I was VERY open to the idea of a water birth and made sure I had signed all the consent forms in my antenatal appointments.... I had chosen the Family Birthing Centre at KEMH and feel extremely lucky to have the option of a facility like this.... I have nothing but PRAISE and ADMIRATION for all the midwives and administration staff at this facility....
My theory – women all over the world and all mammals in the animal kingdom give birth with no pain relief.... this sounds bizarre but my whole pregnancy I just pictured women in the desert in Africa giving birth – no drugs, no medical intervention, no hospitals or sterile environments ... also being raised on a farm ... I pictured cows giving birth in the paddock again – no drugs, no medical intervention, no hospitals or sterile environments....
3/11/2010 – 6:00am, 38 weeks (to the day).... drop DH at work.... first morning in the past 4 weeks I haven’t vomited ...hmmmm .... get home and have a bout of diarrhoea..... hmmmmmm .....start to have some tummy pains but nothing that was “regular” hmmmmmm.......... I kept thinking if they become more regular I will call DH .... in the meantime I decide to keep all this to myself in case I am over exaggerating ......
10:30am – go to Coles to do groceries – 10 minutes later a bit of a “leak” .... don’t think much of it besides .. DAMN!!!! .... I should have done more keggal exercises ......
I potter around the house for the rest of the day ... still have tummy pains but nothing at all regular.........
4:00pm – pick up DH, casually suggest I might be in labour.... DH doesn’t know whether to believe me as I seem a bit too calm..... I’m not sure if I believe myself as it’s all a very “surreal feeling” ..... go about getting dinner ready .......
7:30pm – start to feel a little uncomfortable.... still not thinking “this is it” ... decide to call mum and tell her maybe she shouldn’t go to work tonight she asks why and I tell her “I just feel funny”.....
8:00pm – have a shower and decide to call the birth centre “just in case” I need to call them later in the night ... I explain I am fine don’t think it’s ‘labour” but just wanted to let you know ... midwife tells me to get some sleep and that it might or might not be ...
9:30pm – pain getting uncomfortable.... get up and try and time contractions ... they are still not regular and seemed to be anywhere from 10 min – 25 min apart ..... go back to bed ....
9:45pm – waters break ... OK finally start to believe I’m in labour...I call midwife back tell her I’m still Ok and happy to stay at home for a bit longer .... she agrees as contractions are not 2-7 min apart ... she tells me to call back at anytime ... I’m still thinking “I’ve got hours before she’s born”......
30 min later (10:15pm)........ I call back.... I’ve transitioned and it’s INDESCRIBABLE I automatically go into my own world ... I was determined that my baby and I would work as a team ... I start concentrating on relaxing my body when I had a contraction – JUST BREATHE .....JUST BREATHE ...........
We gather my things and get in the car and I sit in the back seat ... we manage to get every red light there is and I kept thinking about screaming at my husband “DRIVE THROUGH THE GOD DAMN RED LIGHT!!!!! ....at this stage I am ready to push and thinking I cannot get out of this car and walk .....
11:00pm - arrive at birthing centre manage to get inside ... midwife takes one look at me and shows me to my room ... I pull of my dress and knickers (dripping in sweat in WA heat) .... I automatically go onto all fours on a mat on the floor and start pushing ... each contraction my body guided my into the “child’s pose” (yoga pose) ... had no idea it was called this pose as I’m not into yoga .... but for some reason my body wanted to be in that pose ....
22 minutes later our beautiful daughter was born........and our lives changed forever
Memorable moment – I remember when I was on the floor thinking ...DH where is DH? I looked up and there he was right by my side in absolute awe ...... his first cuddle with our daughter was the first time he had EVER held a baby or child.... the look on his face and the tears in his eyes made me fall in love with him even more ......
Hinesight - I left staying at home too long .. but think it was more a case of 'denial' that I was in labour early .....
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