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Emma Sex: girl Born: 23 March, 1999 Age: 12 years & 331 days Birthday in: 34 days Starsign: Aries Development: See the 32 months page. Biggest achievement so far: -

My estimated due date was March 28th so I wasn't expecting to go into labour before that magic number. First babies NEVER go early, or so I was told. It was a regular Monday evening... I had gone to a friends to distract me from my ever growing crankiness. We decided that we would relive our past and have poutine (fries, gravy & cheese) at 11:30pm. I got home roughly around 12:15am & immediately went to sleep. Must have been all of that deliciously good trans fat. lol. At 2:30am I woke up and went to the bathroom. I had a bowel movement, but then felt like I still needed to go. I stayed in the bathroom for at least a half hour. At this point I didn't think anything of it really... I mean, I had just eaten a ton of food so I thought that might be why I was in there. I went to lie down on the couch. I remember having pains but I was able to fall back in and out of sleep. At this point I still didn't think I was in labour. Even with prenatal classes & tons of reading about contractions being erratic and steadily getting stronger and longer, I didn't realize that having a bowel movement can be your body's way to prepare you for labour. I also didn't realize that contractions could come on strong quickly and maintain a steady pace. My honey had been up late drinking with a buddy from work. I was pretty angry that he'd been drinking that close to my due date, but whatever. He pretty much crashed before I got home. So I was on the couch and around 5:30am I couldn't take it anymore. I woke up my boyfriend and told him that I "thought" I was in labour. I was in lots of pain. I hadn't timed contractions or anything at this point. I just knew that I couldn't talk through them. They were too painful. So he called his dad to come and get us to take us to the hospital. I don't think he was thrilled with me at this point - I'm sure he was a bit hung over and here I was telling him I "thought" I was in labour. I remember stopping at a corner store while they went to get something and I stayed in the truck completely trying to get through the pain, all the time moaning. When we got to the hospital, we walked up around this ramp type thing until we got to a 3rd or 4th floor. At this point, I had to stop every few minutes. When I got to the desk to check in with the nurse, she asked me if I was in labour. I replied that I didn't know, but I was in a LOT of pain. She looked at me quite skeptically and said she would send me up to be assessed. At this point I was so NOT impressed about having to go up another few floors. Where was my damn wheelchair or the elevator!? I got to the floor and FINALLY a nurse came in to assess me. She started asking me lots of questions. At one point I wanted to ask her (scream at her) if she could wait to ask me about my parents medical history when I was NOT having a contraction! I mean, seriously. At this point it was 6:20am. So she checked me for dialation and told me that I was already 4 cm dialated. I was shocked! I couldn't believe it in a way but in another I could - I was in so much pain! I called my mom at this point to tell her to come as the baby was on the way. She lived about 4 hours away so I hoped she would make it. She got in the vehicle and came with my Nanny, and Great-Grandmother. Meanwhile, I called a friend (the very same that had been my accomplice in the poutine feasting) to see if she wanted to come to the hospital. She said that she had class but yes, she would come for the birth. At this point, I hadn't planned to have her there but just decided to go with it. I was scared my mom wasn't going to make it and I wanted a female there. Don't get me wrong, I loved my boyfriend but wasn't sure how he would be in the delivery room. So, the very same nurse that was