KatR
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I wrote this for Felicity so excuse the way it's written:
My Dearest Felicity
I write this mainly so you can read it when you grow up and I hope it is something you will enjoy learning about. I may also publish it on a forum which is for expectant mothers to put their mind at ease regarding giving birth as it is a daunting subject especially for first time mothers.
The due date we were given for your birth was 19th February 2013 and therefore I planned to start my maternity leave approximately a week before this date. My last day at work was 8th Feb 2013. I honestly thought that you would arrive early and made your dad think so too. It was therefore a huge surprise that my due date came and went without You giving us any sign that you are ready to arrive. I was bored senseless at home as you can imagine and I was HUGE and I mean HUGE at this point (you can see the pictures). Your dad and I did everything to start the labour, long walks, bouncing on the gym ball, spicy food every day, pineapple by the truckload and I was drinking RLT (raspberry leaf tea) by the gallon but there was no sign of you. The procedure for starting labour for overdue mums this time was to give a sweep 1 week after due date which I booked in. On the 24th Sunday I could feel contractions from 9AM to 4PM but they stopped abruptly which upset me a lot and your dad even more. The next day I had my sweep nice and early in the morning. (To those who dont know, please dont fret as this is a painless procedure similar to a smear test.) After the smear we went home and I started my bounce on the ball and by the afternoon around 2PM I could feel those familiar pains/tightening so your dad and I DTD (you wont read this until you know what it means) and at 11.30pm I went to bed. The pains got slightly worse and very frequent ½ minutes apart and about 45-60 seconds long. Your dad made me call triage which I did at 11.45 and they told me that because I can talk through the contractions they cant be that bad (what a ridiculous measurement). They told me to call back if they get worse or my water breaks. I hung up the phone and went downstairs to tell your dad the news and as soon as I stepped off the stairs my waters came gushing out. I called the hospital again, they called me in. I had a nice warm shower and put a maternity pad in and off we went with our bags to the hospital. I have to say this was the most exciting moment of my life, knowing that I will see you soon. The journey took us 45 minutes which was agonising as the pains got stronger and stronger and I just wanted to walk them off Arrived at the hospital at 12.30AM. As soon as we got to the hospital I needed to go to the loo (everybody has a bowel movement before birth, it is like diarrhoea but it has to happen). As soon as I removed my pants to sit down I could see that something wasnt right, the waters were not clear and not even a little marked I had a lot of brown stuff in there (no I didnt poo myself). As soon as the midwife came to see me I told her the problem and they rushed me to a scanner and a baby heart monitor. Meconium in the waters usually means that the baby is under stress and thats not good news, however I had so much meconium that the doctor knew straight away and confirmed it with scan that You were breached. (Breached babies are bottom down rather than head down.) I have to point out that the midwife saw me that morning and had her hand in my huha and she reassured me that the babys Head is already nicely engaged. Once confirmed that our little girls bottom was pushing out I was told that an emergency caesarean was in order. They run through the risks with me (which is a lot) but I must admit all I could think about was that I want you to be okay and nothing else mattered. Your dad looked very scared. We had time to call your Nanny and my parents. I walked in the operating theatre (still having contractions) and I was given a spinal which was not painful as some people will have you believe and anyway your adrenaline is running sky high at this moment so you wouldnt know if they used a needle or if kittens licked it on you. It was about 2.30AM when they started operating on me, dad at my side and anticipation high. He was trying to watch the operation but the doctors quickly told him off and he behaved himself. I had a lot of thoughts running through my head at this point; I was planning to have a natural birth without painkillers and even planned to refuse G&A, I was excited to finally see you soon and I was very very worried about your safety. There was a lot of doctors and nurses in theatre which I think scared your dad a lot but at the same time it was reassuring. They kept us updated with small words so we knew when they will pull you out. I can hardly explain the moment they announced at 3.33AM 26th February 2013: Congratulations you have a baby girl. I got the first glimpse of you above the screen and you looked so helpless and vulnerable. They let your dad cut the cord and take a few pictures then they wrapped you up and handed you to him (I didnt see much of this because of the operation). Once wrapped up he brought you next to me and the first thing I said was that you look just like your Granddad R. I loved you from the moment you were conceived but when I laid eyes on you it was like I have always known you and the rest of the world became obsolete to me. Your dad looked ever so proud holding you. You were born with 8lb10oz which is rather big but truly you were very very long 59cm. The operation was finished about 30minutes after you were born and they wheeled me into recovery and I finally got to hold you in my arms. You knew straight away how to breastfeed and we spent the next 24 hours in a hug. You were naked for all this time warmed up by my body. I have to give credit to the Reading hospital staff who were absolutely brilliant taking care of both of us. Your birth was not what I planned but it was magical and I have no doubt you will have siblings in the future.
