24 hour countdown

Another examination and another sweep, difference was this time the sweep caused my waters to break. Even though it was painful and I was now swimming in a pool of fluid I was relieved because I knew this would mean my baby will be born within 24 hours. 

I was shown to the midwife led ward as I was not high risk, it just mean they have more alternative therapies rather than just beds. Within a few minutes I was sat on a bean bag, naked, with my husband sat facing me bouncing on a ball like he was in a Jane fonder video. 

None of this came naturally to me, the thought of being naked and strangers coming in examining me was something I cringed over but today all of that care went out the window. We had to move rooms because I had used all the gas and air. I just started to walk towards the door still no clothes on and my husband grabbed a bed sheet and chucked it round me. I decided (high as a kite I may add) that I would fly down the corridor holding the sheet like a cape, the midwife didn’t see the funny side as I was flashing innocent passers by. The midwife asked if I wanted to get in the bath as it would ease the pain, my only concern was can I take the gas and air with me because that stuff was like catnip to a cat. If it didn’t feel amazing I would of laughed at the thought of having a bath with a disco ball on and whale music but it worked, I was so relaxed yes the pain was still there but the lightening and sounds just relaxed me enough to cope. An hour later and I look like a wrinkly sausage so back to the beanbag I go, at this point I had been in active labour for roughly 11 hours. Next option the midwife suggests having a water birth and getting in the pool, yeah why not I’ll try anything. I had to wait for the pool to become available which took a further 4 hours. I got in the pool but unfortunately after an hour my contractions had stopped, I didn’t even know they could stop! As I hadn’t eaten for five days I had no energy and had eat these tablets to raise my levels, three packets later and my body was still in starvation mode. I was told I had to get out the pool and be transferred to the main labour ward to be seen by the doctor. 

Another few hours later and I was put on a drip to restart the contractions again, I was told that it would make them come back with a vengeance and they would be a lot worse. The drip would take four hours to to complete its dose, that was it, that was my wall I couldn’t do this anymore. I wanted the epidural. 

20 hours in, I didn’t know if it was night time, morning or afternoon. I felt pretty useless, what was I doing wrong? Do I have a low pain threshold?