Welcome Sesame!

Sesame is here!
Thank you so much for your well wishes, blessings, congratulations and love. I am so grateful to everyone who sent the above. I cannot begin to explain it, words just aren't enough. Soppy to start with... great!

Tiny!

Lucy arrived at 11:21am on February 29th 2012.

Nothing fit her, this is a 00 top

We thought she was coming on the 28th. I woke to pains low around my back, bum and pelvis. As the day progressed the pains got worse. They were never regular and we know now it was sesame getting into position.

Getting ready to walk around the shops

My mum came up to look after lufflump and the mister called in sick to work just in case. We had a pretty lazy day with family naps but included a long walk in the shopping centre to try and move things along.

Family naps

Nothing happened so mum and lufflump went back down to the Gold Coast while the mister and I chilled watching movies. I went to bed around 10ish and had a relatively good sleep, only waking up a couple of times during the night.

For some stupid reason 5:30am seemed a good time to wake and get up. I told the mister that it looked like it was all a false alarm as I wasn't feeling any pains. 6:06am I recorded the first contraction. It went for thirty-two seconds but wasn't very strong. Contractions started coming every seven minutes for about thirty seconds each time.

Not long before we left for the hospital

I called the midwife who said to call her back when a really strong, long contraction came that felt different from the rest. I had a shower and made sure we had everything. The mister and I hung around listening to music and checking the road reports before a strong fifty second contraction hit. The midwife was called and just after 9am we started heading into the hospital.

I was petrified of the car trip because you are just stuck and can't move around when a contraction hits. I'd decided to try and use music as my focus point to get through the contractions. I didn't know whether it would work but anything was worth a try. The car trip wasn't very bad at all. I listened to the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack and Regina Spektor while we were held up in traffic. I remember three contractions being very painful but focusing on the music, singing and rocking my head definitely helped.

Of course we couldn't get a car park easily and I had two contractions while walking from there to the birth centre but nothing too bad. We got into our room at 9:30am and immediately got settled, the mister with TV and me with my music, by this stage I was onto Florence and the Machine. She actually arrived to Florence's 'Drumming Song' live version.

Birthing room - RBWH Birth Centre

I tried many different positions while contracting but the best was on all fours with my head buried in the beanbag. I had entered a different world. My midwife, Carolanne, wanted me to move around to try and pop the waters but there was no way I was moving for anyone.

The mister began tickling my back and I had a sudden urge to push. We hadn't checked to see how dilated I was so had no idea whether it was time or not. It was decided that hopping into the bath was the best way to go just in case.

OMG the water was AMAZING! At first I thought that it had slowed down the contractions as I couldn't really feel them any longer but when the next one burst my waters I knew it was time. The next contraction 10 cent piece of her head showed. The pressure on my bum was intense. Next contraction her head came out. Next her arm then her. It was so quick.

There was no burning sensation as such. It hurt of course but it was more pressure than anything. I don't know what factors contributed to that but I'm definitely not complaining.

She was perfect from the very start. Her perfect little features and SO tiny! I couldn't stop staring at her amazed that her birth was so quick and easy. She also took to breastfeeding like a little pro. Damn cracked nipples though - she won't stop feeding! I'm not complaining though, I'm so grateful she's doing so well.

Just out of the water

My last blood test had shown I had low iron levels so we couldn't stay in the bath for long just in case I bled too much. Also because I'd previously had an episiotomy they needed to check whether I had a tear and needed stitches again. Thankfully, I only have a minor tear that didn't need stitches.

Happy!!

They sat me down on the floor and my placenta popped out spontaneously, no pushing or anything. We had delayed cord clamping which I highly recommend. It means that they don't clamp or cut the cord until it has stopped pulsating reducing wastage of such important blood for the baby. The cord doesn't appear as gross as lufflump's did who didn't have delayed cord clamping (I wish we had choice back then for him too).

Cutting the cord

After I got up and dressed, which included the sexiest fishnet undies with a big nappy underneath, we had visitors. Lufflump, my mum and the mister's mum came to see sesame and lufflump was ADORABLE! He was so excited shown off sesame and his baby. Sesame got lovely kisses and cuddles straight away. The grandparents were, of course, smitten.

Family time

After they left we had a little nap before more tests. The paediatrician was very pleased with sesame especially the big poo she did just for her. The physio pretty much just ran through what is in the booklet and we discussed what exercises are best to get me on track to training for roller derby. We were then discharged.

Car ride home. Everything's so big!

We got home at 4:30pm. Almost a typical work day - in at 9:30am, out at 4pm. It was lovely coming home straight away, we could settle in and relax with no worries. Go to bed, eat, laze around, watch TV - all at our own pace. The mister did have to go to work so his mum and my dad came to visit.

I highly recommend the birth centre. Not only are the midwives lovely, it was the best experience I could imagine and my recovery is bliss. It honestly doesn't feel like I have given birth a couple of days ago. Yesterday, we even went shopping as we had no clothes to fit her.

Daddy's little princess

For the next couple of weeks while I get used to having a toddler and a newborn (not yet experienced as lufflump has been away or at daycare) I'll be featuring some wonderful bloggers and their baby stories. I'm so excited and have really enjoyed reading these posts. I hope you will too.