It's taken a year for me to complete it, but finally here is the birth story of my daughter, written in the form of a letter to her:


Dear Shayla,

Throughout my entire pregnancy with you I looked forward to giving birth to you. I hadn’t forgotten the pain of childbirth, but I remembered the overwhelming emotions of pure joy and empowerment when I gave birth to your brother Kyson, and I very much looked forward to experiencing that again with your birth.

Your journey into this world began in the morning on your birthday. I thought it was very kind of you to wait until after I had had an almost full nights sleep. I woke during the night around 4am and wasn’t sure what woke me. I assumed it was because I needed to use the bathroom, because in the last couple of months of the pregnancy that had been a regular nightly activity. After a trip to the bathroom I fell back to sleep quickly. For the next few hours I woke periodically with what I thought were strong Braxton Hick’s contractions. Between around 6am and 7am I started timing the contractions and realised that were getting closer together (about nine to twelve minutes apart) and they were also getting stronger. At 7.30am when your Daddy woke up I told him that I thought today might be your birthday.

For the next hour or two the contractions kept getting stronger and closer together so we started to get excited that it really might be the start of labour! We gave Grandma a call and asked her to come over so that she could look after Kyson when we went to the hospital. My obstetrician, Pregs, had told us to leave for the hospital when the contractions were around five minutes apart, so once Grandma was here and I had reached that stage we called the hospital. They asked a few questions and said that we could probably stay home for a while longer and leave when the contractions were three to four minutes apart.

At this stage I was just walking around the house and leaning on things and rocking during the contractions. I felt like I was coping really well. I continued to time the contractions and they started coming closer together but didn’t seem to be lasting as long as I thought they needed to. I called the hospital back and again they said that we could probably wait a bit longer at home because my waters hadn’t broken. We were informed that the next time we rang they would tell us to come in because it was their policy to tell you to come in after the third phone call. We decided we would leave once the thought of a car drive started to become unbearable.

When we decided to head to the hospital we gave them a quick call to let them know we would be there in about half an hour. When I tried to sit in the car I had a huge contraction and realised that there was no way I was going to be able to sit in the seat sitting forward. I ended up travelling all the way to the hospital the same way as I did when I was in labour with Kyson; kneeling on the seat facing backwards. I wonder how many people stared at me on the trip, although at the time I didn’t care because I was much more comfortable like that.

We arrived at the hospital and when we approached the lady behind the desk for the labour and delivery ward I politely told her “I’d like to have a baby please” which gave us a little chuckle. Then I had a contraction while she was getting my signature on some paperwork and it was no longer quite as funny! We were taken down to the very last room in the ward and it was in this room that we would meet you for the very first time.

Our midwife’s name was Barbara and she was everything we could have asked for in a midwife. I was initially put on the monitoring equipment to see how often my contractions were coming and to monitor your heartbeat. This was done with me standing beside the bed so that I could still let gravity help keep things progressing. During the contractions I was often leaning on the bed and rocking my hips. The monitoring showed that everything was fine so after about half an hour it was all taken off and I was able to move around the room again. For the next hour or so I walked laps around the room, closing my eyes during the contractions and just feeling my way around the room. Probably not the safest thing to do, but it seemed to help.

At around 1.30pm my obstetrician, Pregs (yes that’s his real name!), arrived and checked me over. He did an internal exam and I was waiting to hear him tell me I was about 8cm like I had been when I arrived at the hospital when in labour with Kyson. And if I wasn’t 8cm, surely I would be at least 7cm, right? Well I was rather surprised when he told me I was 3cm! My words to him were “What happened to 8?!”. I was also a little nervous to find out that you were still ‘sunny-side up’ (posterior) as I knew that labour and birth with a posterior baby is meant to be more painful and difficult. Your Dad and I had previously discussed whether we would want Pregs to break my waters if they hadn’t already done so before his exam, and we figured that it was fine seeing as it’s not like it’s not something that wouldn’t happen naturally soon anyway. So at 1.40pm Pregs broke my waters, told us he thought we’d have a baby by 4pm, and then he left us to continue labouring.

