn't seem convinced, but she follows the instructions and we go again.
13:30 The heartbeat has dipped again coming out of each contraction, which are coming more and stronger than normal. By this point, Claire is casually glancing at the machine to her right, to find out that she's had a contraction. Very, very minor pains in her upper belly area, but she's very happy with the pain relief!
14:00 They've decided (on doctor's orders) to stop the hormone drip again, and allow the heartbeat to regain it's full beat. By this point, we've had many discussions with the midwives, doctors and aneathatists about Claire having a Caesarean section if this drip refuses to work. Claire has also been examined to find that she's still 3cms dilated, so the drip and the massive contractions that it's caused, have not made a difference and we're no further forward with a natural delivery.
14:30 Doctor Hema, the doctor that would be performing the Caesarean if we were to have one, has been brilliant in asking us about our wishes about carrying on, rather that going straight for surgery. We trust her to do what she believes is best, and everybody in the room is happy to give the drip one more go. It's looking like it's going to be a very long night at this point, and I'm really glad the car isn't in the extremely overpriced car park outside!
15:00 Doctor Hema, Alison the midwife are all agreed that the drip is simply not working, as again, the baby's heart beat goes down after each contraction, reaching a low of about 50 beats a minute, rather than the 140-150 he's been used to. The drip is aborted, and we're told that surgery is the only way now.
15:20 The heartbeat is back to normal, things are ok again, so I am whisked off to change into some stunning blue scrubs and weird slippers that stick together if they catch each other - great for when you're trying to walk! Claire's bed is pushed three rooms down, into an operating theatre, armed with more surgeons, paediatricians and our normal crew. I am given a chair, placed at the head of the bed that Claire's going to be moved on to, and told to sit there and touch nothing that is wrapped in blue or green, or anything that has wires or bleeps. Doctor Roberts boosts Claire's drugs and then starts conversations with us by telling us what we'll hear, roughly when, what it means, and that everything will be fine.
15:45 The surgery starts - a rail has been put up to stop Claire seeing anything happening, but I could lean backwards slightly and get an eye-ful of what Claire's being protected from seeing. Doctor Roberts does a brilliant job of trying to distract both Claire and I, as at this point, Claire's body is shivering, partly from nerves, but mainly from the epidural drugs. He had asked earlier what I did for work and so the conversation at present was about bankers and how badly the banks are treating people...! It didn't matter what we were talking about, the thing was that he was distracting us, as not being able to see what they're doing, but hearing noises and feeling them pull and push on Claires body, means that you start imagining things in your head, all totally incorrect of course. Doctor Roberts is again telling us at each stage what is or has happened.
16:02 I lean backwards just time time to see Doctor Hema lift baby Jack out of Claire's open body, all covered in blood, poo and everything else in there. Because of the poo, the baby looks a bit green, and Doctor Hema makes out he's an alien! Cheers, thanks for that. She had him held up as she said aloud that the cord was wrapped around his neck, "once... twice...! My god, THREE times around his neck!! No, FOUR TIMES wrapped around his neck!!"...
At this point, everyone was a bit amazed and totally relieved that he WASN'T born naturally, as he would have cut off his own supply coming out!! She then cut his cord (it didn't even occur to me about it, but I'm guessing as Claire's guts are spilled out everywhere, that it's not really appropriate that I do it) and then passed him straight to the paediatrians stood behind me. They were checking his airways more than normal, as they were aware that he had poo'd whilst still inside. They cleaned him up a little, checked that he was ok and laid him onto of Claire's upper chest, with me holding him in place.
16:15 I don't know about Claire but it seemed like we had forgotten that they're still working on the inside of her, as we're looking at this new-born baby laying on her, so before we know it, they're done.
16:20 Baby Jack is then put in his little fish-tank thing on a trolley, and he and I are led out of the operating theatre into a different room from before, but one where Claire and the baby can relax until they're ready to move back across the corridor to the normal baby ward.
It seems absolutely mad (in a good way) - the day before yesterday, Claire 'just had a big belly'. And then today, we've got this amazing little baby...! All the pains, needles, tests and check-ups have been just to make this little baby appear.
As I said late last night, everyone at Hinchingbrook Hospital have been absolutely fantastic. We couldn't have hoped for a better crew of people to take care of us, so a big thank you to all of them from the three of us.
Today, I am allowed back down there at 10am, but as Claire's back on the Lilac Ward, which is a normal baby ward, I have to abide by the strict rules of the visitors hours, but that's ok, as it gives the Claire and the other new mums quiet time, except for loads of babies screaming at the same time!
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