B Day - 24th May 2006

At last I have managed to get online and tell you all about the birth of our third daughter. It all started at 00.50 on 24th May, that was the time on my clock radio as the first contraction rudely awoke me. I coped with the contractions every 6 to 8 minutes until 2.30am then I had to wake Clinton from his beauty sleep to attach the TENS machine to my back. A Tens machine sends electronic pulses up your spine, sending messages to the brain to release endorphines, this is then meant to act as a pain killer. Well it worked till 8.30am, by then I had enough of the TV and was rather board of writing down the times of every contraction, which were still every 6 to 8 minutes. I woke Clinton in hope this might make the time pass more quickly. By 9am I put a call into the meridian 20 midwives and by 10am they turned up! Thank god it didn't happen quickly, Clinton would have been delivering on his own! By 11am my waters broke, which was a very funny experience. I have to tell you because it was hilarious. I was lying on the bed, covered rather comfortably with a sheet, by this time I was hooked up to the gas and air and had dilated 7 cm's, therefore well on my way. Next contraction came and it felt like someone turned on a fire hydrant, you know the ones that cars hit in American moves whilst being chased through the streets of San Francisco. Thank god I wasn't in public, I could just imagine it happening on a tube or standing in San Marcos (local Cafe at in Soho) waiting for my toast and marmite!! I felt a big pop and then a huge whoosh and the sheet that was covering me flew across the room and hit the double glazing, it was so funny, I wanted to bust out laughing, it wasn't painful, just felt like a huge release, I felt my tummy just softened and got smaller, of course it didn't look any smaller it was just a feeling. When I opened my eyes I just saw the midwife and her student getting dressed in the plastic aprons, as if they were about to make a cake and get ready for the birth, which they assumed would happen with the next push, how wrong could they be.

4 hours later after yet another examination I was still 7 cms dilated, the first bottle of gas and air was almost empty and the midwife, Kemmy, decided to call and Ambulance and get me into the Queen Elizabeth hospital. I felt a bit of a failure by this point, I really wanted the experience of a home birth and so desperately didn't want to go into that hospital again, I just hate hopitals, the noise, smell and the after care is not a good experience but if my baby was in any distress it was the best place to be I suppose.

The ride in the Ambulance was fun, Shame the paramedic wasn't in shape, but he was very charming and of course I got the neighbours gossiping. I managed a laugh out of the concerned midwife when I apoligised for my nightie and trouser combination, said how embarrassed I was that I wasn't matching for the general public when I hobbled passed all the smokers in the entrance of the hospital. It is always at times like this that you bump into people you know and you just really don't want to see, just like when you nip out to the supermarket on a Sunday morning and bump into a friend or a friends mother, wearing your favorite old stretched track suit, no make up or the make up from the night before half way down your face and your hair all tied up because it needs a wash (which of course you intend to do after that first cup of tea, with milk that you have run out of!!) Well I was having one of those moments in the hospital corridor when I bumped into one of the rugby wives whilst inhaling yet another dose of gas and air. She wanted to help me get through the next contraction but to be honest I just wanted to step into a hole and swallow me up. Don't get me wrong, Rugby wife's are not like footballers wife's but still it is not nice to me seen by known public panting and sweating in your nightie and trouser combi!!

Anyway, continuing on my journey, reached the ward at 3.30, got settled into the delivery suite and met the new midwife, Fay. Kemmy left me to continue on her home visits with her student. She did this after digging around my veins to attach a drip. Kemmys attempt didn't work, just caused me to cry a little more and my hand to swell twice its size. Then Fay gave another vein a try and she had no success. By this time I was in quite some pain, I don't know what was worse the 2 inch needle that was trying to enter my body or the huge baby that was trying to exit!

Kemmy left, apolising lots for causing unnecessary pain and the consulant arrived, he inserted the needle in seconds, causing very little pain in comparison and the induction drip began, this was meant to speed up my contractions, but hey that didn't work either. All the Daniels children just love my body too much, they just don't like coming out into the big wide world, hey, who can blame them!

By 6pm I was still 7cms, the contractions were still every 6 minutes and felt very similar, I was exhausted and couldn't bare the thought of walking around, god I hate exercise at the best of times! I then politely asked if I could have a stronger painkiller as I was rather tired and wanted this all to end NOW. Fay gave me all the chat.."Oh but you have done so well, just lets see what happens in the next half hour" Then the consultant said that baby had her head sideways and was stuck, this was the reason I wasn't dilating any further, therefore if nothing happened in 2 hours I would have to go to theatre for a C section. When he left I managed to find it in me to stand up, I was really very uncomfortable lying down, as you can imagine. Literaturally once I stood up I felt very different, she must have turned and with the next push out she popped. I had one huge contraction and out she came. Clinton had just walked into the room after one of his fag breaks and got to me just in time for me to squeeze the life out of his big hands. Normally they take the gas and air away from you but there was no way they were taking that out of my mouth. I was rather worried about my crowns breaking but managed to forget the dentist for the next few minutes while I inhaled the sickly gas that made me feel all light headed. The last bit happened so quickly and the pain disappeared instantly after baby was born, all those mad hormones clicked in again and everything was forgotten as my 9lb 4oz beauty was passed up to me between my legs!! Another very weird experience, looking down at this little blue creature, wiggling with an ugly tube patrouding from her stomach. I remember repeating to Clinton " oh god look Clinton, look, look at her, isn't she amazing" I just wanted to cry and felt so proud that I had got through what I think it is the most extroadinary thing a human can do, it is just amazing that we can produce something so innocent, so perfect. I felt so luckly that I have been through such an experience, even though it is painful, exhausting and tiring - that was just making her!!!

So there you have it Cerys Teresa Daniels was born at 18.32 on 24th May, she was 55cms long and weighed 9lb 4oz, she has the most amazing head of hair and grey blue eyes. She was very calm and had that small bleating cry that Megan had, very unlike the high pitched scream of Erin. Cerys breast fed within 15 minutes and was content most of the evening. I stayed in hospital because she had Meconium (means she pooed inside me!) the mid wife's had to monitor her over the night. Well one midwife looked at her once at 3.30am and woke us both up, NICE. I had a very sleepless night in hospital, the ward alarm continually went off, the cleaner then decided to come into my room at 5.30 to bleach the toilet then at 7am the porter came in and shouted "breakfast is ready", they were the only people that stepped through the door. By 11am I demanded to see a doctor or I would discharge myself in 30 minutes. A consultant was with me in 10 minutes, he apologised he was 3 hours late, gave Cerys the once over and signed me out. I had already packed, washed and was ready to get out of the maternity ward for hopefully the last time. If there is a next time I will have a home birth!!!