The Arrival of Riley James.

Well I guess it technically all started on Thursday morning. (19/5) I was having breakfast with my friend Bec when I got some sharp period like pains, and started getting hot flushes, and freaking out. It only lasted 10 or more minutes but it was enough to make me paranoid it was going to happen then and there. Spent the rest of the day out at mums, had the odd bit of pain here and there but nothing too serious.

Friday was pretty much uneventful and I started getting worried thinking bub was going to be really late, so I was thinking what else we could try to move things along, so I got Kyle to go and get some spicy Indian for tea. Had that, went to bed around 11:30pm, but pretty much as soon as I layed down I started getting period like pains again, at midnight I realised they were getting pretty constant and I wasn’t going to get to sleep so I got up, and spent the whole night pretty much online, grinning and bearing through contractions every 5 minutes, when they got bad I was on the floor on my hands and knees or walked to the kitchen to lean over the counter.

At 5:30am I called my midwife to let her know what was happening, she told me it was best to stay home as long as I could, and to wait until the contractions were 3-4 every 10 minutes, and I couldn’t handle it anymore. So I struggled through the next few hours, woke Kyle up at 8am telling him he wouldn’t be playing soccer today, bawling my eyes out in the process. Managed to have some brekky, but it was getting so bad and closer together I thought I definitely needed to go in, so at about 9:20am I called the midwife back again telling her they were worse, and closer together and that I couldn’t do it at home anymore (all the while bawling my eyes out over the phone) so she told me to come in and she’d meet me there.

On the way to the hospital the contractions started to ease off, and further apart – I think I was relaxing knowing I was on the way to the hospital and it was all going to be ok. We got into our room at 9:45am, and were left to wait it out. She checked me out around 11am, I was 4cm dilated at that time. She told me she’d definitely say we were having a baby today, but she didn’t think it would happen before 3pm, and it would probably be good if we went for a drive to get a coffee, or go for a walk around the hospital grounds, just to get out of the room. She assured me I was checked into the hospital, the room was ours, and we could do what we wanted.
I tried a couple of times to get changed back into some normal clothes but as soon as I did I would get the worst contraction and thought there was NO WAY I was going outside with pain like that. After an hour or so I just got changed and MADE myself go outside – just to get some fresh air. Kyle went downstairs on the way back to get some food while I made my way back to the birthing suit.

Around 2pm I decided to try the hot shower, which worked wonders, I was in heaven, then thought I would try out a hot bath which was just as nice, I could feel contractions coming and going but they weren’t painful.... after a few of them they started to get painful again and I got out, and went back to my usual positions of leaning over the bed.

At 3pm Cacey came in to tell me she was going and to introduce me to the midwife that was taking over – HUGE RELEIF to see it was the lady who ran our antenatal classes! I was sooo happy! And Kyle was only saying earlier how funny it would be if we got her.

Karen ended up staying with me the whole time! We discussed pain relief and decided I would start on the gas. With the really painful contractions I couldn’t concentrate on breathing in the gas so I would throw it away and breathe in the gas between contractions LOL.
I found contractions so painful, all I could do was hold my belly and scream out “oww, owww, owwwww!“ And “I can’t do this anymore!”
After an hour of working through contractions Karen got me up on the bed to check me out, but as soon as I layed down a contraction would start, so she’d have to wait...when they passed she told me I was 7cm dilated, and thought I’d still have a few hours to go.

Karen was very helpful massaging my back and helping me rock through the contractions but at 4:30ish I decided I wanted the pethidine as I just couldn’t do it anymore, but I had the feeling I needed to push so she was hesitant to give it to me but she did anyways. Soon after I got the shot she moved me up onto the bed on my knees, leaning over the back of the bed which she raised.

At 4:45pm my waters broke, HUGE relief, and it was almost instantly that I could feel his head moving down. Kyle had to push the nurses button, but the midwife pushed the emergency button soon after as she didn’t think anyone was in the birthing suite office and she needed to get help over. Cacey was still in the building and ended up coming over to watch! And another midwife came over to help with the birth.

Kyle was up at my side giving me the gas and telling me I was doing good, and it would almost be over, and to slow my breathing down (I was like hyperventilating between pushes and screaming like a bush woman during each push)
I think it took about 3-4 pushes to get his head out! Just before he crowned I was warned that it might sting a bit but to just breathe through it. Yes it stung but it only lasted seconds, and was NO where near as bad as the contractions. Once his head was out the midwife said hello baby, are you a boy or a girl? And someone told me to reach down and touch him but I insisted I didn’t want to! I just wanted to concentrate on getting him out!!

Kyle said that while his head was out, and during the next contraction bub turned his body and with the next push he just flopped out! Followed by ALOT of blood. Turns out I lost about 500ml.

Riley James Chaplin was born 5:09pm May 21 2011.

So bub was out and no one was telling me what it was, so I’m like is someone going to tell me what it is?? They told me to have a look myself, so I slowly leaned back and looked down – first thing I saw was a penis, IT’S A BOY!!

Soon after they cleaned up underneath me I was given my bub and had to carefully move around and lay down...and got some cuddles! The cord stopped pulsing pretty much straight away and Kyle cut the cord.. which turned out to have a knot in it!! Got given the injection straight away as well, took the placenta a few pushes to get out but that didn’t take too long either.

Ended up needing stitches too they were only small ones though, they were almost not going to give me any but decided it best they should, the lady doing it ended up finding a spot that the midwives missed. It hurt and REALLY stung getting the anaesthetic. Took her forever to put the stitches in but that’s only because she was teaching Karen how to do it. Bub was happily having a feed while it was happening.

Once that was all done Karen took bub to check him out while I had a much needed shower.

Bub was weighed at 3.4kg or 7lb 8oz which Karen guessed exactly right before she weighed him.

Around 7:30 – 8 we were transferred over to the wards...and I guess that’s where the birth story ends!