We're home! Bit of a contrast to DS's birth...
2.09 am I get my first contraction. When the second one arrives I think "Hmmmm" and move to the bathroom with a magazine
by 3am contractions are roughly every ten minutes and I get DH to attach my TENS electrodes
From around 3.15 am contractions are regularly around every four to four and a half minutes and lasting fifty seconds. They get more intense but no longer and no closer together so I reckon I have a while to go.
At about 5 am I decide we need to call MIL to come and look after DS
By 5.20 am the contractions are a LOT more intense and have suddenly shot up to over a minute in duration. Call the hospital who say to come in. Wake up DS and head to hospital in car. Drop me off at around 6 am and DH goes home with DS to wait for MIL. As I get out of car, my waters go.
Contractions have really intensified now and my TENS is up to max. I get into delivery suite and midwife wants to do heartbeat trace and check progress, but the contractions are coming one on top of the other and I can't stand still or bear the thought of getting onto my back to be checked. She gives me gas and air which does help. We have a couple of contractions like that with me vitually dancing around the room saying helpful things like "Ow" and "I can't do it" and her wisely avoiding crossing a hormonal pregnant woman. Then I start getting the urge to push and she gets firm with me about wanting to check progress so I get onto the bed leaning over the back and when the next contraction finishes flip onto my back quickly to be checked.
I was prepared to discover I was a 3 or 4 and in for the long haul. I was more-or-less expecting to be a 5 or 6. I was rather hoping to be a 7. But apparently I was a 9-and-a-bit.
I flipped over onto my side and decided this was a comfortable position and I was staying like that. It did at least allow her to get the heartbeat trace going. I tried very hard not to push but the urge was irresistable. I pretty much refused to move position so she could check me again but shortly before 7 am she told me just to go with what my body needed to do and push if I wanted.
I had I think three contractions worth of pushing and then DH arrived (I'd been starting to think he was going to miss the whole thing). A couple more contractions and she was crowning, which did hurt but not the whole ring of fire thing that I'd been expecting. Tried not to push for a couple of contractions so she didn't come too fast and tear me, then we had I think three more contractions and the head was out. In between contractions I said something very inane like "this feels very peculiar..." Next contraction and I pushed out the shoulders (hurt more than the head but didn't take as long) followed by the rest of her at 7.27 am. So less than five and a half hours from first contaction to holding baby!
8lb 15oz, 57.5 inches, Apgars of 9 and 10, lots of skin-to-skin, had a good long breastfeed (she didn't appear to have watched the breastcrawl videos, but latched on beautifully anyway), I got stitched up (second degree tear as she had her hand up by her face when she came out) had a nice breakfast and a shower, and they let us out shortly before noon. So we're back home now! DS is besotted and MIL is cooking me a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge lunch.