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My waters broke just after midnight on Thursday October 17th. We had been sat up til really late telling each other how awful we thought we'd be when the time eventually came, so it was perfect comic timing really! I'd woken up needing the toilet so when I felt the first trickle I thought I'd wet myself. I started crying at Toby saying "I've wet the bed" then realised what it really was and Toby went on a mission to get credit for the phone (we were so unprepared lol) then called the hospital and we were told to go in!
I was having mild contractions but when the midwife examined me I was only 1 cm dilated. She got another midwife to double check then sent me back home with an appointment to be induced the next day if labour hadn't kicked in.
Back at home we tried to get a bit more sleep but the contractions were getting stronger so I had a bath to try and relax. It really didn't work so I also tried taking a couple of paracetamol which also did absolutely nothing!
At around 8 am I tried taking a little walk and went to the shop (which I worked in) to get a paper and some magazines to keep me occupied! At the till I was practically doubled over with a paticularly nasty contraction when the woman serving me asked "haven't you had that b****y thing yet?" I cannot tell you what my exact reply was. Suffice to say I was very, very rude to her!
By about 2pm the contractions were about 5 minutes apart so Toby called the hospital and we went back in.
I tried walking around and taking another warm bath but neither did much to the contractions which were getting stronger each time. I tried gas and air which took the edge off but made me feel really rather sick. I told Toby off for taking it away from me even though I'd told him that I didn't want it anymore. hee hee!
By about 8.30pm I opted for an epidural as I was very tired and the pain was just getting to be too much. The first one didn't work so the doctor had to reposition it. Then I had to lay on the bed hooked up to the monitor as I couldn't feel my legs. (very weird) and when I eventually reached 10 centimetres the midwife and Toby held a leg up each as I had no control over them what-so-ever. There were 2 clocks in the delivery suite which both showed different times so when each of them showed midnight I declared that it was now my birthday and they had to sing happy birthday to me!!
After pushing for an hour with no sign of the baby the doctor decided that I'd have to be helped with forceps and if that didn't work I'd need a caesarean! I told him that I didn't care what he did as long as he got that thing out of me!!
In theatre I was expecting there to be just the midwife, the anaesthetist and the doctor, but there were about 13 doctors, nurses etc.. (mainly students) and all but the anaesthetist and midwife were stood down THAT end!! They whacked my legs into the stirrups, topped up the epidural so I was numb from just below my boobs to my toes, told me when to push and it was over in what seemed like no time at all! It was now 6.38 am on Friday October 18th!
Because so many people find out what they're having in advance nobody thought of telling me what I'd had! So I was laying there like a lemon asking what it was and everyone was ignoring me. Then Toby said "we've got a Darcie" and I knew that it was a little girl! Once she'd been cleaned and checked she was given to me for a cuddle but because the epidural had made me cold and shaky I was too scared of dropping her so Toby got a lovely long cuddle while they stitched me up. There's no dignity when it comes to childbirth!
Definately not the way I'd been expecting to spend my birthday, but it was the best present ever!
Darcie was born at 6.38am on Friday October 18th 2002 weighing 7lbs and 14oz.