asking me a ton of questions was also very rough & nasty! I was super relieved when at 7am there was a shift change! I got the sweetest nurse who coincidentally had the same name as my friend that had arrived. By about 8:30am I was in sooo much pain. I had planned to have a natural birth my entire pregnancy, but at this point I grabbed my boyfriends arm and I told him that he needed to find the dr. to give me drugs. The doctor that I had seen throughout my pregnancy was a family doctor. He was partners with my dr. and he took on her patients to deliver their babies. I was thrilled by this because I really didn't want an obstetrician. For one, I had a bad experience with one earlier in my pregnancy when he told me I couldn't be THAT constipated (I NEVER went back to him) and two - with an obstetrician you had no idea who would be on call when you delivered your baby. Anyway, my dr. came into the room around 8:30am to check on me. At this point he told me I was way too far along to take drugs now, because they would affect my baby. I remember whimpering like a baby but after that I was ok. I realized I just had to get through it. Besides I had contractions to focus on. By 9ish a.m. I remember telling the nurse that I had the urge to push. She said, "but I just checked you". I told her that I didn't care, she had better check again because I NEEDED to push! She checked me again and then she said, "OH my god, you are 10 cm... let's get her to the delivery room." Ah ya, that's what I said lady! When you get that urge to push, it's very real and CANNOT be ignored. I don't remember getting to the delivery room. I was wheeled on a bed and trying to get through my contractions. Once I was in the delivery room my contractions were slowing down. My dr. was there and I was more than ready to meet my little baby. My boyfriend and good friend were there with me. My dr. told me I could push and so I started. I don't remember getting too upset or angry throughout this part. I do remember that I kept my eyes closed most of the time (it was so bright in there - and I needed to focus.) At one point someone touched my ear and I said, "Who did that?! Don't do it again!" lol. I also remember asking for ice chips (apparently that's all I was able to have). My friend tilted the cup up to my mouth and then took it away. I almost swore at her because I didn't even get any! I was so thirsty! Daddy was beside the dr. almost the entire time. He was helping him! lol. I also remember joking with my dr. at one point. I was in a lot of pain but wouldn't swear. My dr. said, "Hey you're giving birth - it's ok. to swear." I told him that I didn't want my baby to hear a swear word as his or her first word. lol. After being in the delivery room and pushing for an hour, my dr. realized that something was wrong and my baby was not descending the way he would have liked. He realized that she was sunny side up (face up) instead of facing down. He decided that he would consult with an obstetrician because he hadn't encountered this very many times before. The o.b. came in and they decided they would turn my baby. His or her head was hitting my pelvic bone and that's why baby was having a hard time getting his or her head out. At this point - (remember I've had NO drugs) they put both of their hands up inside me to get ahold of my baby's head to turn it around. I remember asking if they really needed to be doing that - and sadly they both replied that yes it was necessary. I can tell you that this was NO walk in the park. It was excruciating! After a few minutes (it didn't take long) they sucessfully turned my baby. My dr. decided to give me an episiotomy at this point. I'm not sure why - I was in too much pain to ask. He froze me and cut. My friend has to go sit down and put her head between her legs (my dr.'s instructions) because she got really white and felt like she was going to pass out. Later she said it was all of the blood that freaked her out.

