I suppose a felicitous way to begin this would be at the beginning, a mere 60 hours ago. To set the scene, Suzanne was 3 days overdue and was booked in that day to have a sweep. If you don't what a sweep is, dare I suggest don't attempt to find out. I truly wish I hadn't been so curious as to find out the brass tacks so to speak. Needless to say, this sweep induced labor within 4 hours. Labor, if you've never experienced it, is a very long drawn-out experience, far removed from the depiction on your TV screens. There is usually no immediate panic, no rushing to hospital, rather the process tends to begin some 12 or more hours before the actual delivery. Armed with this knowledge, Suzanne retired to bed that night with a knowledge that our daughter was imminent but not feeling a sense of instancy.
A mere 10 hours later, the mood could not possibly have been any more diametrically opposed.
Suz awoke with contractions that were a mere 15 minutes apart. We corralled the kids into the car and headed to her parents house. Within a matter of minutes the contraction pain began to intensify to agonising. I knew the display of this level of pain well. It was present when we had Olivia and if my memory served me was there at what marked the final stages. By this point last time round Suz was in hospital, undressed, and ready to give birth. This time she was at her mums house, fully clothed, and some 35 minutes away from hospital. It wasn't a difficult decision to make to leave there and then.
About ten minutes into the journey the sense of urgency rapidly increased. Suzanne was beginning to writhe around in pain. I constantly checked the clock on my dashboard and could see the contractions getting closer and closer. I stopped looking when this hit two minutes because I was aware this was the delivery stage of labor and she needed to get to hospital fast! I began at this point to drive faster than I have ever driven in my life. I tried my best to maintain composure and appear calm for the sake of Suzanne. In some ways I thought in my mind I could somehow disguise the fact I was driving so fast. This proved somewhat difficult when my car chimed every time we hit a certain speed, a chime that I've never heard before. I shan't say what that speed was, but sufficient to say it got us there in time. Just.
As we entered the hospital Suzanne bent over double with the pain. I kept asking her if she wanted me to get a wheelchair. She didn't respond. There was a sense of relief we had made made it to hospital, immediately replaced with a realisation this this baby was well on the way and we still weren't in a delivery suite. We made it upstairs. Suzanne was 8cm dilated.
We had booked a birthing pool as research had shown water births to be an effective natural pain killer. Our suite was a large room with a bed at one side and what can only be described as a hot tub without bubbles in the corner. The midwife began running the pool. Within 5 minutes she turned off the taps. "This baby is coming whether we like it or not." We were at the point now where any kind of pain relief would be fruitless. This was to be a natural birth whether we wanted it to be or not.
I can't recall if I discussed this in detail on here when we had Olivia, but her delivery was a very drawn out process. I spent hours at the head of Suzanne's bed, rubbing her back, stroking her hair. The wait seemed never-ending and Suzanne was so fed up by the time Olivia did head out that she practically gave up mid way through (when the head was out, as I recall, which we look back at and laugh about.)
Suzanne felt the need to push. I was asked to press the call button and about a minute later the second midwife appeared. The all too familiar sterile packs were set out and delivery began.
In Sports Psychology there's a technique called imaging. Ever seen Formula 1 drivers or down hill skiers with their eyes closed before an event? They are planning the entire race/course in their mind and how they will react to every possible outcome. Doing this ensures they are fully prepared for what is about to happen. I wanted to key into this method a little in order to help Suzanne with the delivery. I kept reassuring her that there were only a few contractions left and the baby's head would appear. I knew that importance of appearing calm but deep down my heart was racing and I was nothing short of petrified. Then something happened that brought to the fore all the fears I'd reminded myself were foolish to possess. As the baby's head came out I could see her skin going purple. A sign that oxygen isn't flowing properly. I looked at the midwives and I saw them glance at each other with a pressing sense of urgency look. The baby was stuck and she was in serious danger. Whilst one midwife pushed down on her head, the other put her entire weight down on Suzanne's leg in order to create more space for the baby. I kept reassuring Suzanne she was doing well but at this point it was obvious she had realised the gravitas of the situation. She summoned up more strength than I suspect she has ever needed in her whole life and she pushed. The baby was quite literally yanked from inside her and put up onto her stomach. She was dark purple at this point and still hadn't drawn a breath. My heart began to race. I could feel Suzanne's hand clutching mine harden than it had when she was in pain. Then after some massaging she took in a lungful of air and let out a scream. A baby's scream I've never, ever, been so happy to hear. I leant forward and carefully cut the umbilical cord. And there she was, lay before us, Daisy Errington Reed. A truly beautiful gift and I feel the most blessed person in the world right now.
The below picture was taken right after I cut the cord.
P xx
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