i drafted this post shortly after Charlotte's birth as the memory was still fresh at the time and i wanted to remember as much details of her arrival as possible. i didn't publish it straightaway because i wasn't sure of the format of the post. i was thinking maybe i should change it to a timeline or maybe there's too much details and i need to scale it back. but today, i decided to just published it as it is. so, here goes the birth story...
we're 10 days before the due date and i've always had an inkling that baby #2 would come a week early. maybe because she's been measuring a week ahead everytime i had a scan.
we're 10 days before the due date and i've always had an inkling that baby #2 would come a week early. maybe because she's been measuring a week ahead everytime i had a scan.
it was another Thursday night, except it was getting more and more uncomfortable to move around. especially from sitting to standing. after putting boo to sleep, i went into my own room and started watching Heston's great british food on sbs. the show finished at 9:30 and i got myself ready to go to bed. as it is still a little early, i decided to watch an episode of nigelissima as i multitasked and played candy crush on the iPad at the same time.
about 15 mins into the show, i turned to get into a more comfortable position and i felt a little gush of water coming out soaking my pants. it felt like I had just lost control of my bladder. i rushed to the bathroom as i told jim i think my water just broke. he went into a bit of a panic and started to ask me what we should do next. i honestly didn't know what to do next so i asked him to pass me the 'what to expect when you're expecting' book, scheme through the index page and found a section on what to do when your water break. apparently i'm meant to ring the hospital. this whole water breaking business is new to us because my water didn't break at home when i was expecting your boo.
i rang the hospital, explained the situation and was told to go in so they can check me out. we grabbed the hospital bag and on the way we go. so glad i've got everything packed. i was pretty relaxed when we were on our way to the hospital because i didn't have any contractions yet, i was asking Jim if he could believe that we're gonna meet our baby soon and i also asked him if he was ready to find out whether we'll have 2 boys or one of each. as we got closer to the hospital, it dawned on me that this is the end of my pregnancy. i will no longer have an excuse to walk around with a big gut and have an excuse to eat more than i should. but on the bright side, i no longer need to go to the bathroom 5 times a night.
we arrived at the hospital at about 10:30. as we walked from the car park to the birthing suite, more water gushed out but still no contractions. it was relatively quiet when we got to the birthing suite. we waited for the midwife to check on the baby's heart rate etc. at this stage, i still didn't have any contractions and i was thinking to myself i could be sent home if nothing happens. as the midwife started hooking up the monitor, i started to feel a little contraction and i wonder how long it is going to take for the contractions to get stronger and closer together.
the midwife left us in our room to get settled in and when she came back she told me she spoke to Dr Ford and if my contraction is still quite mild, i could go home and then come back later or i could stay but Dr Ford would prefer me to stay just in case. after all, this is my second baby. Jim and i decided that we would stay. as the contractions were still quite far apart, he decided to take the opportunity to go home to grab a few more things like the camera which we forgot to take with us as we rushed out the door.
he was gone for about an hour and during that time, the contractions were still relatively mild. when he got back to the hospital, the contractions started to get a bit stronger but still bearable. i was on the phone messaging my sisters and mum, keeping them posted. the midwife came and checked on me again and things are still progressing well. i was advised to get some sleep while i can. Jim set up the sofa bed and within minutes, he was snoring away. as for me, the contractions started to get a little stronger. i can no longer sit still or lie down. i had to walk around the room. i started timing the contractions as they got closer and stronger.
when they got to five minutes apart, i called the midwife and they checked on me and told me we're getting there. i contemplated getting an epidural briefly but decided to settle on the gas instead. by that time, i was in quite a bit of pain and it felt like i didn't get any break from each contractions at all. i had to curl up on the bed and breathe in the gas hard every time i had a contraction. the midwife did another check on me and i was seven centimetres dilated. she told me she spoke to Dr Ford and he is on his way. by then it was around 2:30am. in between contractions, i could see the midwife getting things ready in the room.
