I never thought I would be able write enough about me and what I do for a blog, but when it comes to Nieve, my 23 week old daughter I could write a book.
Well lets start from the beginning... It all started October 2009 when I was jumping around the kitchen of our glasgow flat grinning from ear to ear, my husband had finally agreed to my demands and said we could try for a baby. Much to my husband's
Ok so I didn't start with the nicest of pictures but this was a really big moment for me! Hubby couldn't quite believe what he was reading when he received the email at work telling him I was pregnant, in-fact is was something along the lines of "are you sure!!" bless him, he was a little shocked. It wasn't the type of thing I thought I would ever by telling my loved one by email but he works off-shore and the only way to contact him.
So there it was in, pink n' white stripes, we were expecting. For anyone who has experienced this moment I'm sure they will understand when i say it's the most exciting but worrying thing I've ever seen. From this moment on, I was a paranoid, nervous wreck! As the days and weeks dragged by till I approached the magic 12 week mark all I though about was wether my little jelly bean would make it, spending most of my days 'knicker checking' (as my mumsnet friends used to call it) or suffering from what can only be described as extreme exhaustion, along with the usual nausea. There were two things that saved my sanity in these early days, mumsnet and my 9 week scan! We decided since hubby wasn't due to be here for my booked 12/13 wk scan (and to shut me up!) we would get a private 9 wk scan, it was worth every penny! What an amazing moment, to see your little miracle, so tiny yet already baby like - incredible! This seemed to ease my mind, but I was still quietly worried about making it to that magic 12 weeks. Anyway as you may have guessed we did make it, and the scan date was changed so hubby made it after all, and once again we snuck a peek at our little jelly bean, wriggling around on the monitor.
My husband would disagree, but apart form the usual complaints the rest of my pregnancy went pretty smoothly. I let go somewhat as the weeks went by, particularly after 16 weeks, and we saw our then not so little jelly bean once more.
I was sure from the beginning of my pregnancy that I didn't want to rely on drugs (if possible) to deliver my little one, and since I had an allergy to local anaesthetics, I didn't really have much of a choice in the matter anyway. I planned a hypno-birthing water-birth, and hired a Hypnobirthing tutor to come to the house to teach me how. Suzy from babynyou was fab, from 6 months we did 4 sessions, teaching me to relax, breath and visualise. I had a cd of affirmations to listen to daily along with a relaxation session, which I mostly listened to before bedtime. My practicing and studying of the theory of hypnobirthing really helped me with my pregnancy and gave me a focus, neither me or my husband were worried about the birth and looked forward to the big day.
me at 38 weeks
One of our concerns with hubby working offshore was the timing of our little one, we had a window of opportunity when the little one ideally should be born, as we all know babies don't work this way so we were somewhat unsure of how it was all going to fit in. I worked hard on my visualisations and encouraging baby along, letting baby know when was a good time to come and meet us. It seemed to pay off August the 25th at 2am, 5 hours after picking up hubby from the train station my waters went. Now I would love to say my lovely hypno-birthing water-birth went to plan, but well it didn't! The first 24 hrs were a breeze, breathing well through my surges (contractions) bouncing on my ball, taking baths, watching Avatar and many other films, even having a little glass of vino, my first since December 19th! Then it all went a little downhill, I had been to the hospital at 10am on the 25th to be examined as my waters had gone before being in active labour, I was sent home and as instructed duely phoned back when my contractions were 5 minutes apart. By this point it had been 28 hours since my waters broke, and since I'd slept, so I was starting to get a little cabin fever. I was told that I didn't sound like I was enough pain, and to phone back when I couldn't speak on the phone... I was more that a little disgruntled at this suggestion, this was let down no1 from the NHS, Hypnobirthing teaches you to stay calm, be in control, relax and breathe through your contractions, so in short how did she know I how far along I was by the fact I could talk to her!? I was worried and fed up, so we decided to stick to my 8am induction appointment, even though I clearly didn't need induced. The worst they could do was send me back home - HA! Well my contractions were still 4-5 minutes apart when I was in a tiny waiting room for the induction ward for 2 hours! With no updates and 1 visit to say they were getting round to me and then when I was eventually moved into the induction ward, which I still had no idea why I was there I sat on a bed with a curtain round, waiting again. I waited and waited, some doctors asked me some questions but no one explained what was happening, I was truly uncomfortable by this stage and my breathing and relaxation were slowly going out the window. I just wanted to know what was going on, how far along I was, when I would get to a room of my own, when I could soak in my beloved pool!
mid contraction, cooped up in the induction ward
Eventually late afternoon hubby decided i needed a walk, so we went down to the Canteen, by this point i think my body had given up waiting and all of a sudden my contractions jumped from 4 min apart to 1-2 min apart! OUCH!!! I was a mess by this point, it took a long time to climb the stairs back up to the joyous induction ward clinging hanging round my husbands neck for dear life! Surely by this point they would take me seriously, they got what they wanted I was in PAIN! nope, I was greeted by the words "I'll run you a bath" and quietly admitting to my husband that there was as yet no room for me!!!! Really not what I was hoping for, I went along with this but after listening to the screams and splashes of me writhing around in agony in a tiny little bath (who's idea was that!?!) Finally they said, we have a room for you, AT LAST!! And finally after a very very long waddle, leaving a trail of bath water & labour waters behind me I made it to my OWN ROOM!
I can't tell you the relief I felt when I got into this little room, it was more than a room it was a "it's ok we believe your in labour, and ready to give birth" room, with a midwife any everything!! My birth preferences were non-existent now, I was hooked up to an monitor, on my back with a cannula and antibiotic drip, the exact opposite of what I had so carefully planned, dismissed and discarded in a moment. I 'had to' be on antibiotics as my waters went early, I knew otherwise but had to go along with it, I didn't argue once I was introduced to my good friend Gas & Air, which took the edge off, but it was most definitely having my own space and knowing I was safe and looked after that made the most difference. Then best of all, my mum walked through the door. My poor hubby embraced her and asked to go out for some air, he was truly traumatised. My mum was amazing and brought an air of calm and excitement to the room, but hubby had done so well, staying strong and trying to fight my corner about my birth preferences when I had no energy to, and being a great neck to hang from :) So 2 hours later with a little help from Mum, Hubby and a rather surprised midwife, a few held back pushes, just l minute after the minimum of 2 hours the antibiotic drip had to be in, my little Nieve was born.
Proud mummy
Very proud daddy
Proud mummies :)
My little Nieve Caitlin Campbell, born 26th August 2010 6:55pm, 6lbs 14oz.
Aww wow! This is so lovely. I was pure almost crying reading that. Well done on pushing Nieve out! Although scary to the max about how the hospital was! xx (Kirsty Woodley)
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