Labour-2

..[continued]...

5:00am- I wake up once again with back pain and sore pelvis. This time it's worse as other womanly body parts make it less tolerable.

Once again I take a looong shower- washing my hair umpteen times in preparation for confinement. But by the time I put on my clothes, I'm in sweats again. Pregnancy!

6:00am- H and I get breakfast at Mcdonalds drive through. I'm not advocating this for breakfast before labour, it is just convenient and on the way. For a sheer moment I contemplate having a Mcdonalds pig-out, not sure if it was the hormones thinking or me wondering if a hash brown and a Mcmuffin will take me throughout the day of labour. Then I remember it might not be a good sight if Jellybean came with other bodily excesses- you know what I mean. Stop. Just eat the hash brown.

As if I know the hospital back to front now, I once again go into Baby Hilton. The midwives in labour ward know me- we left our luggage there the night before. They tell me to go into my own ward as if it's my hotel room.

We meet Anastasya- my first midwife of the day. She's young, pretty and distinctly Russian. I half wished I didn't get such a pretty midwife to do such a gruelling chore. It just made me feel so much worse. Don't ask me why. She was super friendly though and trust me it makes a whole world of differnece when you're contracting!

7:30am- my obstetrician comes in and checks my cervix. Urgh. My waters break and I feel like I should be wrapped in nappies. I feel revolting. I somehow wished H didn't see this side of labour. Hospital gowns look awful, feel awful and expose your butts!

8:30am- I start feeling contractions. they feel like mild period pain. I start counting but the contractions are mild and far apart. I'm in good spirits now. I'm over the exposed butt part and H and I are holding normal conversations.

10:00am- The contractions get stronger and closer, but still irregular. I'm now bored. The tv is on. I'm reading magazines to waste time.

11:30am- My obstetrician comes back in to check on me. I have a magazine on one side, a iPad on the other and a drink by the bedside. He jokes I'm on a holiday and looks so relaxed.

12:00pm- My contractions spur me to breathe heavily. They're still quite far apart but oh they are getting painful. Anastashya offers me heat pads. They help. Mildly. But I do with it.

12:30pm- Going to the toilet bringing in machines, with a exposed butt and broken waters aint fun. My back is hurting so much! I opt to sit on a fitball. After a few contractions I can't stand it anymore and return to the bed. I'm taking deep breaths now and it darn hurts! I still resist. Trying to be a hero.

1:00pm-All is a blur now. Contractions are close. Darn painful. I breathe like no tomorrow. I'm start to cry from the pain. Great hero I am! The midwife offers me epidural and I jump to it. I murmur 'Pain relief!' to H. I can't take it anymore.

The anaesthetist comes in and starts telling me the risks of epidurals. I tell him to just do it! He makes a comment about my bag and between my contractions and weepy eyes I tell him after labour I need lots of handbags! He laughs and says atleast I can still joke. After what seemed like a eternity, he places a freezing cold wipe on my back before setting in the needle. Darn it hurts!

I drift in and out of sleep after the epidural kicks in, but realize it didn't fully work on me. I can still partially feel the pain. I start having to move around because Jellybean isn't happy when I lie in certain positions. My cervix gets checked every now and then.

5:00pm- after a few doses of epidurals I ask for another because the pain is killing me and I'm weeping like a kid once again. They tell me I should be checked again before they administer another dose. Great.  Cervical checks while contracting are soooo not fun! The head midwife checks and whispers to H 'Shes ready'.

Urgh. How much longer will this pain go on for? H continually reminds me our baby is coming and let's look forward to that.

Three midwives come. My obstetrician arrives. I'm told to push. After a few pushes my ob decides to have a break. The moment he walks out the midwife yells Jellybean is coming. Emergency bells ring and my ob is back. Despite my pain, I yell he should of gone on his break earlier so Jellybean can come earlier. He just laughs.

5:14pm- I push so hard and Jellybean finally arrives. A few seconds later her eyes open and I'm so amazed. She's lovely. I count all her fingers and toes and check if she's really a girl [you never know?!].

All other yucky things happen later but I'm just in awe of Jellybean. I no longer feel anything. I continually stare at her and know she's all worth it.

...And so the parenting part begins...