went into early labour at 28 wks born at 41 wks!!!

[wendy3675]

my first 4 pregnancies & labours were all pretty straight forward & fast (my first was 53 mins, 2nd was 1 & 1/2 hrs, 3rd was 1hr 20 mins & 4th was 1hr 45 mins) and they were all born at 38 weeks, so when i found out
i was expecting my 5th on the 19 nov 2006, i really wasn't worried about the pregnancy or labour - i was all prepared for a straight forward 9 months & quick in & out of hospital at 38 weeks... this did not happen!!!!

the first part of the pregnancy was fine, same as the others had been, but at 25 weeks i started feeling really ill & kept getting killer headaches.
then on the thursday i collapsed at home (i was on my own) when i came round i called my midwife who sent an ambulance to take me to hospital, i tried to phone the other half but he was in a meeting at work & had his phone turned off. anyway i was taken to hospital & given the all clear apart from a slighty raised blood pressure. i got a taxi home (had left my mobile at home so didn't have anyones contact numbers with me).

the next couple of weeks were fine apart from the odd headache. then at 10.30 one evening when i was 28 weeks i woke up in serious pain. i was getting contractions every 2-3 mins, so we went straight to hospital where they confirmed i was in labour. then the contractions just stopped totally, i was 3-4cm dilated but my waters had not broken. they kept me in a couple of hours but nothing was happening so they sent me home again, teling me it would probably start again in the next 24 hrs... it didn't!

over the next 11 weeks i went into the hospital 8 times with regular contractions but each time they stopped when i got there. i was starting to get abit embarrassed.

i was also getting very nervous about the fact i was 4cm - kept thinking she was going to fall out!

i had a routine midwife app on the 23rd nov (4 days after due date), by this point i was extremley p****d offf & had very bad backache & even she was surprised i was still pregnant!! anyway she examined me & said my backache was being caused by the babies head being so low it was pushing the base of my spine out of place, (apparantly this usually doesn't happen till you're actually in labour), & i had to be very careful as this could cause my spine to snap. she also said that the baby was so low that when it happened it would be quick!!

that night i watched 'i'm a celeb' & then went to bed. i woke up at midnight with this really uncomfortable feeling - not contractions - just a really strong pressure down below that kept coming & going. tony phoned his mum to come over to look after the other kids & we set off for the hospital. by the time we got there it was 12.45am & the feeling was becoming more & more uncomfortable. then i just HAD to go for a poo. while on the loo my waters broke but i couldn't get off the toilet, finally the midwife just grabbed me & hoisted me onto the delivery bed - the babies head was already crowning. tegan martyne was born at 1.05am weighing 7lb 8oz. i was still in my t-shirt & my jeans were still on one ankle.

when they handed her to me i couldn't hold her as my whole body was shaking uncontrolably (which they later told me was due to shock).

we are both fine now but i still have a high blood pressure due to the labour (the midwife said that because i didn't have any contractions my body & mind weren't prepared for the labour which caused my blood pressure to shoot up & it hasn't come back down since).

then to top it all off the other half got a parking ticket for not paying & displaying in the hospital car park - if he had of stopped to do that tegan would of been born in zone 7 bay 5 hehe

i am now prepared for anything in this pregnancy