Hi all,

My baby was due on the 11th of August this year. The 11th passed and nothing happened. I don't know why but I had a feeling that my baby would be overdue towards the middle of July. My midwife did a scan to check that the baby was engaged and not breech and after I was given the all clear it was just a case of waiting to see if anything happened. I went for checkups to see that the heartbeat was normal and finally after just over 10 days the midwife booked me in for an induction. I was really excited because I finally had a date to look forward to seeing my baby but I was also felt frustrated and really uncomfortable and my belly was tender with all the extra stretching.

I arrived at the hospital on Thursday afternoon and later on they gave me a cream to kick start the labour so by 9pm I was starting to get contractions and it was every five minutes and I could not lie down or sleep the whole night. In the morning the midwife checked and I was three centimetres dilated so then I was told I would be taken to the delivery room. Six hours later they took me through and put me on a drip. I was on gas and air then the midwife gave me penthidine and some other drugs. Then I started to feel sick but I had a bowl next to me at all times so that wasn't too bad. By the time I had been having contractions for three hours I had had enough the pain was getting unbearable and I felt I needed something stronger so thats when I asked for an epidural. It was hard staying still cause the contractions were making me very unsteady but I had the epidural and I just felt a small pinch as the needle went in but trust me it much more pleasant than the contractions I was getting.

The next three hours were bliss. I could not feel anything and then the doctor came through and checked and said I was fully dilated and that it was time to push. It was a shame because I needed to lie down on the bed and I knew was going to make it harder to delivery. The baby was lying at the wrong angle so in the end I needed assistance to get her out. I had an episiotomy and forceps but I couldn't feel anything at all so it didn't matter to me. All that mattered was that my baby was born ok and she was at 00:19hrs on the 25th of August 2007.  My hubbie was holding her and crying because she looked so like him.

Well it is almost four months since my baby was born. Emma is four months old on Christmas day! She is a lovely girl and I love being a mummy and caring for her. When she smiles it lights up my whole world and I'm a much happier person for having Emma with me!

I am looking forward to having more children even although I dread the thought of the contractions again but I know that I will use the epidural again, its amazing.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

suzxxxx