Baby M's Birth Story

I have told this story so many times but I thought that I should really write it down. Actually, now that I think back, I quite clearly remember each of the kids' births. Makes me wonder why I actually went back each time too!

With M, I chose to work till 37 weeks. It must have been some kind of pregnancy madness that drove me to do that.. considering that I suffered from bad SPD this pregnancy. By the end of it I couldn't even turn in bed and getting out of bed was done in complete agony. Plus I was waking up hourly to go to the toilet. On the upside, M wasn't as big as T. So maybe that was what kept me going. So pukey, tired and grumpy me was plodding along to work.

So work finished on the Friday. I left slightly early. Happy and chirpy. Looking forward to enjoying some time off before bub arrived. Well, also, it was the school holidays for N. So that weekend we celebrated the godson's birthday. I even made him a cake. I think I even lugged myself somewhere that Saturday. Some church thing that escapes me now. I can't remember what I did on Monday. On Tuesday we went to see the good obstetrician. He didn't even examine me. I think he did check that bub's head was definitely down (yes).. but more so cos the hubs was at the appointment. He said he would be happy to examine me the next appointment and book me in for an induction then since I would be 38 weeks. So I happily went home… looking forward to N's play date the next day where I would hopefully be happily sipping a new cold drink while he played with his friend. His friend's mum kept joking with me what would happen if I went into labour at her place.

So that night we all went to bed as per normal. The beached whale and all. At 3:20am I awoke with the sensation of a snap just above my pubic symphysis. Then I noticed my undies were slightly wet. As I had been coughing for the last few weeks… badly… and I had a weakened pelvic floor.. I was also wetting myself. So I lugged myself up to the toilet to change my undies. Grumble grumble… since I was doing it a lot and running out of undies. I then noticed that the bottom bit of my undie around the liner was wet too. And some fluid trickled down my leg. So I thought AHA! my waters have broken.. and oh great.. this baby is coming soon!!! I sniffed the fluid.. which smelled like amniotic fluid… but no contractions.. no show… and no further leaking…. thought.. oh well.. maybe I wet myself…. who knows right (My waters had never broken by themselves before.. both times they were broken by someone while I was in labour). But I called the hospital just to be safe. I was so unprepared I didn't even have the hospital's number! I had to stumble out into the lounge to look for my maternity pack.

So the tired midwife on the other end told me to pop a pad on and call back at 5am. So I did just that. Still no contractions. So I settled in bed to play Candy Crush and check my Facebook. Was a little too hyped up by then to go back to bed.

At about 4-ish .. can't remember the exact time.. I went to check the pad. Which was only very very slightly damp. *Where was the big gush people always talk about???* And I noticed a small pin-prick of blood. I got excited. Finally!! This was my show!! I was feeling mild twinges by then. So I called the hospital again. Think it was like 4:15? And they told me the same thing… wait and see.

So since I have my priorities completely aligned… I decided to go have a shower and wash my hair.. so I would be nice and clean to meet my baby girl! In the shower, the contractions started to get regular. So I stood in there for a little while enjoying the hot water. The contractions were painful but bearable. They felt like when I was in early labour with N at home. Then I got out of the shower.. felt like I had to do a #2.. did it… cleaned up.. and sat on the toilet contracting.. cos you know… that is the most comfortable spot to be in….

Just before 5am.. I prodded the hubby and told him he needed to go get changed. This was it! I was in labour and I needed to go to the hospital. I was already planning to demand an epidural the moment I walked in the door. So poor guy had to get up and get dressed.

In the meanwhile, since the hubby's spot had been evacuated.. I decide to lie down. Hello! I was in pain here. By the time the hubby had changed his top and brushed his teeth (which wasn't long at all).. I told him.. forget it… call the ambulance.. I don't think I will make it to the hospital. They say in critical times, your medical training just kicks in. And I think this was one of those times. So the person on the phone tells the hubby… you need to prepare to deliver the baby… get her on her back… and get lots of towels. By this point I was lying on my side… had already gotten rid of my pants as somehow they seemed to hurt being on… and was hugging a towel… so the hero of the moment somehow rolled me… bearing in mind he weighs less than 50kg and I prob weighed more than a baby whale at that time it was quite a feat… he grabbed a ton of towels…. and shoved them under me. And tried to find 'baby parts'. First attempt nothing… I was thinking to myself.. ok.. maybe I am not that close yet… in spite of feeling all the pressure and a great urge to push. So then I decided.. ah heck.. I feel like pushing.. let's push… I know how to do it anyway.. I've done it before… plus if I push this baby out… the pain will end! So I pushed… and checked myself and voila… I told hubby.. there's a head there! And thankfully at this point in time.. in walk the paramedics.. who had been let in the door by my poor parents who had been woken up by my shrieking and had thought that a wild animal had entered the house. And on the next push out pops Baby M.. and a whole lot of fluid! Ah.. there's my gush. And the proud daddy got to cut the cord… and mummy and bub got packed up and loaded onto the ambulance… after the placenta was delivered. The placenta did take a while.. and they initially considered just loading me onto the ambulance with the placenta undelivered. So M and I got our first ever hospital rides to Hotel Cabrini where the midwives were all ready for us. In fact, they had even woken poor Dr T up already and soon he was in the birthing suite going.. Didn't I tell you to behave yourself! And you had to go deliver at home!

So in hospital, they warmed M up.. who obviously had gotten cold from the adventure… stitched me up… gave me my injections.. and the horrible misoprostil to stop my bleeding.. that always makes me chuck… and then wheeled me in the bed to the maternity ward.. 'Cos you looked like you were going to collapse on the floor'.. said the kindly midwife.. 'I didn't think I could get you onto the wheelchair' she added.

So that sums up M's birth story. The most exciting of all. The hubs joked that for #4, we better buy a house down the road from the hospital. Since my labours have been just under 8 hours, just under 4 hours and ummm… under an hour???? To which I replied.. what #4?!?!!?