Earth Babies Blog

The story: At about 10 pm on the evening of th 15th January, I started getting a funny feeling in my tummy area. It didnt feel like contractions, neither did it feel like cramps. It was a slight, constant, pressure kind of feeling. A bit like someone was touching a bruise. I thought it was a bit of nerves as I knew I had to be induced in 2 days time.

One and a half hours later, the feeling was not funny anymore.

I could not sit or lie down and I’d want to scream. The only comfortable position was bending forward slightly with my legs apart. Persperation was dripping from every single pore of my body and now i was worried that I might have some kind of infection. The thought still hadnt crossed my mind that I was in labour. I decided to have a bath and see if it would ease the pain. It was a big mistake. Like I said, the only comfortable position was standing wide legs and half bent.

At 01:56(I know this because we argued about the time later and I went back to my phone to check) I SMS’ed my midwife aunt from the bath to ask what could be the matter. She phoned me back immediately and asked me to explain what I was feeling. I told her “it’s not contractions but it feels like my fanny and butt is going to fall off”.She said that I must leave for the hospital immediatly to get checked out.

I tried for a good 5 minutes to lift myself out of the bath, but eventually had to call my sleeping husband to fetch me.The pain was still constant and becoming more and more unbearable. Poor Warren had a tough time trying to help me out the bath ( I gained a good 30 kg’s and was not too skinny to start with)

I pulled on a dress, woke my mother and sister, told them we going to the hospital and asked her to go lie with Daniel. At this point I thought I was gonna pass out from the pain. Warren loaded all the stuff and as I got into the car, I started groaning and making low growling like sounds to try cope with the pressure. I remenber saying that it’s not giving me a chance to catch my breath. I told my hubby that I as soon as we get to the hospital I want the drugs because I’m not gonna cope with 20 hours of this pain.

We got to the hospital at about quarter to 3 and I bravely say to my hubby thst I can walk to the maternaty ward. Pfffft. I could hardly lift myself out the car and had to be wheeled to maternaty. When we get to the counter I finally have a contraction and boy what a contraction it was. I announce to all and sundry that ” The baby is right here”. The sister on duty comes around and has to literally pull me by the arm to the labour room as I am immobalized by another contraction.

The contractions were now coming in thick and fast. Now it felt like labour. HARD LABOUR She tells me to take my dress of and get onto the bed. I cant move and another sister along with my stunned DH has to help me out of my clothes and onto the bed. I watch as Veronica(the sister) puts on her gloves and comes over to have look. She looks and without even touching says :” The baby IS here. You need to push now.”

Warren is next to me in a flash, encouraging me and telling me I can do it. At this point I’m not so sure I can. I ask for the back of the bed to be lifted a bit and Veronica does this.The contractions are now coming on top of each other.

Another contraction and I dont have a choice. I feel like I have to push and I do. Warren says he can see part of her head. He says that I must “just push her out. I can see part of her head.” I get really irritated and scream at him to just wait. He takes it in his stride. Another one comes and I push some more. This time her head is born. Seconds later and the rest of her body is born. I couldnt believe it.
I couldnt believe it’s over. I stared at the little baby laying on the bed between my legs and heared my husband say “Can I do that?”(cut the cord).
It took me a minute to realize that I had taken off the hospital gown and was trying to reach down and pick her up in all my nakedness when Veronica tells me she will give her to me. She does. I felt euphoric. I felt like I could take on the world.
Half an hour later Warren fetched our bags from the car.
Lily was born at 3:05 on the 16th January 2008, 20 minutes after I walked into the front door of the hospital. She weighed 3.58 kg.

There was so much that I had planned to do with this birth. I would take a photo of myself when I went into labour. I was gonna light candles and listen to my MP3 while in the birthing bath. Warren and I would bond and daydream and plan our new family’s future. None of this happened. I wouldnt change a thing though!

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