Hello all! And well done to the new mummies! I've been absent for a few days so no name checks I'm sorry! (Except a well deserved one for Voodoo... just had a mammoth cath up on the posts and seemed like a long haul!)
Thanks to those who were wondering where I was... as you no doubt imagine I've been at home too busy snuggling with my DH and our baby girl!
Here's the details...
After going to bed at 10:30 on Tuesday night, I was awoken at 11:50pm with what I assumed was another braxton hicks contraction combined with a some pretty bad pain in the tops of my legs, though this settled quite quickly and I fell asleep again, only to wake up 20 mins later with another (and a desperate feeling that I needed the loo!). By this time I had woken DH up and said that I thought something might be happening, but I'd wait and see if there was another in 20 mins again. The next one actually came 15 minutes later, and (again feeling the urge to go to the loo) my waters started to go whilst I was on the loo. Though I still wasn't convinced that I was in labour!!!!
5 minutes later another pain in my legs and the rest of my waters came away, by this time DH was on the phone to the midwife, who said she'd be out within the hour.
By this time my contractions were coming thick and fast, and despite getting dressed ready for the midwife to come, when she arrived I was stripped off and in the bath having contractions every couple of minutes!!! She was very impressed to find me coping very well with the contractions (on my knees in the bath doing my golden thread yoga breathing). She was very surprised at how quickly the contractions were coming having only been in labour for about an hour. We never got round to timing them as by this time they were pretty much non stop! Concentrating on the breathing was the only thing going through my mind after the first few contractions and I was incredibly calm despite the pace of things!
Midwife tried to examine me in between these contractions, which was not easy as they were so close together, and I couldn't do anything but laugh when she told me I was 8cm already!!
At this point I finally got on the gas and air. A couple of transactions later I felt the need to push and she told me to just go with it! The gas and air combined with the breathing helped focus my mind during this stage and I just kept thinking "this could be it - if I push hard enough my baby girl will be here!!"
Tilly Alexandra Bxxxx was born on 16 November at 3:43am weighing 8lbs 7oz - after only 3:50mins in labour!
I did have to go into the hospital for some stitches, but the breathing and gas and air saw me through that nicely too! Poor DH was terrified having to follow me in the car with Tilly by himself! And he had to dress her himself!
The three of us are doing so well and having so much fun being a little family! Tilly is so so pretty and doing super well with breast feeding. I even had 8 hours sleep last night! (DH had 9 - lazy bugger!)
Good luck to those still waiting!