My Dearest Felicity
I write this mainly so you can read it when you grow up and I hope it is something you will enjoy learning about. I may also publish it on a forum which is for expectant mothers to put their mind at ease regarding giving birth as it is a daunting subject especially for first time mothers.
The due date we were given for your birth was 19th February 2013 and therefore I planned to start my maternity leave approximately a week before this date. My last day at work was 8th Feb 2013. I honestly thought that you would arrive early and made your dad think so too. It was therefore a huge surprise that my due date came and went without You giving us any sign that you are ready to arrive. I was bored senseless at home as you can imagine and I was HUGE and I mean HUGE at this point (you can see the pictures). Your dad and I did everything to start the labour, long walks, bouncing on the gym ball, spicy food every day, pineapple by the truckload and I was drinking RLT (raspberry leaf tea) by the gallon but there was no sign of you. The procedure for starting labour for overdue mums this time was to give a sweep 1 week after due date which I booked in. On the 24th Sunday I could feel contractions from 9AM to 4PM but they stopped abruptly which upset me a lot and your dad even more. The next day I had my sweep nice and early in the morning. (To those who dont know, please dont fret as this is a painless procedure similar to a smear test.) After the smear we went home and I started my bounce on the ball and by the afternoon around 2PM I could feel those familiar pains/tightening so your dad and I DTD (you wont read this until you know what it means) and at 11.30pm I went to bed. The pains got slightly worse and very frequent ½ minutes apart and about 45-60 seconds long. Your dad made me call triage which I did at 11.45 and they told me that because I can talk through the contractions they cant be that bad (what a ridiculous measurement). They told me to call back if they get worse or my water breaks. I hung up the phone and went downstairs to tell your dad the news and as soon as I stepped off the stairs my waters came gushing out. I called the hospital again, they called me in. I had a nice warm shower and put a maternity pad in and off we went with our bags to the hospital. I have to say this was the most exciting moment of my life, knowing that I will see you soon. The journey took us 45 minutes which was agonising as the pains got stronger and stronger and I just wanted to walk them off Arrived at the hospital at 12.30AM. As soon as we got to the hospital I needed to go to the loo (everybody has a bowel movement before birth, it is like diarrhoea but it has to happen). As soon as I removed my pants to sit down I could see that something wasnt right, the waters were not clear and not even a little marked I had a lot of brown stuff in there (no I didnt poo myself). As soon as the midwife came to see me I told her the problem and they rushed me to a scanner and a baby heart monitor. Meconium in the waters usually means that the baby is under stress and thats not good news, however I had so much meconium that the doctor knew straight away and confirmed it with scan that You were breached. (Breached babies are bottom down rather than head down.) I have to point out that the midwife saw me that morning and had her hand in my huha and she reassured me that the babys Head is already nicely engaged. Once confirmed that our little girls bottom was pushing out I was told that an emergency caesarean was in order. They run through the risks with me (which is a lot) but I must admit all I could think about was that I want you to be okay and nothing else mattered. Your dad looked very scared. We had time to call your Nanny and my parents. I walked in the operating theatre (still having contractions) and I was given a spinal which was not painful as some people will have you believe and anyway your adrenaline is running sky high at this moment so you wouldnt know if they used a needle or if kittens licked it on you. It was about 2.30AM when they started operating on me, dad at my side and anticipation high. He was trying to watch the operation but the doctors quickly told him off and he behaved himself. I had a lot of thoughts running through my head at this point; I was planning to have a natural birth without painkillers and even planned to refuse G&A, I was excited to finally see you soon and I was very very worried about your safety. There was a lot of doctors and nurses in theatre which I think scared your dad a lot but at the same time it was reassuring. They kept us updated with small words so we knew when they will pull you out. I can hardly explain the moment they announced at 3.33AM 26th February 2013: Congratulations you have a baby girl. I got the first glimpse of you above the screen and you looked so helpless and vulnerable. They let your dad cut the cord and take a few pictures then they wrapped you up and handed you to him (I didnt see much of this because of the operation). Once wrapped up he brought you next to me and the first thing I said was that you look just like your Granddad R. I loved you from the moment you were conceived but when I laid eyes on you it was like I have always known you and the rest of the world became obsolete to me. Your dad looked ever so proud holding you. You were born with 8lb10oz which is rather big but truly you were very very long 59cm. The operation was finished about 30minutes after you were born and they wheeled me into recovery and I finally got to hold you in my arms. You knew straight away how to breastfeed and we spent the next 24 hours in a hug. You were naked for all this time warmed up by my body. I have to give credit to the Reading hospital staff who were absolutely brilliant taking care of both of us. Your birth was not what I planned but it was magical and I have no doubt you will have siblings in the future.
I hope your pregnancy is going well. And hopefully you are not angry anymore.
