Baby Anya Rose was born on Wednesday 16 June at 5.54am.
The evening before I started having contractions while feeding DS, at about 9pm. I thought they'd go away, as they had before, but they were still going at 10, then 11 and I asked H to come round so I wouldn't worry about waking people up for my TENS.
TENS went on at about midnight, and with that and some moving around / bouncing on the birth ball, I was feeling fine. Uncomfortable for the very short contractions but nothing too bad at all.
About 2.30 I managed to go to sleep, and slept for about an hour. I thought I was going to settle in front of the TV for more of the same, but some time around 4.30, everything suddenly changed and things started really hurting! I demanded to be taken to the hospital
We dropped DS off with his auntie at around 5am, by which time I was starting to want to push, on my hands and knees in the back of the car. H phoned the delivery suite and they told him not to come in because they were full! We were told to go to a further away hospital but when they could hear me screaming and saying that I had to push, they decided to send an ambulance. I wasn't deliberately pushing - my body just did it for itself when the contractions came, and although it did really hurt I wasn't scared somehow.
I think the ambulance came around 5.30, shortly followed by a local midwife, and I was very very glad for the gas and air - but not to be made to lie on my side so I'd be safe in the ambulance! It wasn't long before Anya made her appearance before we'd got to the hospital - still moving up the motorway. They delivered the apparently huge placenta in the ambulance outside the hospital and then we went in.
As soon as they'd made sure she was warm and dry, she latched on and fed for at least half an hour, then they weighed her.
A 9lb baby girl with no tears or stitches - just a bit of grazing!
All in all it was an amazing birth, and I had a real high after it, which apart from some after pains, I am still on to some extent!
She's still feeding well and sleeping pretty much all the time in between feeds. We've had some good sleep at night and DS seems to really love her!