weeonion gave birth to a 7lb15oz baby shallot aka caoimhe on the 21st april at 7.47pm.
apologies as this is a long story - but i really enjoyed writing it - i cant believe it is a week ago now! the mind blocks out so much but i want o remember what it was like - one of the most incredible and awe inspiring experiences of my life...
early labour started on thursday 19th morning with a show after a sweep on wednesday hospital appt where i was 2 cm dilated with a thinned out cervix of 1cm. things were looking good and i thought what a nice sunny day to be born. little did i know it would then last for 2 days!
It came and went through the thursday night with friday seeming endless. we went out for a long lunch and i had a very strong set on contractions to get my excitement going - i was enjoying labour and felt good about it all. i was gonna do this and both dp and I felt invincible. it made me smile that i was sitting over a ciabbta roll with my tens buzzin away and this baby bouncing on my cervix - unbeknownst to everyone else in the cafe. spirits were high and it was looking good. watched dvds and napped on friday evening with a lonnnnnnng night of contractions having slowed again to come 15 mins apart. i was in pain, sore and tired now after 2 nights of it.
At a hospital trip on saturday 21st morning after bright red blood- we were told to go home, i wasnt dilating any further and that early labout hadnt started. i was just having braxton hicks and as a first timer - wouldnt be so calm if they were true contractions. the kindly midwife laughed at me when i said i was trying hypnobirthing and breathing - she said she found it hard to believe that if is was ral labour - i woudl know it. this could go on for days - maybe nearly 2 weeks. we went home - sad, sore and dejected. how was i gonna cope with increasing pain for days when i as sure this was it. cue tears.
we stopped timing contractions as it wasnt labour and dp went out to get shopping and stock up on dvds. i walked round and round the flat eventually havign to lie on a nest of cushions on teh floor at 3.30pm. i rang mu mum to say we werent in labour as the hospital said so and had 3 contractions in 15 mins call. stayed on teh floor- no point in this active labour malarky as the mw had said if i started it too soon - it wouldnt then work when i was in "real" full on labour. curled in a ball on the floor while dp made some cds and then at 5.30 went for a very long bath which relaxed me and felt like i could cope once again - enough to send some texts to say that i would be out for dinner that night. suddenly it all changed - dp had to scramble out of teh shower to my naked yells of "boost me, boost me" as i coudlnt get the TENS machine to work. i had taken all my clothes off and was straddling the bed. dp was gobsmacked when i said i needed to push. he refused to believe me - advising it might be wind and to go to the bathroom and have a poo. i made it there only to start bellowing like a cow. this scared him into action. i rang the hospital at 7.18pm, we were in a pals car at 7.30. i had started to push kneeling on the back seat and had to crawl out of car in car park in front of family's visiting - apologising to them all. made it to labour ward at 7.40 and with 2 pushes she was born. she did have the cord round her neck but all was ok. a healthy 7lb15oz gal!!!!!!
No grazes, no tears and no stitches.
no pain relief - 4 paracetomol from thursday to saturday.i cant believe i done it.
now - even more than ever - i think women are pretty incredible, what we can do and are capable of and just how amazing our bodies are.