I woke up at around 5 am on the 14th of December 2019 38w+1 with some very light tightenings, I timed them with an app I had,(I still have the app so have been able to look back at the timings of things) they where coming every 6 or so minutes for around 1 minute at a time but then after keeping an eye on them for around an hour they seemed to stop. So I just assumed it was braxton hicks as they didn't hurt, so I went back to bed annoyed I'd been awake for some time getting exited.
At about 9am I woke up, laid for a while and felt nothing, so again assumed the earlier tightenings where just false alarms. My husband woke up and I told him about the 5am wake up I'd had, he thought I was being dramatic, we got up had breakfast with our son (8y) then I started to feel them again, full of doubt I ignored them for a while, at around 10.30 I decided we should go for a walk up to the park, we had a lovely walk and my tightenings where there regular and a little stronger. My son and husband played on the swings for a bit and I timed the tightenings. This time they where about 10 minutes apart and only 35-40 seconds long but this time they didn't stop! I rang my mum and my brother(who was my sister), so mum could take our son and I'd asked my to brother yo be my birthing partner, they came around 1.30pm by then the contractions had gotten closer together but still weren't hurting. Coming every 3 minutes for 35seconds by 2.30pm I decided to call the hospital and tell them what was going on, there where not bothered, because I wasn't in pain they didn't believe I was anywhere near giving birth, the midwife on the phone said if things start to hurt to give them a call again but for now just wait it out. So that's what I did, I waited it out, my brother and I sat and at the kitchen table while I wrapped Christmas presents, singing along to Christmas songs just having a great time! 2 hours after I called the hospital the conditions where a little stronger, still not hurting but definitely stronger, I called them again and told them I'd like yo come in just to see where I was, the midwives exact words to me where "you can come in, but be prepared to be sent home, because you really don't sound like you're anywhere close" We packed the car up with no rush, and left the house at 5pm our hospital is around 15-20 drive away, I rang my best friends Sophie and Ashley at about 5:10 in the car and they where convinced I was putting it on, they even said on the phone to me, "well tell us when you're having a contraction" I replied "I'm having one right now" Then both laughed at me, we hun up at 5:19 because we had arrived at the hospital. Getting out of the car we decided to leave the baby bag and my bag in the car, convinced we would be sent home! Then the walk to the maternity ward did something to me, my contractions made me stop in my tracks, all of a sudden I was in pain, and thought to myself where on earth has this pain come from, I had to stop atleast 3 times before we got to the front desk of the maternity ward. A HCA came to the desk and took us to the birthing sweet, I'd requested a water birth, so the room we where given was attached to the birthing pool. The HCA asked for me to gave a wee in a kidney dish and left with my notes to check us in properly. The door shut, I looked at the bed, which was on the floor, then had an almighty contraction and thought to my self how the fuck am I going to get down there?!?! Then about another massive contraction came I screamed at my husband and brother "THE HEAD IS OUT, GET HELP!" They both looked at me like I was on drugs (which funnily enough I had had no pain killers pass my lips at that time) I shouted again and pressed the ring button, it felt like an absolute age and noone was coming, I was holding onto the sink because there was no way in hell I could move let along get down onto the floor to birth this child, I also still had my leggings and shoes on! I screamed again to my husband " get out of the room and find someone " He opened the door to find the HCA just walking in, I screamed at her this time "THE HEAD IS OUT, HELP ME" She pulled the emergency button, 4 midwives ran in, my contractions where so strong I couldn't move from holding the sink, my brother grabbed the visitors chair in the corner and I held onto that and squatted while the midwives pulled my leggings off and tried to take my shoes off. One last strong contraction my baby girl arrived and my waters burst all at the same time covering the midwife that was in position to catch her as she came. My husband and brother both stood baked against the wall stearing at me like dears in headlights, in total shock that we had literally just arrived and baby Ida was already here. I laughed at them both and said " I told you she was coming, you didn't believe me" I asked the midwife to keep the cord attached until it had stopped pulsing, while this was happening the lovely midwife that had caught my baby girl and got soaked with amniotic fluid then told me she was the one I'd spoken to on the phone at 4:30pm who had told me to expect to be sent home, we laughed and she said "well that will teach me" Ida was born at 5:30pm weighing 5lbs13oz she was so tiny and precious and to this day she continues to make an entrance where ever she goes!
