There was always the idea of maybe having another child, we have 2 kids already, a girl who is 10 and a boy who is 5, the timing was right 5 year difference between them and then there would be a 5 year gap between the baby and my youngest, my husband and I are also 5 years apart in age, so let's just roll with these 5 year age gaps.
We found out in the beginning of 2019 that we were pregnant, what exciting news, luckily for me I had my sister in law who was almost due with her 3rd aswell that could hold my hand through all the steps needed as this was my 1st baby in Ireland. From start to finish it was a great experience, I could literally give birth a thousand times, nothing more special than bringing a new life into this world.
Towards the end of my pregnancy I was obviously tired and over the idea of bieng pregnant, with my other 2 pregnancies in SA I was induced a week before my due date, here in Ireland they will only induce you for medical reasons or if you've gone well over your due date, so here in Ireland I never had a set date, it was either I waited for 2 weeks after my due date or when my daughter decided to come. My poor husband was under strict instructions not to drink from 2 weeks before my due date until baby arrived as he would need to take me to hospital if anything had to happen.
2 days before my due date I had a whole lot of pregnancy hormones, crying etc wanting to just hold my baby already, so I needed a distraction, a night before my due date (4 October 2019) we had a braai with the In laws and hubby was allowed a few beers as I didn't think baby would come that night. Well was I wrong, my inlaws had just left our house and it was still a joke that what's the chance they would get home and we would call them to say, its time.
So off we go drop off the other 2 kids at the inlaws and head for the hospital, got there and it was confirmed that my waters were leaking, the midwive then broke my waters and kept me monitored, I had the choice to wait till contractions started or they could induce me, with that in mind my oldest daughters birthday was 2 days away, so because I had been induced with my previous 2 I chose to go that route aswell as I didn't want to miss her birthday, they induced shortly after at about 6.20am, Bouncing on the ball waiting for contractions
About 7.30 contractions started, got the gas at about 8am....omg it's amazing, makes u wonky, drunk, but stopped because I felt I was making a fool of myself, my husband was laughing at me the whole time.
Couldn't handle the pain anymore, got the epidural just after 9am, the whole time I had the midmives there with me monitoring me as things were progressing quickly, even the anaesthetist was amazing, nothing like what I had experienced in SA. As I said before in my post, everything was amazing from beginning to end. Midwives, nurses the gynae, they always went the extra mile to make sure you were comfortable.
In the birthing suite my husband was with me the whole time and they kept him in the loop all the time, he put the clothes out that she would wear once she was born, he got to cut the cord, with natural labour, once the baby was born they didn't give her to me immediately, they kept her for about a minute for delayed cord clamping and once daddy cut the cord she was with me and straight on the boob. I needed stitches because I tore, even then the care I recieved was amazing.
Once we were done in the birthing room I was moved to the maternity ward, I had my baby girl with me all the time, they never once took her away from me. I stayed over that night and then the morning of the 6th which was my oldest daughters birthday they made sure that the paediatrician saw me 1st so I could get discharged and be home for her birthday. I could happily go through that experience 100 times more, but we're happy with our 3.
I felt so as ease and welcomed through my whole experience. Good luck with your pregnancy journey and I'm sure you will experience the same amazing journey I did.
Important links:
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Resources for this topic- Medical related - Loads of links to anything medical
How to register a Birth in Ireland
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