Our storm baby

Our second little love bug was due early November. I never put too much focus on an EDD, knowing the frustration from my DD's birth of all the well meaning intrusions. So the whole world was told just " November" and closer relatives etc told Melbourne Cup day. By 30 weeks or so, I didn't even know my own real date, and I didn't care.

My care was provided by the MGP at the nearby tertiary hospital, with all appointments off site, and some at home. When I got in, I was still considering home birth, but fell in love with my allocated midwife and decided to continue. There were a few points where I doubted my choice, but then we spent the home birth fund on renovating our bathroom, and a commitment was made :D

As it turned out, my midwife had to resign, and I was reallocated. I fell in love again. I seem to have a halo complex when it comes to midwives, a kind of Stockholm syndrome, I guess. I saw her at my 39 week appointment; baby's head was low, baby was in a good position, and she felt quite sure she would b seeing me within the week. I left feeling so calm and ready and supported.

The week passed. Baby hadn't come, and I was now officially overdue. Worse, my midwife was off on holidays the next morning. I tried to be relaxed about it, but I couldn't be. She called, we chatted and caught up on th week, and we talked a bit about some options, ie having a S&S or waiting it out. She left the ball in my court and I hung up feeling really calm and reassured again.

The next day, I rang the new midwife. She was replacing my original midwife and I'd met her once before. I told her I was feeling really uncertain about whether or not to have the sweep (two sweeps in previous pregnancy hadnt worked) and she offered to come over and chat about it, with the option of doing it then and there if I wanted it. So she came, we chatted, and decided to wait until Tuesday. I arranged to meet my student midwife at the hospital to have it done there, and left my DD at home with my mum. Cervix was back a bit, but softening and could be stretched to 3cm. Amounted to a bit of spotting, not much else.

Thursday I had a regular appointment, and a good solid cry. Same new midwife was amazing, all of her three kids were of long pregnancies, and her halo became apparent. We talked about my DD's birth, and how she hadnt looked "overcooked" so maybe long pregnancies were my normal. I was terrified of being booked in with a deadline, and was assured it wouldn't happen. Unless I wanted it.

I opted for another sweep. It netted me 12 hours of contractions, from 6-10 minutes apart, and I was sure that night that I was going in to have a baby. My DD woke at 1am, and I fed her, thinking it might ramp things up, but they died down to nothing. Super frustrating!

The next day, my midwife called again to see how I was going and talk more about options. As I was barrelling toward 14 days over and it was a Friday, I needed to book in for whatever option I chose: CTG and scan, or induction. I loved having the choice, but really struggled to feel ok with it. The epic prelabour was starting to get to me, but I knew that induction really wasn't what I wanted. I booked in for the scan, and midwife arranged to come over the next day, Saturday.

Brisbane was preparing for massive storms that day, and when she arrived, she said she'd be really surprised if I didn't go into labour that night, between the storms and the sweep. I was at 4cm, and cervix was much lower and more forward. We talked more about our arrangements, and she left me to it.

We stayed home for the day, my mum, my DH, DD and I, and watched the storms roll through. I watched catch up tv while sitting on my fitball. Had a few niggles, but didn't want to get too excited. We made sushi for dinner, and I put DD to bed, having mild pains occasionally, but more than half an hour apart, so thought little of it.

Mum and DH and I sat down to watch a movie. I was on the ball, and started to get uncomfortable at about 9:30. DH massaged my lower back for a bit, I sat on the couch for a bit, stood for a bit... Everything was just irritating me, including a cabbie out the front who had the wrong address and was honking in the pouring rain. I went out, made a gesture at him, and in the way back in had a stop-me-in-my-tracks pain. I jumped up and down through it, then decided to put my TENS machine on, just n case, and go to bed. 10 minutes later, another contraction arrived, so I switched on the TENS. They came every 10 minutes for an hour and a half, and I mostly slept through them, so pretty mild.

