At the hospital delivery suite

A further 10 hours later, and I was transferred to the Maternity wing.
I had been round the Maternity wing on a previous visit, and the Midwives were really friendly.

They put an IV line into me and put me on a saline drip and then used Synto to increase the strength of the contractions.
Every time the dosage was increased, I was sick.

The Synto dosage was gradually increased until the pain was unbearable. The Entonox (Gas and Air) was really good at relieving the pain, and I am told that I took such deep breaths that I started giggling inanely! I can only compare it to feeling very drunk, but without the after effect of a hangover. I was also offered pethadine which is a another painkiller.

The Midwives were excellent; so cheery and helpful. By this time, the pain was excruciating, so I opted for a shot of Meptid which is a pain reliever. I was also offered an Epidural, but I though that I was so far into the labour that I'd just carry on with the Entonox.

Another examination confirmed that I had dilated fully, so I was told to stand up to get the things moving under gravity. It was the longest hour of my life, and probably the hardest. Everything in my body was telling me to push, and I was having to fight this reflex. It was also very painful, and I certainly got through a lot of Entonox. More giggling!

A quick chat with the Registrar and the room changed into a mini Operating Theatre in minutes. A doctor now joined the team, as did another two Midwives. It all happened really quickly, and after some excruciating pushing, and some help from a Ventouse cup, my daughter was born.

The Birth

After the birth, my partner cut the umbilical cord and the sex was confirmed. She was cleaned up by the Paediatrician who also made sure that her airways were clear.

They wrapped her up in a swaddling cloth and passed her firstly to me and then to my partner. It was amazing, and a feeling that I'll treasure forever!

However, we did return back to hospital four days later as our baby was not taking enough of my milk. It was advised to us by the Midwife that we returned to check her over.

The Paediatricains took it really seriously as they couldn't rule out the possibility of an infection. They put a feeding tube into her stomach, so they could feed her, and did a Lumbar puncture test. They found no infection, and she returned home a couple of days later.