Pregnancy Forums

Posted: 19 April 2007 at 9:51pm | IP Logged

I haven't been on here for a long time recently. I found things were getting difficult towards the end of the pregnancy trying to balance everything and I was getting really tired, so sorry I have missed a lot of people birth's etc am hoping to catch up again over the next few weeks.

Our little girl Seren Alyssa was born on 4th April at 23.40 and she weighed just under 8lb, the Germans weigh in grams so she was 3540g. Seren is a Welsh name meaning Star, which is really appropriate when you read my birth story below.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a good birth and didn't manage to have the natural birth I was hoping for. I went into hospital on 2nd April to be induced as Seren was due on 20th March. They use the pills over here and nothing happened until Wednesday the 4th when I started to get contractions, although not bad ones. After the last lot of tablets the contractions increased and so I had a hot bath at the hospital for an hour. When I got out after about 20 minutes my waters broke and the mw said that I was between 5-7 cms dilated. It was about 10.30pm by this time and I phoned Colin to tell him to get the hospital straight away (although not quite that calmly). The mw asked if I wanted an epidural as my contractions were so strong but I didn't know what to do as all I kept thinking was that I didn't have much more to go. Colin managed to get to the hosp within 6 minutes and just as well because about 10 - 15 minutes after he arrived I was fully dilated and ready to push. The mw then discovered that Seren was lying back to back which over here in Germany they call babies lying this way 'stargazers'.

A few minutes later they realised that Seren was in some kind of distress so they took some blood from her and checked her PH levels they said it would take about 5 minutes for the results to come back.  1 minute after the dr had left the room she came running back in saying PH levels are really really low and there had to be a C-section immediately. So I was told not to push as they tried to get stuff into me to reduce the contractions and the urge to push but I had managed to break my drip during labour. I couldn't get onto the trolley to get to theatre as I was in so much pain and as the doctors were saying that they would have to do the c-section in the delivery room Colin picked me up and dumped me on the trolley.

Colin then told me that they were running frantically down the corridor to get me into theatre where I was given a general and didn't know much else until later the next day.

It turned out that although the C-section had been called for Seren when they opened me up they discovered that internal scar tissue from the C-section I had to have with Cerys was rupturing and so I was bleeding internally, there were no signs of this beforehand. So in effect by Seren needing the C-section she potentially saved my life.  I woke up in Intensive care the following morning, although I must admit my intitial thought was that I was still lying in the theatre room where I gave birth LOL.

The hardest part I found was that Thursday morning I was told the Seren was in the Kinderclinic due to oxygen problems during the night, but they were happy that we should be reunited later that day. The doctor came to see me about 4 hours later and told me that Seren wouldn't be joining me as they had decided to keep an eye on her for a bit longer, when I asked if I could go to her they wouldn't allow me because I was too ill and it was in a totally different building. The Doctor couldn't understand why I got so upset at this point. However, I was able to travel to the kinderclinic on the Friday and held her for the first time and she even breastfed successfully as well. We were finally reunited totally on the Saturday afternoon.

We are both home now, they let me out of hospital on Friday, although part of my wound is still slightly open because of the rush they had to do things in but have to go back to the hosp to get checked but it's healing well.

I hope everyone else is well and I will be catching up over the next few weeks, just trying to get settled into some sort of normality. I have posted a picture below of Cerys cuddling her new baby sister. I have been so proud of Cerys through all of this as well. She has never been away from me and suddenly I was away for two weeks with no choice and she was brilliant, even told me to stop crying once LOL.

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Posted: 19 April 2007 at 9:55pm | IP Logged

WOW! You have had a time of it hun!

Congratulations to you all and what a beautiful name! Both your girls are gorgeous!

Hope you are managing to get some rest!

Nice to hear from you

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Posted: 19 April 2007 at 10:09pm | IP Logged

   Congratualations on Seren's birth. Poor you, what an experience but I hope it was all worth it in the end.

   Wishing you a speedy recovery   Love Nicky xx

Posted: 19 April 2007 at 10:19pm | IP Logged

Gosh!!  What a time, they are two very beautiful sisters!

I hope you're feeling ok, silly doctor, obviously you're going to get emotional! lol  I'm so happy you breastfed successfully despite being apart for a bit.

Hope things continue to get better, rest up and enjoy your girls while DH does the husework and makes you cuppas,

Seriously, take care, looks like you do have a wee angel there and one big brave big sister,  Congratulations,xx

Posted: 19 April 2007 at 11:17pm | IP Logged

welcome back you!

that sounds bloody horrid

glad alls well now though!

big hugs and love jo n lily xx

ps-very pretty name! her big sis looks v proud! x 

Posted: 19 April 2007 at 11:50pm | IP Logged

aww first congratulations hun, sounds a bad time what you went through but im glad your both safe and well and she and your other daughter look gorgeous, hope to see you on the site abit more and catch up luv jue xxx

p.s im really scared about having another now after reading your story as i had c-section with mols !!!