Straight after my waters had been broken my contractions instantly became much more intense. The change in intensity of the contractions made me feel slightly lightheaded and I was worried I might be sick, so we headed into the bathroom and I rode out the contractions leaning against the basin even after the dizzy sensation left. The contractions were now extremely painful and rivalled those that I got during transition with Kyson. During Kyson’s labour I got “stuck” in transition for about 2 or more hours before I finally begged for some pethidine. It was the memory of this that caused the fear to set in and I couldn’t handle the thought of being in that sort of pain until 4pm like Pregs had predicted. I figured I was only 3cm dilated so I must have quite a journey to go still. Already during the contractions I was starting to feel like I was losing some control over my body and it was hard to stay focused and calm. I told your Dad that if I was going to be having these excruciating contractions for the next couple of hours I wasn’t going to be able to make it without the pethidine, so would he be disappointed in me if I had a shot now so that it could be out of my system in time for me to push. He assured me that he wouldn’t be disappointed and told me what a wonderful job I was doing.

The next time the midwife checked on us we asked for the pethidine. She got it ready, injected in my muscle, and left us alone again. I then felt like I needed to go to the toilet so your Dad helped me over to the toilet. I must admit that doing a number two in front of your father was the most embarrassing part of labour! Once I was done I got another contraction and thought I was pushing. I told your Dad and he assured me that I couldn’t be pushing yet because it had been less than half an hour since I had been checked at 3cm. I realised he must be right. Then I was pushing again with the next contraction and said “No really, I think I’m pushing”. Again your Dad said it was too soon and I relaxed. With the next contraction I reached between my legs when I felt I was pushing and I FELT YOUR HEAD! I could actually feel the overlapping bones in your skull. Without saying anything I quickly pressed the call button and let your Dad know I really was pushing. Our lovely midwife came rushing in with two other nurses and asked what was happening. “I’m pushing” I called out. The midwife told me that was great and to come out to the bed. She was already asking one of the nurses to raise the top of the bed so I could kneel on the bed and lean on the raised section.

I got up on the bed and placed my hand on your head. I don’t even remember there being any pain anymore. I just remember the overwhelming desire to push, and my amazement that I was about to meet my baby girl! The midwife was telling me “Just another little push. Yes, just like that. Another little push like that one”, which I was finding amusing as I hadn’t even been pushing then. My uterus contracting was enough to push the rest of your head out while I guided you with my hand. I was then told to rest a minute while you turned yourself around. I don’t remember feeling Kyson turn around once his head was out, but I certainly felt it with you. Once I knew you were ready I gave another little push and then I had you in my arms!

Things had happened so quickly that I still had my bra and singlet on, but the midwife had kindly pulled my top up so that I was holding you against my tummy. Your Dad and the midwife then helped my take off my singlet and bra so that I could hold you to my chest while I turned around on the bed to lay with you. Just like your brother you were quiet but alert, then gave out a little cry before settling down to contentedly look up at me. You were more than perfect.

After about 5 minutes the midwife told us your cord had stopped pulsing and asked if we were ready to cut your cord. Daddy did the honours. I was then given the shot of synthetic oxytocin that I wouldn’t allow until your cord was cut. Within a minute or so I delivered your placenta. A couple of minutes later Pregs arrived. I called out to him “You missed the party, but you’re welcome to stay for the after-party”. Let’s just say he really didn’t earn his pay that day because he never even had to put gloves on because you didn’t tear me or even graze me at all, just like Kyson. What kind babies you both are!

We were asked if you had a name and I looked at your Daddy and told him I loved both your possible names (we had two similar names chosen but not decided on), so he could choose. You were then named ‘Shayla Eden’. Within what felt like just a few minutes we were left alone to bond with you for the next hour or so. You had us totally smitten! About half an hour after you were born you had your first breastfeed, and just like your brother, you took to it like a pro, latching on perfectly the first time and having a lovely feed while we gazed into each others eyes.

You were born at 2.12pm on January the 9th 2011, after 7 minutes of pushing, and 3 hours of active labour, weighing 3.76kg (8lb3oz), 50cm in length and with a head circumference of 36cm.