Wednesday 23rd March 2011 - Jaynie's Birth Story

I went to bed exhausted on Thursday night after spending a couple of hours on my feet making Sushi for my Farewell morning tea at work on Friday morning, so I actually had a pretty good sleep!

Just as well.....

Friday morning dawned, and the usual routine ensued... wait for Jeremy to go to work, get myself up, stagger to the shower, struggle to stay awake long enough to actually wash myself etc etc..

When drying myself, I noticed blood on the towel, and freaked out a bit.

I wasn't supposed to be bleeding "down there" was I??

Now.... you have to remember that when I had Rhian, I was induced at 42 weeks, so I have never experienced early labour, or any of the signs that are associated with it, so I had NO IDEA what to expect at all.

Jeremy had already gone to work, so I made a quick call to him to fill him in and make sure that he stayed locally for the day and not to head out of town at all.

Then I carried on getting organised for work, and planned on calling my midwife after 9am.

The "bleeding" continued and I must have gone to the loo about 50 times before 9am! Finally called the midwife, and explained what was happening, and she said it sounded like a "show" but she would have to see me to be sure, and I was to meet her at the hospital at 10am.

Hmmmmm..... the 2 hours I spent making sushi the night before flashed before my eyes, and I asked her if I could meet her AFTER my farewell morning tea!! hehehe...

She agreed to move it back to 10.30am, but very reluctantly!

Anyway, I got back to my desk, just as I had a "Braxton Hicks" contraction, and asked my boss if it were possible to bring my morning tea forward ever so slightly!

So, a quick message flew around the office, and everyone was assembled by 9.30am to eat and watch me open my presents.

The funny thing was, is that half way through my thank you speech, I had another Braxton Hicks, and had to pause to breathe through it!

Everyone thought it was hilarious - me included!

Anyway, I had one piece of Sushi, opened my presents, then had to make a run for the hospital as i was cutting the time fairly tight.

I rang Jeremy to let him know

Arrived at hospital and met Mary in the delivery suite, where she hooked me up to the baby monitoring machine for half an hour.

It showed that I was having minor contractions every 10 - 15 minutes and that the baby was not in any distress at all.

After that, she felt my tummy to see where the head was - it was fully down and ready to go, then she did an internal exam and determined that I was 2cm dilated.

She then gave me a choice of either staying put, or going home to get my bags, and Jeremy, then coming back to hospital.

I decided to go home for a bit, cos I didn't want to be sitting in a room by myself staring at the walls!

Drove myself home and updated Jeremy on the way, and it was agreed that he would finish up what he was doing and come home, we would get some lunch then head back to hospital.

So that is exactly what we did...

In the lift on the way up to the delivery suite, I could have sworn I felt some fluid leaking out "down there" and thought that it must have been the start of my waters breaking...

It was about 2pm by this stage, and Mary was out visiting another client so I got to meet the back up midwife, who I took an instant disliking to, to be honest!
Just something about her demeanour...

Anyway, she put me back on the monitoring machine for half an hour, and it showed that the "contractions" had died right off.

That, combined with the fact that my waters hadn't actually broken, meant I got sent home again....

Then, she had the nerve to say that it wasn't really classed as "labour" until the cervix was 4cm dilated! Yet my midwife had previously told me that I was in the early stages of labour.... how

confusing, not to mention embarrassing!

Not sure why, but I felt embarrassed that I didn't know I wasn't close enough to having the baby - it's hard to explain :)

Anyway, to say that I was disappointed to be going home was an understatement!!!

I was totally gutted!

Simply because I had it in my head that today would be the day, and had prepared myself to become a mum that day.... and to be told to go home cos I wasn't really in labour was just wrong!

We collected Rhian from after school care, and came home for a relaxing night.

Jeremy had actually planned earlier in the week to take us out for dinner in to the city, but I just wasn't in the mood, so those planned were quashed and we ended up staying at home and he

cooked us dinner instead.

The "tightenings" carried on, and were carrying around in to my back, so I decided to have a bath to ease the pain, and the instant I emerged in the water, the pain stopped! BLISS!

I stayed in the bath for about an hour, just topping up with hot water every now and then, until i finally decided that I really should get out and go to bed...

I explained to Rhian that there was a slight chance that she might have to go to Sonya's place in the night if Mummy and Jeremy had to go to the hospital, and she was Ok with that - helping me to pick out some clothes for her "just in case".

I crawled in to bed, and the "tightenings" started up again, but they were 15 to 20 minutes apart so I wasn't too concerned.

I was woken up at about 10.30pm by the TV, cos Jeremy was still watching it, and I thought about suggesting to him to turn it off and get some sleep "just in case" but then decided against it cos I actually thought that it would all die down again and we wouldn't be going anywhere.

He must have fallen asleep watching TV and when I was woken up at midnight by a strong "tightening" (which I later learned was actually a contraction) I turned the TV off, and lay there in the dark breathing through the pains...

12.03am was the first big one, and then they started coming along every 6 mins. it wasn't unbearable pain, but enough to make me wonder!

Then they started coming at 5 minutes apart and lasting for about 20 seconds. They were getting more painful though, and I couldn't actually lie still through them, so at one stage found myself on all fours beside the bed rocking backwards and forwards.

Now, at this stage, I honestly thought that they were going to die off again, and that I would just be able to crawl back in to bed and get a decent sleep!

When they started getting longer and more painful, I thought that maybe I should call my midwife to ask her at what stage should I be concerned... which is what I did!

