Good luck those remaining, I’m out too - UPDATED

Well I know I should really post this in birth stories, but as I was due on 3rd May, I feel like I should be announcing here and telling the rest of you in our group good luck and hang in there...

Got to 40+4 on Tuesday and felt no movement at all. Tried drinking coffee, eating sweets, jumping around, drinking coke. Nothing. Called the hospital and was told to come in and got hooked up to the monitor.

Baby was fine but as they couldn’t explain why I couldn’t feel movement - I did once hooked up as he was trying to kick the sensors off, and I was already overdue, they decided to induce me and told me to tell my husband to bring my hospital bag.

He would only be allowed with me once I was sent from the antenatal ward up to the labour ward and until the baby was born and then would have to leave until we came home.

They kept me in the antenatal ward for around 24 hours in which time they put in a balloon to try and start me dilating. When I was sent up to the labour ward and told to tell my husband he could come back, I was 2cm dilated and they removed the balloon (thankfully!) - they broke my water and after about 4 hours I was having contractions around 5 mins apart. But was still only 2cm dilated.

I lost my mucus plug in one go as soon as I went to the toilet after having the balloon out - it was weird - a perfect little disk of jelly with a few blood streaks

They put me on the hormone drip to try and help and after 8 hours I was having contractions around 1-2min apart that I had to have gas and air for and they tried to give me an epidural twice, both times it failed so I was in a lot of pain.

The hormone drip also didn’t work and I was still only 2-3cm dilated and needed to be put on a fluid drip

So... they decided that it would be best to give birth by emergency Caesarean section and took me to theatre.

The spinal block/ local anaesthetic was such a relief that I was falling asleep while they were doing it!

Here is my son, born 7th May 2020 @ 17:16, 8lb 2oz and 56cm long. We were kept in for 24 hours and then allowed home. He’s been home just over 24 hours now

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UPDATE: had to be readmitted to postnatal from A&E after 4 days at home - I was still very sore, stiff and we went out for a little while in the garden as I was wanting some air, when I came in to get a drink and some food I went ice cold and was shaking violently and felt awful.

I went and got under my duvet and fell asleep almost instantly. When my alarm woke me up for my son’s feed I couldn’t wake up properly, had a headache, I was dizzy, I felt freezing cold myself but had a fever (my body was actually hot to the touch) and I was in a lot of pain/ couldn’t move/ sit/ stand/ walk. I was crying out in pain.

My husband called the 111 line and was told to bring me in to A&E but they were sending a taxi because there aren’t enough ambulances.

It was Interesting trying to get dressed, get safely downstairs and in and out of a car with our son and his car seat & changing bag and stuff (out of my husband and I, I’m the driver, so we can’t use my car rn) - also him having to accompany me and help me, meaning no choice but to bring the baby back into the hospital.

They took us into a consultation room almost immediately and did my temperature, blood pressure, took blood and gave me a cannula in my arm which made me suspicious they were planning on keeping me in as I know you can’t go home until that’s removed!

Well... I managed to develop an infection inside my uterus.

The incision would looks fine and not infected from the outside but is extremely tender, hot and hard/ lumpy on the inside if you press gently (like when you try to clean the area).

I was kept in another 3 nights with my son as I was combination feeding, put on antibiotic drips, painkiller drips, ultrasound and CT scanned (high risk of blood clots) and then discharged again with more antibiotics and told to keep up the painkillers and monitor my temperature at home.

Both times I was in they tested me for COVID-19, that test is horrible but thankfully both times came back negative. They also did my son’s routine bloods and checks while we were there as it was easier to just get them done out of the way.

My son is 13 days old today. We’ve been back home 1 week and I just ran out of the antibiotics. My temperature is back up higher than normal for me but not quite fever territory yet - I’m still in a lot of pain and the incision site is still hot and hard/ lumpy on the inside. Hopefully the infection won’t take hold again!

Despite cluster feeding and extra pumping, my milk has dried up now though, I had a low supply anyway hence combination feeding, so at least if i have to go in again, the baby can stay home with my husband