I remember pushing until my face felt like it was about to burst with heat. My nurse was like a cheerleader, egging me on. When my baby was on his or her way out, they told me to open my eyes and that I could see all of the hair. I saw my baby's head crowning in the mirror above me, it was soooooo incredibly amazing! There really was a lot of hair!

At 10:24 am on Tuesday, March 23rd, 1999 my sweet baby was born. It was a girl!! :D I was sooooo surprised and happy! I wanted a girl so badly. I thought I would cry if I had a boy... seriously. lol. She was 7 lbs and 4oz. She was 20 1/2 inches long. I got to hold her for a few minutes and then they took her to clean her up and check to make sure she was ok. Afterwards I had to stay in the delivery room longer because my dr. had to sew me back up. I went to the recovery room after, at which point I was handed my baby so that I could breastfeed. I was in so much pain from the episiotomy (not to mention having a baby) and I found it very difficult to get comfortable. I had a lot of difficulty getting her to latch on. I got back to my room around lunch time. My family showed up around 2pm. They had missed everything! My labour from start to finish had been 8 hrs. That's pretty good for a 1st time baby, so I'm told. I remember the nurses asking me if they could take my baby to wash her up. They said they would bring her right back. An hour later she still wasn't back! I kept asking for her. Finally, a nurse came in and asked if I was the one that kept asking for her baby. Uh, hello lady! I just spent all of this time in pain during labour and delivery and my baby was finally here - of course I wanted her with me! Stupid, stupid woman. Anyway, I kept her by my side the rest of the time. I remember the nurse telling me that I needed to pee. She had to stay in the bathroom with me to make sure I had gone. I remember that my knees were shaking and I was crying because it hurt so much. She didn't even offer me a warm water bottle to help with the stitches (I only learned about that later on).. too late! :( It hurt sooooo badly. Finally after what felt like ages - I went. Halleluha! My day went ok. after that I was happy to see my family... but then again sad because I had forgotten my camera of all things! I remember my family left & my boyfriend wasn't allowed to stay either. I was sharing a room with 4 other moms. I was the only one who had her baby in the room with her & not in the nursery. At one point I was having a lot of dificulty getting my baby to latch on to eat. I was exhausted from being up almost 48 hrs. with a few hours of sleep at best... and so incredibly sore from the stitches. I rang for the nurses to come & help me, but no one came! She started really crying & I couldn't calm her down. I was sitting with her in the rocking chair just crying and thinking to myself, "This is my baby... I have to calm her down and I don't know how." Eventually she stopped and I let her fall asleep in my arms. I was finally getting some sleep when the lady next to me woke me up around 4am because she was talking on the phone! I mean, Hello lady! We all just gave birth and have been up forever - let us get some sleep. I don't care that you've had 4 children and you are happy to be at the hospital to have a break from them! I'm not happy to be there! At one point a nurse came and gave me trouble for sleeping with my baby. She told me that she was supposed to be in the little plastic bed next to mine. As soon as she left, she was back in my bed. I didn't care what the nurses had to say. She was MY baby! Anyway, I was thrilled when the next day rolled around and my dr. said I could go home. The nurse asked me if I wanted to stay another night, to "relax". Ugh, hell no! I didn't "relax" the whole time I was in there! I wanted to go home. We got discharged and we went home. I was thrilled to bring our little girl home. We were already so in love with her. :D We had a rocky start breastfeeding, so on day 3 I decided to go and see a lactation consultant. She was so helpful with positions and the proper holds. After that we didn't have any more problems. My family stayed for a few days and then went home. I was so tired and happy to be home with my little miracle baby. I was completely amazed and completely in love.

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Claire Sex: girl Born: 26 March, 2008 Age: 3 years & 325 days Birthday in: 40 days Starsign: Aries Development: See the 32 months page. Biggest achievement so far: -

Birth details

Type of delivery: Vaginal (without pain relief)
Duration of labor: 3 hours max!
Weight @ birth: 6 lbs 13 oz.
Length @ birth: 20 1/2 inches long

Claire`s birthstory

Wow, I can't believe that she is finally here. It's so completely wonderful and amazing! I'm tired but I don't mind at all. I love being able to hold her, talk to her, kiss her and snuggle with her. She is such a great baby! Honestly, she barely cries... just gives a whimper here and there.

Ok. I guess I will start out with my birth story. It's short and fast, just like the labour/delivery. lol.

I was more than ready to have my baby already. lol. I finished work (teaching) on Thursday March 20th - the day before Good Friday. I had told my midwife that I just wanted her to wait until AFTER my 1st daughter's birthday (on Easter Sunday this year, - the 23rd). That my baby could come anytime after Wednesday. lol. Little did I know.....

