Labour Day...and finally Emilia!

So, I haven't written for a couple of days and I think you could guess why?!

Here we go...once upon a time....and this is the story of my labour.

On Sunday September-2nd, at 3.45am, after a couple of days of pain and irregular contractions, I was awaken by a massive pain in my lower belly, and all of a sudden I understood what contractions felt like and let me tell you, I didn't like it! I stayed calm in bed for a good hour without telling anything to Rob nor my parents. I checked how regular they were and they were already five minutes apart, but they didn't last longer than thirty-fourty seconds. At about 5.00am, I woke Rob up. The contractions were getting more intense and closer to each other. I could see the excitement on his face when I told him what was going on, finally the wait was over. I dealt with the pain for a couple of hours and then we called the hospital. They advised us to stay home another hour or so and then call them back. Long story short, we ended up calling the hospital three times before we got admitted. We called a taxi, grabbed the bags, and started our adventure. At the hospital I was assessed, and thankfully I was 4.5cm dilated, therefore I was sent to the Birth Centre and not back home! They explained to us that they only admit women who are at least 4 cm dilated. We were given a lovely suite overlooking the Thames, right next to the London Eye. Not bad for a labour ward! After ten hours of active and regular contractions I requested an epidural and boy am I glad I did it! Once the epidural kicked in, I was in heaven. So much better. Labour went on for quite a few hours and it wasn't time to start pushing until 9.30pm, almost eighteen hours after the first regular contractions. After pushing for an hour, there was still no trace of the baby and all of a sudden the baby's head felt very high. Baby O decided to turn on her shoulder and this caused some little problems. The doctors decided to transfer me to the operation theatre immediately and get me ready for a C-section. Although they were still hopeful to be able to deliver the baby vaginally with the help of forceps, at that point, for the safety of the baby, a C-section had to be considered. So, they dressed Rob up and to the theatre we all went. Not for a minute I felt scared, all the doctors and members of staff made me feel incredibly safe and in excellent hands. They tied me up and topped up the epidural, just in case. The doctors did everything they could to get the baby's head in position and once they could see it they asked me to push very hard. By that point I was almost completely numbed and had no feelings in my abdomen and legs. But I wanted Baby O to be delivered naturally, I didn't want to have a C-section after twenty hours of labour! So I pushed, and pushed as hard as I could. I couldn't see anything, I had my eyes closed in the effort of pushing but at some point I heard Rob screaming: Oh, Vale, look! And there she was, our beautiful baby girl. 

Baby O was born on 2/09/2012 at 23.46. She was a little ball of 3.6 kg and long (or short!) 52 cm. I had been thinking of that moment for so long but you can never be prepared to the wave of emotions that attack you when you see your baby. In that exact moment Rob and I became mum and dad and from now on we have someone to look after. Please welcome our little Emilia.

In Position!

Hi folks, I had two doctor's appointments in the last couple of days, so I thought to give you an update on the status of Baby O and mama.

I saw my GP yesterday. He called me last week to schedule an appointment. Apparently, he had received my blood results from the lab and wanted to see me. I knew exactly what the matter was: iron! My iron level had dropped in the last few weeks; so far I had been able to avoid iron tablets (which I hate!) but not this time. As soon as I entered his room he said: *There is no iron left in the tank!*. And we both smiled. Nothing to worry, really, as this is rather normal at this stage of pregnancy. But I have to admit, I have been feeling quite exhausted lately. So, he prescribed me two/three tablets per day and I started yesterday evening. We will see if I will get a burst of energy! 

This morning, instead, I saw the midwife. I really like her, she never makes me feel rushed and is a very lovely person. She first checked on me and then the baby. We are both doing well. And the big news is that Baby O is in position! She has been cephalic for quite some time but now her head is very very low. This doesn't necessarily mean that she is ready to go, of course, but it's a good sign. The usual checks were all ok and it was nice, once again, to listen to baby's heart, strong and loud as usual.

I managed to write my birth plan last week and showed it to the midwife this morning. She said it was perfect: just one clear page. She told me that sometimes mums get so descriptive and write four/five-page birth plans and it all becomes a bit complicated when the moment comes. I am not a big writer, I always use headings and try to be as concise as possible. My birth plan mirrors my habits. We will see if we will indeed follow it on the big day! Lots of things can happen and change.

And, on a different note...I did weigh myself...and.......it looks like I have put on almost 12 kilos!!!!! Hopefully, this is mostly baby and placenta weight! I must look pretty big though as on my way back home from the surgery I was stopped by a guy who said: *No long to go! Good luck!* I thought it was sweet though and I do really hope we are getting very close to the big moment!