23rd Feb 2007
I spent most of the day out of the room, due to the newborn and all the family visiting them. It’s coming up to DP’s 21st Birthday, and I had gained permission from my Ob team to go out for dinner between 6 and 8pm on the 24th of Feb, a Saturday night. My spirits were lifted; the idea of being out on the town celebrating my DP’s birthday and not stuck in the hospital was awesome.

24th Feb 2007
At approx 4am I woke with pains, they were coming regularly. I was due for Ob’s soon, so waited until then… except I fell asleep and the midwife was a really good one who managed my Ob’s without waking me!!
I woke at 6:30am in incredible pain, coming in waves every 2-3 mins. This time I call the midwife in who could feel them coming. Due to my previous experiences, they decided to monitor me in the ward first before sending me down to labour ward. Breakky came around 8am and I was feeling so ill and in so much pain I couldn’t eat it, although I wanted to, I just couldn’t. At 9am the midwife comes in and says they are sending me to the labour ward now, to pack my things and call my mum. I rang my mum who had gone home for the weekend; she was in town doing her shopping. I told her the situation and she came straight in, arriving around 10:30-11am. She didn’t even take the shopping home!!
I rang my DP and told him to cancel dinner, I was in labour and this time they weren’t going to be sending me back to the ward pregnant.
The day is VERY long, I tried attempting lunch but couldn’t, once again the pain was too much and I was feeling so ill. My Ob decided to get an IV in as a precaution, easier and nicer to get one in early.
By 6pm, when dinner arrives, I’ve been in the ward for 9 hours. I was starving, but wasn’t allowed to eat much… just in case I had to have a caesarean section. I nibbled on sandwiches and was allowed to only drink water.
I was given an internal around 7pm and I was only 3cms. I was exhausted, I felt so ill; I had gone so far without any pain relief except for heat packs. I was allowed to have a shower, and it was heaven! I was in there for a good 30 mins and then I started bleeding… I freaked out, not knowing what was going on!
I dried up and was given a nice warm hospital gown from the warmer. I felt better after my shower, but the pains came back harder and faster. At around 8pm, 11 hours since being admitted to the labour ward I was given some gas, I found though it did nothing but help with my breathing. At around 9pm I am given some morphine and told to sleep, I was only around 4cms. Sleep… yeah as if. The morphine did nothing but make me sick. I had had enough of vomiting throughout my pregnancy, but this vomiting was worse. My stomach already ached from continuous contractions each vomit was like having another contraction.
The next 3 hours are a blur of pain, dr’s, midwives, buzzers, screaming from down the hall and more internals.

25th Feb 2007
At approximately 2:30am the OB and midwife decide that it’s been too long, that something needs to happen NOW. I’m offered an epidural, just in case they need to do a caesarean section, I’m absolutely buggered I just want the pain over with. At approx 2:45am the Anaesthesiologist came in and started on the Epi… By 3am I felt nothing I was in bliss land. I was given an internal in which the midwife could then feel my baby’s head. I was urged to push with contractions. The problem was that I couldn’t feel the contractions anymore! I had my mum with her hand on my belly the midwife with her hand up my what’s-it telling me when to push.
At 3:15am I gave birth to a little boy, the cord was wrapped around his throat and he was purple, his eyes were open and he was in shock. He didn’t make any noise and the cord was clamped and cut so quickly that the blood splattered all over my face, I didn’t care, I wanted him to be alright. The neonatologist and NICU nurse worked on my little boy, at that point un-named, I could hear them counting and I could see them pushing slightly on his chest. The nurse was holding a mask over his face, time almost stood still. I was given a needle and told to push, my placenta was born. The best way to describe what it looked like is… a sea sponge, but red. It was all falling apart and spongy. The midwife was actually quite shocked that it had been working so well.
At approx 3:30am my little boy is shown to me and I name him, Brendan Ryan. He had a tube down his throat, but he looked so pink and nice now. I touched his hand and he curled his fingers around mine. The neonatologist said I had to let him go so he could go up to the NICU, problem was Brendan had me. His fingers were unwrapped from mine as they wheeled him away.
Then the ringing began… first on the list of course was DP…

And so began our NICU journey.

Happy Birthday for tomorrow Little man. Mummy is so proud of you.