The Rizzle aka Crazy 1
Having dreamed of having a baby for so many years my pending due date could not come quick enough. To help speed up the last trimester I was the last of 5 friends to have a baby and not to mention it my brother was getting married the weekend before my due date (that was great planning!!!)
I made it through the wedding but with everyone watching me with a close eye as my ‘show’ had come the day before. Yippee this is it, labour usually starts within the next 48 hours – or so I thought. Oh no…………
Another week soon past and we came to my due date – Nothing. By now my husband Mike was getting impatient as well - I had developed pregnancy snoring and he was having to sleep in our spare bed!!!
That night we tried the hot curry thing to see if there was any truth to it, and to our surprise I started getting contractions that were about 10 minutes apart. I was unsure at first because they felt exactly like the Braxton Hicks I had been experiencing since 23 weeks. I knew that if they were just Braxton Hicks, they would go away if I had a bath so I did. Sure enough they stopped.
The following morning we were booked to see the specialist at the hospital to get checked out for inducing. After being poked a few times, and being told my baby has a big bottom I was booked to be induced in 3 days.
That night we tried another hand-me-down suggestion (I really didn’t want to be induced) and went for a walk around the neighbourhood in what felt like 1 degree above freezing. While walking I also tried another suggestion of walking with one foot on the footpath and the other in the gutter (apparently to jiggle things around). We arrived back home with near hypothermia and still nothing.
At 4am the following morning I woke with period like pains. Thinking that the baby had rolled to a funny position I rolled over and went back to sleep. 10 mins later it came again. Without thinking about it (I had serious pregnant brain syndrome by this stage) I thought maybe I just needed to go to the toilet. Got up, went, and got back into bed. 10 mins later there it was again. Now I was wide awake and started thinking maybe.
I told Mike that the walk had obviously worked and that I was going to run a bath to check that it wasn’t just Braxton Hicks.
Once in the bath the pains started to come every 6 minutes. But then after only 2 at that time delay they quickly dropped to 4 minutes apart. Crikey this is it.
After talking to my midwife and telling her I felt fairly calm and thought I can hold out at home for a wee while, I got dressed and concentrated on breathing through each contraction. However within about 15 minutes I started to feel quite ill, so we rang her back and said we would meet her at the hospital.
At the hospital she checked my dilation – 3 cms, but I twisted her arm into saying I was 4! I made my way into the pool and while on my knees with arms draped over the side I began the repeated process of breathing through each contraction. I found a blue speck on my white towel to concentrate on while breathing so that I wasn’t fully focusing on the increasing pain that was coming with each new contraction.
When I was checked again for dilation I had finally made it to 8 cms. To get mentally prepared for the transition I had to sit on the toilet for 3 contractions on my own. I thought it was cruel at the time, that I had no help, but in hindsight it really made me think ‘I can do this’.
Once back in the pool it didn’t take long for the contractions to change and my desire to push increase. At this stage I thought I can’t do this, I need gas. After 30 mins on the gas it was time to get out and go back to the bed.
After a few hard goes at pushing we found my baby’s heart rate wasn’t recovering after each contraction so doctors were called in for Ventouse assistance.
With more pushing and two light pulls with the Ventouse, our baby boy was finally into the world.
After being told numerous times by my midwife that I was going to have a big baby you can imagine my surprise – and Mikes, when he was finally weighed. 5120gms – this meant nothing to me, I am ‘old school’. Converted = 11pd 4oz. The specialist was right he did have a big bottom!
The Rubiks Cube - aka Crazy 2
At around 6 weeks I soon realised I was pregnant again, even though Mike didn’t believe me. A quick pregnancy test soon solved that issue but also appeared to bring on morning sickness!!
It is amazing how much you forget from the first time and how much harder it is with a toddler standing at the toilet door wanting your attention while you bring up breakfast.
Right from the beginning I thought this kid isn’t going to be a biggy just stick to a basic diet, don’t each too much sweet stuff (almost be like a diabetic) and try to do some exercise. Yeah well that lasted about a week didn’t it.
Once again the morning sickness hung around for as long as possible – around 20 odd weeks again and then the braxton hicks kicked in. This time 9 months seemed to take forever to get here, but the swelling belly seemed to appear instantly.Yet again there was a family wedding planned a week before due day – in Blenheim of all places too. So I figured this kid was going to come while all my family were down South. It was supposed to be all about me!!! The wedding weekend came and went and yet again still no child.
Again I tried the ‘old wives tale’ tricks to bring on labour – sitting for 10 mins with a breast pump on, jumping and dancing round the lounge with Riley, Raspberry Leaf Tea (spew!!) and tried walking with one foot in the gutter and one on the footpath – NOTHING!!!
After trying my best to get my blood pressure up before each midwife visit, Krystle – midwife, suggested we don’t wait as long this time to start doing ‘sweeps’. So Wednesday (22nd – 2 days over) I met with her at the hospital, was checked out, monitored and had the sweep done.
After walking about 2 blocks back to the car I sat down and thought ‘man that hurts’. Thought nothing of it and drove off to pick up Riley. When I got there, again I noticed how sore my lower stomach was and thought ‘gees she was rough’. Drove home and AGAIN thought ‘oooo pain best lie down’. Note: You would think by now that some preggy Mums would click that they could be in labour.
Finally the penny dropped and I thought ‘hmm this could be labour’. I ran a bath to see if they disappeared and they didn’t – 10mins apart then quickly dropped to 5mins apart. Oh Crap – home alone with a toddler asleep in bed, what do I do. After a quick call to Mike to say be prepared to pack up, I rang Mum who got to our place in record time.
After a few more contractions common sense kicked into gear and I rang to summon Mike back home.
At about 4.30 Mum got a bit bossy and told me it was perhaps a bright idea to get to the hospital as you wouldn’t want to get stuck half way and push the kid out on the side of the road. With the latter part mentioned I was very quick to get in the car, but oh no I can’t get hold of Krystle, my midwife is AWOL??? Nuts. Still I would rather be at the hospital with no midwife than at home, get in the car.
At the hospital it all came flooding back – oh the pain that was coming my way. Then I thought you have done it before just do everything the same again. So the pool was filled and we were into it.
After a while in the pool I was told I could start pushing if the desire was there to do so. Well HANG YES!!!!! So each contraction I was pushing. When nothing seemed to be happening I had to waddle back to the bed to be checked for dilation. Perfect I was only 7cm, STOP PUSHING. Riiiigggghhhhtttt.
After a while longer of breathing through the pain with the gas and a little help from Krystle he started to make his move. But rather than be nice and simple he decided to come through with his fist at his cheek. Oh the pain. Finally at nearly 10pm our wee boy was born weighing a lovely 10 pound 9 – lightweight compared to his brother.
