Lydia Mary Steel
A birth Story
It seems only fitting to write her birth story as I have done for the others. She was due on the 28th September which was a Sunday. On the Saturday evening about 11pm I got the first twinges of a possible something. Excited by the idea that she was on her way i stayed awake (instead of sensibly going to be) for another two hours and I was sure she was going to be one of the 5% to arrive on her due date. I sort of slept but a mixture of excitment and growing contractions didn't make it the best of sleep and by 6am i was texting my lovely friend who had agreed to take the three smalls and by 7am we were sat together in my living room waiting for the smalls to wake up and go and play at her house.Things had died down a little but i was still sure they would pick up soon.
By mid morning we were back to regular and long contractions, every ten minutes each lasting about a minute, some more intense than others, some really intense.Matthew cleaned and tidyed the whole house and i remember the pleasure of being in a clean and organised place that stayed that way for more than five minutes. In the afternoon we went for a walk around the block, it's not that far but it took us/me about half an hour. When we tried the same walk later i made it one lampost down the road before we turned back and that took us about 20 minutes. Things were very ebb and flo but there was always a pain every ten minutes, some intense and some incredibly intense by 3am we called the midwives.
One of the great things about home births is that you get to labour at home, you have spare clothes if you need them, tea from your own mug, you can eat when you like, walk where you like and you have the comfort of your own surroundings. When you call the midwives two of them arrive and they are there solely for you and your baby. We had two midwives arrive at 4am, one of which had travelled all the way to the hospital to meet her colleague and then travelled to our house which happened to by around the corner from hers. They were lovely but had the miserable task of telling me that i was only 4cm dilated and added (rather unhelpfully) that i was probably that before i even started, being that this was my fourth baby. They drank tea, sent Matthew out to buy cocodomol, and left us to it. No interventions, no further monitoring, left in peace.
The day was long and i was tired. Matthew went and bought me painkillers which i took and then i sat on the sofa and closed my eyes. My pelvis pain from the spd combined with labour meant that walking and lying down were now not possible. I did sleep. matthew sat and watched me put the booster on the ten machine every ten minutes like clockwork even though i don't remember. I remember that i slept.
And this whole time Matthew was with me. The house had been cleaned (and stayed clean) he prepared food and we watched films together and we walked and every ten minutes he massaged my lower back. It felt good. And the next day i had an enormous bruise!
And this whole time Matthew was with me. The house had been cleaned (and stayed clean) he prepared food and we watched films together and we walked and every ten minutes he massaged my lower back. It felt good. And the next day i had an enormous bruise!
By 3pm i was contemplating taking more pain killers. i was so tired now. so very very tired. But something changed. Contractions were getting closer and closer together. At 4pm my waters broke and Matthew called the midwives again. The next hour flew past. I remember Matthew asking me what we were going to do if the midwives didn't get here (we'll be fine). The midwives rang on route, stuck in slight rush hour traffic around Horsham, at 5pm baby was clearly arriving, Matthew went and opened the door and left it on the latch. At 5.05pm the midwives arrived, i knew one of them who greeted me and the other came and sat next to me and introduced herself. Two minutes later Lydia Mary Steel was in the room. I was on all fours and Lydia was placed lying on the floor in front of me and we gazed at each other for a few glorious moments. We snuggled and she breastfed like a dream. And all was well.
