(NB This was written retrospectively)
The night before at about 9.30 my contractions started. They were very mild and I hoped that they were Braxton Hicks contractions and that they would go away. I had a funny feeling that they wouldn’t, which is why I called J and told him, but I still hoped they would.
I went to sleep at around 10.30 but my contractions woke me at about 1.30 am. I went to the loo (as all pregnant women constantly do!), read a bit, dozed a bit, then at about 2.30 I went and told the midwives. I was strapped on to the monitor and they checked on the baby’s heartbeat and on my contractions. After about an hour the result was that I wasn’t having contractions (who were they kidding!?!?) and that I was to go back to sleep. I asked for some paracetamol but the midwife was reluctant to give me anything without a doctor’s agreement, so she asked me to wait. I tried to call J at home but got no answer. At 4.30 I repeated my request for paracetamol and was told the doctor was really busy in the labour ward, that they had called him but were still waiting. By 5.00 am I thought that this was getting serious enough to make getting hold of J important so I ran home repeatedly until he answered. It only took 3 calls. Of course this was the one and only night he had forgotten to take the phone to bed with him! I told him to stay put and try sleeping a little but to be aware that the baby was indeed on his way.
At 5.30 (ish) I called the midwives again to say that my contractions were getting worse and were quite serious now, and where were my paracetamol? I was asked to time my contractions and that the midwife would chase up the doctors. At 6.00 I told them that my contractions were 5 minutes apart and they were lasting 45 seconds. “Oh, we best get you down to the delivery suite” she said, “I’ll be back in a minute”. I immediately called J!
She came back with a wheelchair to take me down in and as I hopped on she told me that I had to take all my things with me. This was a fine time to tell me to pack! I had settled myself into my room expecting to be there for quite some time. I had things everywhere! I couldn’t believe it! She relented and told me to take my valuables and to get my husband to come and do it when he came in.
I got down to the delivery suite and was strapped up, dripped up and generally set up for the birth. J got there at around 7.10 am and having found me then went straight upstairs to pack. He was back by 7.30 (I think) and time from this point on took on a very strange dimension for me.
My contractions started requiring pain relief at this point and I felt the baby was really, really low and although it didn’t feel right I did feel the need to move the baby. I had two midwives at this point – the one going off duty and the one coming on. The one going off duty told me to push if I had the urge. I did try but it didn’t feel quite right, the the midwife coming on duty examined me and told me to stop pushing as I was only 1.5 cms dilated. It took till 9.55 am for Massimo to be born, which is really very quick especially for a first baby. I made a total meal of the whole thing, shouting and screaming quite badly, as I’m sure J will tell you. I am totally unaware of what really went on. I remember the comfort of a cold wet towel on my face (thanks J!), I remember demanding an epidural, I had initially asked for pethadine but the midwife advised against it as the baby was premature. The epidural took forever (in my mind) to come and eventually I received it (ah, bliss!) at around 9.35. The relief was immediate but I could still feel everything and was very aware of pushing Max out just a few minutes later.
Instead of looking at him, I looked at J. I was really frightened of looking down. The neonatal team had joined us at some point in the proceedings and whipped Max away to check him out. He was then showed to us and taken off to the Neonatal Unit. J went with them and came back with a photo.
Things calmed down considerably after that and J went home to check on the dogs and take them round to Andy and Sue’s for the rest of the day. I requested a latte, which he made for me and brought to the hospital. He also made a few calls to inform the various grandparents of Massimo’s birth.
Meanwhile back at the hospital, my placenta was refusing to come out and eventually I was taken into theatre and the consultant was called to remove it. Many gory details of this to be shared, but only with those that want to hear!
When I had had a little time to recover I was wheeled – in my bed – into the Neonatal Unit (NNU) to see Massimo. It was the most incredible moment. He was in an incubator and everything, but he just looked so perfect and so beautiful. And there I was taking up the entire space in the unit, sitting up in my bed, staring at him. I would have stayed there all day but was unfortunately had to be taken back up to Gwillim Ward, where I had lost my private room and was placed in a ward.
I spent some time on the phone chatting to various members of the family. When the feeling in my legs returned, J wheeled me back down to the NNU to see Max and I had my first formal meeting with an expressing machine.
From here on, J and I kept everyone informed of Massimo’s progress via email until we set up this website at the end of March.