Matilda the froggie girl with flipper feet and spatula hands finally deigns to enter the world!!
This birth announcement is horrible late due to my laptop crashing, wireless not working and basically me spending way too much time gazing at my exquisite little girl . But here goes?
Act 1: Sunday May 19th 9:40pm - whalelike I lounge gracefully on the couch about to watch Pierce Brosnan strut his stuff in Matador (great film BTW). A discreet ladylike cough turns into a gush of something in the PJ?s that has me running for the bathroom and DH looking panicked and realizing he?s about to become a dad. 10 mins of me feeling absolutely terrified turns into yay it?s finally happening and calling all the family in Oz to tell them Tilda is finally on her way. Nothing happens overnight so everyone goes to bed expecting the pushing to be just moments away! Cue Marslady and many texts sent from here on in?
Act 2: Mon May 20th 10am ? I call midwife to tell her my waters broke and go into hospital for quick monitor and checkup because I WILL NOT BE INDUCED so stick your monitor things on me then back off cause I?m going home. Everything is fine (of course) so we head home where I continue to eat body weight in pineapple and curry and finish up the curtains for Tilda?s room. More calls to Oz telling everyone that everything is fine ? I actually said to one person ?I?m probably just dilating painlessly and will be pushing at any time?. Few mild contractions kick in but otherwise another night of sleeping?
Act 3: Tues May 21st 1pm ? off to hospital again for another monitoring session and gentle discussions with doctors and midwives about induction etc?BACK OFF people ? my body is capable of doing this without your interference thank you very much. Agree to go back that night for more induction discussion in the morning. More curry and pineapple and gentle contractions 8 mins apart. During all this time endless calls back and forth with MarsLady as we try to work out just what my body is up to.
Act 4: Tues May 21st 10pm ? Chelsea Westminster and the labour ward is packed so I?m parked in the Ante-natal ward and DH and Mars are sent home to come back in the morning. I lie there contracting every 5 mins, feeling very alone and wanting my support around me. Transfer to labour ward at 5am, DH and Mars allowed back in and we are thinking we are just hours away?NO sleep
Act 5: Wed May 23rd ? Thurs May 24th
Basic theme for the next 2 days
- NO sleep
- Contractions anywhere from 3-8 mins apart depending on what midwife, consultant or registrar has come into the room to tell me yet again what the risks are of doing it my way. Don?t get me wrong they were all lovely ? just wanted to stick me with things and hurry it all along
- Blood pressure checks and baby heart beat monitoring (Tilda through all of this is absolutely fine)
- Vomiting into nice cardboard receptacle
- Vaginal exams where it felt like King Kong was trying to scratch my intestines through my fanjo
- Sucking on the gas and air until my eyes spun and things didn?t seem so bad
- Trying to move Madam into a good position by dancing with Mars and DH, walking the labour ward, trudging up stairs and doing plies
- DILATE TO 4cm?s by Wednesday evening
- Finally agreeing to go on Syntocin drip Thurs morning
Lots more of the above till 7pm Thursday?..
All of the above got me to 4 cm?s and no further. Tilda was absolutely fine all the way through, just not quite ready to come out. Plus not sure if my waters had completely gone and her head (from one of the VE?s) was beginning to swell a bit. My options were up the Syntocin again and try and dilate further. My concern was if and when that finally worked I would be too exhausted to push. I hadn?t slept for 3 days and vomited up everything I?d eaten so decided to go with a CS.
Act 6: Thurs May 24th 8:30pm
Go into operating theatre with DH in scrubs and with my iPod and speakers. Marslady is waiting for us in recovery. My birth plan included hurried notes on CS if it happened and on the music side I had said that my idea of hell was for my child to be born to the likes of Robbie Williams or Celine Dion (no offence to anyone but just not my cup of tea). So lying on the table (epidural working nicely) the doctors and I sang along to a playlist of REM, Keane, Sarah McLachlan etc?as my beautiful girl is born.
Matilda Rachel, 7 pounds 13 ounces, 50 cm long. She has a head of golden brown hair, a dint in her chin like her Dad and my ears (apparently). Her hands and feet are huge hence the nickname froggie girl (going to be an Olympic swimmer maybe) so hopefully she will have inherited some of her Dad?s 6 feet 8 inches of height.
She is placed immediately (as per my instructions) on my chest and left there for 20 mins. Then a quick check by the ped doc and she?s back in my arms while the Doc and I sing along to Keane as they stitch me up.
10 days later (after 2 days in hospital) I am sitting at DH?s laptop typing this as Tilda snoozes in the basket next to me. She is feeding every 4 hours sucking both boobs dry and I?m getting loads of sleep and feeling quite human.
DH and Marslady were my strength and there is no way in the world I would have been able to so calmly get through the most un-traumatic event of my life. I?ve promised not to tell anyone what book kept Mars going through the 2 days on the labour ward
What traumatizes me now is not being able to drive for 6 weeks!!!!!!
I started with the idea of water birth, ended with a CS but felt really good about the decisions we all made along the way. Thinking about watching DH see his Tilda out safe and in his arms still makes me cry.
Mars ? thank you, thank you, thank you. Can?t wait to fly you to Oz for the next one.
May 07 ladies ? you have consistently made me laugh, feel normal and safe in all the changes that I?ve gone through the past 6 months since I got online for this first pregnancy.
I?ve added a pic of Tilda to my profile and will add more once I?ve waded through them.