My parents came down the day before my EDD and were planning on staying for 3 weeks. Well it turned out that we spent the first week shopping and cooking new recipes and sitting on our back porch talking and watching aeroplanes fly into the airport in the distance. I was due on 30th March but didn't really care when the baby arrived as long as it wasn't on April fools day . I like the number 3 so had a feeling that she would come on either the 3rd or 6th of April.
I didn't have any prelabour Braxton hicks or anything, only started to get some pelvic pain the week before my due date. I woke up 3.30am on the 6th April and knew straight away that something was happening. I got up took some panadol and got back into bed thinking that i'd be able to go back to sleep. Ended up going and sitting in front of the computer and played games until DP came downstairs at 6am and i told him i was having contractions and sent him to Macca's to get me a bacon an egg mcmuffin, hash brown and frozen coke for brekky I didn't eat much junk food at all through my pregnancy but that is what i felt like and it tasted pretty good too.
Mum and Dad woke up at about 7.30am and came downstairs and i told them that something was happening. Mum and I watched the last few episodes of season 2 of Damages that i had downloaded in the morning to pass the time and we sent the boys off to do some grocery shopping. At about 12.30 after i went to the toilet and had a bloody show i called my midwife and let her know what was happening, contractions were about 5-7 mins apart. I was really feeling them in my lower back so was laying on the couch trying to keep the pressure off it as much as possible.
As the contractions got stronger i thought i'd have a hot shower and see if that helped with the pain. I love having hot showers and find it very calming. A whole heap of show came out which i was a bit taken back by, i didn't realise how much there was and that it just kept coming out. I was timing my contractions with the stopwatch on my phone and after i got out of the shower they were 3 mins apart lasting 1 minute which was the time to come in - the midwives had drummed this into us throughout our antenatal classes. The hot shower seemed to intensify the contractions so much that i quickly packed everything else that i was taking to the hospital and said, "right, let's go." I called our midwife again on the way in and told her we were coming, she kept asking me lots of questions to see if i should be coming -i don't think she was convinced that i was far along but i told her that we'd already left and were on our way - i just knew that it was time.
Got to the birth centre just after 3pm and discussed with our midwife having a CTG which she said they commonly do for women who are overdue and also a vaginal exam. After she explained it to us i opted to have both. I am the kind of person who needs to know things - had to find out the sex of the baby. I think it makes me feel more in control. I was walking around whilst doing the CGT, thought i'd try bouncing on the fit ball but stood up as soon as i sat on it. There was a sign on the wall about active birth, stick pictures of women walking, squatting and 2 others that i can't remember, but all i wanted to do was lay on my back. Our midwife didn't do the internal exam until an hour or so later i think. She was warning me that sometimes people can be disheartened when they aren't dilated as much as they think they are so i was preparing myself for 3-4 cm but turned out i was 8cm! She said that she could feel the head and my membranes and that she was careful not to rupture them. I was extremely quiet during the entire birth and during my contractions i was laying on the bed and shaking my foot thinking 'embrace the pain', that was my little mantra to remind me that it was purposeful pain. I think the midwife was surprised at how far dilated i was too, because i was so quiet it was hard for her to get an indication of where i was at.
Poor DP, i didn't want him to touch me or do anything so he resorted to sitting on the couch talking to the midwife and wetting the washer for my forehead every now and then. I eventually got to the point where i said to my midwife that i either needed to try some gas or get into the bath for the pain, my back was killing me! She suggested that i get into the bath and asked me if I was getting the urge to bear down, i told her that i was and she said to just go with it and push if i wanted to. Once i got into the bath it was fantastic, my back wasn't hurting anywhere near as much, i think the floating and weightlessness probably helped, and i started to push with each contraction. The only 2 times that the midwife left the room were when things really started to happen. My waters broke the first time while i was in the bath and i remember thinking that it was like a water balloon bursting under the water. I pressed the button and she was back in straight away. The second time she went to go to the toilet and i was pushing and i felt the stretching and a pop and the baby's head came out, once again pushed the button and although i was in a state of shock and couldn't open my mouth she knew straight away what was happening and called another midwife in for the birth. The shoulders came out straight after the head in the same contraction and before i knew it she was out and on my chest.
Welcome to the world Alexandra Sophia born at 7.55pm 6th April weighing 9 pounds 13 ounces, 55.5cm long, head circumference 36.5cm. Her apgar scores were 9 at 1 min and 10 at 5 mins. We got out of the bath and i passed the placenta then we moved over to the beanbags for a proper cuddle and her first feed. My parents had gotten to the hospital just as she was born so got to meet her when she was about 20 mins old.
I hadn't really heard of a birth centre before and wasn't even planning to have a water birth but once i got in i didn't want to get out. I had spoken about it with my midwives and signed a consent form but my birth plan was to basically go with the flow. I am extremely grateful to the 2 midwives who i saw throughout my pregnancy because they gave us so much information and explained everything to us before letting us make a decision. I also had a debrief with our labour midwife 2 weeks after the birth and we discussed her notes and how things happened. She said that i was extremely quiet during the birth and that i was also probably ready to push a lot sooner, but being my first i had no idea what was happening and what i was feeling. I will definitely be going back to the same midwives for another water birth with number 2. After hearing so many other people's stories i realise i was lucky to get the care that i did and have such a positive birth experience.
Well it's been one year since my little girl was born and I thought that this would be the perfect place to reflect on our experiences. Miss A has grown into such a cheeky, determined and independent little girl. Instead of me patting her on the back and rocking her to sleep - she pats me on the back when she gives me a cuddle. She also likes to come up and tickle our feet while saying, "ticka, ticka, ticka" so so cute.
When I would hear people talking about having children being a life changing experience I was like, "of course it is, you'd be stupid to think that it wouldn't change your life" but I wasn't really prepared for the emotions and attachment that was so strong. I love her with all my heart and would do anyhthing for her.
Miss A loves to read books and will sit for ages flicking the pages and devouring the pictures. She loves to dance and shake her booty, she will dance to everything, even the theme song to the young and the restless She loves the water and I can't help wondering if the water birth (and probably genetics) had something to do with that. She has never cried in the bath, it was such a calming thing for her and a great bonding experience when we hopped in the big bath together most nights. As she's gotten older water is her favourite toy and swimming pools and the dog's bowl of water have her in fits of giggles.
I am sad that DP has been away for alot of her first year but am looking forward to him being back in the next few weeks so that he can spend some quality time with Miss A.
Happy Birthday baby girl! Mummy loves you very much
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Alexandra's water birth
. I like the number 3 so had a feeling that she would come on either the 3rd or 6th of April.
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