Lily Madison couldn't wait....(its quite long)
I will begin my labour story by saying I wasn't ready for this, but we all made it through fine...
On Friday 16 May, my mother was due to fly into Newcastle at 4.30pm. Mum had planned to come down for the weekend (cheap flights) and help me finish setting up the nursery as I was now almost 3 weeks away from our estimated due date. As I had to pick her up from the airport, I decided to leave work early, about 3.30pm to finish the clean up and make her bed. During the day I emailed my doula (and friend) Cath letting her know that I was feeling great, bub still very high, and I believe that there was no way she was going to be here before her due date on 8 June! Little did I know what was about to happen! :doh:
Mum called me at lunch and said the flight was delayed and she wouldn't be arriving till 5pm, but I had had enough of work, so still took the 3.40 ferry home. I finished the clean up of the house and began making up the bed in the office. Its a futon, so I was bending down to finishing it, and as I stood up... gush... my jeans were soaked. I thought, oh my god is this my waters...?? It is now 4.30pm. I went to the toilet and called for DH. I said to him "I don't know if my water just broke or I wet myself!" :rolleyes: He laughed, and said where is the hospital number... call them and see what they say. So I called the hospital, told them what happened and that I think it is my waters as it keeps coming! I was told to put on some pads and call back in one hour. While I was on the phone to the birthing suite, DH called his sisters and asked them to come over, as my Mum still needed to be picked up. I said, "I'll be fine, I don't have any pain and I had read about your waters breaking long before you actually go into labour! I will go and pick her up, you go to work and I'll keep you posted." I then call my doula Cath to inform her of what was going on. She tells me she is on her way to Canberra, so gets her sister to drop her off at the train station and she starts her way back to Newcastle. She tells me to make sure my bags are packed and to keep her informed. DH gets me pads and hugs me, telling me this is it, we may have a baby soon! :dance: He also hands me the phone and tells me to call my boss and let him know what is happening, as I am still meant to be at work the following week!!!! My boss is great, thank god you went home early he tells me, and you just concentrate on delivering that baby now, I will handle your work!
My SIL's arrived and DH asked them to take me up to the airport as he didn't want me driving. I was still convencied I could do it, but went in the passenger seat anyway. We arrived at the airport just after 5pm and Mum was waiting for us. She got into the car and said I was looking for your car, why are you not driving?? "Mum, we have had some developments in the last half hour" I explain, "my waters have broken..." So during the trip back from the airport I explain to her what has happened and how I don't know what this weekend will hold yet! I got my first contraction about half way home, at 5.10pm. Mum is totally excited.... she can't believe that she might be here for the birth. I try to explain that I could be in labour for days, we will just have to wait and see.
So we get home, and we all sit around discussing my mums births (which were terrible) and what needs to be done now. I say that my labour bag is almost packed, I just have to add the stuff that I had been using each day and grab the lists I have on what needs to be added. My contractions are 10 mins apart but very mild still. DH calls from work and says he has organised some pizzas for dinner and someone should come and pick them up at 6.15pm. I tell him about the contractions, that I am keeping track of how far apart they are and they seem quite regular but not very strong yet. DH tells me he is organising everyone at work for the next few days and he will be home soon.
The pizzas get picked up, and I am so hungry I have one slice.... this, it turns out was a mistake! By 7pm the contractions are now between 3 and 5 minutes apart, about 30 to 45 seconds long and are increasing in intensity. They are beginning to become quite painful. I call DH and ask him to come home, I need him. He arrives a few minutes later (work is just down the road!)
SIL's and mum begin to watch TV and clean up as DH and I have a shower and discuss what we should do. I ask him to call Cath and tell her what is happening. By 8pm contractions are 2 to 4 minutes apart, lasting up to one minute and very painful. I am lying on the bed inbetween and getting up on all fours for each contraction. I am hot and clamy and don't want anyone but DH touching me during contractions, but as soon as they are over I am freezing and get under a doona. It was around this time I say.... "get me a bucket I am going to be sick...!" and I was. The pizza didn't stay down :lol:
At 8.30pm I inform DH I can't handle the pain anymore, I need something, please take me to hospital. So he and the girls get the cars ready while mum stays with me. SIL one takes our dog to her house, while SIL two, mum, DH and I head to the hospital. DH calls Cath and asks her to meet us there. By this time I am in my own world and am really feeling the contractions. I am moaning and very loud during each one. On the trip to hospital (about 25 minutes) I had 5 very strong and long contractions. We pull up at the hospital and Cath is waiting. As it is now 9.20 the door is locked and we have to buzz to get in. I have another one while waiting to get in.
we are taken to a birthing suite and I state I have go to the toilet. Another two contractions happen while getting to the toilet and on the toilet. The midwives start preparing and ask who my Dr is. After telling them, I am informed that he is not on duty tonight, but they call another Dr from his circle. I am disappointed that my wonderful OB won't be there to birth my baby, but don't really have time to think much about it before another contraction comes.
Whilst on the toilet, I beg DH for drugs. We discussed this during our pregnancy and I had wanted to go as long as I could without but wasn't totally against using what it takes. DH looks me straight in the eyes and says are you sure, you are doing so well, why don't we start with gas and see how you go. "Yes yes yes please take the pain away" I tell him. So he takes me over to the bed, where the midwives ask me if they can have a look and do an internal. I don't know how long it really took, but it seemed very quick to me, the midwives tell me, that I am ready to push and they will get the gas ready. It is now 9.40pm.
