Seven Nilukshi Alexandra ~ August 15, 2008

[MamaK]

I apologise in advance for this long winded story, but I wanted to get it all out! Thanks for reading![/

Seven's Birth

August 13, 2008. 36w6d
One of our two MW Anne came to do our 37 week check. Muffin was measuring beautifully. But unfortunately for me, my BP as up just a smidge and I had a 'trace' of protein in my urine.
Anne asked us to go into the Birth Centre the next morning to have my BP done again & my bloods checked.
Needless to say, we packed our bags that night....just in case!

August 14, 2008. 37w
We arrived at the Birth Centre at 9.30am. Anne once again took my BP and also tested my urine for protein. My BP was even higher than the day before and I now had more protein in my urine than the day before. My bloods all came back AOK though.
So, off to Labour & Delivery for some brief monitoring. Baby was fine, happy as larry. The Dr came along, and measured my belly, and felt around. She felt that there was not very much fluid around the baby, so requested that we have an ultrasound to check on the progress of babies growth.
The ultrasound was fine, although the technician reported that our Baby was small and didn't have very much fluid.
Being that the Dr's thought baby was little, (estimated 2.5kg), and that my BP and proteins were up, they decided that it was best to induce me and deliver our Baby before things got 'too' bad and the baby and myself started to deteriorate.
I was shattered, as this went against what we had 'planned' for our Babies arrival. We would no longer be allowed to use the birth centre, as I was being induced, and would have to be monitored. Also, something we did not want, but, in the same token, we understood that whatever was best for myself and our baby, we would do.
We were able to go home, and had to be back at 6.30 that night for my first lot of 'Gels'.
We arrived back at the hospital and I had my first lot of gels at 7pm. We were able to still have our initial Midwife Julie for my labour and delivery which was very comforting to know.
Travis and Caleb were at the hospital until about 10.30pm when Travis' Mum and Dad arrived to take Caleb home with them.
I took a sleeping tablet at 11pm but did not sleep a wink! Neither did Travis, on the small portable hospital bed they brought in for him its no wonder!

August 15, 2008. 37w1d
At 5am I had my second lot of gels. Nothing had happened overnight and my cervix was still at 2cm and 'firm' apparently.
By about 8am, I was having contractions, very very mild, and spaced apart. Very easy to cope with though.
At 9am, Julie arrived, and they decided to artificially rupture my membranes, to get things moving along. Once this happened, she said that I would have to be monitored, because of my BP and the fact that it was Labour & Delivery protocol. I understood, but was still disappointed.
At 9.30am, Anne ruptured my membranes and from the minute she did so, my contractions quadrupled in intensity and they were on top of one another. No 'building up' to it, I had absolutely no warning that they would hit this intensely or this fast.
After a brief stint on the bed, I was up and leaning over the edge of the bed. Our wonderful student Midwife Liana was beautiful and gave me some pillows to lean on. She never said a word, but she seemed to know exactly what I needed.
At this point I was rocking back and forth and moaning with each contraction. I got Travis to apply some pressure to my perineum as I felt some intense pressure there.
Julie and Liana applied the portable 'ctg' monitors and Julie suggested I try a bath to ease the contractions. I could have hugged her if I wasn?t holding onto the bed so tight! She did let me know though that because of my 'situation' I would not be able to deliver in the bath, and when the time came near, I would have to get out. I just agreed. At that point I didn't care!
Walking to the bath was bliss. It felt so good, but not as good as getting into that warm water!
I spent a little while rocking back and forth on my hands and knees with my belly and lower half submerged, all the while Travis was still putting pressure where I needed it most during a contraction. I didn?t even have to ask him anymore, or tell him when a contraction came, he just knew.
After being in the bath about 30 mins, I started to not cope so well, and asked for a c-section! (little did I know this was the beginning of the end).
Julie suggested the portable gas and I readily accepted, although the portable gas is not very strong, and even Travis didn't feel anything when Julie got him to try it, so I chucked that away!
I had just finished asking Julie for an epidural (again, not what I had planned) when an almighty contraction took control of me and I lost it. I was scrabbling at Travis and kicking my legs while leaning over the edge of the bath. I turned to Julie and said "it's too late for an epidural isn't it?". She just smiled at me and said "I don't know love, you tell me." (She knew EXACTLY what was going on with my body at that moment!!)
Another contraction took me and I felt my body pushing. I was making some quite guttural and deep moans at that point and I had absolutely no control over anything that my body was doing, so I just let it happen. I flipped myself over so I was sitting up and looked down to see Julie cradling my babies head! I didn't even register that was what it was at the time. Then another contraction came and my body pushed again, without me being aware of it, and out came our baby girl!

Seven Nilukshi Alexandra Wheeler was born, in the water, at 11.13am on August 15, 2008, with Daddy and Big Brother Caleb proudly watching. 1hr and 43mins after my membranes were ruptured.
She was 2.770kg/6lb2oz. Length 48cm. HC 31.5cm. Her APGARS were 9 & 10.

I have since worked out that Julie knew all along that I was about to deliver our Baby but she was not going to be the one to try and get me out of the water when my Baby was coming! She didn't think it would happen that fast either!
I remember at one point her saying to Travis and Liana that she would have to do a quick VE, and I remember telling her to "keep her fingers away from me!" and she did. I love her so much!

Seven went to the breast within 30 mins of delivery and has been feeding like a champion ever since.
Even though our birth experience did not start out the way we wanted it to, it sure ended up better than we ever could have expected, and I have my Wonderful Fiance Travis, My Darling Boy Caleb, and Julie & Liana to thank for that.

We were home by 6pm that night to start our Family together.