bridget4a

Thursday, 20th March. 39 weeks and 4 days. I woke at 1:20am to pee. 1:20am is one of my regular pee times. I had a what I thought was a Braxton Hicks then, but didn't think too much of it. I fell straight back to sleep, and woke again at 1:32 feeling very damp, and had another contraction. I laid there waiting to see what would happen next. At 1:36 I had another contraction, and felt a gush of fluid. I woke Brendon by telling him I thought my waters had just broken, and that I'd had three contractions. I was planning on letting him sleep a bit longer, but once the waters broke I woke him anyway. The waters were all clear - another hurdle cleared for a home birth. The mucus plug started to come away. The puddle under me was only about the side of a dinner plate thankfully though I'd but the 'dry cot' mattress protector on my side of the bed last week.

The contractions continued to be regular at three minutes apart. We decided to get up. Brendon got dressed. We started writing down when time the contractions started, and how long they were. They were all more or less 3 minutes apart, varying in length from 25-50 seconds. During this time I was wandering around, doing a bit of tidying up. I think I unpacked the dish rack. I put the clothes for Joshua on the heated towel rail, and sorted out a pile of towels to use.

At 2:45 we decided that it was time for Brendon to ring Debbie since the contractions were still regular. She said she's come out to check my BP :- she ended up doing more than that :-).

Brendon rearranged the furniture around in the lounge making room for the birth pool, and laid the drop cloths on the carpet, then moved the birth pool into the lounge from the spare room where it was stored, already assembled. The contractions we still about 3 minutes apart, still with a slight variation in length.

I thought I'd better have something to eat, so had a banana. At this stage I was still wondering around, and standing in between contractions.

Debbie arrived at 3:15am. My BP was back down to 110/58 - great news. Debbie checked the bloody discharge I was having, and was told it was looking very normal. I hopped on the bed for an internal examination. I was delighted to find that I was 3-and-a- bit cm dilated already. I was fully effaced. Joshua's heart beat was 138 immediately after a contraction.

Debbie rang Sally, the student midwife to see if she wanted to

join us. She lives about 20 minutes from here, and was now on her way.

I continued to walk through the contractions, and started to sit between them to rest. The outer sides of my thighs were getting achy.

At 4am Brendon started to full the pool. To fill the pool, he put the hose through the laundry window then though the lounge window, and into the pool. He turned on both the hot and cold taps. Brendon couldn't see what was happening to the hose when he turned the laundry tape on since the lounge curtains were closed. Debbie and I were sitting in the lounge when all of a sudden the hose jumped out of the pool and was flinging all over the place. I jumped up and grabbed the hose. We got a bit of water on the carpet, but nothing too serious. Brendon turned the tap off when I yelled out to him. Debbie and I were laughing - just as well I was there by the pool at the time to grab

the hose. Brendon turned the tape on a bit slower! The pool slowly began to fill. When we had a trial run a few weeks earlier it took 40 minutes to fill.

We had a water thermometer bobbing around in the pool. The water going into the pool was about 41oC. This was about right, as the water would cool over time, and we could top it up with hotter or boiling water later if need be.

By 4:15 the contraction were getting stronger (according to Debbie's notes - I don't remember), and lasting longer. Wondering around the kitchen was no longer enough, even though are kitchen is larger than most, I was starting to feel confined and needed to walk further. I started walking up the hall, though the (dual access) bathroom, into our bedroom, and back down the hall, then back down to the couch to rest before the next one started That was a better length walk. I was still sitting or kneeling on the foot stool in between contractions. I tried to lean forward over the kitchen bench as was suggested in ante-natal classes, but found standing still wasn't a comfortable option I needed to be upright, and leaning forward was uncomfortable. Walking was much better.

My outer highs were aching still. I used the hot wheatie bag to take the edge off the ache.

I felt that I should eat something more, so got Brendon to bring me half an apple. It didn't take long to realised that I couldn't chew and have a contraction at the same time. I was starting to feel a bit green at 4:40, and vomited soon after, and felt much better.

I continued to sit or kneel between contraction, and get up and walk around during them.

By 5:20 my thighs were getting really achy, so asked Brendon to run a bath for me. Debbie and Brendon has suggested a bath earlier, but I wanted to wait until I ready needed it. I knew that getting in to water too soon could slow things down. I wanted the bath for my thighs more than for the contractions. During each contractions Brendon turned the spa on, and turned the spa off in between. The bubbles were a great distraction during contractions. I was lying down at first which was great, but then decided to try sitting and kneeling. I remember saying to him 'that was a big one' or 'here comes the next one'.

I felt marooned during contractions after I had sat myself up and changed what end of the

bath I was in the water level was not high enough, and I couldn't move. Apparently Brendon shaved while staying with me I don't remember him doing that even though he was standing right next to me.

By 5:50 I had had enough of the bath. In my birth plan I stated that want as few internal examinations as possible. However, I wanted Debbie to check me again- I was curious to see how I was getting on. I felt that I was coping well, but thought that hearing I was say 6cm would be great encouragement I just hoped like hell I was more than 4cm - that would have been disappointed. By this stage I had been in labour for 4 hours and 50 minutes (so Debbie's notes tell me) it did not seem that long. I was coping fine with the contractions, and since vomiting an hour earlier felt fine.

I hopped back on our bed for Debbie to examine me. Both Debbie and I was surprised that I was already 9cm dilated with only the anterior rim still present! After 4 hours and 55 minutes I was in transition! I was ready for the birth pool. It was time to call the back-up midwife pronto! We were going to have a baby this morning.