The Birth of Mia Rose

I never expected to go overdue. However, two weeks after my due date I nervously approached the hospital with my partner knowing that we would be leaving with our baby.

I was induced at 8.30pm that night and was told that it might take a few attempts for it to work. An hour later my partner was sent home with the assurance that someone would phone him as soon as I was ready to go to the delivery suite. At 10.30pm I had the strangest feeling -  like someone was pinging my bump with an elastic band. I didn't think much of it as it was more annoying than painful.

I paced around and then tried to get some sleep which was impossible as I had terrible heartburn. Around 2am I felt really sick. I waddled to the bathroom and promptly threw up. At the exact same moment my waters broke! Fifteen minutes later my first proper contraction hit me out of the blue. It felt like someone pushing their foot into the small of my back. The pressure increased until I thought I couldn't bear it any longer - then it disappeared. Only for the skin on my stomach to tighten. As it reached the point where I thought that my skin would surely burst the sensation eased off and eventually went altogether.

The nurse came to check on me every fifteen minutes or so and always seemed to time it just right. She'd ask if I wanted any pain relief but by then the contraction would be easing off and I'd say no. Eventually the pain really started to take hold and I made up my mind to do something about it. The nurse examined me and was surprised to find that I was six centimetres dilated. I was wheeled down to the delivery suite around 5am.

The weirdest thing happened in the lift. As it neared the ground floor I felt something inside me drop down. The only thing I can liken it to is a bowling ball dropping into position. It was my baby letting me know it was ready to be born.

My first question on entering the delivery suite was “where's the gas and air?” After a quick demo I soon got the hang of it. Some people get sick when they have gas and air but for me it was great. I felt really calm and focused. I'd been there for around twenty minutes when my fella arrived. I was so pleased to see him but it must have been scary for him to see me leaning over the bed, blood running down my legs, well into establised labour. After all he hadn't seen me have one contraction so far! He really wanted to do something to help and decided to massage my back but I couldn't bear for anyone to touch me by then. The only thing he could do was to mop my forehead with a wet flannel and hold out a carton of juice for me to drink. At least he felt useful!

Not long after this I felt the urge to push. I looked at the midwife in dismay. It must me too soon? I'd only just got there. After a quick examination I was told that I was fully dilated and that if I wanted to push I should do so. Only thing was now I didn't want to push. I knew what it meant (I'd read the books and watched my fair share of real-life birth programmes on TV). But you can't stop nature from taking it's course.

The contractions were so strong by now that I dropped to the floor and there, crouched like a wild animal I pushed. Luckily the gas and air had taken effect and I felt detatched from the pain. It was the strangest feeling though - as if my whole body was about to split into two. I became obsessed with how much longer it would take as I was getting really tired and I kept asking the poor midwife "how much longer?" "How many more pushes do you reckon?" I must have been driving everyone mad. Eventually the midwife said that we were talking of minutes rather than hours. This spured me on and after what seemed like only a few pushes I heard my partner say "stop pushing and start panting." The head was out! With the next push there was an audible slither and gush of fluid as I felt my baby leave my body. It seemed like forever before a voice said that we had a baby girl. The time was 6.44am. What a surreal moment and one I'll never forget. She looked like an alien - swollen - and her skin was a strange greyish colour. At the same time she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I was in awe of her. Seconds later I held her in my arms. Then her daddy cut the cord and our lives were changed forever. We were parents.

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