I spent New Years Eve (Happy New Year!) at Cottonsock's amazing party.
While I was chatting to Mez she asked me if I was ever going to get around to doing my labour blog.
Yeah, yeah, yeah... boring labour blog....
I told her I didn't think people would be that interested and she said she was, so Mez, this is for you.
After all the mental preparation I went through to go ahead with a C Section Orlando decided to do the flip and get back into birthing position, the day before my scheduled surgery.
To say he has a knack for timing is putting it mildly.
So my obstetrician booked me in for induction 2 days after our 'would have been wedding' day.
We spent the weekend before brunching at my favourite, Brown Cow in Hampton, seeing a movie for the first time in 2 years (Skyfall, brilliant, see it!), shopping and sleeping in.
It was a beautiful last weekend as a family of 2 + Mooks The Dog.
On the Monday Hamish went to work and I did my usual pottering around the house, when Hamish got home he cooked dinner and we went to bed knowing the next day was THE day.
We woke up on Tuesday at around 0800, I had my heart set on going to Chadstone for some last minute things.
I swear during the last few weeks of pregnancy there was always one.more.last.minute.thing.
So we had breakfast, cleaned the house, put on a load of washing and we went to Chadstone.
People kept asking me when I was due, I told them I was being induced that afternoon.
I'm sure the lady at Kit Cosmetics thought I was nuts being out.
Ha!
When we got home there was really not much time at all before we were due at the hospital so I made sure the bags were packed and we put them in the car.
We literally jammed chicken and salad rolls into our mouths in the back garden with the sun shining down on us.
I was so anxious and excited and eager and nervous.... the time was drawing closer.
Little did I know that chicken roll would be the last thing I ate (and kept down) before Orlando was born.
I hung the washing out that I'd put on earlier (vowing to come home and bring it in before the rain).
And we left for hospital.
It was a faux relaxed drive.
I kept saying "it's ok we will be coming home tonight anyway" and told Hamish "we HAVE to come home I've got washing on the line".
We both knew we might need to stay on the ward but I had my mind made up that this was not going to happen.
When we arrived at the hospital we parked the car, leaving the bags in the boot and made our way to the delivery suite.
We were both full of the most fake confidence we could muster.
I was nervous as hell.
It was all going to go to plan, Prostin Gel to start the induction today, home tonight, back at 6am.
Cool
We checked in at main reception and then made our way to the delivery suite.
I was told I had to have some monitoring for an hour then my obstetrician would come and insert the gel.
So it was out with the old faithful monitoring belt and on with the TV.
I've never pretended to be more interested in the Bold and The Beautiful and Deal Or No Deal in my life.
Ohhhh I cared about what the contestant was going to win like my life depended on it.
No matter how much I tried to distract myself though I kept thinking 'oh my GOD this is REALLY happening'.
At one stage I sent Hamish downstairs to get me a milkshake, chocolate, sugary, ice cold goodness was calling my name.
When he returned he told me some girls I work with were downstairs and saw him.
He told them I was in for monitoring, our secret was still safe.
Just after Deal or No Deal finished my wonderful obstetrician came in and gave me the Prostin 411:
Gel
Start induction
See how I go for an hour
Go home
Back at 0600
The obstetrician got busy with the Prostin, I had one dose and sat back.
I felt nothing.
All I could think about was getting home to my washing.
I was convinced the gel wasn't really doing much at all.
The obstetrician came back, asked how I was, I said completely normal "I'm ready to go home".
He sent us on our way.
I had 2 Panadeine Fortes and 2 Temazapam's to sleep.
He said to take the medication just before bed.
All. Good.
When we got home it was already around 730pm.
I got the washing off the line and set up the ironing board.
Then I got a brilliant idea to go our for dinner.
About half an hour later I said to Hamish "maybe we should just get takeaway I'm so tired".
So we ordered pizza and I got stuck into the ironing.
People kept texting me asking what was going on.
I started getting a sort of period pain cramp it was very intermittent and a long, long time between pains.
I told people nothing was happening and I didn't think the gel was working yet.
I told my sister in law what was happening and she said it might be pre labour pain.
I had NO idea what that was or felt like so just brushed it off- the gel wasn't working... well, that's what I told myself.
Hamish went to get the pizza but made me lie on the couch before he left and said to call straight away, it was like we both thought the baby would just all of a sudden, arrive.
It didn't.
I sat on the couch bored and hungry.
When the pizza came I inhaled it, lots of it... a choice I would regret a few hours later.
The 'period pain' was still there, making itself known every now and then.
I guess you could say it was getting stronger but I just assumed it was the gel (by this stage I was thinking 'it MIGHT be working') so I kind of ignored it.
We went to bed at around 11pm I was SO, so tired by then.
I had my Panadeine Forte but didn't have the Temazapam.
I just didn't think I would need it because I was SO tired.
I've got to estimate here and assume that I'd been in bed for half an hour, we were sitting up watching TV, trying to wind down after our big day.
All of a sudden I felt a gush I turned to Hamish and said "oh my God I think my waters broke".
I quickly got up and looked on the bed - dry.
Poor Hamish had set up a 'waters breaking barrier system' of a garbage bag and waterproof mattress protecter... all for nothing.
Naturally the next step was to go to the toilet and see what was going on.
Now you've got to expect with a labour blog to read things that aren't going to be about fluffy clouds and rainbows.
This bit is not about fluffy clouds and rainbows.
There was a streak of mucous and some blood staining.
I told Hamish and he said maybe it was my mucous plug (he had been researching).
Maybe the gel working after all... I still had no idea what the period pain cramping was all about though... all I knew right then was it was starting to get worse.
I changed my underwear, put a pad in and went back to bed.
The cramping couldn't be denied anymore, it was there, it was painful and it wasn't really getting any better.
I started to feel terribly nauseous too.
There were many, many trips to the toilet back and forth.
Many pad changes.
A few vomits - hello pizza!
We called delivery suite and they told us to time the contractions and write them down.
Finally, I knew I was having real life contractions - I was in labour.
Hamish was so nervous he wrote down the times as PM when it was AM.
Bless him.
I kept telling him to go to sleep (between vomits, pad changes and dealing with the pain).
Finally at 2am after a few more calls to delivery suite they told us to come in.
Hamish put the bags back in the car.
We checked Mooky's food and gave her one last cuddle.
I grabbed a bucket in case I needed to vomit on the way to hospital.
We turned the lights off and shut the front door.
The car was freezing and there was a thick mist on the road.... We were finally off to hospital.....
To be continued......