My birth story...by Rachel

It was an awful labour...a lots worse than my other two. I went in at 8am to be induced, and by the time I got there I started having mild pains. They examined me and said that I was already 3cm and in labour...so no need to be induced! At 11am, went to labour ward and started having very strong contractions which were unbearable!! I was in so much agony! I had gas and air, which helped a bit, and also I had to have an epidural. I sat on the side of the bed clutching a pilliow and bent over, head down while they inserted needles in my back for epidural. It was horrible, it took them an hour to do it, and there was me still bending over holding dh's shoulders and trying to breathe every contractions which were coming every three mins! Once they finished, I was so frustrated and was in so much pain, and the epidural didn't work!!

I waited for an hour, but it still didn't work and I had to have a second epidural. Stephen (Dh) and my best friend, Jackie couldn't stand seeing me in so much agony that they told them to hurry up and make it work!! This time it worked, but not fully, as I could feel my legs, sort of like pins and needles, but the contractions were less painful which was a relief, as I couldn't cope with it any longer! I was so woozy with so much gas and air, and I felt so tired, and my blood pressure was so low. They gave me so many jags and try encouraged me to stay awake.

By 5.30pm, my friend Jackie went to the cafe to have something to eat and also some fresh air to calm her down and said that she'd be back in 30 mins. Just after she left, I felt a lots of pressure down below, I was examined and they found that I was already 10cm dilated. Stephen wouldn't dare to leave the room to get Jackie back! Did lots of pushing, and out came Hayley at 6.02pm......she was so tiny and perfect to me, they took her off to an incubator to check her over. Then it was time to concentrate on the second twin who was then breech. They did a scan to find out where twin two was positioned, and she was bum breech with her legs crossed which is too risky to deliver, and a doctor decided to turn her round to head down. He put his whole arm in me, which was incredible painful, and of course i was screaming. He managed to turn twin two round and I had my legs in stirrups and was pushing for what seemed like ages. Again I was in so much agony, and was pushing so hard so many times and I felt so exhausted, and my blood pressure was dropping even lower. Stephen and everyone encoraged me to keep going. Twin two came out, just her shoulder and her left arm and she became stuck, and that when everyone start panicking. Lots of doctors and midwives came in, about 25 of them, and they all rushed me into theatre to have an emergency c-section. I panicked, as no one was telling me what was happening, and they were all shouting and running around, preparing for a section. They put me on the other bed and put me to sleep. That's the last I remember.

Stephen rushed after me to theatre but was told to stand outside. Jackie arrived back to the labour ward, to find that I wasn't there, and there was only one baby...she also saw a trail of blood along down the corridor from my labour room to the theatre so she knew immeditely that something was wrong. A midwife explained what happened and she went to theatre and found Stephen outside the theatre door in tears. He didn't know what was happening or whether Holly and I will be ok or not. As it was, Holly was born at 6.30pm, and she was checked over. Her left arm, shoulder and her left side of her tummy was black and blue, bruising from being stuck in the birth canal.

I was haemmorhaging and lost so much blood that my blood pressure was dangerously low. I had to have three blood tranfusions, and was on so much mophine that I was unconscious all night and all morning the next day. Stephen, Jackie and the doctors kept trying to keep me awake and to talk to me, but I don't remember any of it as I kept drifting in and out of sleep. I was so woozy when I woke up and felt like I had a very bad hangover!! Stephen showed me Holly who I hadn't seen and she was so perfect and beautiful with lots of jet black hair! I was so relieved that it was all over and that my baby girls were safe and well. I stayed in bed for three days as I was so weak, and my face had swelled up. I've seen the photos and oh my, I looked awful, like death warmed up!

All the nurses were brilliant, helping me with the twins and everything. I had loads of visitors.... even people who came to visited someone else's baby, came to see my twins....they all were going 'Ahhhhhh'..'Ohhhhh'...'they beeeaauuuuttiful!!' ...'oohh they are gorgous!' and there's me with the biggest smile on my face, I felt so dead proud that I am their mummy!! Lol! Even the midwives fought over whose turn it was to feed the twins!!

I was so pleased to finally get home with my babies and to see my other two boys who I missed so much - now a family of 6 we definitely need a bigger car!

Rachael G
Mum to Jamie (6) and Ben (2)
Hayley Ashleigh 5lbs 3oz and Holly Summer 5lb Born 18th March 2004 36+4 weeks