Tuesday, March 25th during the day I was feeling very crampy and had a sore lower back. (Not that unusual though... but I did mention something to my MIL about it). Tuesday evening I decided to have a bath to see if the achyness would go away. It did..... I went to bed at about midnight and woke up at about 2:30am to go pee. I went back to sleep and kept waking up about every half hour to pee again. It wasn't anything unusual but it was a tad more frequent. At 4:15am I woke up and went pee again. This time there was a bloody discharge (almost like I was getting my period but egg white slimy w/blood smeared in it is the way that I will describe it). I started having strong contractions right away. They hurt a lot right from the beginning. I went onto contractionmaster.com to help me time them. At this point I didn't wake my fiance up... Contraction master said they were coming every 4-5 min. but I wanted a half hour to go by to make sure. My midwife had warned me that my baby might come quickly and that I should head to the hospital when my contractions were about 5 minutes apart. Especially because of how quickly I had dialated from 4cm - 10cm with my first pregnancy. I was still in denial at this point that my contractions were coming that fast. Stupid me. lol. My fiance got up for work & had a shower (I was on the couch downstairs) and when he came out of the shower I told him that I thought I was in labour. He said, "You think.... or you are?" I told him no I didn't think, that I really was! lol. So he wasn't going to work that day! I was exactly 1 week before my estimated due date (April 2nd) and I had an appointment scheduled for that afternoon to see my midwife. I wasn't going to make that either! lol. We came downstairs @ 5:25am and at this point my contractions were pretty strong & I couldn't talk for very long or through them. I told him that we needed to call the midwife. She was going to meet us at the hospital. We called a cab (as we don't have a vehicle) and waited. My fiance woke up our 9 yr. old daughter to tell her that we were all going to the hospital (she wanted to be there for the delivery too). She was a bit frightened by my breathing/moaning but not too bad. The cab driver arrived at 5:55am (and it took me almost 10 min. to get my way down the stairs and into it). Fiance even had to put my boots on for me. I had no energy for anything but getting through contractions at that point. My MIL who lives 3 doors down came over (as honey had called her to see if she could get ahold of his work and tell them he couldn't come in because I was having the baby). She also helped to get me to the car. Just before we left I told her I had the urge to push already. I remember her turning to my fiance and telling him, "She has to push - that isn't a good sign. You need to get to the hospital fast. This baby is coming!" We got in the cab and at this point the contractions were about 2 min. apart. I didn't have much time to breathe between them and they were STRONG! I kept praying we would make it to the hospital. I had the urge to push with so much pressure I felt like I was going to poop my pants. I remember crying/whimpering and thinking please hurry. Please just make it there. I remember the cab driver saying, "I'm driving as fast as I can. I'm going 80 in a 50 zone. I'm going to get you there. Hang on." He must have been just as petrified of me giving birth in his cab! lol. We got to the hospital at 6:20am on Wednesday, March 26th, 2008 (a week before my due date). I had to wait a minute or so when we parked in front of the hospital to get through another contraction. I bet the cab driver was thinking, "Get the hell out lady." I remember him wishing me luck. I could barely walk and had to stop literally every 30 feet for another contraction. Thank goodness my fiance is a big guy, he had to hold me up quite a few times. When we got into the hospital we stopped at the information desk to find out where we had to go. I remember seeing people in my peripheral vision but I didn't care what I looked like at that point. I was in pain and about to have my baby at any minute! (I was only wearing sheep fleece pyjama pants and a long sleeved shirt at this point). I didn't have time or energy to change before I left home.....

We got up to the floor after going the wrong way.... we saw a desk and asked where we needed to go. The nurse just waved us down the hall. Thank god we didn't have to register!!! I remember walking down the hall and then I saw my midwife (I was soooooo relieved - it was a moment like seeing an angel there waiting for you. Seriously!) I was still scared though that I wouldn't make it to the room to have her. I was in so much pain and had to push. I stopped just a few feet from the room and had to wait there through the next couple of contractions. My midwife kept telling me, "Come on, you're almost there. You can do this. You need to get to the bed." I told her that I couldn't. It hurt too much. Finally I got in the room and my midwife said she was going to check me to see how much I had dilated. In the next second, I told her that I had to push. She looked at me to check and said, "Yup you do, I can see her head already." I knew she was coming quickly. I started pushing and it took about 10-12 pushes (half hour maximum) and she was born at 6:50am on Wednesday, March 26th, 2008. I remember feeling the intense pressure of her crowning. It felt like I was on fire. I swear to God that the song, "Burning Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash was stuck in my head for days after my daughter was born. Funny now, but NOT at the time! lol. I was sooooo relieved that I had made it to the hospital (we were soooo lucky that it was just BEFORE rush hour hit). I was also happy that my fiance hadn't gone to work because he would have missed her being born. I also don't know how I would have handled all of that. I guess I would have had to have called an ambulance. Anyway, she was born without any problems at all (which my midwife said is great because sometimes with fast deliveries you can have a heck of a tear). I was also at risk of tearing because with my first daughter the dr. had given me an episiotomy. She said he must have done a good job sewing me up because I was intact. I have a few scrapes (which still burn a bit when I pee) but it's nothing compared to having the episiotomy. So that's my birth story. It was fast and furious! lol. As far as pain management was concerned, I wanted a natural birth. I did have a natural one with my first daughter. Although I do realize now that I must have had some freezing down there because of the episiotomy with my first. With this baby, there wasn't time for anything for pain even if I had wanted it! I felt everything very vividly. lol.

