Happy birthday!

I can't believe this time yesterday we were on our way to Auckland Hospital in anticipation of an imminent delivery. Now I am at Birthcare basking in the afterglow of having gone through one of the most traumatising experiences imaginable.

The adventure went like this:

28th Dec

3am - woke up to find membranes had ruptured.

8am - the show.

3:30pm - went to Birthcare and spent 45 mins monitoring baby's heart rate and my contractions - or rather lack thereof. Midwife advised that if contractions do not come more regularly by 7:30pm there was a good possibility of having to be induced.

7pm - midwife called, Dr wants me to go to hospital for monitoring and antibiotics.

8pm - good contractions.

11:30pm - 5cm dilated. Contractions much more powerful.

29th Dec

midnight to 2am - contractions very strong and painful - at that time I rated the pain at 8 out of 10.

2am - still only 5cm dilated, meaning it induction time. Dr said once the medication kicks in the contractions are going be much stronger, and was happy to give me an epidural. At this point I really debated whether to just take this pain relief option. I was tittering on the edge...

2:15am - Induction medication provided intravenously. Contractions immediately became so rapid and so intense; midwife offered entonox which I immediately accepted and proceeded to inhale like it was going out of fashion. The next 41 minutes played out like a lucid dream. If at 2am I rated the pain at 8/10 then I didn't know what pain really meant. I moaned so loudly I'm sure the entire ward could hear it.

When they took the entonox away and told me to start pushing I thought I was going to die.

2:56am - as soon as that baby came out the relief was instantaneous. He wailed gently, and Jef was offered the scissors and cut the cord. I then held him against my body. He was small, warm and soft.

His birth weight was 2.865kg or 6 pounds & 5 ounces, and his length was 48cm.

Our baby boy has finally arrived into the world. We have yet to name him, and will do so very soon.