Candice shares the birth of her second child with us. Reminding us once again that previous births will not determine how future births will progress and develop.
After a very easy pregnancy (the worst symptom being heartburn which I had throughout the entire pregnancy) but one where I had thee most perfect skin and hair too might I add, I just hit around 40ish weeks (my two pregnancies overlap in my memory – forgive me lol) and had started becoming very impatient coupled with the general feelings of “fed up with being pregnant syndrome”.
I enlisted the help of an exercise ball to try and kick-start things.
With already not sleeping too great, on account of the persistent heartburn, I woke up with some cramping but did not think much of it as it was very mild and had no sign of waters breaking etc.
After it became more frequent, even though not worsening with time, I decided to take a bath while monitoring the pain and shave my lady parts just in case 
I sat in the bath talking to my belly as this was my first baby girl and told her how excited we are to meet her – even sang a bit too.
While in the bath I did see something that resembled mucous and I assumed that it was my mucous plug. After that I decided that we needed to go in just so they can check as the pains are still there too so either way just to be on the safe side.
On arrival at the hospital I was the second one to arrive and was immediately taken for an internal exam done by a male nurse who was quite proud of the fact, something that he decided to vocalise to me as well, that he had probably the fattest fingers. Even though this was not my first labour this proclamation was not a delightful one coming from the person who was about to invade the deepest part of my literal womanhood. The internal exam found that I was only 2 cm dilated but they decided to keep me – and I was instructed to walk the corridors to encourage the birthing process.
There was female walking the corridors as well and we did not talk much as my pains seemed to progress faster than hers.
At this point my water had not broken but an hour after attempting to walk I found that with each pain it was getting increasingly difficult to not stop with each contraction. These pains were considerably different compared to my first birth and could feel even when the pain was about to hit, because it basically began from my pelvic floor like a wave into my womb.
I tried laying down and sitting but the pains had become intense and the awesome urge to push had now also joined the party.
With each contraction I was also leaking a bit of fluid which did concern me as I was fearing a dry labour and contractions had become unbearable – I literally wanted to cry as they were so intense, but did not as I did not want to attract attention to myself.
I tried sitting down as I was super tired, I had been up for some time since 12 am and my dilation was still progressing very slowly.
It came to morning time and I was 7 cm – so I was allowed to enter the labour ward where they told me to sit on the bed with my legs wide open pushing down into the bed with my palms. At this point my back pain got so bad it felt as though little one was trying to find an emergency exit.
The undeniable urge to push was at its worst at this stage, and I mentioned this to the nurses – she suggested I try pushing even though I was not 10cm yet and when I felt my baby girls head on the back of my vaginal opening I nearly lost my mind because at this point I thought I could not do it, I was convinced I just could not do it. It required the aide of 2 nurses to keep my legs open as I was struggling to keep them wide enough. Mentally I was checked out as I could obviously feel EVERYTHING and was trying hard to try and focus on the task at hand and that was getting my baby girl out safe.
To this day I cannot recall what got me past the point of getting my kids head out but I did and after that it was obviously easily sailing. I had been convinced that I was carrying a boy even though I did check the sex beforehand. My first question to my Hub was “is it a girl?”.
I am not 100% sure what had caused it to happen, it may be because I pushed well before I was supposed too, but my cervix came down with my daughter and I even though I did not really feel any pain from that, I needed to be stitched up and with no other way had to had a maternity pad, for lack of a better word, shoved in me in order for stuff to “go back to where they belong”.
This did mean that I was terrified to use the bathroom as I needed to pee during the course of the evening as I had to remove the pad from inside me in order to do so, but all was okay, thank God.
My milk had not come in immediately, so I had to give her formula (hospital issue) because her blood sugar level had to be a certain percentage in order for us to go home – this was directly related to her weight so after countless tiny heel pricks and over-nighting in the hospital, we were able to go home.
The old wives tale that says that your second is always easier – was in fact incorrect in this instance – my first born was a walk through the park in fact compared to my little princess.
Mia Jade Lewin
31.05.2015
Weight: 4.01kg (Fully Natural)
