Hello hello. (Runs up huffing and puffing, late to the party and clutching a bottle of warm champagne...)
Sorry it's taken so long - I really don't know where the time has gone. Thanks to everyone who's been concerned about me. I feel like I've just woken up after some kind of time warp, wondering what happened to October. This was initially due to exhaustion after a rather debilitating labour (of which more in a mo). I really have no idea when the earthquake happened in Pakistan or why there's rioting in Paris... and I haven't even harrassed my MP over her voting record on the Terrorism Act - which is very unlike me
Anyway - first things first: Arianwen Mhairi Rose (I said Peanut would be a girl!) was born on October 9th, weighing 7lb 1oz. Arianwen is a Welsh name - and not even a very common one - and is pronounced as it's spelt.
Labour started on October 6th - but the first couple of days were, it transpired, only latent labour: which I take to mean that it hurts just as much as the real thing, but isn't achieving anything, as one's cervix isn't dilating. The contractions were certainly coming every five minutes at one point, lasting for a minute - and dispelling any thoughts of sleep. When active labour finally got underway (sometime on Saturday the 8th), it happened quite quickly and I started to get second stage pushing urges early on Sunday. Peanut's arrival was cheerfully expected for mid to late morning, the heating was on, towels were on the radiators and the champagne was in the fridge.
However.
On the Saturday, I had been in the bath and felt / heard an enormous crack in my pelvis as I turned over. I had had the same experience turning over in bed, but this was accompanied with a feeling of movement, which made me wonder if the Peanut had changed position. The crack was so conspicuous that I briefly wondered if it were possible to break your child's neck whilst still in utero. Anyway, it subsequently turned out that my beautifully positioned LOA baby had foolishly and irresponsibly turned to a deflexed ROP position - and therefore wasn't going anywhere. After some hours of strong second stage contractions with no sign of descent, my midwife called an ambulance and we transferred to Watford General. The foetal heart was decelerating when I spent too long in one position, coming back up when I moved - which was making my midwife uncomfortable. I also had the suspicion that Peanut might have passed meconium whilst we were waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Had I not been hanging on to the internal rail, moo-ing through contractions, though, it might have been quite exciting travelling under a flashy blue light.
On arrival at Watford, two registrars turned up shroud-waving about my clotting disorder and the fact that Peanut was a post-dates baby - facts which may both have been true, but had no bearing upon our decision to transfer or the fact that she wasn't coming out. They were insistent that they would try ventouse - but my husband and I both felt that everything had been going so well, that if she weren't coming out, there must be a good reason for it and tugging her out by ventouse wasn't going to be the answer. Which turned out to be the case, as they took one look at her position and put the ventouse away. Arianwen was born by emergency Caesarean at 3.36 on Sunday afternoon, covered in meconium, but with Apgars of 8 and 9 at one and five minutes respectively. Having spent 70+ hours in labour (probably the only thing I'll ever have in common with Gwyneth Paltrow) with only two paracetamol and a small beaker of Black Sheep Ale by way of pain relief, the moment the spinal block took effect has got to rank as absolutely heavenly.
Although the Caesarean has healed well, my platelets have subsequently gone through the roof - which is a concern and I won't be stopping the anti-coagulants any time soon. It has made me try and get up and about as soon as possible, though, so my stomach muscles are doing ok with long walks and an over-enthusiastic dog pulling on the lead (it's a bit like having a toddler already).
It's a shame that Peanut wasn't actually born at home - but I'm very glad that the labour took place at home. I couldn't have done it without the birthing pool, which I wouldn't have had access to at Watford, and it was good to have the confidence in the midwife to know that when she advised transfer, it was the right thing to do - and not just because of NHS protocol or the fact that they were short-staffed on the labour ward. It was also interesting to note the attitude of hospital staff when we turned up with our own note-taking health professional - I very much got the feeling that they did everything by the book: including making sure that everyone knocked on the door before entering the assessment room. And she insisted on being in the operating theatre, as well as my husband, despite the initial squealing of hospital staff that it wasn't their policy to allow more than one person. She was also really good with the breastfeeding after the birth, visiting me on the ward while I was there, then every day at home initially (some flat nipple problems, sorted temporarily with nipple shields).
Post-natal ward was ok - although having been three nights without much sleep, I didn't get very much in the hospital either as they kept wheeling in women with squealing infants at ungodly hours of the morning. Particularly irritating, since mine, meanwhile, was sleeping peacefully. Luckily I was only there for two nights, as I was starting to get a psychotic glint in my eye. I had to stalk the SHO before they discharged me in the end anyway, as they were concerned about my low Hb levels. I was more concerned about the galloping platelets, but wasn't going to mention them in case they found some reason to delay discharge (in which case, I think I'd just have had to abscond against advice...).
Anyway - lots more to say, but I'm sure I should be washing some nappies or something. It's taken me a day and a half to catch up on all your posts. Arianwen is sleeping peacefully at the moment, as is the dog, but a bit more of that between 12 and 3am would be good. Incidentally - those with dogs - what do you put your babies in during the day? I've got Arianwen in a sort of rocking thing, but it's a bit low and the dog keeps trying to snuffle her face. His intentions are friendly - and he's particularly interested when she's crying or hiccuping - but I know where that muzzle has been. I know he'll do wonders for her immune system in the long run, but I'd rather he kept his germs to himself in the short term. My mother keeps going on about a moses basket, but I'm concerned about the stability: he's not a big dog, but he can be a bit boisterous and curious and I wouldn't trust him not to knock the stand over.
STM / TMK - congratulations!
Piccadilly Circus - I am indeed in St Albans. Not sure how you knew that...
Right. I'll be off to do something constructive. Apologies again for radio silence. I do think I asked Mr RZ to post a message on the Sunday evening she was born - but I was on morphine and he was sleep deprived (and had had the additional stress of ambulance-chasing), so that must have gone by the wayside.