DS1:
I was 17 and scared, worried of what would happen. I was having a 37 week antenatal check at the hospital and they're talking to me about inducing my labour (at that time, I didn't have a clue what it meant).
I was to go back into the hospital the following week, for my baby to be born. I remembered hearing words like pessary and drip and not having a clue what was being said, or what any of it meant, and being too scared, feeling too alone to be able to ask anyone what any of it meant.
The following week, Dec 2nd 1993, I was admitted to hospital for an overnight stay for the first pessary to be administered at 6am the next day. I didn't sleep, was scared what the following day would bring and just as it seemed that I finally go to sleep, I was being awoken by the midwives. I went back to bed and was told that if nothing had changed in my cervix condition, then another pessary would be administered at 12pm. This was what did happen. I spent the rest of the afternoon, playing cards, reading books etc and getting thoroughly bored of the waiting, but kept feeling tightenings. I told the midwives and was told that they weren't real contractions, they were pessary contractions and were nothing to worry about. They were very painful though and eventually, they agreed to give me a pethidine shot to try and ease it. I fell asleep shortly after.
I awoke at 10.45pm to hear a pop and had a sudden urge to be sick. I shot out of my bed, ran to the loos not knowing whether to sit or stand and be sick, eventually seeing a sick bowl being pushed under the door of the cubicle by a midwife, asking if I was ok. Even at this point, I didn't fully realise that my waters had broken.
I was wheeled down to the delivery suite, now in labour. The contractions were coming thick and fast and I remember as soon as entering the room that I'd eventually deliver in, shouting for an epidural. The midwives examined me and apologised. They said they were sorry, but I was far to long into labour that they wouldn't have time to set up an epidural, so I'd have to go it with just the gas and air. This scared me even more - what did they mean, was far too long into labour?! It didn't take long to realise what they meant. Lying on my side, with my mum at my head end (having refused to leave the delivery room, even at my request!) and my boyfriend's shoulder being used as a prop for my upper leg, I felt the enormous urge of needing to push. What was going on!? I hadn't been in labour for 12 hrs yet, was the only thing I could think at the time.
It felt like I was pushing for hours, I wanted to stop, it was hurting too much, but my body wouldn't let me. The midwives and my boyfriend were all saying to me, keep going, we can see the baby's head, you're doing great!! With another 3 pushes, which felt like an eternity, my baby's head was born. Suddenly it all didn't feel so painful. I then had that feeling of needing to push again, and with one final push, my gorgeous baby boy, Stephen James was born at 11.59pm on Friday 3rd December 1993. He was actually born at midnight, but the midwives gave me the choice of having his birthday on the 3rd or the 4th. I decided on the 3rd. My official labour time was 1 hr and 15 mins.
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Birth Stories 
