Story of birth -

Saturday 10th February 2001, our baby is due today. No sign of anything happening yet, so we decided to go out and visit my grandma, we got ready, got in the car, turned the key; nothing! The baby is due today and the car won't start!!! This is not good. A few panicked moments later, a big breath, and the car started; phew so off out we went. We visited some family, drove around, came home, no baby. Sunday; there was lots of snow on the ground, still very pregnant, and we hoped the car would work today if we needed it, but looking at the weather, we hoped we wouldn't need it! Monday; still pregnant. Tuesday; still pregnant, getting fed up now. Wednesday; still pregnant, we went to the hospital today for our final ante-natal check-up, all was well, and we were booked in for induction if needed on the 22nd February; a whole 8 days to go, and I could still be pregnant by then. The following week seemed like the longest week ever, each day nothing happened, no pain, no twinges, no baby.

As the 22nd of February came there was still no sign of a little baby, so as per the instructions from the hospital we phoned the maternity ward to see when a bed would be free, 3pm came the reply, so we still needed to fill the best part of a day before anything was any where near happening. So after the longest day to end the longest week, off we went to hospital, we were shown to a bed, in an empty side ward, so although it wasn't a private room I was at least on my own so had a little privacy. A midwife came to book me in, taking blood pressure etc, then hooked me up to the baby monitor to see how things were going. It appeared as though I was already having small contractions by now although I couldn't feel anything at all. We had to wait for a doctor to come and examine me before deciding on any course of action.

We waited for nearly 3 hours before a lady doctor came to perform the examination - NOT the most pleasant experience of my life!! She then applied the first dose of prostaglandin ready to start me on my way. Andy stayed with me as long as they would let him whilst nothing much happened with the baby. After Andy left me I tried to get some sleep, but I didn't get much, I had no pain, and couldn't feel any contractions although the machine they kept hooking me up to through the night kept saying I was having contractions. Shortly before 6am the night duty midwife examined me and found I was at 4cm dilated so decided not to apply anymore prostaglandin. At 6am Andy returned and I gave him the news that I was at 4cm and they reckoned the baby would be here later that day. We were told we were just waiting for a bed on the delivery suite then I would be moved. Andy hadn't had much sleep so the midwife sent him back home to get more rest (lucky him!) and said they would call if anything happened. Andy returned at lunch time to find I wasn't on the ward any more - they had moved me to the delivery suite and hadn't called him! He finally found me in my private delivery room, watching TV.

The midwife in delivery examined me and found I was only 1cm dilated! So administered a second dose of prostaglandin but by early evening still nothing had happened, still at 1cm. We watched TV, walked about and I had a bath whilst we waited for something to happen, and nothing did. The midwife suggested I would have to go back to the ward and Andy would have to go home again for the night, but they gave me a third dose and shortly after this the pains started. There was lots of pacing up and down, and walking round the delivery suite, but now the monitor was saying the contractions weren't regular so 'labour' hadn't started. The fact you could set your watch by them, and they lasted similar lengths of time obviously didn't count for much ;-) Around midnight the midwife suggested we move to a different room where Andy could try to sleep on a camp bed whilst I slept in a normal bed, but by the time we got there, the pains were so bad I couldn't bear to move, standing up hurt, sitting down was uncomfortable, and when I tried to lie on the bed I almost passed out. Andy called the midwife down who helped me get some gas and air whilst she examined me and she confirmed I was now at about 6cm and labour had started.

We were moved back to the original delivery room and I was given the gas and air to cope with the ever increasing pains. Andy insists that I was crying for my daddy, but I don't believe him. By now I was acting very drunk due to the gas, but the pains were so bad I had to ask for an epidural, which as I had stated in my birth plan I never wanted! The anaesthetist arrived shortly after, and asked me directly if I really wanted one, and explained all the risks etc. none of which I remembered happening but Andy assured me it did. I remember being worried about the injection going in as I couldn't keep still due to the pains of the contractions. She assured me it would be ok, and it was over in minutes and all the pain went. This was probably about 2am, and from then I slept on and off till 6am whilst Andy sat by the bed watching and waiting. At some point in the night they became concerned that either the baby was in distress, or the monitor was just losing the heartbeat, so they attached a monitor to the baby's head which gave a better trace and showed that there was no distress.

Around 6am the midwife told us we would have a baby by breakfast. After breakfast, and still pregnant, the day shift arrived and Jackie and a student midwife Helen took over and told us we would have a baby by 10am. Shortly after 10am Jackie explained how the 'pushing' would work, and that she would allow the epidural to reduce so I could feel the contractions to push with. We'll have a baby by 12 they said. At 12:30, after almost 2 hours of pushing, in several positions, but with no further downward movement of the baby they decided they would have to get some help, so they topped up the epidural and moved us again to another room big enough for the doctor, his two students, a paediatrician, and Jackie and Helen to gather round and assist with the birth. An episiotomy was performed and a ventouse cap was used to help baby along the last few centimetres. Andy saw her come out, he had wanted to cut the cord, but under the circumstances the doctor did that before holding her up for Andy to see what she was - we had argued about what we would have, Andy insisted it would be a girl, I was sure I was having a boy, Andy proudly proclaimed it was a girl before they passed her to me and laid her on my tummy. After a couple of minutes Jackie took her away to be weighed and cleaned and wrapped in a blanket before coming back for a proper cuddle. She seemed to alert straight away, and was taking in everything that was going on. She looked beautiful. So after almost 48 hrs in hospital and a 12 hour labour our baby was finally here. Apart from a sore head from the ventouse which caused a bit of crying over the next day or so she was perfect, no wrinkles, no dry skin, no blotches. Around teatime they transferred us back to the ward, where I had asked for a private room, I held Caitlin on the bed as they wheeled us to the lift and up to the 4th floor, she was looking all around, as someone later said, she looked like she has been here before and knew exactly what was going on.

Life after Birth -

Life is just great, in the early weeks she seemed to sleep really well at night, and was in her own bed in her own room by 10weeks old and we had many full nights sleep.

What Father says -

Caitlin is absolutely ACE, she is the apple of my eye, the light of my life. Even when she wakes up at 11pm and wants to play games till 2am I wouldn't change her for the world.