Hi all
I wanted to go back to the beginning and catch up the where I am today. Part of me however, wishes that I had written this post back when the emotions were still fresh, because even now, just seven months later, I know I can't accurately recall every detail.
My due date fell on a Monday. On the Thursday evening I went to my friend's for dinner and began getting my first contractions, albeit they were very soft at this point in time. I collected my husband from pool and was slightly merry having had a couple of drinks, I remember being anxious about it thinking that I was going to end up having the baby that night, and he'd be half cut!
The contractions continued through the night but only at a rate of about one every ten minutes - just enough to keep you awake through the night, but not enough to think that your baby is anywhere close to arriving. When my R left for work in the morning he thought that I'd be calling him back at some point during the day. I went off for a sweep and the midwife said I was already 2cm dilated. The sweep isn't comfortable but it's certainly not painful. I think the key is to relax-ha ha!
I had another night of contractions and I put my TENS machine on during the night, This really helped to ease the pain and enabled me to get some sleep. I was getting worried about being shattered before the baby even arrived. I also has contractions all through Saturday and Saturday night.
On Sunday we decided enough was enough and we took a long walk to get things going a bit more. We walked down to the seafront and stopped for a bite to eat, then walked across the stones, which is meant to help. By the time we were approaching home I was at the point where I couldn't stand still with the contractions and had to walk through them.
Because I had been having contractions for so many days I was now convinced that I wasn't going to go into labour naturally. I kept saying to my husband that it wasn't going to happen, and he was quite categorically saying that it WAS in fact happening. It's funny the things that go through your mind.
At around six o'clock I had, what I thought was a fresh bleed. We phoned the hospital and were told to come in, where following some monitoring etc, we found that I was 4-5cm dilated. At this point I was allowed to stay in hospital if I wished, but I had hoped for a home birth and so instead they sent me off with strict instructions to walk around for another two hours to keep things progressing.
I went off for a stroll (I've made that sound quite relaxed, when in fact I was huffing and puffing and staggering about) and I asked Mr R to have a rest and something to eat as I was going to need his support. I came back and got into the bath which I found was a great pain reliever. At eleven pm the midwife headed out to us and by this point I was 6cm.
This was when she gave me the gas and air. Oh my goodness, I loved the stuff! She brought two canisters with her and my Mum had to be deployed to collect two more from the hospital due to the rate I was going through it.
I muddled through the next few hours with baths and gas and air. I eventually got to a point where my body was instinctively trying to push, and I felt that I couldn't continue any longer. My midwife then checked me again and found that I was fully dilated. I had gone through what they said was a 'classic transition'. I was still at home so a second midwife was called and I was able to begin to push my baby down.
In our local area they like ladies to push for a maximum of three hours. By the point of pushing I was exhausted. I had been contracting for days and hasn't slept properly, so my contractions slowed right down. Two and a half hours later and I still hasn't managed to get the baby 'round the bend', and so I was transferred to hospital. The ambulance was called at seven am and delivered my baby at 7:36.
Once we arrived at the hospital I was assessed and preparations made for an assisted delivery. The doctor used a ventouse to help move the baby down and through the birth canal and finally she arrived.
We were so surprised that she was a little girl. We had both been convinced throughout the pregnancy that we were expecting a boy so it took a bit of adjustment.
Once I had given birth she was transferred straight onto my chest and I was then able to feed her. Breastfeeding came very naturally to me, although I had not been bothered as to whether I breast or bottle fed.
I then hopped into the shower while my husband got our little girl dressed into her going home outfit, and we were able to take our daughter straight home without even going onto the ward.
It sounds long and drawn out, and don't get me wrong, it was, but it was a wonderful experience and I believe we were very lucky to have had such a smooth and easy labour.
And here we are!
Following Minnie's birth I was completely
overcome by emotion. It sounds silly, but the enormity of the responsibility of
having a child didn't hit me until she was here. I was also struck by how
wonderfully lucky we are to be surrounded by some incredible friends and
family. Mostly I was consumed by love. Love is almost the wrong word, because
it's not love as you know it. I don't wish to sound condescending, but it's a
feeling that until you have your baby, you will never know.
Thank you for reading, and if you've got
this far well done.
How was your birth?
Lucy x
