dad and newborn son
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One born every minute – Dads

One Born Every Minute starts again on Channel 4 at 9pm this Wednesday 4th January, with the theme of dads.  They’ve linked up with NetMums to get people to share their birth experiences and here’s mine with my thoughts on the dad’s perspective…(although needless to say, my husband is not the type to actually share his thoughts).

I was 4 days overdue.  I’d avoided going into labour on all the dates that there were shoots at the farm, but my waters broke at night when I woke up to go to the loo.  And needless to say, OH wasn’t impressed when I woke him an hour after he’d gone to bed saying we needed to go in to delivery as there was potentially meconium in my waters…with a shoot day due the day after (oops).

As it was night-time, there were no issues with parking or having to get a ticket, and we were surprised to see we were the only ones in when we had been expecting it to be busy with lots of screaming women!

Turned out the nightshift midwife recognised my OH from his brother at his children’s births; all the midwives I saw were very attentive, and needless to say a small world meant they all knew someone my OH knew so there was plenty to discuss throughout the 13 hours we were in the delivery suite.

I was on a drip from when we got to the hospital being induced due to the meconium.  We could see the up and downs of the contractions on the charts, but couldn’t feel much more than a slight pressure and back ache.  I’d wanted an active birth, but apart from the occasional sit on the birthing ball, found being in bed was more comfortable for my back, plus easier than holding the monitor in place all the time.  I think my OH was relieved I was finding everything ok and he didn’t have a screaming wife.  Not sure he’d have coped with the pain.

13 hours later and still only 3cm dilated, we all had a discussion and decided a section would be the best way to go.  I expect OH thought I was like one of his cattle – problem labour, expensive cs (although thankfully on the NHS)!  I wasn’t worried about him coming into theatre – it was his choice, but I think he didn’t want to see me going through it in case there were problems.  Not sure I’d have been so relaxed if I’d not had a 3rd year student midwife with me throughout the time I was in delivery, and I found her really comforting during the op.  I can’t think what the OH was thinking back in the room we’d been in waiting for us to emerge from theatre.  Wishing for some sleep probably.

So after 13 hours of pretty much pain free induction, and an unplanned csection, our little (or big 9lb 5oz) baby had arrived, screaming into the world.  It was all very calm and very relaxed, with good care from the midwives and surgeon, and what seemed like an easy procedure.   I had to ask whether someone had gone to tell the OH that we had a boy because noone had gone.

Dad (having had about 1 hours sleep in 30 or so hours) N about an hour old

I think at the end, once we’d got our baby alive and well, it was overriding relief that all had gone well, and we had a scrumptious little baby at the end of it.  But crikey, it was a boring long and expensive (car parking during the day) wait for both of us.  And a day’s missed shooting.

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