Bienvenidos!
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The home straight
OK, back again. MiniMoo is snoozing on SuperMoo's chest (so cute!).
So yes, pushing. It felt so good to be able to go with it, but it bloody hurt! I was chatting with the midwife in between contractions, I remember talking about the X factor final and saying I had wanted Misha to go through, being interrupted by a contraction and then carrying on again afterward, which made the midwife laugh. She kept having to remind me to let my right leg open up because I was pushing it down against the bottom of the bed. At one point I gave myself cramp in my calf during a contraction, which made her laugh again because I was making more fuss about the cramp than about the contraction pain! I remember not being able to get into a good position while I was up on the bed. If I slumped down I couldn't give a good push and if I sat up I felt like I was sitting on MiniMoo's exit. The hand-over time rolled around and MiniMoo wasn't showing any signs of imminent arrival so my midwife handed me over to the next shift. I had a fairly young midwife and her student, Sarah and Sally I think. They were both lovely. They handed over in the room and I felt quite pleased with myself when she said 'she's contracting strongly, four in ten, and only had entonox for pain relief so far' at which point I waved the mouthpiece at her and said 'and... some paracetamol,' ooh yes, the strong stuff. She came and gave me a hug before she left, which was lovely. The trained midwife let the student lead then, and left her in the room with us. I was getting really sleepy, I think due to the exertion and the entonox, and actually dozed off at one point between contractions. As it got closer to 8 o'clock Sarah/Sally (I can't remember who was who) asked if I was giving my full effort or if I was holding back. I said I was holding back. 'Why?' 'I'm afraid of the pain' She said something like it's a good pain, a necessary pain because it means you'll be meeting your baby soon. I could feel it starting to stretch down there, an acute stinging on top of the big contraction pain. Just after eight Sarah/Sally told me that she'd have to start coaching me now because if it took another hour they'd have to get the doctors involved. She said I was getting a bit too comfortable on the bed and she thought I'd do better standing up leaning forwards. I grumbled a bit but got up, and asked mum or SuperMoo if they'd take my socks off for me (!). I know everyone said that when you're in the middle of delivering you don't care who sees your nether regions but I really did, and didn't want my bum on display to the room, even though it was just SuperMoo and my mum, so I had one of the bedsheets draped over my back. Sarah/Sally kept ducking underneath to check on progress and listen in to MiniMoo's heart with the SonicAid. (It stayed perfect throughout, good boy!) I still had the entonox but now with the pushes I could feel a lot more progress. I could feel things moving and the pain was getting worse with it, Then, Sarah/Sally told me to put the entonox down and concentrate on giving some really good pushes. They had raised the bed so I was leaning on that at about chest height, and I reached forward and grabbed hold of the entonox tubing with both hands during each contraction. After I stopped using the entonox I felt like my mind was split into two - the part of me that was doing the birthing and this cool, rational other part. It's kind of hard to describe what it felt like. Part of me was exhausted, in pain, afraid, and going by instinct with the contractions, but with this little voice in my head reminding me to open my legs up so MiniMoo would have room to come out and as his head started descending (weird sensation!) to let myself open up to that. I was almost there, he was coming down lower with each contraction and I honestly thought I was pooping a little bit, then I felt him crown and started doing the little blows that they told us to do in classes, but then he slipped back up and I felt so demoralised because I was worried I'd have to do all that hard work again, but with the next contraction down he came and stayed there! Ouch! I started to do those little blows again expecting the midwives to ease his head out like I'd seen them do when I was a student, but they told me to just give a little push and pop! Out it went! The stretch was relieved but it was such a strange feeling to have this little body still there distorting my anatomy... I can't remember if the cord was round his neck or not, I'd have to ask mum.. Then one more push and out came the rest of him. We didn't know he was a he at this point. The midwife under my sheet took him as he delivered and the other one eased the chair behind me and helped me sit down, then they passed him forwards and up onto my belly and there he was! This tiny, slippery purple little person! I asked 'what have we got? What have we got?' and they moved the cord out of the way for us to see, a little boy! A little boy! And I asked SuperMoo if he wanted to introduce him, which he did, and then the midwives asked if he wanted to cut the cord, which he did too. Then MiniMoo was passed up under my pyjama top for a cuddle, covered in blood and vernix, tiny, wrinkly and gorgeous.
7:24 p.m. - 2012-03-02
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