Jackie's stories - Alexander and Casey

ALEXANDER

It all started on Monday, 5 November 2001. We went to the top of the hill to see the Guy Fawkes fireworks go off over Wellington when I started to feel a little bit strange. I just thought I was tired and we had been standing for a while. My baby was almost a week late at this point.

We came home afterwards and went to bed at about 11pm.  I had just gone to sleep when I woke at midnight with a pain in my tummy -- it felt like a period cramp, but went away. It was like this all night -- I barely got any sleep, if any at all.

The next day was pretty much the same as Monday -- I had twinges all day. Nothing too painful and not too close together. D'nana took me for a walk to help but it didn't make me feel any better. I was having to stop every few minutes.

We rang my midwife that evening and she said it was probably Braxton Hicks and that I was going to be induced anyway, so not to worry. Sleeping that night was not easy -- I hardly got any at all. D'nana was keeping an eye on the time and how far apart the contractions were.

At around midnight the pains were still coming like this. At about 4am, I was sitting on the loo thinking that I needed to wee and my baby's head started coming out!

I freaked and called for D'nana. She rang the midwife. I woke Baby's daddy up and he decided he needed to go to the loo, so D'nana took me into the hospital. When I got there, they said I was already 8cm dilated. "Well," I thought, "Not far to go now!" Soon my little baby would be with me. Well, Baby had other ideas!

I got to 9cm and then labour stalled. It seemed like my baby needed a rest -- but I wasn't getting one!

I was still having contractions and I had to have an epidural, and Alexander Owen was born at 11.30am on Wednesday, 7 November 2001, weighing 8lb 11oz.

CASEY

My waters broke on a Wednesday night at 11:30pm, but nothing happened until Thursday morning. I had pains 5 minutes apart that were lasting about 30 to 45 seconds. Then at lunchtime on Thursday, labour stopped. My midwife rang every couple of hours to check on me and since nothing was happening, I was to go into hospital at 4pm that afternoon to start antibiotics.

At 9pm that evening, Si decided that if nothing was happening, he would go home and come back in the morning, so I went to sleep. At 2am Friday morning, I woke to same pains that were a bit more intense than the ones on Thursday morning. They were 5 minutes apart lasting 30 to 45 seconds. I monitored them until 3:30am, then thought I'd go to the TV room and see what was on as I was bored lying in bed. I did that, and had a couple of gushes of waters, so had to change clothes. Then I ran out of clothes and rang Si, telling him if I have to be awake, then he has to be too! That was about 4am.

Just before 4:30, my baby must have shifted and all hell broke loose. There were waters everywhere -- obviously, what I had before wasn't much!

Si got there as I was having a shower. I was having contractions and something was coming out -- I found out later it was some membrane, but it gave me a big scare. Si ran off to tell the midwife on duty and she was on the phone to my midwife, saying, "I think you should come in!" Si went up to the midwife on duty and told her something was coming out, and she said into the phone, "Sue, you need to get here now!"

My midwife arrived just before 5am. She got me on the bed and decided to run the bath as I was 5cm dilated and thought it would help. I got an urge to push while it was filling and I told her about it, so she thought, "Hmm, better get set up!" She almost didn't get everything ready in time and I had no time for pain relief at all.

By 5:45am, I was 10cm dilated and really needing to push. Si said it only took 10 minutes from start to finish, but it felt like forever. And the pain! Let's just say I had a few choice words to say on this one! And I have to admit, I did say, "I want my mommy!"

I felt an awesome rush as Casey Alice arrived into the world at 6.15am. She weighed 7lb 14oz and was 50cm long. I think she will definitely be my last child --  I would hate to think how fast the next one would be. Famous last words...