The unbelivable arrival of Thingy!

Thingy has arrived and he is now called THEO! Here is Äiti's birth story...

Thursday was quite a normal day (to begin with). Sophie was at school all day so I made the most of internet surfing. I left the house at 3pm and drove the 9 miles to Sophie’s school to pick her up. We were back at home by 3.45pm, I spoke to my neighbour who only has 5 weeks left of her pregnancy. I told her that tomorrow (Friday) was induction day as I would be 10 days overdue.

At 4pm, I discovered rather a lot of blood. I phoned the Midwife but her mobile phone was switched off. I then rang the Delivery Suite of my choice hospital. They said if the bleeding got worse then I was to phone 999 as John wasn’t home. I then phoned John and told him to get home as soon as possible. By 4.05pm the bleeding really got going. I phoned 999 and was given instructions to lie down and not move. I phoned Delivery back and told them I was coming in, phoned John and shouted ‘Get home NOW’. I then phoned my mum and told her I needed her for Sophie, she was out, having gone to post a letter. I then phoned Alison (a neighbour friend) to come and get Sophie. I lay on the sofa once Sophie had been collected and waited for the ambulance. Lorraine phoned and I explained what was happening.

The ambulance arrived at the same time as John got home. I was transferred to the ambulance, the blue lights were switched on and off we hurtled at 4.45pm. About 3 miles from the hospital we hear a strange noise, the ambulance man thinks it is debris on the road...then we smell rubber and the ambulance man sees sparks! We pull over on the slip road and look- a PUNCTURE - a complete blow out! We wait whilst decisions and phone calls are made. Meanwhile John pulls up behind the ambulance thinking I have given birth. Eventually, after mentioning closing off the motorway slip road (which they didn’t) we limp up the ramp, round the roundabout and into a lay-by where a new ambulance meets us. I am transferred from one ambulance to another along the carriage way. We arrive at the hospital at 6.15pm where I am immediately taken to Delivery. The Midwives wonder why I have taken so long!

I am then put on the foetal monitor and we hear the baby’s heart for the first time, the relief was immense. After a few checks, the Registrar comes in all scrubbed up and talks about theatre. This is when it dawns on me that the natural birth is well out the window as placental abruption is fairly serious. As I sign my life away for a c-section, the baby’s heart rate monitor goes flat...I panic. Thankfully it was only a power cut and the monitor is switched back on and the heart rate resumes at 187bpm...a lot of foetal distress.

By 8.15pm I am being given a spinal, John is dressed in scrubs and we are ready to go. The scariness then hits me and I cry and shake a lot. Theo emerged to a room of 9 other people at 8.43pm. He was then weighed- 9lbs 1oz or 4.1kgs, I was mopped up, stitched up and then wheeled back to our room. I finally stop shaking and we spend some time cuddling Theo whilst I drink copious amounts of morphine and have several saline bags pumped into me. It turns out I lost nearly a litre of blood as the placenta had broken up considerably.

Eventually John goes home, I am wheeled to the post natal ward and all is well. I fall asleep at 3.30am.

Theo is still recovering from his ordeal. He was very mucusy to begin with and has had a lot of trouble feeding. He has also not woken up for more than 30minutes at a time. His reflexes were initially very poor and he has a ‘lazy suck’ according to the doctor! He is now being trained to feed and today he seemed to be getting the hang of suck, suck, swallow! Sophie is absolutely besotted with him; she has bathed him, read him a story, tried to feed him, picked his clothes out and generally helped a lot.

I have to say a huge thank you to my mum for staying with Sophie, to Ali for being on standby, to Lorraine for listening to my overdue moans and to my GKFers for keeping me sane and trying to send me into labour with their stories of Lady Ladybits, Sir Rummage and palm trees, plus all my FB friends! Thank you, all!