The One About Our New Little Daughter . . .

So after many months of waiting, I would like to introduce our new daughter Alissia Rose.  She was born at 11:40pm Monday 30th January and weighed in at 6lb 8oz.

For anyone not interested, I'm about to describe her journey into this world.  I completely understand people not anting to read this bit, but I want to keep a record for me while it is still fresh ish in my mind.  Please feel completely free to look over the photos only, I won't mind at all!

Her arrival was not quite as how we had imagined as we went in on Saturday night as I was worried about not feeling as much movement as usual, and was kept in over night with high blood pressure instead, as baby was actually fine.  I was put in a ward with four other ladies, three that were expecting and one that had already delivered her little one.  Well 7:20 am on the Sunday morning after not much sleep as I was up and down to the loo like normal, the bed was uncomfortable and the newborn was crying, my waters went!  I think this is due to hearing the baby crying through the night!  I know it's an old wives tale but I don't think my waters would have gone if I'd been at home.  What they don't tell you about your waters is that they don't gush like you see on the movies, they trickle out, and continue to do so!

So then we went from being kept in with high blood pressure, to being kept in as my waters had gone.  So Sunday was spent waiting, and waiting some more.  If nothing had started by Monday morningI was told they would induce me, as there is only so long you can go with no waters before there is a risk of infection.   Then at quarter to midnight on the Sunday I got really bad backache, I asked for some painkillers and was given co-codamol, and thought nothing of it but just tried to get some sleep.  The backache was really quite bad and so I didn't get much sleep and was up and down to the loo a lot which seemed to help, think it must have been the moving about that did it!

Anyway next morning I asked for some more pain relief and was told I couldn't have any!  Just before 10am I was seen by a consultant who told me I was actually 5cm dilated, and I'd got there all by myself through the night, without actually realising I was having labour pains!  So about 45mins later after M arrived we were taken round to the delivery room.  First thing I asked was if I'm in labour please could I now have some proper pain relief?  Luckily I was provided with gas and air and it helped immensely.  It also made me feel quite drunk and I had some very strange conversations with M and the midwife!  I seemed to nod off in between the pains and I think part of the conversations were part carried on from dreams!  At 4pm I was only 6-7am dilated so we had to keep going.  Anyway by quarter past 6 that evening I'd had enough as the pain was so much more intense, and so I asked for an epidural.  As soon as it went in I felt so much calmer, and quite hungry too!  (Especially as I'd not eaten anything all day).  At 7pm another check showed that I was fully dilated, but as baby was still quite high inside me, it was decided we would wait some more to see of she would drop naturally.  At roughly 9pm I started to push.  We had some really mellow music on in the background and the lights were quite dim and because of the epidural I was feeling quite relaxed.  Despite my best efforts at pushing baby was not dropping and the decision was taken to have an emergency c-section.

Up till that point, through the day I had felt quite calm and relaxed (well as calm as you can be with all that pain).  But this was when I got quite scared, and imagined all sorts of things, like being able to feel what was going on while they were delivering her.  And needing an emergency hysterectomy or anything being wrong with Baby.  But Mark was there with me reassuring me, and he saw her being born and was telling me that evertyhing was ok.  I haven't mentioned much about M in this post, but he was calm and so patient and supportive right from the minute I went into hospital, and I couldn't have done any of it without him.  Baby didn't cry straight away when she came out which frightened me, but as soon as she did I felt so reassured.

M went through to the recovery room with Alissia while they finished sorting me out.  Then came the best bit, having those first cuddles with Alissia.  We were in the recovery room for nearly two hours but the time went really quickly.

We got home very late last night, and so I've got three more days worth of news to share, but that can wait!  We've got lots of visitors coming in shifts this afternoon to meet our little lady!