Practice makes perfect

First-time mom Kirsty Beamish desperately wanted a natural birth and was hoping for a mobile epidural. Did she get what she wanted?

On Wed 25 March, I started having contractions that were about 20 minutes apart. Throughout the course of the day, they became 10 and then five minutes apart. That evening, after watching The Mentalist, my husband, Rob, and I decided we had better head to the hospital, as we had been advised during our antenatal classes. Off we went, with our bags in tow, only to be told that I was only one or 2cm dilated, that it was “practice” labour and that it could go on for days. I was given the option of staying in hospital overnight to see what was happening by the morning but I decided against it; I would rather be in the comfort of home with lots of good TV to watch.

When I woke up the following morning – after a reasonably good night – the contractions were still regular. I decided to do some shopping and to see a movie to keep my mind off the “practice” labour.
But, by lunchtime, the contractions were even more painful; I decided that I would definitely be having an epidural in the parking lot if these were just practice contractions.

The contractions carried on throughout the day. Rob was busy with the opening of his and some friends’ biltong shop, so my aunt invited me for an early supper at her house. Two friends popped in for tea and then I drove myself to my aunt’s house, which, with hindsight, was not a good idea because I had a contraction going up Wynberg Hill and then one outside their gate. Each time I had a contraction, I needed to move around a bit or rock on the couch; my uncle teased me and told me not to be such a drama queen.

I then decided to have a bath before dinner. So, with my cousin and her little girl chatting to me, I had a lovely hot bath, which did help to ease the pain a little. After getting dressed, I went to the dining table and tried to eat my supper without cringing each time I had a contraction. Soon after, I had one contraction that was really sore and another straight after. I called my aunt and cousin and told them that I thought my waters had broken. They felt my underwear and told me that it definitely wasn’t as there would be a puddle around me. As I also had had a show (the plug of blood-tinged mucus) I asked Rob, who had arrived by this stage, to hurry up and finish his beer and take me to the hospital. However, we didn’t have any of our bags with us, as I had not thought to bring them.

When we arrived at the hospital, the midwife confirmed that my waters had broken and that I would not be going home without a baby. It was an exciting thought – but also a little frightening.
Rob was sent home to get all the bags and while he was away the midwife tried to organise an anaesthetist to come to give me an epidural. The first one she tried was an hour and a half away; there was no way I could wait that long. The second one was able to get to the hospital quickly but hadn’t realised he was on call and was out having dinner with his wife. At that stage, I didn’t care if he’d had wine with his dinner; I just wanted the drugs.

Anyway, as the gynae (a stand-in because mine was away) was busy with a delivery in the room next door to mine, I didn’t get examined before the epidural was administered. The anaesthetist gave me half the initial dose and then we waited for the gynae to do the examination.

Much to all our surprise, I was fully dilated. This meant I needed to deliver the baby before the epidural completely kicked in. So, I had arrived at the hospital at 9pm, and by 11.30pm my healthy, beautiful boy, Daniel Kilroy Beamish, was born weighing 3.7 kilos.

I was delighted because I really wanted a mobile epidural and that’s basically what I got. I could feel everything and could push but just didn’t have any pain. Wonderful!

Kirsty Beamish, 30, is an occupational therapist in Cape Town.