The Birth of Ruby Jayne!

[~Raven~]

While it was a short birth, I love telling a yarn so I've added a bit of waffle to fill it out lol


My EDD of Monday November 24th had come and gone, which really shouldn't have surprised me considering I had gone over with two of my pregnancies. But with all the pre labour (including the show) I'd had in the last fortnight and the terrible time I'd been having with SPD I was feeling very sooky and sorry for myself and I'd still have a few more days to wait.

Tuesday and Wednesday DH and two of the boys and MIL came down with gastro so I was on tender hooks and over analysing every belly twinge for days.
Thursday I had an acupuncture session, which made me feel refreshed and hoped it would help to get things going.

Friday and 4 days past EDD I had an OB appointment and we discussed induction. A date was booked for the following Thurday, which would be 11 days post dates. An internal revealed that I was 2 - 3cm dilated so he did a S&S which hurt a little but after 5 mins it was if nothing had been done.
That afternoon my parents dropped in (which was a surprise) and I asked Mum if I could call on her to come and help out as poor MIL was still too sick. My parents live about 100k away so I was concerned about the travel time but we have good neighbours that offered to help out so I was sure things would be covered till she got here.

That evening I decided to go for a walk down to coles and get a few things like hair ties and more belly cream. I went on my own because poor DH was feeling lousy from the gastro still and I wanted some time out. It was drizzly raining and cool but I didn't care and I could have kept walking but my feet were killing me so I went home. I had a few tightenings but nothing substantial.
Come 9.30pm I felt kind of weird, got paranoid and rang Mum to come up JIC. I didn't know why I just needed her here. Trev told me to go to bed and he'd wait up for her (she got here just after 10.30) so I crashed out and woke at 1:30am. I felt hot and had a few tightenings. I lay there for a while then got up and went to the loo and got a drink then went back to sleep.

I woke at 3am feeling a bit sus and got Trev to stick on the TENS for me. I then got up and timed the contractions I was having while I dagged about on BB and ebay. They were irregular 10 - 15 mins apart and short but they were stronger than before and I had to go to loo a couple of times, after which they fizzled out and stopped. "Damn gastro that's all I freaking need" I thought and cursed and went back to bed at 5am.
At 6.30am there was some ruckus going on. Mason wet the bed and Trev got up and dealt with that because I was too tired. He stayed up and fed the boys breakfast and had a shower. When I dragged my carcass out of bed at 8am he went back to bed.
Mum was up and I made a cuppa and sat with her. I felt like a maccas breakfast so was wondering if I'd have a quick shower first or go all grungy. As I sat there finishing my tea I had my first hint that yes I would be having a baby today. A long contraction that hit a sharp peak. I thought hmmmm shower it is, and as I walked down to the bedroom there was another. I looked at my watch and it was 8.20am.

In the shower I yelled out to Trev to get out of bed and chuck the bags in the car - several times! I wasn't timing but had 4 in quick succession. I got out of the shower and he put the TENS back on and I had to sit on the loo again, got off and got dressed, then back on the loo. I needed my wheat bag on my tum so heated that up and rocked through a couple of contractions in the kitchen while giving my thumb a good workout on the TENS control button. Trev was nagging me to ring the hospital but I think I needed to be sure this was it before dashing off in the car. I decided to ring the hospital for a chat and decided that I was going in, not before going to the loo again (I swear I didn't think there was any left!).

9am we get to the hospital and after a few checking in things at the front desk and a few contractions in front of an amused audience in the foyer, we went off to the delivery suite, which I was excited to see was the same one Angus was born in!
So then it was monitoring time. I had to lay there for 10 mins which seemed like eternity. Thankfully all was well so I was straight up on my feet and rocking through contractions and asking for the bath. The midwife wasn't so sure the bath would be ready in time by the sounds of me. I was sounding too groany apparently, so I asked for the shower. The water on my back and belly was a relief but I asked for the gas cos it wasn't enough.
I don't know how long I was in there before I started feeling pushy with the contractions but after a few of those I felt it was time to get out. I got up on the bed and they put the end up which I leaned over up on my knees and sucked on the gas through the contractions.
I could feel the head crowning and I tried to stop pushing so I wouldn't tear. The midwife and OB who just came in (he wasn't my regular OB but he had a friendly voice and I really didn't care at that point anyway) were telling me to relax through the stretch and burn. I panted through but could feel my urethra burning so I reached down and touched where it hurt which seemed to ease the sting. I got really excited feeling the head with my fingers so with the next contraction gave a harder push and the head was out. I was told to stop pushing for a sec as her hand came out over her face and they wanted to help her turn too as she had her shoulders transverse.
Next push bub was out and I heard that wonderful sound of my baby's first squeaky cry! I was told to reach through my legs and she was passed into my hands. I brought her through my legs onto my arms. I was totally elated and was so busy looking at her face it didn't occur to me to look and see if she was a girl! I had a look and burst into tears and said "Hello Ruby Jayne!"
After Trev cut the cord and I turned around, I looked up at the clock. I was stunned to see it wasn't yet 10am but it seemed like I had been there for hours. Ruby was born at 9.52am!
She lay on my chest and I cuddled and breathed in her smell. I had a slight graze which needed only a couple of stitches so once that was taken care of we were left to bond and she found the breast and fed on her own for a while.
Kelly came in not long after (unfortunately she missed the birth but she would have had to have broken the land speed record to make it ) and took some beautiful photos of us together.

There is a part two to this story but I'm still working on the details. Stay tuned...