At around 30 weeks I experienced itching in my arms, legs, feet and hands mainly at night. I put this down to hormone changes and tried to forget about it. It began to get worse just before 32 weeks I looked up online “itching in pregnancy” but could only really see itching with stretching of belly etc. When I looked a bit further I seen obstetric cholestasis and thought all these symptoms added up to this diagnosis and my urine was darker than usual too but I had also put this down to my pregnancy and thought it may be normal. I phoned my midwife at just before My 32 week appt and told her my symptoms and concerns. That day I was asked to come in get a CTG of baby and bloods taken for my bile acids. My levels came back at 22 then a few days later they came back at 72. They started me on urso tablets straight away and had informed me that induction was the best option. I was devastated as I wanted to have a natural water birth and they had said I’d need to be constantly monitored and have to give birth in labour suite.
I read up on positive birth stories for induction but to be honest the odds were against me for having a natural and stress free birth! I was due for balloon induction at 37wks +3. I had been informed that they would insert the balloon and I’d go home to let it work and then come back the next day in the hope it had dilated my cervix enough to break my waters then start me on oxytocin drip. I was apprehensive at the appointment but during the examination they had said I was already 2cm dilated and baby’s head was low. They offered me a sweep at this point because the balloon wouldn’t be required. I accepted the sweep and went home that day. The sweep wasn’t at all sore, If anything a little uncomfortable. I went home at 1pm on the Friday afternoon and started feeling mild pressure/cramps lower abdomen. My mucus plug started to come away at around 6pm. I sat in my birthing ball, ate a spicy curry and watched a comedy! By 11pm I started having regular contractions 4 minutes apart and lasting 40 seconds. They weren’t unbearable, I used breathing techniques and went for a bath at around 4am. The bath seemed to slow my contractions and they became further apart. I continued to feel inconsistent contractions until 11am. I phoned the labour suite at 9 and which they asked me to come into the hospital as they had enough beds to break my waters. At 11:30am they examined me and said I was 3-4 cm dilated and broke my waters. This was a little uncomfortable and I used gas and air with this to calm me. After my waters were broken they had suggested to start on the oxytocin drip straight away as the midwife said “you’re a first time mum, normally you won’t progress with just your waters broken”. They suggested I go on drip straight away. I asked to wait 2 hrs to see if my body would react to the waters being broken and the progress it had already made from the sweep the day before.
Nearly immediately after my waters being broken the pressure and contractions came back and getting more intense. I put my tens machine on and used breathing techniques for an hour. The pain was getting more intense I asked for co-codamol around 1pm. I was using gas and air with co-codomal and the tens machine. The midwife had said she wouldn’t examine me until 16:30. I felt this was quite a while from my waters being broken but I forgot about this and focused on my body and my contractions.
Things were getting more intense around 2pm and I asked for Diamorphine which helped me manage better with the gas and air as well. The pressure was getting more and more intense and I said to the midwife I need to push. This was around 15:15. Due to constant monitoring on my baby I had to lay on my back to give birth on the bed because it wasn’t picking up his heart beat in upright position. I gave birth to my baby boy at 15:51.
I was so glad I listened to my body and made an informed decision to postpone the immediate need for the drip to be put on. This allowed my body time to progress and do it naturally without the need of the drip.
