Hello, I'm back with our birth story, as promised. Strangely, it started exactly the same way as E's - with my waters going with a pop at 4am on a Monday morning. So we mopped up, made a cuppa and after about half an hour (as last time) my contractions started and I rang through to the MLU and they asked me to come in. Having learnt from last time, we both showered, had some breakfast before loading the car - by which time the ILs were up and we called MIL over to stay with E. When we got to hospital it turned out they had no one on the MLU or the labour ward, no one on post natal, no one due to come in for an induction or section - and so we had the run of the place and loads of bored midwives looking for something to do, and we were practically showered in tea and toast as they fought over us!
The Midwife Led Unit at Scarborough is new since I had E, and couldn't be more different from their labour ward - spacious rooms with ginormous birth pools (I assume the rental ones for home births aren't that big? I'd never fit one in my house), sofas, loads of pillows, balls etc, so we were quite excited by it all. I had my TENS going and was walking around and I was coping with it all pretty well. (Random aside - at this point I received from my job share that she'd just had a baby girl, so I was determined to crack on and make sure they shared their birthday!)
Suddenly, at lunchtime my contractions ramped up a bit and I felt I needed something as well as my tens machine, so the MW examined me to see if I was dilated enough to get in the pool - as this was my only examination I was terrified she was going to say 2cm, but hurrah, I was 6cm and so the pool was filled. I started to have mixed feelings by this point, as with E I got to 6cm and then slowed right down and ended up on a syntocin drip, laid on my back and with epidural - and it took another 6 hours until she was born. But this time there was only G&A and the pool, and 6 hours felt like a scarily long time. But getting in the pool was such a relief, finally I understand why water births are raved about. I hadn't intended to give birth in the pool, but there was no getting me out once I was in! It was heavenly.
And less than an hour later, Annie was born. Having not 'felt' the final stages of labour before, I was shocked at the relentlessness of the contractions towards the end and was begging for a break between them. I also remember telling DH that I didn't want to give birth and maybe he should do it, but then I remembered the lovely Urbanes birth story and her recognising transition, and I realised I was at the same point, which calmed me down. She was born in just 2 or 3 pushes (without tearing this time) and brought up for a cuddle.
We waited until the cord stopped pulsing (took a whole 20 minutes) before DH cut it and was able to get his first cuddle, and then I delivered the placenta naturally too. I am so proud of myself for giving birth, and I feel that this time it was 'my birth', as it was all my own hard work. With E I give all the credit to DH, as he was my cheerleader, supporter and strength and he did all the hard work, as I was too tired and not with it. So now it feels like we've had one birth each, and I love it.
Because there was so little going on in the unit that day (no one else arrived to give birth all day), I agreed to have a student and a work experience girl to come in and chat to me in the early stages. They were both lovely so I let them stay and watch, and for both of them it was their first birth and it was a pleasure to share it with them - although I was conscious that I shouldn't curse or swear in front of the 17 year old!
As they didn't need our room, we could stay there instead of going onto the post natal ward. The ILs brought E up to visit us and then the midwife did all the discharge checks before finishing her shift, and at 10pm we came home.
Little Annie (as we are all calling her, and I fear may stick until she's 18!) is still a chilled out baby, feeds and sleeps beautifully, and occasionally opens her eyes to gaze at one of us. Such a difference to E, who was already making her personality felt by this time. And as much as I love her energy and enthusiasm now, chilled out much nicer in a newborn I think. Guess who is waking most at night?!
Eloise is smitten with her sister and asked me to have another one today! She is being incredibly good with her, and apart from the odd bit of attention seeking, is doing very well. I think this week maybe more of a challenge for her, as it is half term here (are we the only people in the world to have it this week?), she is gutted there's no school and DH is back at work on Wednesday, so it could well be the dullest week ever for her. I'm trying to be supermum and spend lots of time focussing on her, but I'm still feeling a bit tired and sore (although a million times fitter than last time, without having had lots of drugs or 8 stitches) so all we're doing is colouring and glueing together. She made me blub on Friday, when she came home from school with a certificate for trying hard at counting and then drew Annie a (recognisable!) letter 'a' "I learnt it because it's Annie's name", the first recognisable letter or picture she's ever done, I was so proud.
And I will stop rambling now, gosh I really have gone on. But I've been thinking all week about the lovely details I've wanted to share, so as usual I've gone overboard putting them all in! Hope I've not bored you all senseless?!