my birth story is written for penny, as il print it off and itl go in my pregnancy journal that ive kept since week 4
At half nine on Thursday the 18th.. i began to have some little cramps. This was nothing new but i felt it was time to listen to some hypnobirthing cd's and get some rest. I came upstairs, got into my jimjams, and turned the cd player on. I spent a good hour visualising your birth, you moving into the birthing canal and willing things along. I felt like i was like really in tune with my body this time and i remember feeling like me and you, we were doing something productive. Something was happening. I dozed off, and around 12 daddy came to bed.. he woke me up and i went to the toilet.. i knew when i woke that something was different, and so when i saw some pinky discharge.. i was so pleased! but i willed myself not to get excited.. it was a sign, but only a small one. It could be a long time before we meet you yet. I climbed back into bed, but within ten minutes my tightening were getting stronger and i was breathing through them, disturbing daddy! I decided to get up, and go and have a bounce with you in front of the telly! We watched My Name is Earl for half an hour on E4, before i decided i just had to walk.. and began doing laps of our fairly small living room! I think daddy would have thought i was mad if he had seen me! but my body was telling me to move! ... after an hour of bouncing and walking.. I felt the need to be in the water and at 1am began running the bath.. i climbed in and daddy told mummy she was being silly! but i knew something was happening. Daddy kept telling mummy to phone the hospital if she thought things were happening, but i said it wasn't time yet.. we needed more time. After an hour in the bath, i noticed the surges were coming every 8 minutes.. and lasting over a minute. Mummy called for daddy to get out of bed and fetch her notes.. and i phoned the delivery suite from the bath. The lady told me to wait until my surges were coming every 5 minutes and lasting over a minute.. consistently for a good hour or so. She also told me to get into the bath.. mummy told her she hadn't gotten out of the first one yet and she laughed!
mummy climbed out of the bath and dressed in daddy's robe. i led on the sofa with daddy's watch to time my contractions, and daddy faffed a little! Soon enough, after an hour they were coming every 5 minutes and lasting between 1 minute 30 seconds and 2 minutes.. Mummy told daddy it was time to ring the delivery suit and ask if we could go in, mummy got a bit tearful. The surges were strong but manageable.. but i felt it time to be somewhere new. The nice lady on the phone told daddy we could make our way in, it was 3am and it was ever so cold... far too cold for what an August night should have been. I told daddy to grab our hospital bag and mummy climbed up the stairs on her hands and knees to get some clothes on! I threw daddy's big grey jumper and some pajama bottoms on and i made my way out to the car. Mummy must have been confused because I climbed into the drivers side!.. after waiting for a surge to pass, I climbed into the passenger seat and we were on our way. I kept telling Daddy that this wasn't it, we would be sent home. Mummy thought she would be no more than 2cm if anything at all.. and was preparing herself to be sent home. Mummy wasn't upset, she just wanted to be somewhere calm and safe. We finally got to the hospital at 3:30am, and a midwife called Anna met us at the door. Mummy got a bit ratty with daddy because he was rubbing her back and mummy didn't like that very much!! Anna laughed and took us into the birthing suite. The walls were blue, with little framed pictures of beaches on the wall.. the floor was matted and had lots of comfy cushions.. Mummy sat in a rocking chair whilst Anna looked over my notes and asked me how things were so far. She then told mummy that the sonographer who had scanned you two weeks before had written that mummy wasn't to labour in the birthing suite.. and mummy got upset. Anna told me that because i hadn't had any other complications, the scan had been perfect and we hadn't had any further problems since the scan, that she thought we could proberly stay but would have to check with the doctor first. I assume the doctor said it was okay because mummy didn't leave this room after this. Anna asked if I'd like to be examined, and i told her she could but that not to worry, i wouldn't be disappointed.. i didn't expect anything at all. Mummy was so surprised when Anna told her she was 4 cm dialated! This made me so happy, i was so pleased I'd gotten this far on my own too. Anna gave mummy some paracetamol and told daddy to run her a bath.. and as soon as it was ready I threw off all my clothes and slid into the warm water. We liked this very much. Anna turned off all thee lights and switched the radio on, and daddy got a chair to sit next to the bath with mummy. I remember hearing Lady gaga playing.. and mummy was not impressed.. and promptly told daddy to find our hypnobirthing cd's.. but the player was broken, and so was the replacement Anna bought us.. so we switched to Jack FM for some older tunes and relaxed back into breathing through the surges. They were becoming closer together but mummy still felt they were manageable. at 4:45, mummy decided it was time to get out the bath, i was getting too warm. daddy helped mummy out and dried me off, i put some pants and my sleep bra on and led down on the matted floor with a blanket. Mummy stayed on these mats until the very end..
Soon enough your Auntie Sarah arrived, which made mummy happy. Anna the midwife had finished her shift and so Jemima, the new midwife came to see me. She was lovely and we all liked her very much. She was very supportive and ensured me i was doing a great job. Mummy kept breathing through the surges and a different midwife came in and asked if i'd like some pethidine, mummy said No.. that she would like her tense machine first. Jemima came back and sorted out mummy's tense machine because daddy couldn't get it to work! The tense machine felt very funny but it helped distract mummy a little. Jemima asked mummy if she knew whether you were a girl or boy, and we told her you were going to be a surprise.. and we all agreed we thought you would be a little boy.. oh how wrong we were! The surges became closer and close and began to come one on top of another, which made things harder. Mummy was offered pethidine again and was examined, we were 5 cm! so i decided against it. Jemima told me not to be disappointed, but i wasn't! i was so pleased we'd got to 5 cm on our own.. I soon became very sleepy and was able to doze between each surge. Mummy was groaning a lot during each surge. Auntie Sarah kept asking if we were okay, and mummy kept saying 'no!' .. Auntie Sarah would always say 'yes you are' and mummy would wonder why she bothered asking! Things must have been speeding up by now, as the surges were much more intense! Mummy felt in control, but wasn't sure how to cope with the peak of each surge as it seemed to last longer and longer each time. Daddy asked the midwife if anywhere close by did a nice cooked breakfast, and then asked if he could go to maccy d's! Mummy told him certainly not... but he left to go to the hospital cafe as he was very hungry and had been up since 1am with mummy. I hadn't realised that daddy had left, and during a surge mummy caught a glimpse of his bright green jumper hanging over the chair opposite, and started yelling at daddy to hold my hand.. Auntie Sarah asked who i was talking to, and then told me daddy had been gone for half an hour! .. daddy finally came back and things definitely sped up.