At 12:20 I started needing to make noise to get through each one, so I got up and sat on my ball, leaning over the bed. I ended up not making noise, just rocking my hips and listening to my hair swish past my ears. i focused on that sound for a while, it was really good! Contractions were now 6-8 minutes apart and I was starting to think it was the real thing. Texted my midwife at 12:53 to let her know, but said I didn't need to come in yet. Poor bugger had only got to bed at 12, because of the storm!

After one more contraction, I woke DH and tasked him with running me a bath. He went to our freshly renovated bathroom, turned the taps on... Then came back to bed and fell asleep. I was on the ball still, and vocalising at a low level at that stage. After two or so contractions I tried calling out to him. Nothing. Tried again. Nothing. I was getting worried about the bath, so got a bit louder. Nope. A contraction was imminent and I was NOT moving, so I threw my spew bag at his head. Success! He apologised, checked the bath and I gleefully jumped in.

Our bath lies parallel to DDs bed, and although she's an awesome sleeper, I was pretty wary of noise. So i Kept my vocals low - mum and DH insist I was barely audible, but I felt loud. I hung out in there for a while, giving hubby two words instructions, like "get drink" "time contractions" and "need food" and, quite importantly "shut up" He talks too much. :lol: But he was very good. He made a little line of jelly bellies on the side of the bath for me - they are so good in labour!

So I just relaxed, and ahhed through contractions, sleeping or eating jelly beans in between. At about 2, or a bit after, I grunted for him to "call midwife" So he did, I was having contractions 3 minutes apart, lasting up to 2 minutes. Midwife needed 40 minutes notice to get to the hospital. I was still coping fine, and thought we still had ages to go, so it seemed like good timing. He also called student midwife, who was super excited and leapt out of bed, or so she later told me. DH went and got my mum from downstairs; she poked her head in and said something awesome, but I really don't remember.

Hubby started to get particularly annoying at this point, doing things like dragging his feet too close to the tiles when he walked and touching plastic bags, and standing in the way of the light. Totally him being annoying, not me being irritable. :lol: By now, I was in the bath and focusing on my feet thudding alternately against the floor of the bath, and had a fleeting thought that I was running out of strategies, and could I cope? DH was getting antsy to go to hospy, obviously better placed than I to realise I was in transition. So I made him have everything absolutely ready to go before I got out, and promised I'd get out after the next contraction.

The next contraction turned out to be three on top of each other, so I made the most of my thudding feet while I had them. I got out, DH towelled m down and put the TENS back on. I needed to wee, so sat on our sparkly new loo, and that's when the next contraction arrived. I ended up holding onto DH's arm, rubbing my nose into it and lifted my legs off the floor swinging them. Felt so silly, but it worked. I threw my dress on over my head, and headed for the door. Didn't make it, had to run into the bedroom for one more contraction on the fitball.

Many BBers will know that I was terrified of going in the car in labour, which has a lot to do with my stalling to get out of the bath. But because of the storm, we decided it was our best option. Our 3am departure also contributed! But we'd parked it under next door's house because of hail. So we started walking, but I only got halfway and had to lean over their fence for another compound contraction. DH brought the car out, and I climbed in.

By some miracle we copped only one red light and zero contractions for the car journey. I suspect that fear had a lot to do with it. The clock said 3:11 when I got out of the car. Immediately I had to lean over a bench to grunt and moan through another one, then about twenty steps later did the same again. Got to the desk, managed a smile and a hello, then had to concentrate through a contraction again. I was led to the chosen birth suite, where a glowing midwife and student midwife beamed like a golden welcoming beacon. I nodded a quick hello, and "can I get in the bath?", then scurried to the far corner where I'd spotted my ideal leaning table. Leaned over, had one easy enough contraction. Midwife felt my tummy through it and said "gosh, they're quite intense, aren't they? Do you want me to do a VE?" I hadn't even thought about this prospect, but said, quite absently "oh, um, yeah, actually, yeah!" I was more worried about needing to wee, but struggling with it. Told midwife. And promptly had to lean through another contraction. This one was much longer, a 2 minute job, and I thought that maybe I felt a teeny hint of pushy in it, but wasn't sure.

