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Week by Week

Jake's Birth

I was so happy when I found out I was pregnant with my first child. I loved being pregnant with no complications at all. When I was finally 40 weeks pregnant I knew soon I would be seeing my child. Anxiously waiting day by day, I was finally booked in to be induced 2 & a half weeks over due - as at the time it was a doctors strike and they couldn't fit me in any earlier.

I got to the hospital at the specified time and they sent me home as my room was not ready. More waiting!. 1 hour later I returned to the hospital and then after booking in about 3 hours later they inserted the gel into my cervix. Finally something was being done. I had to lay down so the gel would stay inside me. After about a few hours an internal was done which showed the gel was not yet working so another dose was inserted. My boyfriend was sent home and told to come back in the morning as it looked like nothing was going to happen that night. As soon as he left I was overcome by excruciating pain.

All night I was up in terrible pain going from the shower to the floor to the bed and anywhere that would help me from the terrible pain. I thought it must be nearly over but an internal showed I hadn't even started dilating. My boyfriend arrived back at the hospital about 7 the next morning. I was still in terrible pain and very tired. I was getting induced at 10 A.M. at 10 A.M. a midwife came to get me and take me to the delivery room. I said "where's the wheel chair I can't walk" and she said better that you walk over. Easy for her to say. So I hobbled over to the delivery room.

I was induced and was then told that I would have to have an emergency Caesarean as the baby was in distress. All my thoughts of a drug free labour where out the door. Out went the midwife and they came back and said they had to insert a catheter and shave me. They did that and then left the room. I then felt like I had to go to the toilet and I yelled out to the nurse so she could help me. She came in and said your already going. I had forgotten I had a catheter inside me as I was in so much pain. She told me they were waiting on the anesthetist as he had gone home. 15 minutes passed and I was still waiting. Finally he got there and he started talking to me and I said "can you just hurry up and get the baby out?".

Within a few minutes I was asleep. I woke up in a daze and said "what did I have?" and they said a boy I then dozed back asleep and thought it was all over. Then I was wheeled over to the special care nursery where for the first time I seen my beautiful son Jake. They told me he was very sick as he swallowed the meconium and wasn't breathing properly. He had to stay in the incubator with all these tubes and needles stuck to him. I was wheeled to my room where I was given shots of pethidine every 4 hours to get rid of the pain which was nothing compared to the pain suffered before the birth.

I stayed in hospital for 10 days to recover. 3 days had passed in hospital and I still hadn't held my son. He still hadn't eaten yet and was only allowed a dummy to suck on. I started expressing my milk which later they tube fed him. On the 4th day I got to hold him fore the first time for a few minutes. Words can not describe the moment. On about the seventh day I started breastfeeding him. He was finally getting better. The Easter bunny left him a Easter egg next to his incubator. On the 10th day he was released from the special care nursery and we were allowed to go home. The nurses said he was the star baby of the week as he made such a miraculous recovery. Now my son is 11 months old and very active and healthy and I thank God for blessing me with such a beautiful boy.