HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL GIRL!!

*sob* why do I always cry on my kids birthdays?? It's a good cry though...


After feeling like it may never happen and booking in for a medical induction on the Monday, I woke up on Saturday the 23rd of July 2005 12 days overdue with strong Braxton hicks and tummy cramps at 2.30am. After a big clearout (nice!) the Braxton hicks continues although not consistently. I couldn’t sleep so got up and did lots of walking around the house folding washing etc. The clearout continued so I got a bit excited thinking maybe this is it! After posting here and in my due in July group I decided to ‘do a Kate’ and try to feel my cervix. The baby’s head was right down which she hadn’t been a few ours earlier, and just touching my cervix set off massive contractions. I woke Mark to put on the TENS machine, he didn’t quite know what was going on and wanted to know if we’d make it to Jasper’s swimming that morning, lol!
He went back to bed and I was happy to keep walking and squatting during contractions happily alone. I spoke to my baby a bit telling her how excited I was that we would get to meet her soon and how glad I was that she had chosen today to be her birthday. By 5.30am the contractions were consistently about 7 minutes apart and I was still happy in between but I felt a distinct shift in them, they became serious. I think this really was when my labour actually started. I kneeled over the gym ball during contractions and watched good morning America in between. At 6am I was getting pretty bored so woke Mark. I actually got pretty cranky because he took a while to work out what was happening, lol! I got him to ring my friend who would look after Jasper at 6.30am and my midwife Dale at about 7am. Contractions were really strong and about 3 minutes apart by this stage; I wasn’t feeling I could cope at all. Susan came to pick up Jasper (my beautiful boy slept through the night for the first time in ages) and I was really emotional seeing him leave. Dale arrived at the same time and did an internal. I was devastated to be only 3 cms dilated. She said that it was great and it wouldn’t be long but I was convinced I had hours to go. She went home to have breakfast and told me to ring when I wanted to go into the birth centre. I decided pretty soon after that I needed to go, my house was really cold and I wanted to get in the bath. The drive to the hospital was AWFUL, I never want to have to get into a car in labour again! The lovely Dale had the bath ready for me when I arrived and I got straight in. I have no idea how long I spent there, it was probably an hour or 2 but it was wonderful between contractions. I had all these things to tell myself during contractions but it was a real fight in my head with the huge part of me screaming ‘noooo’. I chanted in my head ‘800,000 woman are doing this at this exact moment too and I’m fine’. Mark was great, seems to know that I need him to sit there and not say anything! All I wanted was a hand to squeeze and him to tell me I was fine when I told him I couldn’t do it anymore. Dale eventually suggested I get out, as the dr wanted a CTG because I was post dates. I was happy for a change but regretted it the second I got out. Barring something seriously wrong I will NEVER have a CTG again in labour. I absolutely hate anything on my stomach during contractions it tripled the intensity of contractions and after a few minutes I ripped it off. Dale tried (not very hard, lol) to convince me to have it a bit longer. I had a bit of gas at this stage too, which does nothing for me.
I decided at this point that enough was enough and I needed an epidural. Dale said it was probably too late but I was sure I would only be 5cms. One horrendous internal later I was 8cms. I still told her I needed one and she went along with it, getting me up to delivery suite. I was leaning over the hospital bed end face first in a pillow when the anaesthetist came in and started explaining the risks etc. I very calmly told her to shut up and put it in! She was preparing all the things (while I secretly pushed, lol!) and must have happened to look at my rear end and said ‘ah no epidural for you, membranes are bulging’. I had a bit of a panic feeling I couldn’t do it without one but Dale was wonderful, saying that yes it will hurt but it will be all over soon. She got warm compresses and held them to my perineum to help stop tearing while I pushed. After a few pushes my membranes ruptured and it felt amazing. Mark had a look and said ‘she’s got lots of hair’ which totally amazed me, I remember thinking what the f*%$ is he thinking, who gives a damn about hair, I’m pushing a BABY out, lol!
I felt her crowning, which I really love too, I find it much less painful that 1st stage labour. I felt a tear and new it was big despite really easing her head out. On my perineum she wiggled her head around which REALLY hurt. One more push and she was between my knees. She screamed almost straight away, I rolled over trying not to pull the cord on my tear (ouch) and held her. She was really mushed and cranky, yelling more than crying. She took a while to stop enough to breastfeed, but then fed beautifully for 30 minutes or so.
I had a 3rd degree tear which I’m sure was unavoidable after my previous episiotomy. I had planned to have a natural third stage but Scarlett’s cord had stopped pulsating and I was having really uncomfortable cramps. There seems no reason to not have the injection and the placenta came out minutes after.
And there you have it, my beautiful, precious baby girl was here.

Will add birthday photos later!