When i arrived first thing in the morning, Deborah was already in a lot of pain having been given the induction drugs the night before. The pain only got worse and more frequent and it was a bit grim as we were on a shared ward. eventually with enough crying out and tears we were given a room and D got an epidural.
There was a slightly amusing moment (in hindsight) when there were around 10 doctors and midwives in the room all watching Deborah scream out for a couple of minutes. They had to uncomfortably wait till D had finished and then they could continue asking their questions.
Deborah soon had the epidural in and things calmed down a lot. In fact for the next 5-6 hours it was all pretty boring. I didn't feel it was appropriate to read a book and there was no radio or music and D was so out of it, there wasn't much conversation.
By 1900 D was only 6-7cm dilated so the doctors suggested upping the induction drugs to speed things along. This worked but also made things more painful so by now Deborah was using so much drugs that she couldn't feel her legs any more.
By 2030 Deborah was fully dilated and it was decided to go for the push. Deborah was trying her hardest to push, but was struggling to feel anything. This bit is clearly the downside of an epidural. After over an hour of pushing and no head, the doctors decided to pull the baby out.
The doc attached a little white suction cup to the babies head and more people appeared in the room. A real sergeant major type midwife turned up and directed everyone, making sure everyone pushed/pulled in time with the contractions. It was an exciting few minutes. The baby was having trouble getting out so the doctor performed an episiotomy to make a bigger exit. This seemed to do the trick - a head emerged and then very quickly the whole body and Rose was born!
The cord was cut and Rose was whisked away and a midwife did the post birth checks that need doing. They briefly gave Rose to Deborah, but she was in a slightly uncomfortable position and being sewn up by the doctors so I got to hold her.
Holding your baby for the first time is a pretty amazing experience and i thought I'd be crying but it didn't work out like that. I'll certainly never forget looking down on this fresh new creature and having these slate grey and beautifully clear eyes looking up, seemingly studying me. I also remember being amazed by how big her hands and particularly feet are. Rose's nails are so long and even then scratched her face a little.
Seeing your own baby being born is a powerful experience and the proud feeling I have in Deborah and Rose is enormous.
Rose was born at 10.55 on 23 May 2008. I got to phone the grandparents and my aunt around midnight and they were of course, delighted and proud.
We eventually got to the maternity ward around 0100 in the morning and
I was sent home shortly afterward.
A long day, but the biggest of my life so far.
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