Friday 22nd may... 4:45 am.... Woke up to a sudden big gush, lying in a wet bed I turn to my husband- " Jon, I think my waters have just broke??"
Jon - " oh ok" and rolls back over and goes back to sleep!
I get up to go to the toilet, where there is a second big gush... Jon shouts from the bedroom " are you having a wee "? NO!!! I've just told you my waters have broke! He then realises this is the real thing and dives out of bed.
At this stage I was still pretty calm, but still wasn't sure what I should do, as I wasn't experiencing any pain at all, I was 8 days early and had prepared myself to go over as it was my first baby.
We called my mum, waking her up to tell her the news, and she advises me to stay at home a little longer as the hospital would only send me back home at this stage.
A couple of hours later, I started to get really strong period type pains, and thats when it became real! I called labour ward and the told me to come in.
My mum and dad excitedly rush over, and drive us to the hospital..... This was the worst car journey ever! Lying down across the back seats, hitting every speed bump along the way, with my dad apologising after each one.
We get to the hospital, I was checked over and yes, my waters had definitely gone, and I was sent back down to the ward until I had progressed a little more.
I had a horrible midwife come and see me, she told me to take some paracetamol and go home!! She told me I would be at least another 3 days yet in slow labour... But I refused to go home, I was then offered a warm bath which I happily excepted, by now the pains were pretty bad, so a lovely midwife then came to examine me... I was 5cm... We better get you up to the delivery room she said, would you like me to get you a wheelchair?
NO!! I need to move! I said..... It took me about 10 minutes just to walk out of the ward, to find the lift up to the delivery room was " out of order " so I slowly made my way up 2 flights of stairs, stopping every 2 steps to have a contraction..... I eventually got there to find I had jumped to 8 1/2 cm within 30 minutes.
I tried some gas and air, and well that was it, I was away, and the room was spinning!
After a while of midwifed calmly coming in and out of the room, I really felt I needed to push, my mum calls the midwife in, and she says I am ready to push, this seemed to be taking a while as baba kept playing peekaboo!!
I was told right from the start that I was doing really well, and that a doctor would only come in, if he thought me or the baby were in danger.
After about 20 minutes of pushing, a doctor rushes into the room, has a quick " look" and switches on the baby life support machine, now this really made me panic!!!
I now had Jon and the midwife shouting for me to push, I don't think I could ever of pushed so hard, and within a few minutes, a healthy little girl was born, weighing 7lb 3 oz
My darling husband, proudly cuts the cord and she is immediately handed to me... She's perfect... feeling ever!
By Louise Gray
