When Bec and Liam fell pregnant for a second time, it was a mini-miracle. They’d suffered a devastating miscarriage, then spent a year trying to have their rainbow baby.
Just when they were about to turn to fertility treatment, they found out they were already pregnant. For the West Australian childhood sweethearts, it was a chance to finally have the family they always wanted.
End of pregnancy complications
Bec breathed a sigh of relief as her pregnancy advanced past the first trimester, and beyond. Then as she got to the home stretch, there were a few red flags. “I was booked for an induction on July 10th (38+5) due to my blood pressure spiking at times and baby measuring three weeks ahead,’ Bec told Mum’s Grapevine.
“On July 7th I woke up at 5 am having period pains, they lasted about 30 seconds and came every 20 minutes for two hours then completely stopped. I then started having some pink spotting which got heavier and baby was moving less. So I decided to go get checked at the hospital.
“The CTG was perfect and baby started moving again which was a relief. I had a vaginal exam which showed my cervix had started to thin but labour would be a while away and I’d likely still need the induction in a few days.”
‘I’m still only two centimeters!’
Bec drove home from hospital around lunchtime, so she headed to McDonald’s for something to eat. And she made her way through the drive-through, she was hit with a powerful contraction. She headed home and ran a bath, and by 3pm her contractions were 20 minutes apart, lasting for 45 seconds.
“I knew I was in for a long night! 6 pm came and contractions were 10 minutes apart but becoming painful. I decided after having some dinner to use my exercise ball which helped with the intensity of my contractions, I continued to use that and have hot showers until 11:30 pm when my contractions were five minutes apart and lasting for one minute.
“I started to become emotional at that point because things were starting to feel real! We presented to the hospital at 12 am, I was checked and only two centimeters dilated. I was feeling upset that I was in such intense pain but hadn’t progressed as much as I had expected! I decided to get an epidural at 5 am when I was checked again and was still only two centimeters.
“The epidural went in and my waters were broken, what an intense feeling that was! And hubby and I were able to get a quick nap in. My obstetrician arrived at 8 am and I was STILL only two centimeters! At that point I wanted to pack my bags and go home, however my husband reminded me I couldn’t!
“The decision was made to start the Pitocin drip to get things moving along as things were just progressing too slowly. I’m so glad I had the epidural as in three hours I was finally eight centimeters and starting to feel pressure in my back and bottom. At 4 pm my obstetrician arrived and it was finally time to push.
“At that point, it really hit me that I was about to have a baby and I remember feeling completely overwhelmed and like there was no way I could do it! But luckily my husband was there by my side and gave me a little pep talk that I could in fact do it!”
Little did Bec know there was one more twist in her birth story.
“I started pushing, which was way harder than I could have ever imagined, baby’s head was posterior so even with the epidural, I was feeling intense pain in my back. Unfortunately, after only 10 minutes of pushing my baby’s heart rate was dipping too much with every contraction that it was decided to use the vacuum to get baby out quickly for both our safety and to avoid a c-section.
“My little boy Marley was born at 4:35 pm and I burst into tears when he was finally put onto my chest. I was in complete shock that he was finally here after wanting him so badly! Unfortunately, Marley wasn’t breathing properly at birth and was rushed to the NICU minutes after being born due to a pneumothorax. It wasn’t until he was 18 hours old that I got to hold him – but it was so so worth it.”
More birth stories from the Grapeviner community…
- Birth Story: ‘I gave birth on the toilet’
- Birth Story: ‘One twin was conceived naturally, the other via IVF’
- Birth Story: ‘I delivered my own baby in the car’
About to (or just had) a baby?
We know that the wait to meet your baby can be nerve-wracking, but we’re here to remind you that you’re not alone. Our private Pregnancy & Baby Groups are a great way to connect with other Aussie mums who are due or had their babies around the same time as you.
