signs of labour

 

Early labour and contractions.

Our rainbow decided she did not want to wait. I did make a joke last week, when Ben started getting strong tightening that she had to at least wait until after the baby Shower. Our rainbow took that literally as the very next day we were in hospital because Ben was having signs of contractions.

This started properly on the Sunday, however he had been experiencing tightness and strong braxton hicks for weeks. Well very early at like 27 weeks when we were submitted to hospital for false contractions. This time they were different, they were more painful and came from the lower back and travelled from low abdominal up his bump, like a wave. The pain also radiated up his back to his neck and shoulders. These contractions start off around 20 minuets apart however were very irregular. Delivery was busy on this night so we waited over 2 hours to be seen.

The midwife put Ben on a monitor and felt his belly. She then got a doctor to come and do a spectrum check where, they look at the cervix and his stitch. He said Ben was not dilating but we were sent upstairs for further monitoring. By the time we got put upstairs in the Cameron birthing ward it was about half 6 in the morning. We had not slept and was so tired. Ben continued to show signs of contractions but his stitch was in place. We were told to just wait and see. After being put on the monitor constantly and being given round the clock strong pain relief, Ouma finally came to see us.

Ouma checked Ben's cervix and showed the other doctor what to look for. She confirmed that his stitch was fine and their was no sign of tension on it. This meant that they had to just keep him in and wait. If labour progressed and his cervix put tenions on the stitch or there was any sign of dilating they would just do an emerancy ceasauren and get rainbow out. As well as taking the stitch out. They said that sometime the stitch can irriate the womb and cause false contractions but could also be a urine infection. However they have dipped and sent off urine sample for last 2 days, all came back clear. They also took a swab to check for infections which came back fine as well.

Later that night Ben was still getting strong pains and tighness, all they kept doing was giving him strong pain relief, while putting him on the monitor. But the pain killers did not help at all. By the morning he had not felt the baby move since 10pm. He then got very strong contractions which showed on the monitor so. They sent us down to delievery to be checked by a doctor. The doctor came and checked Ben's stitch and said there was still no changes, all was in tact. So after a while they sent us back up to the birthing centre where wee been previously. His contractions seem to subside and no one knew what was going on. No one gave us a clear plan or idea.

Ben had still not felt rainbow move and was getting worried that she was distress so we spoke to the doctor, who sent us for a scan.

The sonographer was lovely she was so open minded and intrigued by our jounery being trans parents. So we had a lovely chat and I gave her the link to this blog. So if your reading this thank you as educating people and sharing our jounery is so lovely for us but also to help others learn and then in turn hopefully change societies perspective on transgender people, more so trans men being pregnant. She also talked through the scan and measurement and really resured us. Baby so wiggling a little bit and measuring slightly big still, estimated to weigh 6lb 8oz. With this we were more happy if our baby was to come early that she would be healthy weight. And great gestation, although premature would have great chance of not needing a long stay in nicu, if any.

Back on the ward and more waiting around to hopefully see Austin and discuss what was going on and put a bit of a plan in place. To our disappointment he could not come see us but passed on a message though 2 different people which does not help when messagess then get mixed up. Basically stating he does not think the stitch should be removed. I asked the doctor why he said he does not know Austin intentions but saying he thinks Ben is not in labour and that they are not contractions. He was trying to say they could be braxton hick or something else but they does not know why he in pain. I put across that no one had actually kept track of how Ben was and when he had contractions and that I had been recording them. That they are getting longer and more intense while they do come one every 2-4 minuets for hours the disappear for hours to then return that it could be early slow labour. He said Ben. Don't look in pain. This annoyed me because of he in for 5 mins how can he know bens not in pain, people have different pain thresholds and I know when Ben is really in pain. He goes quiet and tearful.

The doctor did not really know what to say or what to tell us other then we have to just wait and see. I did get a bit blunt with him as I hate seeing Ben in pain and they just dose him up on high pain meds and ignore the fact he has the stitch which if labour happens suddly could tear. I know I'm not a professional but I have research and asked our specialists lots of questions because I am medically minded, and with the work I do helps the fact I understand. So again we wait.

As Ben was still in pain and had not slept they gave him an injection which has pain relief and anti sickness in that would help him sleep. So at about 5 after dinner they gave him it which, pretty much sent him straight to sleep. We both feel asleep which was nice as we needed it.

Then early hours of this morning Wednesday (now being 35 weeks) Ben started to feel a bit wet and getting the tingling, pulling pains in his public area like inside from the stitch. He put a pad on then went back to sleep. An hour or so after he woke up and was very wet, it gone through the pad and his boxers making his Joggers wet too. So he gave the pad to the midwive to look at while he got changed. She said that it was just watery discharge and to keep an eye that was all. Within 15 minutes he was soak through again, this time wetting the bed too. As he stood up to take the pad our and change again, there was a gash, the floor was soaked. The midwive called the doctor to come examine Ben, as sshee was still convinced it was not his waters.

The doctor came in and went to do a specrume examination to swab the cervix to test if it was the animatic fluid. Before even putting the specrume in it was clearly his it was waters, thus confirmed that they had broken so now he was in labour. We knew all along that he was, that they were contractions and that something was happening.

The plan was to go downstairs and go ahead with elected c section to deliver the baby and take the stitch out. So we just had to wait for a bed downstairs and find out what time we would be doing down. In the mean time lis the midwive who was the one that delivered Nico happened to be working and came up to pre Ben for surgery.

We are now waiting on the anaesthetist and our specialist to come up and talk through what will happen. But our baby will be here later today.


My advice on this topic is listen to your body, if you know something is not right or something is happening trust your instincts. As the person carring the baby you know best. Do not be afraid to question professional yes they are trained but they don't know how you feel. They go by experience and what they seen but everyone is different. You know best.

It is also a year ago to this day that we had Nico funeral, so it is also a hard day but a special one for our raainbow aa
nd her angel brother to share a day like this. As if he sent her from heaven especially for us as a new life and soul from him. I know he will be with us today and making sure his sister is fine, healthy and hopefully strong enough to now need a long hospital stay.

The next post will hopefully be about our rainbow journey into the world and I will post how it went as well as a lovely photo of her. Thank you all for following us on this amazing journey. It has been a long difficult two years with losing Nico and all the complication that arose from that. Then the surrealness of sitting and waiting to have our rainbow in our arms.

(Written at 35 weeks)