Jemima told mummy she should roll on to her other side, because she'd been squished on the mats for so long. Mummy rolled over and Auntie Sarah, daddy and Jemima all laughed because the mats had left a funny impression all down mummy's right hand side. They were all reading magazines and discussing Jemima's trip to California. Mummy felt her surges were getting so strong, and decided if this would continue for another 12 hours or so that i couldn't cope. Mummy kept asking Jemima to help her, and every time a surge came mummy kept thinking she would have stern words with Jemima because she wasn't helping! .. but then another surge would come and mummy couldn't remember if she had said anything at all! Every time i had a surge i had to breathe very fast to help me through it, and then daddy would let mummy sip lots of water from a little cup and straw because mummy's mouth was getting very dry!! Auntie Sarah kept telling mummy to have some gas and air, and mummy told her off for putting it in her mouth when she didn't want it! Mummy suddenly felt like she needed to wee, and so after another surge, daddy and Auntie Sarah helped mummy up to the loo. I sat down and i had a wee, but mummy didn't feel she could get back off the toilet and things became very intense. Mummy asked Jemima and Auntie Sarah why they thought she could do this when they had both had children themselves and why didn't they understand! They both just laughed and me and mummy wasn't very impressed! Mummy felt a sudden pressure and told Jemima i needed to push. Jemima kept looking underneath and mummy noticed her reaching for all her towels and midwife tools that were in a box underneath the sink! .. Mummy felt Jemima knew something was happening, and she ushered me back on to the mats to examine me. Jemima told mummy she was 10 cm and it was time to get pushing. Mummy had to lie on her back and start pushing down into my bottom. Mummy kept getting confused and pushing into my tummy and Jemima kept telling me i needed to refocus. Jemima kept telling mummy your head was coming, and asked if i wanted to feel.. but mummy wanted to concentrate. Pushing you out didn't hurt, at all. It stung a little, but the overwhelming feeling that my body knew just what to do was incredible. Mummy held daddy and Auntie Sarah's hand on either side and breathed you down. Mummy pushed hard and Jemima kept telling mummy that you were on your way and how well she was doing. Mummy was waiting to feel you come out..Mummy asked Jemima how long she had been pushing for and she told me that i had been pushing for 40 minutes. It didn't seem that long at all and mummy was surprised. Every time i had a surge i pushed downwards and clung onto daddy and Auntie Sarah's hands but they kept leaning forward to see you come out which made mummy mad! lol Mummy was making lots of loud groaning noises and Jemima told mummy she needed to slow down otherwise I would get a sore throat tomorrow!.. and she was right, mummy did end up with a sore throat!! Soon enough Jemima said your head was out and i had to stop pushing but i couldn't!!! Mummy told herself she needed to remember the song that was playing, but she couldn't remember the name and then all of a sudden you were there! Jemima lifted you onto mummy's tummy and you let out a little cry! Mummy asked Jemima why you had a funny shaped head, and she said it was just the way you come down the birth canal and that it would get more rounded soon.. mummy laughed! Daddy gave mummy a kiss and I asked Daddy what you were... Jemima moved your legs open and daddy said you were a girl! we were all very shocked! Auntie Sarah started crying and daddy cut your cord. The cord felt very funny and mummy remembers thinking this is what it must feel like to have a willy! Your eyes were so dark and beautiful, and all that hair.. you were a chubby little monkey and mummy thought you were the most amazing thing she'd ever seen. Your skin was very dry and you didn't have much vermix on you, and your nails were so long too! Mummy gave you a big kiss on your forehead. I couldn't believe you were finally here, after 9 months of growing you inside my tummy, you were here.. making our family complete.
Daddy took you from mummy's chest for your first cuddles, and mummy had to focus on pushing the placenta out. Mummy was very tired and wasn't sure she had the energy, so Jemima gave me a special injection to speed things along. Soon enough it came out and Auntie Sarah and daddy said it looked huge! Mummy started shaking and so Auntie Sarah helped me onto the rocking chair, and you were placed in my arms for first cuddles. You latched onto mummy's booby and we all just sat and stared at you. This perfect little thing. Auntie Sarah took lots of pictures, and then we all took guesses as to how much you would weigh, Auntie Sarah said you would be 6lb 11, and Jemima said she knew you would be more than that.. mummy said 7lb 4, and daddy guessed 7 lb 8.. Jemima put you on the scales and you were 7lb 8.5oz which made daddy happy!! We snuggled for a little while before daddy had special daddy-daughter time while Auntie Sarah helped mummy in the bath. Mummy led in the bath and looked down and her wibbly wobbly belly and thought it was so funny how only hours ago i was in the same bath, looking at my big tummy and breathing through our very first surges, eagerly awaiting your arrival. <3
