After many years of hard work and heartbreak, I finally went into labour on Monday (my due date) and gave birth Tuesday morning 7am. After 28 hours painful but unproductive back labour, I went for augmentation with epidural. Sadly, the epi caused my blood pressure to crash, my contractions to stop and the baby's heartrate to decelerate alarmingly. The decelerations didn't stabilise, so I ended up delivering by caesarean section.
Ava was born with excellent apgar scores, 7lb 2oz, with masses of dark hair and big blue eyes. She is a corker. She has talipes but it does not seem particularly severe, and otherwise seems a healthy baby. She has taken to breastfeeding with great gusto, but sadly only at night and only on one side. We are working on this.
Mothers and baby are all doing well. Thanks to all the lovely mumsnetters who have kept me going through conception, miscarriage, pregnancy, foetal abnormality scares and now birth. You are stars.