She's here!

She came today!
THIRTEEN days over due and induction needed but she's here!

So... I was booked in for an induction on the 12th, for a hormonal pessary put in.
The plan was to ring up at 8am to find out when I could go in, get it put in and then go home to relax and hope for the best.
They said that if it was possible to break my waters before the pessary, they would do.

I rang up at 8am and got told they had no beds spare as they were busy and they'd ring me when I could come in. I waited. Come 3pm I still hadn't had a call so I was becoming slightly concerned that they wouldn't be able to fit me in and I'd have to wait for another day.
I decided to ring them back up and ask if there was any update to be told they were still busy.
After a bit of a conversation with the lady on the phone, she said she would ring me back soon and try and sort something for me as they're allowed to ring you up until 11pm and it would have made things really hard with having a 3 year old and just turning 1 year old.
I got the phonecall at 5pm telling me that they would give me the pessary on the maternity assessment unit rather than the labour ward as that was still very busy. I had to have some food and make my way in for the pessary.

We arrived at the hospital around 6.15pm. I was put on half an hours monitoring and then they put the pessary in. I was monitored again for another half an hour just to make sure baby's heartbeat didn't change because of the hormones.
By 8pm, I was home!

Lots of walking, lots of bouncing on the gym ball, lots of standing up. No sitting down!

Nothing was happening. No pains, no iggles, no cramps... nothing.

I had already convinced myself that I would be back in the hospital the day after for the rest of the induction as I truly believed that I wouldn't have had a baby by then. This upset me as I had my heart set on a water birth in the birthing centre but if I had to have the second induction, I would be on the labour ward. No chance of my water birth...

I finally fell asleep around midnight. Still nothing.

I woke up just before 6am because I just couldn't get comfortable in bed. My back was aching and it was making it difficult to lay on either side. I sat up in bed and the ache went away.
I stayed sat up for a while and the ache came back.

I decided that I might as well time them. A girl can hope!
2 and a half minutes apart lasting 50 seconds long.
They were only discomforts. A small ache. This couldn't be labour. This isn't what I remember with my other girls.

After timing them for over half an hour, I decided to wake my partner up and tell him I was going to ring the hospital.

At 6.30am, I rang the hospital to inform them that I was having regular pains, although not painful, they were getting stronger.
I was told to take my time and come in.

Now was time to sort the girls out and get them to my sisters house.
I rang my mum (who was also a birthing partner) and asked her to come round.
She got the girls breakfast while my partner got everything else in the car. He then took them to my sisters house.

While I was waiting for him to come back home, the pains got much stronger. I kept quite relaxed.

Now it was time to go to hospital. My mum, my partner and myself.

The journey to the hospital wasn't fun! Traffic was horrendous! Stuck on a busy bypass during the morning traffic... Pains were definitely coming faster and much more intense.

I got to the hospital around 8.20am. We went to the birthing centre. They were allowing me to have my water birth!
While the bath run, the midwife checked me to see if I was in active labour and just how far I was.
She was impressed to find out that I was 5cm! Already half way there and it'd only taken 2 hours!

I got in the pool. I was asked lots of questions in regards to my heart murmur and they were noted down. The midwife said she would come to check me at around 1pm. They expect you to dilate half a centimetre an hour. By 1pm, I would be around 7cm and she would break my waters for me.

The pains were very strong and I couldn't concentrate when they were happening now. The water did ease the pain however it was still breath taking!

Around 9.40am, I decided that the pains were becoming too much and if they were to last like they were for a minimum of another 3-4 hours, I wanted more than just gas and air. I asked for pethadine. This would mean I needed to get out of the birthing pool and lay on the bed.

The midwife walked out of the room to get a colleague and before she had been out of the room 20 seconds, I told my partner and mum I needed to push! (to which my partner replied "you're not allowed, the midwife has just left")
My mum followed the midwife out to tell her I needed to push.

Indeed, it was time to push! And within minutes, my 3rd precious little girl came into the world!

R was born at 9.52am, weighing 8lb 13oz.

From my first contraction at 6am to having a baby before 10am!

She was here.