Happy Birthday dear 'Cleo'.
You came into this world two days late and very much on your own terms. It started with what was the first sign you were ready early in the morning, I was up at 5am to be exact and there was a little show but nothing significant only made me wonder, Could this be the sign it's today? I went back to bed and rested.
"Later I awoke and had breakfast with the family. You father was on leave already with a sore back and had decided to take your brother to the movies to see "Happy Feet". I stayed at home with Nanna Pam (my mum) and relaxed. By mid-morning I was feeling very tired again so went back to bed to rest, as I lay there I felt the first contractions. I got up and told mum, it was 10:45am and then the contractions started coming erratically, One at 5 minute intervals, one at three intervals. We recorded them and had a cup of tea. At 12pm I decided that this is definitely happening and called MD he was on the tram with Orion and would be back home in 10 minutes. Still we made lunch a very basic pasta and waited.
In that time your other Grandmother rang and when MD explained that my contractions were erratic she advised that I should go to the hospital now! So I rang the Hospital and confirmed we were coming in. MD packed the car with my bag that had been packed for a couple of days!!. We said our goodbyes and Orion at first wanted to come with us but in the end was happy to stay with his Nanna.
On the drive we discussed the names we had selected, as at this stage we had decided not to find out the sex of the child. We were happy with both choices. Arriving at the Hospital, no problems parking we made it the maternity ward. The Midwife asked if she could help me (my one sarcastic moment here folks... If a very heavily pregnant woman walks in with husband behind her with trolley bag I think you'd know the answer) BUT Fair's fair one has to be polite (I think I went into a flashback of labour angst then!) I answered *politely* as I'm not prone to swearing when in labour, that I was in 'labour', she then had another Mid-wife escort me to the birthing suites and as she questioned me how I was feeling I burst into tears (quite common) and had another small sharp contraction.
It's all still so vivid, I remember being in the birthing suite and waiting, thinking this is really happening, listening to the soft moans of a woman next door to me as MD went off to sign the paper work. Contractions came and nothing really over the top. I was placed on a monitor and the contractions were erratic so much so that the mid-wife suggested that I could go home and wait, luckily we didn't listen to her. Within half an hour the contractions came on thick and fast (I had been though labour before but nothing like this!) each contraction became more heavy and more painful....I couldn't believe or sometimes keep up, thankfully I had the best birthing partner in the world (too me) and he was able to coach my breathing...
I threw up as the first really, truly painful contractions started to come on (this happened with me in my first labour as well) it's as if every muscle is working for me...
I also had to have a line in my arm for antibiotics as I had had in my first pregnancy a positive Strep B swab. The poor midwife was inserting the needle (the least of my worries at this point) and as she did I had a very painful contraction
(I was standing) and braced my arms on the bed and the needle came out it was messy, she apologised and I said not to worry I had been in the middle of a painful contraction it was hardly her fault, she managed to get it in, but they were coming on thick and fast at this point. I had only been in the hospital for an hour and half. Somewhere in the background I could still hear the woman chanting her same labouring moan and here I was almost but didn't, wanting to scream, my labour had really accelerated. After 20 minutes of this type of labouring I turned to MD and said I can't keep this up it's too intense, I had to walk around I couldn't keep still I felt uncomfortable, he rubbed my back, something I welcomed to relieve the pain surging through me.
When the midwives (I had two and they were absolutely terrific) came and asked if I wanted anything I said 'Yes an epidural'...I couldn't believe I had said it, but it was upmost in my mind at this point and a back up in my birthing plan. So the midwife suggested I get onto the bed but I couldn't lie on my back it was too uncomfortable, next minute I had a god almightly contraction and hoped on all fours (for me it took off the pressure), the midwife was honest, "you won't be able to have an epidural your baby is coming" and fifteen minutes later our baby girl arrived.
The ensuing moments as she arrived were quite comical, I was on all fours as my Obstetrician walked into (made his entrance) into the birthing suite (he hadn't believed my baby would come so quickly when they called him) his first comment was, "That's not in the text books on how to deliver a baby", everyone laughed, the baby's cord was very short and so she was cradle underneath me as the midwives held her and MD cut the cord.
Afterwards she was placed on my stomach or belly as it's more a belly after birth! and then she was weighed, wrapped and MD held her as I pondered "Wow what was that all about?" The labour in total had been 5 & 3/4 hours in total (2 hrs of intensity), our baby girl was born at 3:43pm weighing a healthy '8pds and 7oz'.
After I had managed to shower then have something to eat, MD gave me time to rest as he went and picked up Mum, my sister and our son. It was our son's reaction on seeing his baby sister that was so delightful and he helped his father have her first bath too.
So one year on they are becoming good friends and playmates as Cleo is able to interact more and thankfully there has been little jealously along the way, more a older brother looking out for his sister.
"Happy Birthday My Baby girl", I look forward to celebrating many more!
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