it must have been around 3am when Dr Ford arrived and that's when i felt the urge to push. by this stage, i was getting a little hysterical with the pain. the feeling i had was exactly the same as what i felt when i had boo. i had forgotten about them until then. i started to ask myself why oh why did i put myself in this position again. but at the same time, the thought of finally meeting the baby and holding him/her in my arms gave me some incentives to keep going.
while i screamed the house down with every push, everyone around me was very calm and supportive especially Jim. he was trying to take my mind off the pain by reminding me how close we are to meeting our baby.
at 3:40am, i did a final push and i heard the baby's cry for the first time. as Dr Ford lifted the baby up, i looked at the little face but couldn't tell if i had a girl or a boy so i quickly looked at the other body parts and i was really surprised to find that i had a girl. I HAD A GIRL!! a girl with lots of hair and she is gorgeous. even when she's covered in lots of blood and yucky stuff. Dr Ford placed her in my arms, he clipped the umbilical cord and handed the scissors to Jim. after that, i just couldn't stop staring at Charlotte before the midwife took her away to clean her up and to complete all the standard checks.
as i laid there, i could hear Charlotte crying in the background and i thought to myself i was correct right from the beginning of the pregnancy. all that extra morning sickness and how different the pregnancy felt in the first trimester are all signs that i was having a girl.
i was always worried i might not have enough love for another baby but that worry disappear into thin air as soon as Dr Ford placed Charlotte in my arms.
the midwife left us in our room to get settled in and when she came back she told me she spoke to Dr Ford and if my contraction is still quite mild, i could go home and then come back later or i could stay but Dr Ford would prefer me to stay just in case. after all, this is my second baby. Jim and i decided that we would stay. as the contractions were still quite far apart, he decided to take the opportunity to go home to grab a few more things like the camera which we forgot to take with us as we rushed out the door.
he was gone for about an hour and during that time, the contractions were still relatively mild. when he got back to the hospital, the contractions started to get a bit stronger but still bearable. i was on the phone messaging my sisters and mum, keeping them posted. the midwife came and checked on me again and things are still progressing well. i was advised to get some sleep while i can. Jim set up the sofa bed and within minutes, he was snoring away. as for me, the contractions started to get a little stronger. i can no longer sit still or lie down. i had to walk around the room. i started timing the contractions as they got closer and stronger.
when they got to five minutes apart, i called the midwife and they checked on me and told me we're getting there. i contemplated getting an epidural briefly but decided to settle on the gas instead. by that time, i was in quite a bit of pain and it felt like i didn't get any break from each contractions at all. i had to curl up on the bed and breathe in the gas hard every time i had a contraction. the midwife did another check on me and i was seven centimetres dilated. she told me she spoke to Dr Ford and he is on his way. by then it was around 2:30am. in between contractions, i could see the midwife getting things ready in the room.
it must have been around 3am when Dr Ford arrived and that's when i felt the urge to push. by this stage, i was getting a little hysterical with the pain. the feeling i had was exactly the same as what i felt when i had boo. i had forgotten about them until then. i started to ask myself why oh why did i put myself in this position again. but at the same time, the thought of finally meeting the baby and holding him/her in my arms gave me some incentives to keep going.
while i screamed the house down with every push, everyone around me was very calm and supportive especially Jim. he was trying to take my mind off the pain by reminding me how close we are to meeting our baby.
at 3:40am, i did a final push and i heard the baby's cry for the first time. as Dr Ford lifted the baby up, i looked at the little face but couldn't tell if i had a girl or a boy so i quickly looked at the other body parts and i was really surprised to find that i had a girl. I HAD A GIRL!! a girl with lots of hair and she is gorgeous. even when she's covered in lots of blood and yucky stuff. Dr Ford placed her in my arms, he clipped the umbilical cord and handed the scissors to Jim. after that, i just couldn't stop staring at Charlotte before the midwife took her away to clean her up and to complete all the standard checks.
as i laid there, i could hear Charlotte crying in the background and i thought to myself i was correct right from the beginning of the pregnancy. all that extra morning sickness and how different the pregnancy felt in the first trimester are all signs that i was having a girl.
i was always worried i might not have enough love for another baby but that worry disappear into thin air as soon as Dr Ford placed Charlotte in my arms.
