First time mum, Kelly, was home alone when her labour started with her FIFO husband waiting to board a flight home. We are so grateful for Kelly sharing her story with us!
It was the weekend of the 28th of June, I started to lose bits of what I thought was my mucous plug, along with nausea and more frequent bowel movements. I became increasingly anxious as the days went on that my husband was FIFO and still away at work. I called my husband on Sunday morning the 30th of June and told him to book a flight to come home. Unfortunately for us he couldn’t get a flight until the Monday morning, however we were feeling hopeful that with it being my first birth that he would make it home in time.
I woke up on Monday morning the 1st of July at around 5:30am to severe heartburn. I decided to have some breakfast and then took myself back to bed. As I went to lay down I felt a pop & gush.. my waters had broken. I contacted my husband immediately and told him I wouldn’t be able to pick him up at the airport and to meet us back at home as I would be going up to the hospital to get checked and then head back home to labour.
I then contacted the hospital who told me to come in and get checked but to “have some breakfast & take my time”. My mother was on her way to pick me up when she heard the news.
Things started to ramp up really quickly, I struggled to pack the rest of my hospital bits & cried to my husband on the phone about the pain I was in. I couldn’t time my contractions they were so intense and back-to-back with no rest period. The contractions were in both my stomach & back and I could not get relief in any position.
After what was easily the worst car ride of my life, we made it up to the hospital. It was around 8am, I could hardly speak or move the pain was intense. The midwife checked my cervix and I was 8cm dilated. We rushed through to the birth suite where I started to push instantly. It was too late for any form of pain relief and honestly it was the last thing on my mind I just wanted my baby out. I pushed with absolutely everything I had in me, I could feel my sons head, but I struggled.. I was exhausted.
Our son then started to drop his heart rate and he became distressed with pushes. The Obstetrician was called in to assist and with one push and a vacuum extraction our sweet son was born at 9:30am. A 3 hour labour & birth in total. I was left with a second degree tear and feeling like I was on a whole different planet. My husband missed the birth but was fortunate enough to watch most of it over face time until it was time for him to board his flight.
Our son was in my arms and perfect. After about an hour earth side he had to be rushed to the Special Care Nursery as he had gone into respiratory distress. He spent nearly 4 weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit between 3 different hospitals and is now home safely in our arms
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