The long awaited birth of Alessia Georgia
The Long Awaited Birth of Alessia
Now that my little princess is 4 weeks old, I though it was about time that I reflect on her birth and put it down on paper/screen. Congratulations if you make it through!
I finished up work at 36 weeks and was prepared to give birth 'any day now'. Unfortunately, my body and baby had other ideas! Convinced I was heading for an induction, I was surprised and relieved when at 41+2 weeks, I began to feel mild contractions as I tried to get to sleep. I waited a few hours before waking David and letting him know that there was a good chance he wasn't going in to work today. I was finally able to nod off around 9am and was quite disappointed when I awoke as my niggling pains had disappeared. Dragging David away from the Xbox, I got him to walk with me around the house to try and bring the pains back again...worked like a treat! At this stage, the contractions were irregular, not too painful...but yes, still there.
As you do when you are unsure, I log on to BB to find out what to do next and get a WAVE of encouragement to stay home and stick it out as much as possible – pretty much the sentiment echoed by the midwife at the hospital when I rang just to check in. So I spend the next few hours bouncing on my fitball, having a hot wheat bag on my lower back and stuffing my face with funsize Crunchies and Caramello Koalas (LOVE my chocolate!) as the contractions get closer together and more painful. I hop off to the loo to get some relief and woah...hello! There's my show in all it's glory! I get David to ring the hospital to let them know we're on our way!
At this stage, I barely manage to walk to the car. David gingerly straps me in and feeds me Berry Powerade for energy, on the way. We finally get to the hospital (about a ½ hour car ride) and when I try to get out of the car, I can't! Being stationary for so long has caused me to hyperventilate...the contractions are all on top of each other...I can't move! So here we are, stuck in the car park for almost 1 hour – David trying his best to get me out of the car and me getting progressively more stroppy at him because I can't move!
Eventually a midwife finishing her shift, spies the fogged up windows (from my hyperventilating!) and offers to bring me inside in a wheelchair. And that is how I enter the labour ward – who's to say that my daughter can't be the only one to make a dramatic arrival? I quickly get wheeled into my labour room where I promptly throw up red liquid – which horrifies the midwives until David informs them that it's only the Powerade and not blood! *lol*
I get quickly stripped of my clothes, pop my labour nightie on and get hooked up to a CTG machine. Bubs is doing fine so thankfully it's not on for long. For the next 2 ½ hours, I loll about the room, keeping heat packs on my lower back and sides and finding my 'happy place' to travel to. Eventually the midwife says she's called my ob and that he's happy to come and break my waters. At this stage, I don't really know how dilated I am, have been labouring (since the initial contractions) for 14 hours and in quite a bit of pain. I agree to a shot of pethidine to take the edge off the increasingly painful contractions shortly before my ob arrives.
I hear something about being around 9cm dilated as I feel a great GUSH of fluid escape me. My ob turns to me and says, “Your baby will be here in around 1-1 ½ hours....I'll see you then!” as he heads back home (mind you, poor soul, it's around 3 in the morning!) The midwife lets me know the pushing sensation I'm feeling is totally normal and that if I like, I can push if I feel the urge. I warn her that I need to push and do so. She has a little look, has a look of horror on her face and says “Stop pushing!” *lol* Easier said than done! My baby's head was visible!
My ob is soon back, and out come the plastic aprons and eyewear...what the??? What were they expecting to happen? *lol* Now given the full steam ahead to push, within 5 minutes, my daughter, my beautiful, precious, long awaited daughter makes her entrance into the world.
She was quickly put onto my chest where she looked me straight in the eye (she was so alert!) and gave a little cry. She needed a little oxygen and was given that by my bedside, while I was stitched up (I had an episiotomy because she was coming so fast!) We were then left to have a really nice and long cuddle. It wasn't until about 1 hour later, that David accompanied the midwives for the usual measurements and proudly announced our baby's weight – 8lb 14oz! No wonder my bump was so big!
My entire birth experience has left me with so many emotions, ALL of them positive. I am blessed to have a healthy daughter and am glad that I listened to my gut (and the BB community!) and stayed home to labour as long as I could. I am SUPER DOOPER happy that I achieved the birth I set out for – spontaneous and managing to avoid an epidural and instrumental delivery. In retrospect, if I had known I was 9cm dilated, I may have refused the pethidine, but I'm not going to beat myself up for that (even though I had wanted to have a drug free birth).
Whenever I look at my baby girl, all I see is my husband (she's his spitting image!) and I just feel so blessed that my little family is complete. David just can't get over how much in love he is with his little girl and how we survived without her. And even though we've had some difficulties with breastfeeding and dealing with the usual sleep deprivation, I can't help but agree!
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