Got through that one, then hopped on the bed, keen to know where I was at. Midwife said "there's nothing there. There's no cervix. You are ready to have a baby!" And then " I'm surprised your waters haven't gone, do you want me to hook them?" I was kind of surprised, and just flopped my legs out on the bed to rest and refused. That was a glorious two minutes of rest right there!

Another contraction started up, so I threw myself up, leaned over the bed, and it turned pushy. Really pushy. Roaringly pushy. I went with it, and I felt head, instantly. Yipes! Wasn't expecting that! Midwife got a pillow for between my legs and all her delivery things, whatever that meant - I just remember her saying it. Next contraction my waters broke in a neat little puddle, and apparently head was visible. I wasn't surprised, it just came down so fast. I sort of danced between the two, then the next one was a roar-turned-screamer, I pushed and the head was out, and then out slid a gush of baby at 3:43am. Midwife caught and passed baby up to me. We had to check the bits (DH didn't know what we were having, but I'd peeked) and DH got to say "it's a girl! Hello Sadie" and just like that, she was named.

I sat up on the edge of the bed for a while, then decided to just go for it and lie back. The placenta took f.o.r.e.v.e.r. But our little girl was quick to find the boob. Her fist feed was a monstrous 90 minutes. I'd pop her off and she would just root and find the other side.

When we finally weighed her, she came in at 4228g, 53cm, HC 36.5. I ended up with second degree tearing, but its healing better than my grazing with DD1. We were home just after 8 for a big cooked brekkie and a perfect day of snuggles in bed.

Aww, don't leave us hanging! LOVE her name as well :)

oh man!! all these to be continued!! I'm lurking until you finish it =) cant wait!

Argh! Leaving us hanging!!! Can't wait for the rest :)

Damn you ladies and your TBC...not in birth stories!!! Lol, can't wait :)

Noooooooooooo! Darn you lady, finish the story already!

hahaha! Another cliff-hanger!!

ah man! that's not fair lol

Subbing to get the update :D

Waiting patiently:D

Come on!!! I'm impatiently waiting to hear the rest!!! xxxx

Such a beautiful light-filled birth story :) You do make it sound easy! I'm stealing the jelly beans idea. Sadie the Storm Baby. Perfect.

beautiful. just gorgeously beautiful! you wrote that with so much beauty! :loveshower:

Well done. Thanks for sharing your birth story. Gorgeous name enjoy xoxo

Awesome birth story!!! Loved your words and how calm you sounded. Well done birthing mama and congratulations to you all xx

It's updated now folks.

Except I missed the bit, somewhere between pushing contractions, where I droned "I looooove yoooooou" like a 3am drunkard to the midwife.

That was so empowering, thank you for sharing Audax, I hope you are enjoying loads of newborn snuggles :)

Loved your story audax :) thanks for sharing

Lovely story! Congratulations

Lovely!!

Thank you so much for sharing that Audax! How wonderful!! Welcome to the world Sadie!

Congratulations! It's a lovely birth story. Welcome Sadie! Love the name too! :)

beautiful story!! You did so well :) Welcome Sadie!

Such a wonderful and empowering birth story SnugBug! You had me on the edge of my seat and very entertained. Well done to you, much love xo

What a wonderful birth story :-) congratulations! Welcome Sadie!

Well done, Audax! You were amazing! Sounds like your little Sadie was very happy to have picked her own birthdate.

What a great birth experience xx Welcome Sadie xx

Just gorgeous, Sadie is an adorable name!

congratulations on the arrival of your little girl. beautiful story and a gorgeous name!!

Oh, fabulous. Well done, you!
xox

That's awesome Auds :) congratulations on baby Sadie!

So so beautiful! Congratulations to you all on the birth of your new little girl. How perfectly wonderful. xoxo

Love it! Congratulations again!

What a great birth! Congrats again on the stormy arrival of Miss Sadie.

Perfect re-telling of Sadie's awesome birth, well done Audax!

What a wonderful story! Congrats!

Hello, isn't that just the best birth! Congratulations

You are awesome A! Thanks for sharing. Welcome little Saddie. Xx

I'm so late reading this, but....

Awwww, beautiful story!!! Congratulations!!! Welcome to the world Sadie :D.