She is such an angel though, worth every single minute of pain! Our oldest daughter was scared when I started screaming (when I was delivering her) even though she had the Nintendo DS to play with and earphones on, that my fiance put her in the bathroom and shut the door. As soon as Claire was born I told her to come out, everything was fine. She came out and was amazed. She started to cry and I tried to tell her that I was fine, that I didn't mean to scare her but I was ok. now. She said, "Mom I'm not crying because of that, I'm crying because I'm just so happy." It was definitely a touching moment. :D Afterwards she didn't leave our side. She wanted to hold Claire and daddy had to ask her to have his turn! lol.

When I had my baby, the midwife put her on my belly and she stayed there for the next hour. She didn't even clean her up yet or check her out beyond what she could see with her on me. It was great! I loved having her close right away. I nursed her almost right away without a problem. After that the midwife checked her out, everything was fine. :D She got her needle (vitamin K injection) and didn't even cry. What a trooper! She fell asleep at around 9am. We left the hospital at 9:30am and got home just before 10am. It was sooooo great to leave so soon and to be able to be in the comfort of our own home! :D

So now we are loving having her home... she is so beautiful! :D

Thanks for reading! :D

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Simone Sex: girl Born: 19 September, 2009 Age: 2 years & 148 days Birthday in: 217 days Starsign: Virgo Development: See the 28 months page. Biggest achievement so far: -

Birth details

Original due date: September 14, 2009
Type of delivery: Vaginal (without pain relief)
Duration of labor: 2 hrs in total
Weight @ birth: 7 lbs. 14oz.
Length @ birth: 20 1/4 inches

I had my two others girls at 39 weeks and 39 weeks and 2 days so I expected this little baby to be early too... When I went to the dr. 5 days before my due date the dr. did an internal and I was already 3 1/2 cm dialated. My mom and my nanny (Grandma) had come to visit hoping to be here for my baby's delivery and were considering going home because baby just didn't look like she was coming anytime soon. Soooo anyway, I let my dr. strip my membranes for me. Before I left the office I was already at 4 1/2 cm dialated. She said while there was no guarantee, she did expect to see me in the hospital the next morning with a little babe in my arms. Boy was she wrong! lol. Every night I went to bed hoping to wake up to labour, bleeding, something, anything to say that this was the time. I went into labour with both of my previous girls throughout the night (2:30am & 4:30am) so again I sort of expected the same this time around. After she stripped my membranes I did have some bleeding but not a lot. It came out a bit at a time, mucousy and gross like. lol. I was having menstrual type cramps off and on. On the Friday I had a few contractions but nothing too painful, I could still talk and move around. (This is still 3 days before my due date). They went away though and I continued to wait. My nanny and mom had to leave (they live about 8 hrs away) so I was a little bummed out. But it was nice to spend 10 days with them.. they distracted me with cards and walks. :D After they left, I got a really, really BAD cold. It was brutal! My right ear was 80% blocked and I could barely hear out of it. I couldn't breathe and sleeping at almost 40 weeks pregnant was even worse (if you can imagine it!)

On my due date I had an appointment with my ob/gyn. She said she could not believe I was still pregnant as I was almost at 5cm dialated. She said when I went into labour it was going to be fast and to get to the hospital ASAP. With my previous fast delivery, I wasn't going to wait around anyway! I was physically exhausted at this point by my cold. I had ZERO energy. And while I was hoping labour would come soon, in a way I just needed a day or two to rest up. By Thursday (4 days past my due date) I was almost at the end of my rope. I had been crying and was just completely worn out. My dr. called me to tell me that she had scheduled an appointment for me to have my waters broken on Tuesday (41 weeks, 1 day) if baby had not come by then. There would be no need for induction through meds. because I was already so far dialated. I felt relieved and happy that there was an end in sight! It also gave me a day to focus on and I felt that I would be much better cold wise with a few more days. I could handle it. I had pretty much given up on baby arriving on her own at that point. Just kept focusing on the Tuesday. Up until then I had obsessed every day, is this it? Is this a sign? Is this a symptom? I was driving myself nuts (not to mention my dh!) lol.

