Samms Birth Story - the arrival of Ruby Alice 5/3/9

The arrival of little Ruby took a lot shorter than anyone expected! This story is from my memory but I am sure my wonderful doula, Clare (Clarebear on BB) and my best friend Julie could add amusing anecdotes!!!

AF pains started around 4am on March 5, mild but constant enough to notice but given I was 40 weeks + 4 days they had been coming and going for a week or so. I was supposed to go in for a S & S on March 6 anyway so I just continued on my day to day pottering but let Clare and Julie know what was happening just in case.

Around 3pm I called the hospital to let them know that I was having contractions and asked them at what point should I time them. Silly question I know but it wasn?t what I was expecting ? this was just bad AF pain. After I hung up they were getting a little more intense so I called Clare to come over and keep me company. My thought was that she could keep me company, confirm I was in labour and we could plan from there.

When Clare arrived around 3.45pm the contractions were a little worse and roughly coming on my timings every 5 mins apart lasting for 1 minute however Clare confirmed they were a bit shorter apart and between 2 and 4 mins apart.
Clare was fantastic, keeping me focused on my breathing, standing up and making sure I was swaying my hips, giving me a heat pack and a cold face washer as I was feeling very hot.

All of a sudden I felt the need to push and it felt like contractions were coming on top of each other in spurts. Clare asked if I wanted to go to the hospital in maybe ? hour but I said that I thought we needed to go now and that I really wanted to push during a contraction. We called the hospital and we told them I was coming in. Julie was on her way so I called her and told her we were going to the hospital. She was just down the end of the street so she coming running in and saw that I was seriously having contractions and help get me in the car and lock up my house.

The car ride was the longest I have ever had (the hospital is only 15 mins away). All I can remember is have the need to push, seeing 5.15pm on her clock and swearing and apologizing to Clare for my language  I only found out tonight that she had the air con on and I had slept for some of the journey. The transition period i so felt I had been ripped off on!!

We got to the hospital, clambered up the stairs as only a labouring person can do when having a contraction and made it up to the labour ward. The midwife got me in a room and Jules and Clare helped me get out of my trackie pants and into my nightie, got me admitted in and got me onto the bed ? well as ready as what the midwife wanted to get me to do. The doctor came in and apparently all of our jaws dropped ? he was a very good looking doctor. I cant remember the internal being done but all I can remember was saying ?go for your life? and then ?fully dilated?.

Clare came back after admitting me in and got me up hanging over the bed and the midwife gave me the use of the gas on minimum to take the edge off my contractions. All I wanted to do was push, but the midwife and doctor thought it was going to take a little while but after arriving around 5.30ish, my little poppet Ruby arrived into the world at 6.18pm weighing in at 7lbs 10oz.

If anyone is on Melbourne and looking for a doula I would highly recommend Clare (Clarebear on BB) as her support and knowledge through her visits before labour and her composure, encouragement and the empowerment she gave me, got me through my wonderful experience in a way that I had only dreamt of and didn?t know I could do.

Thanks for reading my little story :D

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Sam, you are amazing to have done all that at home!!! COngratulations on your baby girl Ruby. I cant wait to see a photo.
Such a quick labour!! Well done :hug:

You did an amazing job hun well done.