Labour Room Drama- 301

Interesting read!!!!

Hi Stella,
I've been wanting to write about my labour room drama for almost a year but kept postponing.

But today the 14th day of March is my daughter's first year birthday and so here I am awake and writing this.

I got married mid 2018, got pregnant around September and then had a miscarriage in November that same year at 10 weeks. The physical pain was out of this world and Co incidentally had some work related issues and so was angry for the better part of that period. Hubby and I were able to move past that pretty soon (we believed and prayed the next pregnancy will go well).

We started trying again by April the next year and by mid 2019, precisely in July, we found out we were expecting but unlike many newly pregnant people, I couldn't allow myself get too excited because a part of me was scared of experiencing another miscarriage after already bonding with my growing child.

This time around though, I chose to be proactive about everything pregnancy related, like I personally requested for a scan at 8 weeks thereabout (omo my anxiety level was through the roof, I just needed to be sure everything was fine)!, binge watched YouTube videos of pregnant woman and what to expect.

Stella ehhh shall we talk about that morning sickness? Hey God, I pray not to experience it with the next pregnancy abeg. Who even named it morning sickness sef, because that thing was all day everyday sickness for me oh. 

Couldn't go close to the kitchen, I threw away all the deodorants, diffusers, perfumes around the house. Brushing my teeth nko? Wahalaaaa. I  had to manage myself like that since I had to still go to work. Craved sour food like cheese, yoghurt ...

I started my antenatal at 10 weeks because of the previous history of miscarriage and got a scan done every 2 weeks (my appointment with the O & G was bi weekly).

I also made sure to register in 2 different hospitals since my job involved covering a significant area regularly, just in case I went into labour away from home.
End of first trimester came with some form of security for me since they say chances of a miscarriage happening drops significantly after the 13th week.

Second trimester started good and the morning sickness eventually stopped around the 18th week. Mehnn see my pregnancy glow na, faya! (PS, I glowed all through pregnancy and it also helped that I added only a total of 9kg all through, weighed 68kg by the last week before delivery, abeg allow me be vain small).

I kept to my biweekly appointments and all was well, had higher level of protein in my urine at some point but my doctor wasn't very concerned because I didn't have other symptoms that could raise suspicion of possible pre eclampsia (BP was always normal, didn't gain significant weight etc).

My biggest issues were heart burn (I always had gaviscon at home), migraine headache(used to have this before pregnancy but this time around, I couldn't use my usual drugs because they are not safe in pregnancy), metallic taste and excess saliva production (I always carried a stainless water bottle filled with cold water around with me, taking little sips at short intervals helped a whole lot and I did that till the day I gave birth).

As per cravings, didn't have much except that I got irritated by some foods I used to enjoy like snails, plantain, cakes.
By the 3rd trimester, I was pretty much used to most of the symptoms except the waist pain and not finding a comfortable position to sleep. I had learnt to just manage them as they came (my pregnancy app and the videos I watched came in handy).

You see, I had always envisaged a painless or at least near pain free delivery right from my teenage years and used to tell people then that I was going to opt for CS when the time comes. And so in the process of watching my many YouTube pregnancy videos, I learnt more about pain free delivery and the option that stood out for me was getting an epidural during delivery.

I did my plenty research (it also helped that I'm a Pharmacist and so not clueless when it comes to health related issues). I discussed the option of epidural with my doctor and he agreed to talk to the anesthesiologist that consults in the hospital.
Me I sha took it upon myself to find that anaesthesiologist and table my matter (turns out the anaest. had been encouraging a lot of the pregnant patients to give epidural a try but trust Nigerians and fear na. I discussed with him and we reached an agreement for me to get an epidural during labour.

 I also prayed about it and had peace.

Fast forward to the 38th week, I started having painful off and on contractions that was disturbing my sleep but I kept timing and they didn't get closer than 8 minutes so I didn't go to the hospital. On the day it clocked 39 weeks, I left work around 10am and went to my hospital to complain about the painful contractions, meanwhile; I had seen some of the mucous plug aka bloody show earlier that day.

 The doctor checked to see how far I was dilated (ah that pain dey enter brain oh), and I was just 2cm dilated. I was admitted at that point but I needed to pick a few things at home even though I had packed most of my stuff in my car the previous week and was going to work daily with them in case of in casity eh, so I stepped out briefly and got back to the hospital in the afternoon. By then the pain was already getting more serious and I just squeezed my face with each contraction, at some point I had to kneel and get on all 4 because that was the only position I felt some sort of relief.

 The TV playing in my ward was beginning to sound like a broken record ehh. My husband was in traffic and couldn't reach the hospital early enough so it was just myself and God in the room alone. The anaesthesiologist that was to administer the epidural was contacted and he got in when I was around 4cm dilated (about 6pm), I was taken to the theatre and the epidural line was set up and injection administered, omoooo x 1000, all the pain I was feeling disappeared within 5-10 minutes upon administration fiam!!!!!

 E be me like film trick, I was praising God for the gift of science oh. My husband got in shortly after, by then I was already lounging in bed like say no be Labour I dey.

The O & G kept checking all the vital signs for baby and I and also the dilation(the check at this point was painless too), We were at it till around 12am and the doctor gave another 2 hours thereabout for me to reach 10cm. I told hubs to go take a short nap and he went to sleep in the car, the nurses on duty too were coming to do their check at intervals. I slept off a bit and woke up around 3am, told my husband to help me tell the doctor to come and check dilation again. She got in, checked me and exclaimed that I'm fully dilated and ready to push.

 I was taken to the delivery room and taught how to push oh and when to take a rest from pushing. I followed instructions and was given a cut after a few pushes (my daughter was presenting with her hand beside her ear, lolll) and she practically flew out by the next push. Babe came out looking nothing like me oh.

Placenta was delivered too and the tear was repaired. I felt bliss all over goshhhh. One of the nurses helped me to the bathroom to take my bath and both I and baby were taken back to our room with my husband grinning from ear to ear and feeling on top of the world. Side eyes at this point. This was around 4am on 39weeeks + 1 day.

See that peace within the first few hours after you give birth that makes you think your child is the most peaceful child on earth? Na scam ooooo, I was busy admiring her sleeping peacefully all through the day and Happy my angel is as calm as an angel. Come and see display of cry at night na, I gave her breast to suck soteyyyy, I was tired.

 I had to beg a nurse to come help hold her for a few minutes only for the nurse to discover she had passed out her first stool (meconium), apparently that's what made her uncomfortable and cranky all the while, not hunger as I thought. See learner like me, lmaoo. She stopped crying immediately after her diaper was changed.

We were discharged from the hospital the next morning.

I'm grateful every single process turned out as planned and I eventually got my near pain free labour and delivery drama(less).

Am I opting for an epidural with my next delivery? Most likely by God's grace.
Here is to wishing my treasure a happy birthday today and also sending baby dusts to every single woman on here trying to conceive, and wishing all the already pregnant women safe delivery.

I hope I did North West ya time (like Stella will say).
To Jesus be my glory, the END!


BV Dainty T.

*Why were you discharged the next day?that was too fast nah...At least three days in hospital for normal delivery is OK.. or is it because of the money increasing?