So anyway, on Friday, September 18th, I went to bed like any other night. I had a really hard time falling asleep and finally fell asleep at 1:30am. I woke up at 3:20am and felt wet. I wondered if I had partly peed myself. It was really weird. When I got up liquid soaked my underwear. I decided to go to the washroom, put on a pad to see if it was my waters breaking. I was expecting to see some kind of blood, but nothing. I really wasn't sure if it was my waters that had broken because it wasn't a huge gush. It was thicker and kind of mucousy but very clear. (I had been having tons of mucousy discharge for days though!) I smelled it and thought it definitely didn't smell like pee. Didn't have much of a smell to it at all. After about 5 min. I started getting mild contractions. And I kept feeling little gushes of liquid coming out so I figured ok. this is it! I woke up dh & we called my MIL to come and watch our girls for us while we headed to the hospital. She arrived at 4:00am and my contractions were now coming about every 3 min. and lasting at least a minute long. I was in quite a bit of pain at this point. The contractions were really in my lower back. I never experienced them like that with my other two pregnancies (and one was a posterior baby!) We arrived at the hospital about 4:25am and when I got up there was another big gush of fluid. It was so gross. lol. But at that point the contractions were coming quickly and they were soooo strong! We found our way to the maternity ward. The nurse started asking lots of questions and I was just in far too much pain to speak. My dh was trying to tell her how fast my last delivery was and that at my dr's appointment just days before I was already almost at 5cm. After what seemed like an eternity, I think she finally believed him and got me a wheelchair. I could barely talk at this point. I got to the bed and she did an internal. I was at 8cm dialated already. She put the monitors on for baby's heart and to check my blood pressure. I was sooooo NOT happy about that! I didn't have to have that with my last baby (I had a midwife) and it's sooooo uncomfortable when you are going through really strong contractions. It didn't take long before I felt the need to push. My dh teases me because I asked him to get the nurse to check me 4 times in about the span of 5 min. time. The 4th time I was practically sobbing for her to check. She checked me, I was at a 9 but had a slight lip to go. Dagnabbit, I wanted my baby out! At about 5:10am I had to push. She said there were two small membranes left & she would just cut them because they were almost gone. I couldn't hold it and not push anymore. So at 5:15am I started pushing. I was screaming/grunting really loud at this point. The nurse kept telling me to silence my voice and to use that energy to push out of my bum. It worked. Although it was hard for me because I could barely hear out of the ear they were talking into (because of this damned cold!) So I pushed and pushed. They said, "You're doing great. She's almost here." My dh thought that this is what dr's/nurses always say and that I still had awhile to go. He sat down partly on the chair beside me. The resident asked him to hold my leg for me so he stood back up. And as he says, "the baby's head just plopped right out". Um, ya RIGHT!!! lol. After one more push I was holding her in my arms. :D I pushed for 10 min. total. I had to get 2 stitches (one on top and one on the bottom) because of the 2 membranes they cut so it took some time for them to stitch me up. The resident did it so she wanted to be sure she did a great job.

I got to hold my baby for about an hour and a half before they even moved her off of me to weigh her or give her the vitamin K injection, etc. It was absolutely wonderful! She was looking to nurse almost right away after she was born. Her little tongue was long and skinny and she kept sticking it out. It was sooo cute! She was born at 5:25am and weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz. (She was a whole pound bigger than my last baby 17 mths earlier!) She did have an extra 12 days in me though to get bigger than my last baby. lol. She was 20 1/4 inches long. She is beautiful and healthy and we just love her to pieces! We now have 3 beautiful girls and feel we are just a lucky, lucky family. :D After being checked out by the dr. and told that baby and I were both really healthy and well, the dr. released us (at my request) about 7 hrs. after she was born. I had to sign a paper saying that I was denying care but it was just paperwork. I was home sweet home with our new little babe around 1pm that day. It was wonderful and our girls got to meet their new little sister. :D

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