No baby for you! We come back, tomorrow morning!

[reddragdiva]

The contractions hit fifty seconds long around ten, so arkady called the midwives again and they left again around half past midnight. Arkady is still only dilated one centimetre, though the cervix is a lot softer. We'll try some more of that "sleep" stuff we've read so much about.

Comments

[gothgeekgirl.livejournal.com]

Need some help? Still thinking good thoughts.

[oddlystrange.livejournal.com]

EPIDURAL!!!

It took me 16 fucking hours at 1 cm before I finally gave in and got the epidural. The result, I dialated 4 cm in the next hour (it took me another 4 to get all the way home). In the end it was 36 hours of labor. I'm a dumbass.

I cried like a little girl when I got the epidural because I didn't know I was actually in that much pain until I got rid of it.

[reddragdiva]

Arkady has a pain threshold somewhere north of that of the Black Knight. She's happy to wait as long as it takes. At home!

[oddlystrange.livejournal.com]

Oh, I thought that too. I was a dumbass.

Still Rooting for you!

If you need a good reminder, remember that Dave blogged the birth, too

[mr-e-cat.livejournal.com]

blogged? Where's the web cam?

[secretlondon.livejournal.com]

Webcams were invented for this sort of thing..

[arkady.livejournal.com]

I have a very extreme phobia of needles; quite frankly I will deal with any amount of pain rather than alow anyone to insert a needle in my back - particularly as I'm not actually in pain. As Diva has mentioned, I have a ridiculously high pain threshold; whereas other people might refer to contractions in terms of pain, I refer to them in intensity because honestly, to me they don't actually hurt.

In fact the midwives have all been joking about how with any other woman, they could tell when a contraction was happening from the woman's reaction, but with me I was carrying on chatting quite relaxed - to gauge the strength and duration of contractions, they have to sit with one hand on my abdomen to feel them themselves.

But not everyone feels things the same way, which is why pain medications exist!

[satsumagirl]

Good luck :) I take it you have tried the more traditional methods of cervical ripening? It sounds like a good sign that everything is softening up though.

[arkady.livejournal.com]

Things are moving; they're just doing it slowly. I'd rather they take their time and know Freda is coming when she is ready than try to rush things and risk her getting distressed! Besides, at the moment the slow-but-steady buildup - whilst being boring - is probably a lot easier on my body than everything suddenly happening at once. Each time the contractions ramp up in intensity, it takes me a little while to adjust but then I'm fine and I can even sleep through them. And the baby's head is steadily becoming more and more engaged.

At the moment I'm able to stay quite mobile, which is far better than asking for intervention and getting stuck flat on my back on monitors etc! Besides, that would negate the whole point of having a homebirth in the first place! ;-)

[satsumagirl]

I totally agree. I had a homebirth with Evie although it was very quick and I was only in labour for 7 hours! I did have to go in after the birth as I had a third degree tear, but the birth itself was lovely.

[oddlystrange.livejournal.com]

I would hope that you're out of the woods by now. :)

I remember that I didn't think the contractions "hurt" either. They were more annoying.

What I remember about labor was how annoyed I was that I had all these things strapped to me (due to the preecclampsia, Aidan needed to be monitored throughout the labor), how hungry I was, and that all I wanted to do was take a nap and everyone was bothering me.

Anyhow, cograts, and get some sleep!!!

[seahorsemystic.livejournal.com]

Well, I hope she's efaced more, and I hope that you all are walking some. I know that the thinning of the cervix, is important, but the dilation is more so. Did she lose her plug yet? I wish you all the best, I do.

Soon, it will be over and life will begin.

[reddragdiva]

Yeah, the plug seems to have washed out gradually over the last day or so, rather than coming out all in one lump.

[seahorsemystic.livejournal.com]

well then, my calculations are that she will have it within 48 hours now. But I know that's still a long time. Hang in there. I am wishing all I have for you all to be done sooner than later.

[arkady.livejournal.com]

In the past I've lost the plug all in one go and gone into active labour 24 hours later, but this time round it's been far more gradual. The cervix is soft; apparantly it's about 1cm thick at the moment so it's effacing, even if it's not dilating too quickly.

Thing is, this being my third baby it could take ages to get to 4cm - and then I could go from 4cm to fully dilated in under an hour. Chances are that when things start happening, they'll happen fast - it's just the long wait beforehand!

[absinthea.livejournal.com]

*ahem* prostaglandins *ahem* (you do know where those come from, right?)

[reddragdiva]

Pig sperm!!

(Ya rly. That "prostaglandin pessary" being put up you is BESTIALITY in PILL FORM!)

[absinthea.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah, but Im a granola-midwife type...why use pig sperm when you can use the human stuff?? LOL, thats a good one to pass along to the docs I work with (bestiality in pill form). ;)

[quiet000001.livejournal.com]

She's totally messing with you already, you realize that, right? This is probably setting the tone for the rest of your life. :)

(And Freda, sweetie, when I said May 8 is a good birthday? I didn't mean your poor mom should be in labor UNTIL then.)

[reddragdiva]

She's taking after her father ... late.

So when will it be 3 a.m. your time?

[mouseworks.livejournal.com]

Tell Freda that with a name like Freda, Cinco de Mayo would be a good day to be born.

Re: So when will it be 3 a.m. your time?

[redcountess]

That was my thought too, despite the different spelling - plus mexican food for her birthday dinner each year :D

Re: So when will it be 3 a.m. your time?

[arkady.livejournal.com]

Maybe it would if we were Mexican, but we're not....

(I personally don't believe in "celebrating" holidays of countries not your own - you should hear me rant about St.Patrick's day.)

Re: So when will it be 3 a.m. your time?

[mouseworks.livejournal.com]

Whatever, if she's born today, I'll send a gift and wish her well. If not, I'll wish her well and maybe send a gift anyway.

(Americans celebrate a lot of holidays that were imported from other countries -- Christmas, Easter, New Years, Labor Day, to start with).

[ninetimestodie.livejournal.com]

DOH!

[http://users.livejournal.com/raven_/]

~waiting...~

[rufus.livejournal.com]

*resets BabyWatch clock*

good luck!

[deathboy.livejournal.com]

bestest of luck, guys. xx

[lolliepopp.livejournal.com]

damn, I was hoping you would have it efore I went to Muntchester!

Ach well, will wave a glostick and chew generally in your direction intead!

Good luck to the Mum et al!
L
x