- Age: 0 days
- Weight: 3.2 kg (7 lbs 2 oz)
- Average hours of continuous sleep: 1.5 (but never when mum is sleeping)
- Latest trick: Being on the outside!
At last my EDD (Expected Due Date) rolled around and Livia decided it was time to see the world for herself (either that or finally the right concoction of hormones triggered the onset of labour). As the clock struck midnight, my waters broke. The atmosphere of the moment was somewhat more subdued than you would think (given my previous posts where ALL I could talk about was giving birth) for a couple of reasons:
1) It was hard to ascertain whether the clear liquid was amniotic fluid or just plain old pee
2) Chris wasn't particularly interested in waking up - especially since I wanted his opinion on 1)
In any case, I eventually roused Chris, he rang the midwife unit, and they told us to wait until the contractions were 5 minutes apart and advised us to sleep. Given that this might mean at least several hours for the 'average' woman with a first baby, I don't think they expected to hear from us for quite some time.
However, never underestimate the efficiency of Healy women contractions. As we got back into bed, I felt an interesting sensation in my lower abdomen. This must be... a contraction! Yes! Finally! Things were underway for sure. Chris jotted down the time and we tried to snooze some more... but wait! There was another... and it was only 6 minutes after the first one! Sleeping was looking increasingly less likely, as we eagerly anticipated the next... which was 5 minutes later... the next one was 4 minutes... then 3 minutes...then 2 minutes... yikes. Things were happening so fast! The next hour or two passed very quickly - what with contractions every 2 minutes, the arrival of the midwife and the transferral to the hospital (due to meconium in the amniotic fluid).
By the time we arrived at the hospital, the whole labour thing was getting old. I'd had no chance for any form of pain relief, the contractions were stronger than I'd ever imagined, yet the midwife had indicated that my cervix was only thinning (i.e. not yet even dilating). I was totally demoralised, thinking I had the lowest pain tolerance ever. Then things got really crazy.
In the delivery room, the midwife checked my progress - turned out in a matter of minutes I'd gone from 0 to 10 cm dilation (no bloody wonder with those contractions!). Then I really got thrown a curve ball - the baby was breech. And very unusually so - with one leg straight up and foot by her ear, the other tucked under her bum (presumably this is what the midwife felt when she was expecting the head!).
At this point, there's suddenly about 10 people in the room, a consent form being waved in my face and a disembodied voice informing me of the complications that could arise from a c-section delivery. Yet apparently, despite the risks of injury to sensitive body parts like my bowel and bladder, the c-section is what they are recommending... IF there is time. I peak out from behind my tightly clenched eyes, sign the form and... we're off... to the operating theater.
1) It was hard to ascertain whether the clear liquid was amniotic fluid or just plain old pee
2) Chris wasn't particularly interested in waking up - especially since I wanted his opinion on 1)
In any case, I eventually roused Chris, he rang the midwife unit, and they told us to wait until the contractions were 5 minutes apart and advised us to sleep. Given that this might mean at least several hours for the 'average' woman with a first baby, I don't think they expected to hear from us for quite some time.
However, never underestimate the efficiency of Healy women contractions. As we got back into bed, I felt an interesting sensation in my lower abdomen. This must be... a contraction! Yes! Finally! Things were underway for sure. Chris jotted down the time and we tried to snooze some more... but wait! There was another... and it was only 6 minutes after the first one! Sleeping was looking increasingly less likely, as we eagerly anticipated the next... which was 5 minutes later... the next one was 4 minutes... then 3 minutes...then 2 minutes... yikes. Things were happening so fast! The next hour or two passed very quickly - what with contractions every 2 minutes, the arrival of the midwife and the transferral to the hospital (due to meconium in the amniotic fluid).
By the time we arrived at the hospital, the whole labour thing was getting old. I'd had no chance for any form of pain relief, the contractions were stronger than I'd ever imagined, yet the midwife had indicated that my cervix was only thinning (i.e. not yet even dilating). I was totally demoralised, thinking I had the lowest pain tolerance ever. Then things got really crazy.
In the delivery room, the midwife checked my progress - turned out in a matter of minutes I'd gone from 0 to 10 cm dilation (no bloody wonder with those contractions!). Then I really got thrown a curve ball - the baby was breech. And very unusually so - with one leg straight up and foot by her ear, the other tucked under her bum (presumably this is what the midwife felt when she was expecting the head!).
At this point, there's suddenly about 10 people in the room, a consent form being waved in my face and a disembodied voice informing me of the complications that could arise from a c-section delivery. Yet apparently, despite the risks of injury to sensitive body parts like my bowel and bladder, the c-section is what they are recommending... IF there is time. I peak out from behind my tightly clenched eyes, sign the form and... we're off... to the operating theater.
Things improve at this point, for several reasons, the main one being I finally get some pain relief. Gas and air, it should be noted, is lovely for taking the edge of things. Of course, the spinal block, well, did just that: completely blocked all sensations below my ribs. What bliss. Chris reappears and suddenly it's all go down below. Within a few minutes, the baby is pulled out and whisked away, and then things really calm down. The bits of me that had just been surgically separated were returned to their original locations, more or less, and then the whole lot sutured in place.
Then I finally get to see Livia... and here is what I saw, abour 15 minutes after birth:
Oh yes... that is a foot. Turns out, she'd been breech so long, her right leg wouldn't go down - although this has thankfully corrected itself over time. During the whole sew-Sarah-back-up process, Chris snapped a few more pics, our favourite is here:
Then I finally get to see Livia... and here is what I saw, abour 15 minutes after birth:
Oh yes... that is a foot. Turns out, she'd been breech so long, her right leg wouldn't go down - although this has thankfully corrected itself over time. During the whole sew-Sarah-back-up process, Chris snapped a few more pics, our favourite is here:
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