Different birth than expected!

I thought I'd post this because as a first time mum I had been reading sooo many different birth stories/videos/programmes and what I had imagined in my head was not what had happened at all, and I'm pleasantly surprised. As a first timer I thought the worst things would happen happen me, the pain would be too much, I had all of those worries but at the time I actually didn't even have time to worry. On Sunday morning 8am I started getting contractions at 8 days overdue, they progressed throughout the day and after timing them for a while I headed to the hospital about 4pm. I was seen and told I was only 3cm and my waters still intact so I had a cervical sweep and was sent home. That sweep definitely did the trick as I was back at the hospital by 7pm with strong contractions and after paracetamol and codeine hadn't worked I was on the gas and air. From then the pain got worse but it just felt like pressure to be honest in my back and 'downwards' in my pelvis. I had a shower but it just wouldn't ease up. I was given an injection of diamorphine around 10.30pm as I couldn't stand the pain and I was screaming for an epidural. Diamorphine hit the spot and I felt fab. I was then examined at 11.55pm and by some miracle was 10cm and my waters were bulging. As the midwife said this I had a massive urge to push and then felt my waters break. Let me tell you as soon as the waters went I felt so good. The pain had gone! Then half an hour later I was in all 4s on the bed and pushed my baby out in 4 pushes. I would push that baby out a thousand times over because it was nothing compared to the pressure of my waters. I didnt have the time to get in the birthing pool that the poor midwife had just finished filling up because she was out so quickly. I then had stitches which I couldn't feel due to the local anesthetic and even after that wore off a while later, it still didn't hurt.

I say all this because I have never heard of anyone say that their waters caused them more pain than anything else, although I'm sure it must happen to others. There was also a lot of meconium in my waters but baby was fine and hadn't injested any thank goodness. After 48 hours from first entering the hospital I was home after some standard observation due to the meconium.

I had so many worries before going in and honestly when you're in the moment you don't have time to worry, your body naturally takes over and you do alot better than you ever imagined you would. 🙂😘