Tues 27th: Packed orders at barn after ridiculous bank holiday sale, had lots of strong Braxton hicks, think turning to proper contractions later in the day. Timed at about 10-13 mins apart. Continued at home and got stronger through the night. Took forever to get to sleep and had to breathe through contractions and keep swapping sides to be comfy.
Weds 28th: Woke up to continuing contractions, watched some birth videos with the binkies in bed. Sammuel whispered "I am your big brother" to my tummy. Dixie did tiny little pinches on my tummy and said she was taking the tummy pains out for me! Contractions slow down/stop. Much less painful when standing / rocking / humming. Have lovely breakfast at bottom of garden in the sunshine while Danny takes binkies to Eva's.
Go to bed for a nap 11ish. I wake twice with contractions then Jane the midwife comes at 12. Agree to go to hospital as have had reduced movements over the last 5 days. I really don't want to as it's such a lovely day and I want to get stuff ready. But I have been worrying because the movements have really reduced, so I also want the peace of mind. All fine, appt at 3.10 and have a few contractions while I'm there. They continue when I get home at 5.30 ish, about every 10 mins. Put Binkies to bed about 7.30. Fun whilst having contractions!
I text midwife to say they're 10 mins apart. I put tens on which I had lent to someone, discover the boost button is not working properly. Tens is amazing though! I really don't know how anyone can handle contractions without one.
8.30pm Midwife asks if she should come. They are then 5 mins apart and I say yes so she leaves. Gralli and Harrie , my sister also head over. Once everyone arrives just after nine, my contractions slow right down. I feel under a lot of pressure as everyone has come out and things have slowed down.
I start to think maybe it's just going to stop and not happen tonight. I hear the midwife telling my mum that she has a feeling we have quite a long while yet and feel a bit disheartened.
But I know that it was similar with Dixie. I walked around the garden then and wanted to have a little rest so I do the same now and lay my head on the sofa between contractions. I am feeling like everyone is waiting for something to happen and the time is ticking by. I joke that the baby will come out by 12, 7 hours after contractions started, because each of my labours had halved so far and Dixie's was 14 hours. I said maybe 1am latest. I can sense that no one believes me!! I rock and hum through contractions. I think fuck it, let's crack it up a notch and get on with it. I want this baby out tonight and I do know that it's happening. I try to forget everyone else's expectations and go for a walk in the dark with Danny. The cats follow us up and down the road for maybe 20-30 mins, contractions maybe every 4 minutes.
Midnight-ish we get back and we empty a bit of hot out of the pool so I can get in soon. Never thought we'd manage to get it too hot! Very glad we got it filled at all! Dixie wakes up twice and can't be settled by Danny. She says there is a bee and a bug in her pillow . I explain it was a dream, rock through a contraction and take her pillow away for her. She goes back to sleep.
I go for a wee and feeling a slight urge to push each time, although I didn't let on as I wasn't sure. I get in the pool at maybe 1230 or maybe a bit later. I didn't check the time. The water is nice, Sam (sister) has arrived now and strokes my head and massages my back and someone pours water over my back through contractions. I get out a couple of times to wee. I have a feeling it won't be long but again I don't let on. Contractions are still only one in four minutes and with Dixie they were almost constant by now. I can feel lots of pressure and feel that I want to push. I was determined not to say 'I can't do it any more!' and managed not to...
I want to think that I'm thinking that because it's transition stage but worry that we're still miles away. Turns out it's all about to happen. I try really hard to just let my body do it but the urge is to push like crazy. The 'pushing' stage was only 4 minutes! It hurt like an absolute mother fucker and I made a fair amount of noise.
Midwife says to let her know if I feel my waters pop. So I shouted 'pop' when they did, I still had my tankini pants on at this stage and the waters were clear. I shout to start the filming as Sammuel had really wanted to see the baby come out so I wanted to film it for him instead as he was asleep.
I ask Danny to come and hold my hands. At one point he says 'ouch ouch ouch' because I'm hurting him. I ask if he's fucking kidding?!
No one else realises the head is basically there now. Midwife tries to pull my bottoms down but I scream to just cut them as I can't bear to move. She objects but I scream "they were 7 fucking quid just cut them!!" So she does.
She says she can't see any signs of the head but I know it's there and put my hands down to feel. I am getting quite worked up and can't catch my breath, everyone calms me down and I desperately don't want to tear so I know I have to breathe the baby out. I think holding my hand on the head helps. I calm down and try to just let her come very slowly. It seems to take a long time but she does. Then I calm down a bit more as I know the worst is over! She sits there for what seems like quite a while then her body comes. I am a bit panicked that I can't catch her as I'm leaning over and she comes out the back. But the midwife catches her with me and I turn around. I pull her up to my chest and after a minute I feel to see if it's a girl or boy!
She cries for a couple of minutes. She's swallowed a little bit of water so coughs that up, then latches on. I am really uncomfy in the water, the cord isn't that long and I decide to get out and into my snug after maybe 15 minutes. I lay back and the midwife busies herself with notes etc and everyone else makes me some food and a drink.
Given the bleed last time I know the midwife is worried about it but she leaves me alone. I am worried too but I know I'd already bled by this time last time, so I'm reasonably confident it will be ok. Midwife asks about cutting the cord but I say I want to leave it.
After an hour and the cord has been completely empty for a while, we decide to cut it and try to get the placenta out. I know I have needed a wee for a while so I suggest trying to wee then see if it will come. There's a bit of blood when I stand up but not too much. I sit on the loo and the midwife is there. I feel the placenta coming suddenly so quickly catch it and luckily there was a clean jug in the bathroom to put it in.
I have a quick shower and then the midwife checks my bits for damage. Miraculously (previous cut from Sammuel's birth and tear from Dixie's) I managed not to tear, just a bit of a graze to the scar tissue. Excellent!
Placenta smoothie, some food and then at about 4.30 we decide to go to bed... Sammuel comes in at 5.30 and meets her. He's so sweet and tells me about 12 times that he loves me. He strokes her and seems pretty pleased. He does ask to check if she's got a willy! He is too excited to go back to sleep so Danny gets up with him, after only an hours sleep... I hear Dixie get up and go into the lounge. Sammuel can't wait to show her so they race is and Dixie looks around and says "where is she?!" - she's laying on my arm!! She strokes her face a lot and gives her kisses. I get up and we go and lay on the sofa and the children hold her ️
After pains for baby 3 are an absolute fucker!! Seriously... I have had to do some serious breathing through them. Hoping they don't last long!