Bringing Alexander Earthside

Alexander’s Birth Story
I woke up at the usual time of 7am thanks to our ever dependable alarm clock Malachi. For some reason I had always thought we would have an ANZAC day baby, but not wanting to get my hopes up I went about my morning as usual.

Craig got up and took Malachi downstairs while I ‘slept in’ for 10 minutes. I went and had a shower (and washed my hair just in case we were to have a baby!) before heading downstairs for some breakfast. While having breakfast I noticed that I was getting some mild period type pain and back pain with the occasional contraction. Not wanting to freak anyone out I tried to ignore them and just breathe through them.
I went upstairs and had a lay down. Craig came in & I told him I thought we might have a baby today. He got Malachi ready to go out with Ma and Pop and then left me to rest on our bed. I was texting my friend Jade at this stage, asking if it was possible to have contractions 3 minutes apart from the start! I started timing the contractions and they were irregular, coming in every 3-7 minutes and lasting only 45 seconds. I was using some birth skills I had read about in Juju Sundin’s “Birth Skills” book. I was breathing through the pain, chanting in my head ‘healthy pain, cervix open’ and rubbing my foot on the sheets trying to distract myself. Thinking I was still in early labour I was starting to freak out a little bit. The pain was so intense and in my head I was begging for an epidural already!

Craig came in at this point & asked if I wanted my tens machine hooked up. Willing to try anything I agreed. I had used a TENS machine in my labour with Malachi & loved it, but this time it just annoyed me. I rang the birth suite at this time to let them know what was going on. The midwife suggested since I had only been in labour for 2 hours to have a shower or try a wheat pack and to give her a call back in a few hours. She did of course say I could go in already, but not wanting to be disappointed by lack of progress I chose to stay home and try another shower.

I quickly ditched the TENS machine, jumped in the shower and started swaying with the pain. It was a pretty cold day on ANZAC day and not wanting to waste hot water!! I didn’t stay in the shower that long.
When I got out things revved up A LOT! I was crying for Malachi. I just wanted him home, close to me for some snuggles. Craig started massaging my back at this point, trying to convince me to put some clothes on and get dry. I was pretty comfortable though, just leaning over the sink, crying for my little boy. I did eventually listen to him and put on a singlet and a pair of his pj pants. I went back to bed, laying on my left hand side. He went and got Malachi’s little Cadbury monkey that he sleeps with for me to snuggle with and sniff.

For some reason I just couldn’t get comfortable. I had the urge to go to the toilet so off I waddled. I don’t know how some people can think sitting on the toilet in labour is comfortable, it was absolute agony for me. Back to bed I hobbled, again laying down and rubbing my foot on the sheets. I got another massive urge to go to the bathroom so off I went. On my way there I told Craig I had massive bottom pressure (cue freak out from Craig as this is what happened right before I had the urge to push with Malachi!)

He got my phone and I was crying through a contraction while trying to unlock my smart phone. He did manage to get birth suites number out of my phone, but couldn’t figure out how to dial a number using my phone so had to race downstairs to get our home phone. While he was on the phone to the midwife I saw a drop of blood fall on my undies. Then all of a sudden my waters broke (into the toilet, which was very convenient!) and I could feel Alexander’s head. The midwife must have asked Craig if he could see the head, as he had a look down there and said ‘yep, there is something there’. He started racing around pulling out old towels and a ‘kylie’ I had stolen from the hospital after we had had Malachi.

I was freaking out at this point, not because we couldn’t make it to hospital, but because Craig would have to deliver the baby himself. He won’t even watch RPA on tv with me, let alone deliver his own son. “Oh my god I can feel the head, I need to push” was uttered many times while he was on the phone. The midwife, had already phoned an ambulance, and lucky for us they are only 5 minutes from our house. The only problem was, our front door was locked. Craig wanted to go downstairs and unlock the door but I was freaking out and wouldn’t let him. Once the contraction passed Craig made a mad dash downstairs to unlock the door and let the paramedics Matt and Marty in.

Matt and Marty introduced themselves and tried to convince me to leave the ensuite and get on our bedroom floor. It took a lot of convincing but I eventually agreed. I knelt on the ‘kylie’ leaning over the end of the bed. I think my body was holding back, waiting for the ambulance drivers to arrive because as soon as they did I just relaxed and listened to my body. Poor Matt copped the wrath of my pain! He had his hand down there doing whatever he had to do, when I told him he was frustrating me and to move his hand! He did explain he had to do it, but at the time geez it was annoying.

I had a massive urge to push, so push I did. It only took about 4 pushes and his head was out. Matt kept asking if I needed to push his shoulders out but I didn’t so I just knelt there, waiting for that primal urge to overtake me again. I kept asking if the baby was okay, even though I knew he was, as I could hear him making these gorgeous little noises. With the next urge his shoulders were out and the next push his whole body was born. There he lay, my gorgeous little boy in all his slimy goodness. Craig quickly got all our pillows off the bed so I could lie down and bring Alexander onto my chest for skin to skin time. I didn’t realise I still had my brand new bonds singlet on so that got covered in goop before I ditched it and lay down, getting to know my newest son.

It felt like forever, but eventually the placenta was birthed as well. Matt was fantastic, and even delayed the cord clamping and cutting for us. Proud Daddy got to cut the cord and then have some cuddles with his son while I got back in the shower to wash off. I got dressed and tried to tidy up my bathroom a little bit before walking downstairs and getting in the ambulance with Alexander. On the trip to hospital he had his first breastfeed.

We were taking to birth suite to be checked over. The midwife gave me the good news that my perineum was intact! I did have to have a syntocinin injection in my leg to help slow down the blood loss and wow that stung. I told the midwife that hurt more than my perineum. In waltzed a junior doctor who declared I needed bloods taken and a cannula injected. To say I was impressed is an understatement. In my head I was thinking “Ummm I just birthed my baby at home, I don’t need your medical interventions!” I did ask if it was necessary and he kind of bumbled his way through an answer. I did reluctantly agree, though I did tell him he wasn’t putting a cannula in my hand, he could put it in my cubital fossa. I don’t think he liked me bossing him around.

I remember after the birth of Malachi I was nauseated and shaking from head to toe and the same happened with this birth. Lucky for me I had the cannula in, so a dose of maxalon was all I needed to help me feel better. I had another shower in birth suite while Alexander was weighed, measured and had his vitamin K injection. I tried to have a little sleep in birth suite (though that is hard with labouring women all around you and an annoying cannula in your arm) before we were taken to the ward. I was really looked after this hospital stay, with my very own room, complete with double bed!
I only stayed the one night as I felt fantastic and wanted to get home to my family. I was up showered and dressed ready to go home at 550am, though Craig didn’t come and get me until mid afternoon, much to my disappointment.

Everything is going well at home. Malachi is being a fantastic big brother and is so in love with Alexander.
I feel so blessed to have two beautiful sons and couldn’t imagine life any other way.

STATS
BORN: 25th April 10.43am

WEIGHT: 3.86kgs

LENGTH: 50cms

HEAD CIRC: 36cms

APGARS: 9 at 1 min, 9 at 5mins

A few hours old

Chilling at home in the swing

Going out for dinner as a family of 4