[ozmidwifery] A follow thru journey.....when Sally met Harry....(Long)

[TinaPettigrew]

Hi fellow listers....thought I'd share my most recent follow thru journey with you all...

....Mmmmm where do I start....

Sally (not her real name) and I engaged in our partnership in her 12th
week of pregnancy...she is married to Jason...and they have one
adorable little boy Patrick....who just turned three. Patrick's birth
was pretty much a 'hamburger with the lot'.....induced at term with synto for suspected PROM..(hind water leak) and GBS positive....antibiotics in labour...continuous electronic fetal monitoring...birthing supine in stirrups in a pethidine haze...episi....and 'lift out' forceps...Patrick then spent 3-4 days in the special care nursery with query pneumonia?? The experience left Sally feeling quite fragile, but as she says....in the end I just had to 'get on with it'....

Her pregnancy this time started off on a much better note....she had community midwife care, and her midwife student in her ear at every opportunity :-)) Throughout the pregnancy we developed a really wonderful relationship...sharing over cuppas or lunch...often with extended family around...never a visit under two hours...like me,
Sally hates to yack!!!

Anyhow fast forward to last Friday 15th Nov...her due date (by ultrasound 11/11/02, by her dates 23/11/02) having come and gone...of course necessitated a visit to the AN clinic :-))...Doc does his checks says all is just wonderful...but still insists on an IOL
(prostin) scheduled for 20/11 if nothing happens before then....Sally says OK..

Monday 18th.....0600 hrs...Sally phones me to say she's been contracting for a few hours....hind water leak again (GBS neg in this pregnancy), excited that things are on their way without the induction...However, Monday came and went without any further
action...tighenings and niggles ALL day Tuesday and Tuesday night still leaking with contractions...into hospital we go for IOL as planned 0800 Wednesday.. 1.0 mg of prostin 0900....midwife says Sally's cervix IS really stretchy...50% effaced....no dilation...just the typical "multips OS"

Sally was told to go home at 11.00 :-0 I couldn't believe they would send her home...all that prelabour stuff...a VE and prostin....receipe for labour I thought...however...midiwfe says no no may be a while yet...so home it was ..."rest up and return for
second prostin dose at 2.30pm" were the instructions...

I arrived home about 11.45...only to receive a call from Sally to say "meet you back
at the hospital....labours come on in a hurry...contracting 3/10.."
Surprise, surprise!!

Labour kicked on well and truly...contractions coming quite think and fast once we got settled in birth room...As fate would have it a midwife friend just happened to bump into me on the way in to begin her shift..she quickly put her name up to care for Sally...and Janine (fellow BMidder on placement) just happened to be passing by so a good birth team was assembled...The midwife...gorgeous woman...just left us too it....just call me when you've got a head on view...and that we did...Sally laboured beautifully strong and well supported by husband Jason and later her mother-in-law who came to witness the birth. Sally was very active...then when contractions got enormous...she took up her birth position standing, leaning over the bed...wanted a good position to avoid an episi...Not to worry I told her...no episi today...:-))

I was in awe of this woman...she was frightened...her hands shaking...but determined to GIVE BIRTH to this baby...we all worked so well together..contractions changed up a bit...and that beautiful grunty sound on the end of them....I asked Sally to tell me what she could feel in her vagina...her bottom...not quite sure, I encouraged her to put a finger or two inside and tell me...hesitant at first..she finally gave it ago "cause I ain't putting mine in" I told her...another contraction and I could see slight bulging at peak of
a contraction...and with contractions coming thick and fast and sounding more "pushy"...I called the midwife to join us...it was about 3.10pm...

Sally's next few contractions were still working to becoming real pushing contractions...then that overwhelming urge finally came...Sally still standing, leaning forward over the bed with the birth team assembled behind her...with me squatting down infront of her, our hands locked in a sweet embrace...our heads together as I
softly talked her thru...letting her know what she would expect...what her helpers could see...reassurring her she was safe and that we were with her all the way...telling her how strong and powerful she was...to trust herself to open slowly...to let her
uterus birth her baby once that 'ring of fire' came...

Gently and slowly....and with the most awesome birth roar...the powerful
lioness Sally birthed her baby boy into the hands of the midwife ...up went the cheers of delight and tears of dad and mother-in-law...well all of us...at 3.29 pm...

I looked up from caressing Sally, to see my midwife friend cast a look over to me ...I could see her then juggling this baby...so around the bed I went...to see a beautiful blue babe...but very very flat.....totally flaccid in midwife's hands....HR fine but babe not yet responsive to vigorous rubbing, drying etc... squatting on the floor...the midwife trying
to juggle babe and her bits and pieces...hands the babe over to me.....this beautiful babe in my hands....eyes wide open...cord pulsating...but still yet no drawing his first breath...I continue to caress him...talk to him...rub and dry....calling to Sally to come "call your baby in"....looking a little more worried now...the midiwfe answers yes to a voice from behind that asks "do you want some help" (was that you Janine??) I keep calling in this baby and with a gentle blow of breath to his face...in he comes...and that first cry came....beautiful...I then had the honour and privilege of passing Sally her baby...totally awesome!!!!!!!!!

So there in that moment....'Sally met Harry' :-))

No synt for placenta which Sally births at 3.44pm...

Oh how I love what we do!!!!!!!!!

While Sally had no episi...a few stitches were needed...given by a doc who was a tad impatient for the local to kick in...but we soon sorted him out :-)) Finally a few sucks of gas for Sally to get the last few stitches done...and showered and dressed....we were left alone to do the first breastfeed together...everything went wonderfully...

Caught up with Sally and family again last night and she is just positively "glowing"....baby Harry is feeding like a little trooper..

The end!!!!!

with love TinaXX