Monday, February 14, 2005

Birth Plan?

First of all, thanks for everyones best wishes - Anna & I are delighted, but your notes of encouragement are very welcome! So, what happened? Well, the run-down goes something like this:
  • On Saturday morning Anna's contractions increased in strength and regularity, but Caitlin was still not descending in the uterus, so we made a visit to the hospital that afternoon just to make sure that the baby wasn't in any distress - this went well, and we were sent home after a couple of hours
  • On Sunday morning Anna's waters broke and, once we were sure that was what had happened, we were on our way to the hospital again
  • Our obstetrician was quickly on-hand, he had apparently expected us sooner, and suggested that we try something to increase the strength & frequency of the contractions to see if Caitlin would descend or not
  • After trying this for a little while it became clear that she wasn't going to come down, and was apparently in a little distress (as her heartbeat decreased following contractions)
  • We discussed the situation with the obstetrician again and he advised us to proceed with a Caesarian, as he felt that she might not respond well to a prolonged labour
  • Within a matter of minutes the operation was organised, and we were on our way to the operating theatre
  • After more injections than she'd care to remember, Anna was swabbed down, the surgeons started talking about golf, the incision made, and the baby delivered (7lbs 6oz @ 2pm)
  • After a quick cuddle, Anna was taken to the recovery room, while Caitlin & I got to know each other (I was under strict instructions not to take my eye off her for a moment)
  • An hour or so later, and we were all re-united in the room we'll be in until Friday
I think we were both glad that we hadn't been too committed to any specific birth plan, as we had to react to the sequence of events quite quickly, and being flexible meant that we could just focus on doing what was best for Mum and baby. Phew! Chris
Mum and Baby

posted at 11:43 pm  

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Once again, well done Caitlin, Anna and Chris, and thanks Chris for all the details. I remember well being in the same situation as Chris of "holding the baby" (Anna!) while Mum was being tended to, a very special moment I will never forget. A number of people tell us they are following your bulletins, and they all send their congratulations! Len

7:56 pm  

Post a Comment

<< Home