The arrival of our little Willow tree - 25 March 2012
Only a couple of months late...kinda like Willow!
We fell pregnant after 18 months TTC, thanks to clomid and BD with military precision as dictated by our FS :rolleyes:. I did 6 tests and took many, many photos in different lights to prove that yes, low and behold, I was in fact pregnant. Had a lovely, peaceful nine months and really enjoyed being pregnant as I never thought it would happen. We were also ecstatic to find out we were having a pink one.
W was due on the 19th of March but I suspected I'd be late, just like mum was with me. I'd had BH contractions since 28 weeks but in the final fortnight they invited a friend, back pain, to join the party. I suspected I was in pre-labour when I started getting period-type cramps in the wee hours, but annoyingly they fizzled into nothing.
I was getting a bit over it at 40+5, and when the OB checked I was 3cm dilated so was booked in for an induction the following Monday. Would I like a stretch and sweep beforehand, to see if things might move along? Why yes, I replied, how kind! Like being asked if I wanted to upsize a happy meal...S&S done and dusted, headed home to see what would happen.
Cramps ramped up the next day and about midnight on the Saturday/Sunday my waters started leaking all over our pretty cream couch. I dozed on and off until 8:00am, rang the hospital and got DH up so we could head in (I needed antiB for strep B). Proper contractions started enroute to the hopsital - had a little joke about how they were fine, totally managable - with a little boast about my excellent pain threshold, and how I probably wouldn't need any drugs after all.
Famous last words. As soon as we arrived at the birth suite they started rolling in, one on top of the other, and quickly went from every 10 minutes to every minute-30 seconds. All the pain was in my back, and I could barely moan "rub my back, rub my back!" to DH, who frantically dug into the skin so hard it gave me friction burns. The only position I felt comfortable in was leaning over the bed, swaying back and forth, as DH kept massaging away. After three hours I ended up on the bed, over the bedhead, in tears as each contraction peaked one on top of the other. Slightly scary midwife 1 told me to have a hot shower or use the fit ball, but I was beyond it by then. I asked for pethidine, which I really regret, as it did absolutely nothing for the pain and just spaced me out - horrible. Meanwhile dilation remained slow, slow, slow.
Midwife 1 finished up and awesome, gentle midwife 2 came on shift. She took one look at my face, did a quick internal and asked me what I wanted to do. I flashed DH a look of desperation and practically begged for an epidural! I felt like I was wussing out but by that stage I was in so much pain I knew I couldn't keep going for hours on end. The anaesthetist swooped into the room like an archangel half an hour later and had that bad boy in my spine in five minutes flat - with awesome midwife hugging my shoulders to help me stay still. Oh. My. Lordy. What a relief.
I hung out on the bed resting for the next five hours, silently ordering my stupid cervix to bluddy hurry up and dilate, consarnit! OB came and did a quick check halfway through - 7, maybe 8cm, come on, come on - and toddled off to a nice dinner, while I started to feel - well - weird. I got really shaky and nauseous, teeth chattering, and close to tears. I don't remember it at all, DH reminded me just this week - it must have been transition. A short time later the OB was back with awesome midwife, another internal - time to push! How bizarre to have no idea that it was go time. Epidural was dialled down so I could feel and push with the contractions. Off I went for the next hour, though I found it so hard to focus on where to push and things moved slowly. I was getting tired, so they gave me a half-hour break and we started again.
More pushing...she was coming, but not quickly enough, and got stuck around the 's bend'. Little did I know at the time that her heart rate was dropping severely and they had to get her out ASAP. OB calmly suggested giving me a little help with the ventouse, just for that last bit. Yep, go for it - on popped the cap, a bit of a schlooooooooooop, a bit of a push and the head was born. What an instant sensation of relief that was, shortly followed by the shoulders, and then a warm little body appeared on my chest.
I couldn't feel, see or sense anything else once she was on me. She was so quiet, and we just gazed at each other for what felt like days. No crying, just little cooing sounds that would break your heart - and then onto the breast. During this the placenta was delivered and the OB was busily sewing up what turned out to be a second degree tear, but I had no idea, and didn't care. There could have been a marching band and elephants in the room.
I can remember thinking - wow, this baby looks nothing like I expected. Isn't that funny? She was and still is the spitting image of my DH. Ultra gorgeous and all ours.
Willow Dona B
3.04 kg / 6'11 pounds
Length 49cm
Apgars 8 & 9
Total labour time - 11 hours.
