Well - from hoping to have a home water birth things changed just a tad!!
My fore/hind waters (whatever they're called) went at 11 on monday morning so I went to the hospital on Monday evening for a quick check. They'd told me I'd be allowed home afterwards so it was no big deal (though I was hugely excted!)
Imagine my surprise then when the MW said that, as my BP was borderline she was going to do a sweep & that I'd have to stay in & go on antibiotics in readiness for induction. Needless to say I didn't sleep on Monday night and was so desperate to go into spontaneous labour that nothing happened on that front!!
Induction was started (drip in each hand and monitors everywhere following "official" rupturing of membranes) at 5pm on Tuesday & a friend came and gave me some lovely reflexology whilst I waited. Labour started at 8pm & I went on to the wonderful giggle inducing gas & air at about 10pm when the contractions really started to grip. They discoverd, at midnight, that my waters hadn't been ruptured at all (so I could have laboured in water/didn't need to be induced/monitored!!) so that was done & from then on everything really hotted up - including a visit from SHO & consultant because the baby's heartrate had slowed below 100. Managed to avoid C sect but nobody managed to avoid being deafened by my bull elephant impression when the head suddenly dropped & my hip joints suddenly shifted sideways (well, that's what it felt like!!).
The MW was absolutely fantastic in helping me deliver without any nicks or tears and we were left alone for about an hour afterwards with loads of skin to skin & bonding.
In short, Dominic George made his appearance at 0232 on Wed 18th Jan and gets more beautiful by the hour (he looks just like DH but with my colouring). I'd forgotten just how wonderful it is to give birth (also how bloody painful too but that's another story!) and feel so blessed to have my little man now after so many years. We mums are so lucky aren't we...