At this point, I am lying on the bed.... "get me up I need to stand, I want gravity to help" I beg my DH. So I stand up, the bed is raised so I can lean on it and I have DH standing to my side, while Cath is in front of me on the other side of the bed. It gets a little hazy here, but I start pushing, while sucking on the gas which helps with the pain. I scream and yell and squeeze Caths hand. DH is doing great, keeping me focused and making me look at him when I am not pusing well and get out of rhythm. I must have been pooing, as I can feel the midwife wiping my bum. It is starting to get sore and I remember saying "please don't wipe it anymore, it hurts" and I hear back "I am wiping babys face darling, keep pushing...."
Wow I think, she's almost here. I yell out "lily please come out" and two more pushes later, I am being passed a tiny little girl through my legs. It is now 10.21pm. DH has to help me as I feel like I will drop her. The Dr tells me to hold her close and hop on the bed as the cord is not very long. I lie on the bed and dr asks DH if he would like to cut the cord.... I quickly state that it must stop plusating first, and I am told it has. (Cath told me later it had as she checked! she thought it was quick too!) DH cuts the cord and I am helped out of my top and bra so she can have skin to skin contact. Dr tells me what I great job I did, I have a small graze but no need to stitch.
At this point, Cath asks, where is the camera. DH tells her it is in the bag, which is still in the waiting room!! :doh: We didn't even have time to bring it in with us! So she runs and get the camera, while DH and I start to bond with our little girl. DH states she has dark hair so Lily Madison is her name. We had chosen Lily Jane if she was blonde and Lily Madison if she was dark! I couldn't believe how much hair she had. A full head of hair and I didn't have any heartburn whatsoever during my pregnancy.
After about 15 minutes, I begin to squirm and feel a lot of pain in my back. The midwife asks me if I am ok and I say no, the pain in my back is very intense. So she asks DH to bring Lily over to the station where the tests are done and she has a look at me. " you have some clots, this will hurt, but we have to get them out" she informs me. She pushes on my belly, and oh boy did it hurt! I feel blood gushing out of me. She has to do this three times.... I think I must be loosing so much blood as it feels like an awful lot! (but it was only 440mls) Then she heads over and starts testing Lily. She weighs only 2670 grams (5.14 pounds) and is 47cm long. She has her shots and she crys a little, but it quick to calm down. The midwife monitors her breathing and informs us that she would like to take her upstairs to the special care nursery as her breathing is quite laboured. DH states that he wants to go with her, so he will go and get my mum to stay with me (Cath had left by this stage).
So mum comes in, sees Lily before they take her and she stays with me. I still have some more clots so am given another shot and more pushes to the belly. But eventually it stops and I start to feel ok again. After what seemed like forever, DH comes back (it was about 20 mintues) and says Lily has been put on oxygen, and we will see her once we head up to the ward.
After a little bit longer, I inform I am ready to get up. The midwife suggests a shower and to try and pee whilst in there. I ask my mum to leave and DH helps me get to the shower and gets me through it. I eventually get dressed and am put in a wheel chair to be taken upstairs. We have a quick stop in the waiting room, where my mum, SIL one and two and MIL are all waiting. They can't believe that it is all over and we have a baby and are all so proud of me.
We get up to the ward and I am put to bed. It is now about 1am. DH goes and checks on Lily. I have to wait and rest at this point. When DH comes back, he tells me straight.... I am not to worry, she is ok, but her breathing is very laboured and they have put her in the humidi crib on 100% oxygen. She doesn't have any tubes and she will be ok, but she has to stay in there for about 24 hours. I am exhausted and get a little emotional. DH hugs me and lets me have a cry.
I sleep and wake up at 4.30am. DH takes me down to the special care nursery where we are allowed to look, but not touch our beautiful little girl. Again, I get all emotional but somehow hold it together. She looks so tiny and fragile.... I just want to hold her again. I ask about feeding and am told that will happen at some stage during the following day, that she is ok now and can go for 24 hours without feeding.
So we head back to bed. We make the journey from our room to the special care nursery a few more times and start texting everybody about our early arrival. By the late afternoon we are allowed to touch and take her out for a quick cuddle. The following day she is allowed out of the crib and I begin breastfeeding. She takes to it quite well, considering her mouth is so small. But by dinner on Sunday she is not feeding too well, she is falling asleep and her colour is very yellow. She is taken back to the special care nursery and put back in the crib for phototherapy. Again, I am a mess, and totally lose it. I know she will be ok, but still, I can't control my emotions! She stays on phototherapy for another 24 hours and on Monday night she is just on a portable bed of lights. She has had a number of test done and seems to getting better. After one final test on Wednesday morning, both Lily and I are discharged from hospital and we are allowed home. DH is so very very excited as it is his birthday and he couldn't think of a better birthday present than to be able to take his two girls home :)
So..... Lily Madison was born at 10.21pm on 16 May 2008, after 6 hours from waters breaking to arriving. She was 3.4 weeks premature. I am still amazed that she is already here (my EDD was 8 June!!!) She is going really well now. She has gained back the weight she lost during the first few days of life but is still quite small. She is a wonderful baby, hardly cries, feeds well and is just so beautiful. I feel extremely blessed to have her in my life.
If you got this far.... thanks for reading my story. It was nice to relive it and have it down in writing.
