Welcome to the world Isla Olivia...

 

Today I've decided (finally) how I want to keep track of my time with Isla, I am going to write it all in a blog so that in ten, twenty even thirty years time she can look back at it and see what we were all up to. Well that's the idea anyway, who knows if websites like this will even exist in thirty years time, we may all be living on mars. I tried writing it in a beautiful diary my mum bought me but I just couldn't get to grips with it, I unfortunately don't get on with diary's, my handwriting is messy and I get bored writing! (sorry mum, I am using it for appointments instead) Typing on the other hand I am very good at! (spelling and grammar not so much)

I am going to start at the very beginning, well not the very beginning because we all know how babies are made. Instead I'm going to write all about my labour and delivery before I erase it from my mind completely. I went into my local hospital on Tuesday 20th January 2015 for a routine check up, Islas movements had slowed right down and after reading all about 'counting the kicks' I started to be a bit concerned. If you know me well then you will know I suffer pretty bad with health anxiety, so much so that before I was pregnant I was in and out of hospital with what doctors ended up diagnosing as chronic stomach pain. So me being me, I panicked. Little did I know it would be the best decision I had ever made. I went to triage after speaking to the midwife on the phone and was put on a monitor. My 38 week bump was measuring small at only 33 weeks so they made the choice to refer me to have an ultra sound, I was taken down straight away and put to the front of the queue (Yes, I got a few dirty looks from other waiting expectant mothers). The sonographer told me he wanted a second opinion from a doctor and with those words my heart sank to the bottom of my stomach, I knew that was never a good sign. To cut a very long story short after various second, third and fourth opinions  I was told that I was going to be induced that day as my placenta was finished doing its job and it was time for my baby to enter the world.

HOLY SHIT (excuse my French) induced.. today. All I could think was I'm not ready yet, the washing hasn't been done, I haven't ironed her clothes, I've got meat out of the freezer for dinner! but whether I was ready or not, Isla was.

They took me up to the ward where I spent 2 long, exhausting days being induced. I was induced using a pesserie(which basically looks like a long bit of string that they put.. well I'm sure you can fill in the blanks) They did that at 3pm and 24 hours later they came to see if I had dilated, I'd been having contractions but nothing that was causing me pain. unfortunately I was only 1cm dilated so they left me for 6 hours to dilate some more. when they checked me at 9pm I had managed to dilate to 2cm so it was show time! or so I thought... I then waited 15 long, frustrating hours to be taken to have my waters broken. They broke my waters on the delivery ward at 3pm on Thursday 22nd January 2015 and my contractions started coming thick and fast, but again it got to 5pm and I was only 4cm dilated. The midwife and doctor made the decision to induce my contractions further using a hormone drip. I had heard a lot of things about the hormone drip and the fact it made your contractions pretty damn painful so she offered me and epidural then and there, I refused. I wanted to see just how long I could go on the gas and air (which I absolutely hammered by the way, so much so it made me sick several times) I was on a monitor to monitor Islas heartbeat and movements as induction can stress babies out pretty bad, this meant I couldn't bounce on my birth ball or even move around the room, I was pretty much strapped to the bed. By 10pm I wanted the epidural, I was only 4.5cm dilated and they told me I would be there till the early hours of the next morning, I was exhausted and in a lot of pain and I needed the drugs, I needed them so bad! The anethesist came and by 10:40 I was hooked up and waiting for the epidural to work. 5 minutes later the pain was back and worse than ever! 'I CANT DO THIS, GIVE ME A C SECTION' I screamed. The midwife looked a bit shocked and decided to check if I had dilated any further. 'Your 10cm dilated, its time to push' and from there on out its all a bit of a blur, I remember saying 'Really? I'm going to meet my baby?' and I remember the reassuring voice of the midwife telling me when to push and before I knew it I had delivered my beautiful baby girl in 10 minutes and at 11pm on the 22nd January 2015 she was in my arms. The moment from pushing her out to hearing her first cry felt like a lifetime, but there she was, Isla Olivia! Weighing in at a teeny tiny 6 pound 12 ounces. She was perfect in every single way, and she was mine. I had my partner Tom and my mum as my birthing partners and its safe to say that without them I don't think I could of done it, they were both amazing and took the abuse I hurled at them during my worst contractions brilliantly, Isla is 8 weeks old on Thursday and is the most happy, healthy and wonderful baby, I have loved watching her grow and I am so excited for the future with my beautiful little family.