Our beautiful baby girl was born on the 8th of October, at 7.46 am. She was 4025 g, which is about 8,87 lb I think, and was 51,5 cm long. The first pains, dull backpains started in the afternoon on the 6th and then continued into the night, getting stronger and stronger but not really painful, but enough to keep me up that night.

At 6 a.m. I wanted to go to the hospital to get checked to see if this was the real thing or just false labour, although I didn't think it was, since they were getting stronger and were really regular, 5-7 minutes apart. When we got to the hospital I was checked and found to be between 3-4 cm dialated and so we were not sent home. No delivery rooms were available then, so we just stayed in a room with a couch and tv and stuff, until about noon. Then a room was available, and I was checked again, and by then the pains were getting stronger. But I was really dissapointed to be found still at 4 cm.

We were offered the chance to go home, drive around or something to distract us and we did that. We went home and Oli got some sleep, while I tried to relax. We stayed there until after dinner, and went back in and then I was in some pain. But still, after all this time I was only at 4-5 and was getting tired.

I was given some pethidine and tried to sleep but the pain was too much. I was getting really tired then and feeling out of control so they offered me a epidural. (I thought it funny afterwards that I was never offered any gas and air, or to take a bath, although we were in the only delivery room with a bath. That could have helped.) The epidural was pure bliss and I had no pain for 4-5 hours, and I slept.

Then they broke my water and gave me a drip to speed things, and next time they checked me I was at 8 cm and then a little while later at 10, and then I could feel the pain again. But the rest was well needed.

Then I pushed for 2 hours, that hurt and I was tired and didn't know how things were going. They talked about using forceps then and cutting the perinium but after 2 more pushes, I could feel her head (which was the most awesome feeling I have ever felt, feeling her head with my fingers) and then some few pushes more, she came out, crying like an opera singer, she has a very strong voice. I held her and she looked at me straight away, and cried and cried. We held her for a while, and then Oli took her while I was being stitched up, but I didn't need many stitches, I only tore a little.

Then after a while they took us down to the maternity ward, (where we stay after the birth) , but they actually had to take some turn trying because I always felt like I was fainting. Then we got there and I just crawled into bed and either fell asleep or fainted, while they took care of my baby. Then a few hours after that I woke up and they gave her to me again. I stayed at the hospital for 36 hours. I could have stayed longer, most stay 3-4 days but if you go home within 36 hours, you get a midwife to your house twice a day for the first 4 days and then once a day for 3 days, and she teaches you everything. I was bored at the hospital, I wanted to be with Oli, and be at home, I was in a room with 3 others and their babies, I didn't want to lie in bed anyway so I went home. And it has been great.

She nurses like a champion, I need Oli's help to latch her on now, but I will get the hang of it soon I hope. She sleeps for 3-4 hours, then wakes up, nurses, we change her and she goes back to sleep . She is so great.

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