We found out we were pregnant at about 4weeks we had been trying for around 3 months, baby’s due date was 13/12/11. This was my second pregnancy and after a traumatic first birth was hoping for a very boring pregnancy which is exactly what happened. My DS is nearly three and is over the moon to have a little sibling.

At 20 weeks we found out we were expecting a girl!!!!! We were over the moon as we already have a DS. We live in a small country town which only would deliver low risk baby’s and no epidurals. Through the pregnancy I researched like a mad woman trying to prepare myself for the pain as I had an epidural with my DS. Through this pregnancy I had shared care with both local GP and midwifes at the hospital, I gave up on the midwifes halfway through the pregnancy as everytime I would go see them they would comment on how they didn’t think I would deliver locally and end up being transferred 2.5hrs away. Usually regarding going over BMI or because I was measuring small. I never felt overly comfortable with my doctors/midwifes or hospital. In my town the midwifes and doctors seem to be at war with each other. Never the less as I said earlier I had convinced myself I would have a normal boring pregnancy and wanted nothing more than to deliver locally. I was over being pregnant by about 38weeks, every night would sit down and think tonight is the night hoping I would go into labour.

My doc sent me for an ultrasound at 38 weeks due to me measuring small I was three weeks behind, the ultrasound showed I had low amniotic fluid. My doctor was not concerned at all and actually seemed to believe it wasn’t the case very blasé of him! Again I researched like crazy and found that it’s a common problem when close to the end of pregnancy and how wrong ultrasounds can be. Must say I wasn’t convinced my doctor was doing enough. On my due date my doctor told me he would perform a stretch and sweep. I was very excited hoping it would get things moving, after some research I had decided it seemed like the most natural induction method, however it appeared not to work unless dilated somewhat, so I decided that doctor was not to do anything unless I was dilated. Went in for my appointment and doctor has a quick internal says he can hardly reach the cervix and cannot get a fingertip in. DAMN!!!!!!! My hopes were skyhigh labour might start today. Convinced myself that it would be another week and went home very deflated.

At 11pm that night after staying up too late again decided to go to bed have a shower lie down once in bed get a very uncomfortable like period pain running across my lower back nothing coming and going just a dull bee sting pain and tossing and turning. After about 2hrs DP comes to bed and the pains finally start coming and going yayyyyy! I msg my mum tell her shes on amber alert ,who doesn’t get the msg until the next morning.
Pains come every 12 minutes overnight sometimes becoming irregular about 20 min apart every 5th time. By 3pm I find I cannot lie down during the pains, we have a big four poster bed so through contractions I would get up (must have been a great sleep for DP) and sway lent over the end of the bed. By 4pm I find I have to vocalise through the contractions somewhat like a crow hehehe.
4.30 I decide to go have a shower which was lovely and by the time I get out of the shower it had been an hour. I decide to finally start timing them while the morning show starts contractions are now an even 8mins apart and extremely regular whooo hooo I actually start to belive today might be the day. At 7am I msg my mum telling her to come over when she wakes up, she rings back straight away and says she super excited and going to have a shower and be right over. DP is still in bed recoving from my noisy antics all night hehehehe.

8am mum arrives and starts timing as I find I can no longer do it contractions are 3-4 minutes apart lasting 40sec. I tell DP he was not going to work so he rings to let them know. DS is still in bed asleep, I decide to call mother in law to come take him for the day she comes over in the next half an hour and wakes DS and takes him over to her house I give him a kiss goodbye while having a contraction trying to keep my cool lololol. He laughs at my funny crow noises and straining red faces and happily toddles off with Nan.
Mum rings the hospital to let them know we were coming in at 9am they frantically search for my paperwork. I wake up DP and tell him its go time he throws on some clothes and grabs the bags that have been packed for 5 weeks. I have a contraction then race to the car, I’m dreading the car trip its only 10minutes but I hate the thought of sitting down whilst contracting, amazingly I only have one in the car and it lasts less than 20 seconds and hardly hurt amazing what our bodies are capable of! Once the car door opens Wham huge Giant contraction. Once over I waddle up to maternity up three flights of stairs and meet our lovely midwife who is a fly in from John Hunter hospital 6hrs away, she is amazing and I suddenly feel calm and very sure nothing will go wrong make it to the birth suite and have another terrible contraction which Im trying to run away from so I look as if im doing little short bursts of running back and forth across the room hehehe. The midwife asks if she can do a trace on baby which requires me to lie down for 10-20 minutes, I dread this but know its policy so agree and she says she can do an internal if I want while Im up on the bed. Internals performed and I’m about 6-7cm this is at around 10am, trace is great so I decide to try a shower, I sit up have another terrible contraction run across the room to the shower. DP helps me in there and I have another bad contraction where I decide shower was a terrible idea and run back to the bed.

I ask the midwife if I can have the gas which she sets up for me and I have a bounce on the gym ball, midwife puts a cannula in while I was bouncing must have been a fun job!!!! I had the cannula as a precaution as I had a bleed last delivery and required surgery and blood. Didn’t end up needing it. Pain suddenly worsens at 11am and I find I cannot move through contractions so end up lying down on the bed for the rest of delivery. I am terrible at timing the gas properly and end up giving up on it as it was making feel chucky. I am being very vocal through contractions mum and DP find hard to watch and have to keep leaving to have breaks but I didn’t notice at all. Offer me lots of water through out. Sooooo thirst must have been the gas!
At about 12.30 my water breaks midwife checks and its clear and says I am ready to push which I felt because I was yelling im pushing with each contraction and begging DP to help me (poor man), she rings the doctor who tells her he can’t come in yet so she decided to take over until he arrives. She sets up everything. Doctor arrives after another call from the midwife telling to get his arse in here. Pushing is not easy as I remember, but I did have an epidural last time its really painful but at the same time I was so happy I was finally at this stage yay! Doctor and midwife have an argument when babys head comes out because doc checked and said cord was clear, midwife notices baby going black and blue and cord wrapped around three times tightly. Doc has a little weird breakdown and goes to stand over by the window letting midwife take over.

I push for 9minutes total and Mackenzie Maree is born, I didn’t see her and the whisked her away for some help breathing, she is worked on and finally starts crying after a terrifying 5minutes. Finally she is given to me still quite blue but looking great otherwise. She latches onto my chest after a couple of minutes squirming around and my placenta is taking a long time to arrive its been 40 minutes and the midwife and doctor are fighting again about what to do. Doc wants to use the forceps and go in after it midwife wants to wait and have me push. I decide to try harder and pass my little chubba bubba to DP and start pushing again works a treat and the placenta comes out finally and all in one piece.

14/12/11 Mackenzie Maree was born at 1250
4kgs or 8pnds 13ounc, HC 37 Length 56
Stage 1- 4hrs 40 minutes (Hospital documents say!!!!pffftt)
Stage 2- 9min
I stayed In hospital for one night, Kenzie is doing great and breastfeeding like a champ she is a little chubba.