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We have a beautiful new addition to our family! J's wee sister, G, arrived in the small hours of the morning, a little quicker than expected. So quickly in fact that we never even made it out of the driveway, and our daughter was born in the campervan! 6lb13oz, 49cm long and utterly perfect in every way.
If you're interested, the full story is below! It's not particularly gruesome, but if you're very squeamish and would prefer not to know the details, suffice to say mother and baby, father, brother and campervan are all fine!
....
I started having mild contractions at about midnight, although they weren't strong enough to convince me I was in labour until about 1am. Daddy got up, made the last few preparations, called a friend to come and stay at the house with J and then called the hospital at about 1.15. I chatted to the midwife saying I was quite comfortable, the contractions were only mild, gusting moderate and about 7mins apart. I'd taken some paracetomol earlier, I was practising my hypnobirth breathing, was fine, all relaxed and that we would probably be along later. To be fair, she did say at
that point not to wait too long!
I got into a warm bath (about 1.40am) and lay there in the dark, doing my relaxiation exercises and timing my contractions, which were getting stronger, but still not particularly painful. I heard our friend arrive, and Al showing her where everything was, but I was trying to focus on my breathing so I zoned it all out. By about 2.10 though the contractions had got a lot stronger and were about 5 minutes apart and I told Al it was time to go.
As I got out of the bath I had another (4mins), Al threw a dressing gown over me and we went downstairs (another, 3 mins later). We had to get to the hospital NOW!
We left the house and decided to take the campervan, as if we had to stop en-route we could pull the bed out (OOWWW, 2mins!) As we climbed into the van my waters broke, by then Al had dialled 999 and decided we weren't going anywhere. An ambulance was on it's way - 8 minutes we were told. Al pulled the bed out, threw down a blanket and tried to make me
comfortable. He was talking to the 999 dispatcher, and I was trying everything I'd ever heard of to delay the delivery until the ambulance arrived, but as they pulled up onto the drive I was already pushing. The paramedic climbed in, threw down some blankets, gave me some gas and air and about 3minutes later at 2.40am our little girl was safely with us, squealing in the cold night air!
Al cut the cord, and she was laid straight onto my chest, wrapped together with blankets and foil sheets.
Coincidentally, another ambulance was in the area with a midwife on board, so they diverted and dropped her off to stay with us. She checked me, checked the baby and came with us to the hospital where I delivered the placenta.
It took three cups of very sugary tea in quick succession and three slices of toast before I could really speak to anyone, in shock at the enormity of what had just happened, staring down at the tiny head of matted black hair nestled into my chest.
Al stayed with us for a couple of hours, then went home to be there when J woke up.
About 6 hours old
Taken on the hospital bed, waiting for the all clear to go home.Big brother had slept through the entire thing!
G & I went to the ward, she was checked by the paediatrician, and we were home by lunchtime. The same friend took J for the morning and he came home at about 2pm to find a baby in a basket on the kitchen floor.
And what does big brother make of his new sister? That will be the subject of the next blog! :-)
(Scroll down for more photos)
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