Fast & Furious - the birth of Sophie Joy

Before I recount this story, just a warning - it is a labour and birth story - so while I won't go into too much gross detail - it still is a labour story - so read on at your own choice!

On Monday 11th July, I woke up at 5:30am quite startled. Not because labour had started, but because Dave had dropped something off his side table and woke me up. I was quite annoyed as I didn't want to be awake that early. I grunted something to Dave to show my displeasure and rolled over to try to get back to sleep. Then I noticed my back was quite sore. I didn't think much of it, because my back was always sore at 40+ weeks and each morning I woke up feeling quite uncomfortable. I needed to go to the toilet, and got up to go thinking my back seemed worse than usual. I told Dave, but said there were no contractions, so don't get too excited.

I climbed back into bed, and at 6am, I felt something like the baby had suddenly dropped down. It's a weird feeling, like a thud inside your body. This was how labour started with Jessica when my waters broke. So I went back to the bathroom to discover my waters had broke. I told Dave, very excited now that this had to be it. Although there were still no contractions, just some back pain, so I told Dave to get dressed and ready to go. He got himself ready, then got the kids up and dressed them. By this time, contractions had begun. They were pretty close together from the start - about 3-4mins I think.

By the time Dave had the kids dressed, he called his mum to leave from Wollongong to come over, and then our lovely local friends to come around asap to mind the kids til Dave's mum got there.

By this stage I was pacing the lounge room, contractions about 2-3 mins apart and in a lot of pain. I was telling Dave to hurry up. Once our friend arrived to mind the kids, we left just after 6:40am.

The car trip over was very intense. My contractions were getting closer and closer together. Dave was asking me all sorts of questions about whether I wanted the aircon warmer or cooler. I was not particulalry helpful in my responses - as by this stage I was in transition and pretty cranky! I found it really hard to get comfortable while strapped in the car seat with contractions very intense and under 2 mins apart.

Dave was driving very fast (the hospital is half an hour away), as he knew we didn't have much time. We saw a police car who'd pulled over someone ahead for speeding, so I yelled at Dave to slow down, only to tell him to speed up again once we were past him!

At a set of lights I realised I hadn't told my mum I was in labour (she was in Coffs Harbour as her mother was very sick). So I rang her at 7:05 and said something like "Mum, it's me, on the way to hospital, contractions very close, can't talk, BYE!"

Then 2 mins later we were at the hospital. Dave came over to help me out and I realised I couldn't move. My legs would not move. My contractions were pretty constant now, so I waited for what seemed like a break and Dave had to move my legs out the car for me to be able to stand up. As soon as I stood, I realised I wouldn't be able to walk far. We walked through the carpark to the pathway when I felt the unmistakable urge to push. For those who've had children, you'll understand when I say that you can't stop that urge. You must push. It's like an instinct or something.

So I started screaming. And I mean SCREAMING. I was yelling "Help. I need to push!" I just kept yelling. I couldn't walk. Poor Dave didn't know what to do. I yelled that he had to go get someone, I knew I couldn't move. Then I just started to squat down and push. There was nothing else I could do. I could feel the baby's head and knew I had to push her out. I was screaming the whole time.

Then out of about 3 different doors I never knew existed popped all these heads. Hospital staff were running from everywhere. One women yelled "I'm a midwife, I know that sound. Do you need a wheelchair?"  I was still screaming. Dave said yes and they put me on it and wheeled me to the delivery suite. I was still screaming "I'm pushing!" The midwife was telling me not to push - I told her "I"M PUSHING!" They got me into a room very quickly and helped me onto a bed. I told them again I was pushing. They said, don't push. There were about 3 or 4 midwives rushing around in there. One was saying she was getting a monitor to strap onto me for the baby, the others were asking details of Dave and me. I was still yeling "I have to push!"

So they pulled my pants off and had a look. "Oh!" One of them said, "I can see the head, you can push."

So I pushed, with the first push, her head was out. Then with the second push, she was completely out. It was absolutely amazing. I think I'd been on the bed for about a minute or two max before she arrived. She was born at 7:13am.

The midwives put her straight up onto my chest for a cuddle. It was such a relief to see her! I looked over at Dave and he had this stunned look on his face, like he couldn't believe it had happened so fast!

Soon after I got to have some proper skin to skin contact with our little Sophie and give her a breast feed. Since then it's all been that wonderful blurry time with a newborn. She is adorable and we praise God for her safe arrival in the hospital!

Now all I need is a new title for this blog. No more loafering for me with 3 kids! Suggestions anyone?