The Birth

It all started Sunday night with my first Braxton Hicks contractions. I havent really felt them before but these were pretty definite and once the period like cramps set in, I knew something was about to happen!

We went to bed as normal and at 3am I was awoken with more mild cramps which were definite contractions! 6am they started slowing down and I managed to get back to sleep until 8 when I was woken again with more contractions.

By 2pm they were coming pretty strong and definitly more painful so at 6pm we called the midwife to say we were planning a homebirth. We were told to call back when the contractions were 1-3 min apart.

They picked up to 6 min apart so we sent a text to close friends saying I was in labour.

Unfortunately this was a bit premature because at 10pm they starting slowing down again!

At this point, Im pretty exhausted, frustrated and had enough of being in pain all day. So I slept for 2 hours only to be woken up at midnight with intense contractions that we were timing at 4 min apart.

Im laying on the bathroom floor on my bean bag chair at this point with the toilet close by and Nick and my sister timing my contractions at 45 seconds long.

Thinking it was time to call the midwife again, my contractions started slowing down! Again.

I am exhausted, nauseous, very frustrated and wondering if this baby was ever going to come.

I went back to sleep from 3-6am and once being woken up this time and we were all pretty much at the end of the rope. These ones were getting really painful.

We called the midwife at 7 and at this point didnt even care if we had to go to the hospital, labour ward, whatever, I was sick of being in labour. Physically and mentally.

The midwife insisted on coming round to check me over and once she got here she confirmed I was indeed 4 cm dilated. So she gave me a quick sweep to speed things up. She also confirmed that babys chin wasnt tucked in hence the painful back labour and why things kept slowing down.

Around noon, she checked me again and broke my waters for me as babys position wasnt letting that happen. Once they broke things sped up and at 3:10pm I was pushing baby out, in my bedroom, on the floor leaning over the end of my bed with Nick, my Mom, sister and 2 midwives
supporting me.

Out came our 8lb baby girl, 10 fingers, 10 toes, straight onto my chest, taking everyones breath away.


4 days later and our little Iyla is breastfeeding and sleeping and pooing and just being her cute self and Ive never felt such overwhelming love for someone I just met...and grew...and carried in my belly and suffered for 37 hours in labour for.

Shes perfect in every way.