On the afternoon of 2 September 2018, I went to the hospital to be checked over as I thought my waters may have been leaking. I went into labour that evening around 5:30pm and stayed overnight to be monitored and given pain relief. The next morning, a midwife examined me and accidentally broke my waters. I was taken to the labour ward where I was given an epidural which allowed me to sleep for a few hours. When I woke up, I was trembling and clammy - I had not passed any urine for hours and was given IV antibiotics as a precaution.
Henry’s heart rate kept dropping very low, so they decided the put a clip onto his head to enable them to take a more accurate recording. At around 6pm I was examined and told that I was almost fully dilated and needed to begin pushing - my baby was getting tired, and they needed to get him out as soon as possible. As soon as I began pushing, Henry’s heart rate dropped dangerously low.
The midwife pulled the red emergency button, and a stampede of people ran into my room. An anaesthetist gave me a spinal block whilst my legs were put into stirrups and the end of the bed was removed. I was given an extended episiotomy and Henry was pulled from me using forceps. They passed him over the drape and placed him onto my tummy. He was a purple colour and limp - opening his mouth and trying to gasp for air. I rubbed him vigorously with the towel he was wrapped in and encouraged him to take his first breath – he didn’t.