My waters were broken at 8am. Nothing much happened besides gushing leaks while walking around. Several babies were born by caesarian while Chris and I were sitting on the couch in the delivery suite reading magazines. The weigh station was just outside my delivery suite so it was easy to hear the screams from the new babies.
At 3pm I was put on the drip, on a really low dose. Contractions pretty much kicked in immediately but were not too bad. I sat and rocked on a medicine ball for a while. At some point I asked for gas. I used that during contractions while Chris rubbed my back. I spent the whole labour sitting on the edge of the bed. After about four hours I was 9cm dilated. I remember as I reached for the gas Chris would start his stopwatch. I would hear the beeps and think how strange it was that he was wearing a watch at all. We did joke that he had to go to Indonesia especially to get it. Sometimes during contractions I kept my eyes tightly shut and just counted my breaths, or tried to breathe deeply enough to make the gas machine rattle. During other times I would look at the tv and count things on the screen, like the number of stars on a cricket jersey or the number of bricks in the wall behind someone being interviewed (Chris had SBS World Sport on at this time).
Dr Booker arrived to see if I was ready to push. As he watched me the desire to push arrived. I had Dr Booker, the midwife and Chris coaching me at the end, which was really helpful. Keira was delivered in three contractions. The pain is agonising, even if it over rapidly as soon as the baby is out. The pain really is horrendous at the end and I am in awe of women who make it through long labours or have multiple births.
She was very quiet when she came out, and very purple. She looked at us all and we looked back. Her head of black hair was a surprise. They took her into the corner to warm her up and check her out while I enjoyed some recreational gas use to stop my legs from shaking while waiting for the placenta to separate. This time I actually watched the placenta come out and then watched myself get stitched up. I had second degree tearing.
Keira remained quiet and looked around. Chris went with the midwife to do the weighing and all the measurements. When they came back we tried out some breast-feeding. Keira had a reasonable sucking reflex but seemed more interested in looking at us.
Chris went home at about 10:30pm, after we were settled. There were no free beds in the maternity ward so I was kept overnight in the delivery suite. They took Keira down to the nursery so I could sleep. The afterbirth pain kept me awake for most of the 6 hours Keira was away, despite panadiene. My mind was also racing a bit, but I got some sleep. Keira came back at 4am and we tried feeding again, but she wasn't that interested. Then we both went to sleep until 6:30am when they took her away to be seen by the pediatrician. She is not back yet.
Despite being induced with the drip overall this labour went well. It is amazing just how quickly the pain is gone once the baby slithers out. Chris says I was a lot nicer in this labour! That is probably because it was so much shorter and I started fairly rested. I often thought about what Alesia must be doing during the day while we were at hospital and am looking forward to seeing her this morning.
Keira is gorgeous and very different in appearance to Alesia. She is also a bit smaller which may have made her easy to push out. Alesia arrived looking a bit scared of the hospital. She wouldn't sit on the bed with me but settled ok when I turned ABC Kids on the tv. Chris went off to find Keira while Alesia and I watched tv together. Keira was fast asleep when Chris brought her into the room. Alesia is fascinated with her and keeps wanting to touch her. We realised quickly that gentle is not a concept Alesia has really internalised yet, but Keira seems pretty resilient so far.
Alesia went off to daycare (on the hospital grounds - very handy) and we moved into my room at about 10am. Chris held Keira while I showered and snoozed. She stayed awake for some time looking around. She is still not feeding that well but I have kept on trying. At 3pm Rhonda, Noel and Alesia arrived. Candice from ADRA also visited. In all the noise Keira seemed to sleep much better, despite loving pokes by Alesia. When they left she immediately stirred so I have the cricket on the tv for some ambient background noise. My afterbirth pains are fading and I am feeling pretty good, just a bit tired. When Keira wakes up the midwife wants me to give her a bath. Apparently outside it is a stinking hot day and the sky is discoloured by bushfire smoke.
Today is Saturday. Keira went to the nursery at 10pm. They brought her in for feeding at 1am and woke me from dreaming. For a second I didn't know where I was and then I remembered that I had a newborn baby that needed to be fed, and would need to be fed in the middle of the night for a long time. It was a brief sinking feeling until I woke up properly. The midwife came back after the feed and took Keira away again. I was surprised but happy for the rest. She didn't come back until 6:30am so I am much better rested now.
This morning I had the satisfaction of doing the feeding and settling successfully myself and we both had a nap after breakfast. Alesia and Chris arrived while Keira was connected to a computer for a hearing test. It was an interesting test which is done when the baby is asleep and measures the brain response to clicks etc that are played through headphones placed over the baby's ears. Keira passed, so she can hear all the things Chris has already told her about cricket.
After a cuddle and some stories Alesia went off with Rhonda and Noel for the afternoon and Chris and I gave Keira a bath. She loved being in the warm water and looked around at us. Now she is asleep again and Chris and I are having a rest on the bed.
It is now Sunday afternoon. Chris and Alesia have spent most of the day at the hospital. We put Keira into the nursery for an hour and took Alesia to play on the swings and slide at the local school near the hospital. It was good for all of us to get outside for some fresh air. It is cold and wet, which is a big contrast to the heat of two days ago. Keira is basically sleeping and feeding, with one or two short wake times during the day. She will be weighed tonight and then we will decide if she is getting enough to eat from me.
Chris has taken Alesia home so they can have a normal night with eating at a regular time, having a bath and going to bed at a normal time. She has had a disruptive weekend and done really well but she was starting to bounce off the walls here at the hospital. She loves giving Keira cuddles though and Keira seems happy to be held by her. I am looking forward to going home. I know it will be tiring, but it will be easier to have us all together in one place.
It is Monday morning. Keira was weighed during the night and has lost 410gms, which is just over the 10 % mark. The midwife told me to give frequent feeds. Keira agreed with this assessment and has demanded feeding every two hours or less since 3am. She wouldn't settle between feeds well, so we both went to sleep exhausted at 6:45am. Dr Booker just poked his head in the door and says he is happy for me to go home today. It will depend on what the pediatrician thinks of Keira's weight loss. I hope we can go home.
I have strained my hip somehow in the past 12 hours and am now hobbling around the room. It also aches when I lie still. Not sure what to blame as Keira is not that heavy yet. I watched the sun rise this morning while hobbling around the room trying to settle Keira. It is amazing how much easier it is to be awake after a long night when their is a lovely sunrise. This hospital is on a hill, so the views are nice. After my brief nap I woke up to sun streaming in through the window. I immediately felt better rested. It has clouded over grey now, but at least the morning started nicely. Except for one thing. I was looking forward to my baked beans on toast for breakfast. The meal tray arrived and I lifted the lid from the plate and found a small pile of baked beans only. Not sure what went wrong with the order - I think it is time to come home.
Home
We are all home now and getting settled. Keira already seems older in baby clothes instead of a hospital gown. Keira is most impressed with the bright colours of Alesia's artwork on the walls of her room. Keira has also settled well into the baby hammock we have rented for a few months. We finally got a big newborn poo, which means she is getting enough nutrition from me alone. We still have to get her weighed this week to watch the weight loss. This time Chris and I know the signs of a hungry baby so it won't be as stressful as it was when Alesia was not getting enough to eat.
One funny story to finish. We were wiping Keira down after the big poo. She was on the change table in Alesia's room. Chris brought down a bin for nappies. Alesia suddenly announced that she didn't want poo in her room. We laughed but later found the bin in the corner of the lounge room. Neither Chris or I had moved it. The bin itself is almost as tall as Alesia!
