Shae's Birth Story: Part Two

[Read Part One]

After about fifteen hours of active labour I was thinking that I could handle a couple more hours, but with no progress and potentially many more hours of labour ahead I knew I was done. Just after 9am we decided it was time to transfer to hospital, have an epidural, and get that baby out! I was disappointed that the birth was going to be radically different from what we'd hoped, but I knew this was the right decision.

Shae's Birth Story: Part One

I woke up around 5am Monday morning with what I hoped were contractions. At nine days past the baby's due date I'd been hoping that any twinge was the start of labour, and after lying in bed for a couple of hours listening to a hypnobirthing track and timing the contractions, I decided that this was finally it!

Third Trimester Reflections

We're now entering the home stretch! With the official due date fast approaching the baby could be making an appearance anytime (though as I mentioned I'm expecting it to be a little late, so there's probably a few more days to wait).

Developments
The baby is still very active and seems to spend a lot of time poking me in the side with elbows and feet. It's in a really good position (head down, engaged, ready to go!) and my midwife is happy with how things are progressing. I've been noticing practice contractions quite strongly in the last week or so, which is hopefully a sign that it won't be too much longer.

I'm still feeling really comfortable and every now and then it's easy to forget I'm pregnant (except when I have to get up from a low seat or turn over in bed - then it's impossible to ignore!). It's crazy to think that it's almost over and we're going to meet our baby so soon. I'm mostly excited but a little nervous too when I think about how much our lives are going to change!


Baby Shower
A couple of weeks before Xmas some of my friends organised a surprise baby shower. We were already meeting for book swap club, so they took the opportunity to have a little celebration for the baby. I almost ruined the surprise part by being uncharacteristically early, but they managed to distract me long enough to get everything sorted without me realising what was happening! It was very sweet and unexpected, the only problem was that I didn't have my camera so unfortunately I don't have any pictures to share.


Getting Organised
Everything feels pretty much sorted. I finished work just before Xmas so I've had plenty of time to organise the last few things, and now I've started on a few projects that aren't that important but would be nice to get done while I have the chance (like cleaning out the pantry and framing some artwork). We even have a well stocked freezer full of slow cooker meals and freezer burritos, mainly thanks to Mum who came to stay for a couple of days this week and helped me get everything done.


So in other words, we're ready when you are baby!