This was 1am, and when I spoke to her she said that they really needed to be about 5 mins apart, lasting a minute and painful enough that I couldn't talk through them... I had one while on the phone to her and could talk through it so we agreed that maybe I should wait a bit longer.

Then, her other phone rang and it was another lady who was bleeding quite badly and she was only 28 weeks.

So..... Mary said that since she was going to the hospital anyway, that we should meet her there.

YAY!

I went in to wake up Jeremy, and said "Honey, I think we have to go..."

His answer in his half asleep state: "Nah, I'm quite tired, we will just go in the morning!"

Hahahahahahahahaha............

Pretty sure he changed his mind quick smart when I turned on the light and told him that we were going!!!

I woke Rhian up and got her dressed while Jeremy got himself sorted, then I had to get dressed myself....

Well, I got another contraction while I was getting dressed and was a bit concerned cos I couldn't move or talk through it at all!

Hmmmmmm... now even thought I say I was a little concerned - i was still a bit in denial, and

totally thought that we would be sent home again once we got there!

Now, it takes about 3 minutes to drive to Jeremy's sisters house, and I had a bad contraction on the way there, so bad that I couldn't talk at all....

Rhian got a bit upset and there were a few tears when she got out of the car, but I was in so much pain, I couldn't get out, I just had to give her a kiss through the door and tell her that we would see her soon.

Then it was off to the hospital for us.....

It's about a 15 minute drive, and I started to get a bit worried when I realised that the

contractions were now 3 mins apart and lasting for a minute at a time!

Jeremy realised that things were getting serious too, and started driving a bit faster...

We got to the hospital and I could barely walk in to the building, and then once we did get inside, there was no way that I could keep up with Jeremy...

It was funny, we had to go in through A & E, and he was off steaming ahead, and here was me waddling behind him in pain!!

Must have looked funny...

Anyway, he was told to put me in a wheelchair, which is what he did, and he was going flat tack to get me to the delivery suite...

We finally got there, just as another contraction came on, and my midwife was walking towards me at the exact same time.... She took one look at my face and told Jeremy to get me in the room NOW!

We got in, and she sent Jeremy off down the hall to let her trainee midwife in the ward, but at the same time I was doubled over telling her I needed to push!!

I was still fully clothed at this stage!

I managed to get my pants off, and get up on the bed, and then heard her say "hold on", then heard her yelling down the corridor.... "Jeremy!!! Get back here NOW!!!"

The trainee (Sarah) and Jeremy ran in the room, Mary told Sarah to "get your gloves on NOW!"

Then I heard her say that she was going to break my waters, and the next thing I knew my feet were soaking wet!!

Then the urge to push was so strong that there was no way I couldn't, so I pushed, and was told her head was out.

I then had to push again, which I did, and Jaynie Marie was born!

My top was pulled up and she was put on my chest and I lay there and laughed as Jeremy nearly passed out beside me!

She was tiny! Well, I thought she was tiny!!

And she was a really weird purply colour, but I was told she was perfect :)

She let out a couple of squawks, but otherwise was a very calm wee girl...

A couple of minutes later the placenta was ready to be expelled, so Jeremy was given his daughter and and I just got to lay there and relax for a bit.

We got to the delivery suite at 1.40am, Jaynie was born at 1.43am!!!

Talk about a fast labour!

2 pushes and she was out - literally!!!

I was thrilled!

No stitches, no grazing, very VERY little pain, and a perfect wee girl as the end result!

BLISS!

Mary ran a bath for me with some lovely decadent bubble bath in it, and in I climbed... then Jaynie was handed to me and we had our first ever bath together - about an hour after she was born!!

Jeremy had rung Sonya to tell her the news, and she was so excited, she came straight over!!

So, at about 2.30am, we had our first visitor!!

Complete with a hot fresh Flat White and bar of chocolate!

YUM!!!!

Sonya had cuddles with her first (and likely only) niece, and then headed off at about 3.30am.

We were then transferred to the post natal ward, and Jeremy left at about 4am.

Mary and Sarah finished up the paperwork, and left at about 4.30am, and then I was left there alone with my new daughter...... already blissfully in love with her!

I didn't get any sleep at all after everyone left, pretty sure I was running on adrenaline!!

Then the day started in the ward at 7.30am when breakfast was delivered....

Saturday morning dawned and Jeremy brought his Nana for a visit at about 9am, then Sonya brought Rhian in to meet her sister!

Lisa came in with Anastasia and then Jeremy's Dad and his wife came to visit later that

afternoon.

It was a fairly busy day with people coming in and out, but I was feeling pretty damn good so I didn't mind at all.

Of course, when Jaynie didn't settle at all on Saturday night I was regretting not having a sleep earlier in the day big time!!

A wonderful nurse came and took her from me at 1am for about 45 minutes which allowed me to get a quick cat nap, but apart from that, I had not one bit of sleep!

We were discharged at about 11am on Sunday morning, and had to call in to the baby Factory on the way home to buy some clothes for Jaynie, as we had nothing that fitted her!

I wasn't expecting her to be quite that small!

All the clothes we have are size "NewBorn" or larger, when in fact she is actually in the Prem size

at the moment!!

Never EVER would I have expected ME to have a baby that "petite"! but of course I am not complaining at all - cos she was easy to give birth to! hehehe.....

Jaynie Marie Beckford

Date: 19th March 2011

Time: 1.43am

Weight: 2.990kg (6lb 10oz)

Welcome to the world Jaynie Marie...

I can't wait to see you grow and blossom in to the wonderful person I just know you will be!!
You have filled our lives already in the few short days you have been with us, and I love you more than I could have ever imagined.