Her birth story will always move me and make me feel how strong I can be, no matter what. Tilda was a surprise baby, she wasn't plan, and I feel, she just wanted to be born and to be part of our family. And I will never be grateful enough for this, we needed her to be the happy family we are. We all love you Matilda, and here is again your birth story:
Baby Matilda was born Monday 21st of February at 2.54 am, weighing kg 3.164 (7 lbs). We are doing fine and now at one week she has already put on 400 grams!
But let's get to my birth story. For the second time we ended up with a C-Section, but this time it's been a lot less upsetting than last time.
I had had some very random contractions since Wednesday, but Sunday at 3am, I woke up because of the pain of contractions. I called the hospital at 9 am and an hour after the midwife Anne was at mine. She checked me and I was only 1cm dilated, so she told me that my body was behaving like this was a first pregnancy, but that she was sure I'd been in touch very soon again, so she left and I just kept going, used breathing and yoga positions. Had a lovely lunch with my husband, my daughter and my mum. Then at 4 pm my waters went (and it was Niagara falls again like in my previous labour), so I called the hospital and my Doula - Lindsey - and in less than an hour both, her and the MW, were here.
From then until 11.30 pm we've been home, I've kept breathing and used two full canisters of gas and air!!! Had some massage done by my husband and my doula in turn (Lindsey used clary sage oil and I loved it!) , we've been chatting together when I wasn't contracting of course, and we tried to keep the environment as quiet as possible. I've also been vocalising my pain through some vowels, and some mooing, and it was really good! My little daughter was allowed to come in and out of the room, and I was so happy about it: during some contractions she would imitate me breathing and this was filling me up and keeping my morale hour after hour.
At 10.30 pm we decided to have another examination and I was only 4 cm dilated by then and starting to feel exhausted. During the vaginal examination my unborn baby grabbed the MW finger!!! She was amazed, but said her hand was in a strange position. We then decided to go to the hospital, where I should have been offered an epidural. When I got into the hospital we talked about this option and decided to go for it, but we had to wait for an hour because the anaesthetist was already in theatre
I was monitored by then, and after a while my baby's heartbeat went down, so the doctor came and said that it was better to have a C-section. I really wanted a vaginal birth this time, but there is no shame in changing our minds, and what we all wanted then was to meet our baby and make sure she was fine.
So at around 2.30 I've been taken into the theatre and Matilda was born at 2.54 am.
All in all I feel great this time, I did all I could and have been labouring at mine for as long as it has been safe to do so, I've had the help of three fantastic persons (my husband, my Doula and the midwife), and had the C-section when really there was nothing else that could have been done.
We stayed in hospital for three days, and are now settling very well, breastfeeding is well established and Elisabetta is doing fine with her new sister, plus it feels great to be a mum of two.
So here's her story, as I lived it then. And here's Lindsey's story of Tilda's birth:
http://dosnailsneeddoulas.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/matildas-birth-monday-21st-february.html
