Ds was born on Sunday the 13th December, but I haven't really been on MN since then. Things have started to calm down a little now, so I thought I'd do my birth announcement/story.
Sooooo....
On the Wednesday before and at 36 weeks pg, I started to feel what I assumed were Braxton Hicks through the night. Dh and I had an appointment the following day, and I remember calling AprilMeadow and asking her what contractions felt like, having never experienced any sort of labour pains with dd, who arrived via ELCS. I then had a show, so I called the midwife, who told me that it was probably BH, but if they started coming every 5 minutes, to head for hospital.
That afternoon, dh and I started timing them, and they were fairly regular, although not at all strong, so I went in to hospital to be examined. The cx were so weak they weren't even registering on the monitor, but I was found to be 1cm dilated. The midwife almost bribed me at this point, saying if I definitely wanted my ELCS, which had been booked for 29th December, then I would have to stay in, in order to see if things progressed, but if I agreed to try a VBAC, I could go home. So, I agreed, very reluctantly, and really only because I wanted to go home.
I continued to contract on and off, with the pains still not really getting any stronger, and then, on the Sunday, made the ridiculously stupid decision to travel 40 miles to attend suwoo's ds1's 3rd birthday party (can you see where this is going?). During the car journey, I was thinking, "hmmm, these are quite regular all of a sudden, and by the time we arrived at suwoo's house, I was definitely grimacing a bit with the pain.
She was delighted when my waters broke all over her couch. Cue two very giggly and hysterical women in her bathroom, checking my sanitary towel and trying to decide whether I'd actually just wet myself.
The pains took on a whole new level as soon as my waters broke, and somehow, with lots of counting, biting the headrest, and shouting at dd and dh with my head out of the car window, we managed to get to hospital. Where the bloody door was broken, so we then had to find a mobile phone to try and get them to let me in, and then hand dd over to my mum, along with all her things.
I was shouting so loud (to my embarassment) that they heard me on gynae ward, and came down in scrubs, thinking I was going to give birth in the car park. We arrived at the hospital at 5.20pm, where after screaming at the midwife for five minutes about how I wanted my section, I was proclaimed to be fully dilated, and Lucas William was delivered at 5.51pm, weighing 7lb 10oz.
Then...
- He had to go to special care for 24 hours after he was born because he was 'mewing' when he breathed and they thought he may have had an infection. He didn't.
- When I was finally discharged on the Wednesday, I arrived home to dd with a temp of 40.1, who was vomiting and very floppy, and proceeded to develop the world's worst chest infection.
- I fell out with my mum because of her reaction to said chest infection, i.e. totally hysterical.
- On Boxing Day, ds was readmitted to hospital with bronchiolitis, where he stayed for eight days, two of which were spent in intensive care. I spent the entire eight days crying, true to form.
But now, all is well. Ds is 11 weeks old now, he is sleeping 8pm to 4am, and well, we all adore him, especially dd, who has been fantastic, and thankfully doesn't bear a grudge for my behaviour in the car!
In true Oscar style, I would like to thank the following people for helping me to keep my marbles:
Suwoo - for being my BFF, and always being calm for me. And for having a leather sofa.
Aprilmeadow - for always understanding.
Largeginandtonic - for being my guru, and being the source of so much support and advice when ds was in hospital. I guess when you have that many children, you've seen everything, but her ability not to trivilaise things, and be such a wonderful friend never ceases to amaze me.
ShowofHands - for being my counsellor.
I'd like to thank dh, but well, he's a pita.