Born on July 1st 1991 at 9.30am
Weight = 7 lbs 1 oz (3203g), Length = 20 inches (50.8cm)

Mum - Alice Bertelson, age 28 at the time of birth
Dad - Nils Bertelson, age 29 at the time of birth

2nd Birth - Unmedicated - 30 minutes of labour

Yup you DID read that right!! You can imagine that having a 2 hour labour with a first child as I did that I was rather concerned about getting to the Hospital on time for my second child. The Dr had said that I would most likely go at least 2 weeks early again and have an even faster labour! EEEEK !!

To prelude the birth story Melanie was breech the ENTIRE pregnancy - at 37 weeks (a Tuesday) I went into the Hospital and had an external version. by Burigo - and it was successful :-)

Well God was on my side!! I just KNEW when it was going to happen!! I got up one night and went to the loo, felt really strange, woke up Nils and said, "I think we are getting really close, I think we should go to the Hospital" - Nils got up, rang up his Mum (who THEN was 65 miles away in Miami) she jumped in her car and drove up here at about 1000 mph, she got to our house in 50 minutes and it normally takes us about 1.5 hrs!! She got to our house at about 3am and we left her there with the sleeping 2.5 yr old (Matthew) and went off to the Hospital.

Checked in by about 4am, in my nice brand new birthing room, Nurse checked me - 3cm - I'll be back in an hour she said. I still had no contractions yet either. My hubby then saw fit to curl up on the extra bed and GO TO SLEEP!!! The nurse checked me at 5am and 6am and I was still the same - at that point she said, "I think you should just go home, you're not due for 2 weeks and you aren't in labour at all".. I started to panic, "DO I HAVE to go home?" That is when the other nurse (nice one!) said "No of course you don't, your decision is the final say, if you want to stay here until your Doctor gets here, that's your call, we can't force you to go home" PHEW :-)

"I'm staying here then until Burigo gets here"

Burigo finally made it to see me at 9am, examined me, said, "YUP - you're ready, I'll break your water to see if it starts labour and I'll be back in an hour - By the Way, Today is my 18th Wedding Anniversary, so try not to take too long ;-)" (all this was said VERY nicely - I have know this Man for (by then) 6 yrs, He KNEW I wasn't going to take long!! In fact he had ONLY just got back from his 2 week vacation the night before (I told you God was on my side!!)

So he popped my water with one of those crochet hook thingys and went off to his office (right next to the Hospital) - Well my labour kicked into OVER DRIVE and after 15 minutes the nurse checked me and got that WIDE EYED look again and shrieked to the other nurse "Get Burigo back here STAT"

Within the next 5 minutes I was ready to push - FREIGHT TRAIN urge again, so I did (Burigo not back yet) and somehow, the nurses KNEW that the cord was wrapped around the baby's head and so I was told NOT to push until Burigo got there.

That was the LONGEST 5-7 minutes of my life trying to fight my body's urge to propel this baby out of me - I huffed and puffed and FINALLY the recently tanned and handsome looking ;-) Burigo came flying into the room, "Do I have time to put scrubs on?" "NOPE, you don't, the baby's on it's way out and the cord is wrapped around the head"... "Ok, we have to do this fast Alice, I am going to do a quick episiotomy and when the next contraction hits, push as hard as you can to get the head out then stop!"

and so I did - very good at instructions I am!! One contraction got the baby's head out and Burigo fished in there and looped the cord over her head and then followed the rest of the baby.

Burigo then smiled and said "I know I told you to be quick, but I didn't mean you to take it quite that literally!!" I was Euphoric!! Got a MAJOR case of the shakes in my legs again!! and BOY was I glad I was at the Hospital, cos things might have turned out nasty if I had gone into labour at home, with the cord being wrapped around her neck and all (that probably happened during the external version)

All in all 30 minutes from water popping which started labour to delivery!!

Piece of Cake!! :-)