Finally the birth story =)

** Warning there is going to be way to much information of what happened – so apologies in advance**

On Friday 29th when I was at work I was getting cramping pains – pretty much like really bad menstrual cramps intermittently throughout the day, I didn’t really think too much of it as just thought the wee man was turning. It was a really warm day as well so I was really puffy in the hands and feet and was just feeling heavy – think I commented to mum on the phone that I was ready to have the wee man to get comfy again =)

When I get home from I am still getting the cramps really bad but not too frequent to think anything of them – I headed off to bed about 9ish for a lie down and ended up sleeping until 11pm.  Lee was just getting to get to bed when I stirred and decided to get up as was sore and felt like I need to go to the bathroom – ok there is going to be a bit TMI coming up…

When I sat up in the bed I felt what can only be described as a bubble popping and I suddenly got very wet down below – I actually thought that I had wet myself as you do tend to lose control of your bladder, so got up went to bathroom and got cleaned up and changed my jammies. By this time the cramps were getting sore, stronger and a bit more frequent but I still didn’t realise what was going on. So I pottered about the living room trying to ease the pain then decided to google pregnancy cramps at 36wks.

Discovered it could signify the onset of labour about to start.

Panic kinda set in but not as much as I thought it would and still I pottered about – I woke Lee up about midnight when I was pottering about the bedroom and told him I was still sore and was getting more painful so was going to call Triage for advice. They were really nice and said that its not uncommon for labour to start early but they can actually stop it and as I want sure if it was my waters breaking or just getting really moist (which also happens in late pregnancy to help prepare for baby being born) they advised me to just come into the hospital to get check over just to be on the safe side.

So I went and woke Lee up and casually told him I was to go to hospital for once over and that I was going to have a shower as I was sweating from the warm night and also still feeling like I was wetting myself. He was like ” are we going to have a baby tonight?” I was like no idea maybe lol lets just get off to the hospital and see what they have to say.

We set off about 1pm – so you can see the time it took for me to get my head round what was going on and calling the hospital to actually getting there, I was really quite calm about it all at this point. In the car though – oh my god! The pain was getting worse and when I was timing how long between the pain going and coming again it was 5 min apart! I finally realised that I might actually really be in labour.

Got to the Triage unit about 1:20am where there was a lovely midwife who got me settled explained that she was going to have a wee feel of my tummy and then do a membrane sweep. She did like a smear test on me first and took a wee swab why I cant remember and then she did  the sweep – I have to say it wasn’t the most pleasant feeling and it was uncomfortable and when she  was done then boy did my waters fully break.

Labour is not the most dignified of things I can tell you and it the yucky stuff that you don’t hear about – but hey that’s life =)

She confirmed that I was 2cm dilated and most definitely in the start of labour but she wanted to get a scan done as you all know we still weren’t sure where Jack was lying so she hooked me up to a heart and contraction monitor and got the registrar who was on duty to come do a scan, the pains were still coming every 5 or so mins. Once we knew that Jack was breech I didn’t really have time to let everything sink in.

As he was breech I was prep’d for theatre and explained the risks etc of the surgery as there was now way they would slow the labour and no way I could delivery naturally so I had no choice to get a C-section. I got taken down to the labour unit and got changed into a gown.

Lee was given a set of blues to change into so he could join me in the theater suit whilst I was wheeled along to get my spinal(epidural) – it was then it hit me and I started to cry, no idea why think it was just a mixutre of the adrenaline and emotions flooding to the surface that I was about to see my son and the fact that I had to get a C-Section, but the midwife was great and gave me big hug and some tissues. Got into theater and meet the team still bubbling away – the anethesatis was lovley and explained what he was going to do and talked me through everything he was doing when giving me the injection and spinal – i have to admit it wasnt as sore as I thought it was going to be but it was sore none the less getting a ruddy big needle stuck into your spine! Once that was over and they got me to lie down i could feel it kicking in and the numbing effect running down my right leg then they tilted the bed so that it could work on my left side – this has got to be the single most weirdest feeling my body has ever experianced feeling it go numb from basially the breasts down. The guy put ice on my neck and ran it down my side to make sure that I couldn’t feel anything and I think i remember asking if I was moving my toes as I was trying to but couldnt feel a bloody thing!

The got a screen up in front of me so I couldnt see anything then Lee suddenly appeared next to my head I could just manage to turn round to see him – was so relived to see him.  The choice of music in the theater was shit so had to settle for some pop compilation album – it had some terrible songs. At one point during the weird tugging and pulling feeling “Who Let The Dogs Out” song came on and I remember saying I am not having my son born to that song change it quick! lol

To be honest after that is pretty much a blur – I remember the surgon guy showing me Jack over the screen and he was all white and bloddy and well if im honest kinda yucky and ugly looking – I actually thought oh god we have an ugly baby for that split second then he was wisked away to cleaned whilst they stiched me up and again the tears came. Oh I think he was born to Shaggy – It wasn’t Me =)

Whilst they were stiching me up they brought over Jack and Lee got to hold him as witht the drip and blood pressure cuff taking over both my arms I couldnt get to hold him properly so all I could really do was look at him and grin from ear to ear. I started to get a little sick and light headed and I dont know what they gave me but it worked at treat =)

After about what seems an eternity I was finally wheeled back to my labour room with Jack with me on the bed and back to Lee.

Got skin to skin with Jack and tried to get him to latch on to the breast to see if he would feed but no joy – it felt a little werid having some random stranger man-handle my boobs to get him to latch, but mind you labour isnt the most dignified of things and if you are worried about that then dont have kids.

I had 2 bed baths and a catheter removed so all dignity is well and truley out the wondow. If it was a normal delivery it wouldn’t have been so bad but because I had the spinal I couldn’t move my lower body.

by 6am  I told Lee to get away home and bring me in the stuff I needed as was going to be in hospital for a few days then the midwifes got me cleaned up and ready to head up to the maternity ward.

and the rest as they say is history! =)