Bean was 20 months old so we called my mum to come and stay so he would have someone if daddy and I were unable to attend to him. It was a Monday and we had called grandma early in the morning and she was with us by mid morning. Daddy stayed at home from work, me and grandma took Bean to Little Verse. I must have known he was on his way to have called my mum.
We called the midwives about 6 o'clock pm which they weren't very happy with as they change shift at 8pm so we agreed that I would wait. The next shift sent one midwife to asses me and she arrived about 9pm. I can't say she was the happiest of people I have ever met and she didn't look pleased to be with us. She examined me and even got a little cross with me as she said I was moving and she wanted me to be still (I wasn't moving, well, not by choice, I was having a contraction) It was at this point that she realised Pumpkin was closer to arriving than my labour pains indicated and that I do labour quite well (what a blessing!) She immediately rang her colleague (the aforementioned and lovely Jessie) who arrived by 10.30pm.
I mostly laboured downstairs with grandma, daddy and two midwives looking on, drinking tea and eating biscuits. Having a home birth is great. You get to use your own bathroom, drink tea out of your own mug, have whatever food you like just in the next room, have the house at a temperature you like, where whatever clothes you're comfortable in and crawl in to your own bed when it's all done, waking up with your family around you and not having to say goodbye 'till the next visiting hours. You also get two midwives assigned just to you. A beautiful experience which I highly recommend.
Anyhow, I remember labour progressing as the texts books say it should. Pains coming for longer and more intense and closer together. I remember Jessie rubbing my lower back a lot, a lot (she was very good at it!) and I remember that it was her who suggested that we move upstairs. I really wanted to be on all fours but the midwives were struggling to see what Pumpkin was doing so they asked me to move. The official term is semi-recumbent (sounds very relaxing normally but not when birthing!) Daddy sat behind me on the floor.
My waters still hadn't broke so they used the oversized crotchet hook to break them and 8 minutes later Pumpkin had arrived at 2.08am on the 20th January 2009 (he shares his birthday with fa#3) The head coming out stung more than it had done with Bean but I still didn't need stitches. The placenta came much easier this time and after Pumpkin's first breast feed we were all cleaned up and in bed within the hour...our own bed, remember.
And all the while Bean slept in the bedroom next to ours with grandma (although grandma had sat up all night to wait for Pumpkin's arrival) The next morning we introduced Bean to his baby brother and he ran out of our bedroom and disappeared (nervous moment) he soon returned with one of his cuddly toys and gave it to Pumpkin...and they've barely spent a day apart since.
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