I thought I would try and write down my birth story while it is still fresh. Here it is:
I started having pre-labour properly on Thursday 17 Sept. This was just slight period pain with every contraction and some back ache. Pre-labour continued until Sunday.
I was booked in for an elective c-section on Monday 21 September at 7am due to my baby being a footling breech. We got our kids ready on Sunday afternoon and went to stay the night with my parents so we didn't have to move the kids around too much on Monday morning.
We stayed up to 12am on Sunday night/Monday morning talking to my parents.
1am -
DH and I finally feel asleep as we were so excited - we couldn't sleep
2ish - I had a pain that woke me up and wondered if it was possibly a contraction.
2.25am - woke up with a second pain. Decided to get out of bed and see how far apart they were because I didn't know what time I had the first pain. I was unsure of what to do at this point. My labours have always been long so I wasn't sure if I should try and sleep for my c-section in the morning or call birth suite and go in early.
I decided to give myself 10 mins. If I did not have another contraction within 10 mins I was going to bed.
2.34am - Another pain. Still not convinced that this was 'it', I decided to wait another 10 mins and see if it happened again.
2.43am - Another pain. I talked to
DH about it because normally I would take panadol and see if the pain settled down, but I was fasting for my surgery and didn't want to take anything.
DH suggested I have a shower and see if things settled down.
2.45am - 2.55am - Had a shower and 3 more pains. Got dressed.
2.55am - Called birth suite. They said it was recommended that I come in and get checked out, but not to rush because it was early days. Another pain.
3.00am - Woke up my parents and told them the baby wasn't going to wait. Had a few more VERY intense contractions while packing the last couple of things I needed and
DH got dressed.
3.10am - Got in the car and drove to hospital. 2 long intense contractions on the way. At this point I was doing that thing that I do when I am in labour and started hating everybody in sight that was not currently experiencing labour.
3.20am - Arrived at the hospital. Had 4 contractions on the way in and during the walk up to birth suite.
3.30am - Arrived at birth suite. Was shown to a birth suite. Had 2 more contractions while the midwife got things organised. She asked to do a VE. I agreed. She did the VE, went very white and RAN out of the room.
3.35pm - All hell broke lose. About 6 people - 2 doctors and 4 midwives came RUNNING back into the room.
DH and I overheard the midwife and doctor say that I was 9cm dilated - 9 CENTIMETRES!!! I have NEVER laboured that quickly. This is also where I lost complete concept of time.
I was told to lay very still as they were worried my waters were going to break and if they broke I would need a general anesthetic rather than just a spinal block. By this point I was shaking. I asked if I was in transition and doctor seemed to think I may have been in shock. I would agree. I was really scared.
I had a drug injected into my stomach to stop the contractions. I was having contractions on top of each other by this point and I must have been trying to push without realising and they were last up to 2 mins each. It was incredibly painful to try to breath through them without pushing.
Eventually the drugs settled down the contractions and gave me a bit more control over the urge to push, but they still hurt like hell!
After I had a canulla inserted, some bloods taken, was put in a gown and a few other things that I'm sure will come back to me over the coming days, I was pushed flat on my back down to theatre (as I was still not able to move).
DH had to wait outside while I was prepared for theatre - given an awful drink, had lines hooked up to me everywhere, was given a local and then a spinal block and laid flat on my back. The screen was put up and
DH was allowed in.
DH said he was waiting outside for about 45 mins. I was having contractions the whole time and had completely withdrawn to my own place. It was the only way I could cope.
After
DH came in, they commenced the ceasarean. I think I laid there and cried. I was sooooo overwhelmed! 2 hours before I was still in bed and didn't know if I was in labour and here I was on an operating table in the middle of the night after 1 hour sleep and the scariest 1 and a half hours of my life.
I pulled myself together and tried to rest while they tugged away at my insides.
4.48am - My beautiful Xanthe Grace was born weighing 4.11kg (9lb, 1oz), length - 53cm and HC - 37cm. She got a bit stuck so it took a fair bit of manipulating to get her out of my belly. She was firmly wedged up under my ribs.
I was shaking so much I decided I didn't feel comfortable holding her (the shaking was uncontrollable).
DH held her and had the time of his life getting to know her.
5.20am - Op completed and I was moved into recovery. I shared my first breast feed with my beautiful little girl. The midwife was so supportive.
6am - I was moved down to the maternity ward and Xanthe went off to be monitored up in special care (as a result of my GD). I had some good time in maternity with
DH debriefing about everything that had happened. I was very spun out by the fact that 6am was when our alarm was meant to go off so we could head in for our elective c-section. It was only 3.5 hours from when I had woken up with my first pain.
The whole experience has been very surreal and I am still trying to get my head around it. All in all, I am really happy with the birth and I have a perfect healthy baby girl - I am thrilled. There were some things that happened in my recovery that I am not so happy about (I am really upset actually) and I am going to write about it sometime when I am up to it. For now, I just wanted to share my birth story.
If you made it this far - thanks for reading
The Head Spinning Birth of my Baby Girl 
since 8/7/08
Baby Lachlan Ronald 31.10.07
(26) 
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DH(31) 11yrs 
For a BFP!!! 
DH 31
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