"...can't be in labour with ugly toes."

On the 8th of August I told my husband I think this is it, I had Braxton hicks and period like pains since that weekend. So on the Wednesday I decided to phone my gynaecologist, he wasn’t available so I talked to his receptionist and she told me that she will phone the hospital and tell them that I am on my way. I went to take a long shower, blow waved my hair and did my toe nails, can’t be in labour with ugly toes. So off we went to the hospital thinking that they would probably send me back home, so we forgot half my stuff to. 

I was immediately admitted. First I had to pee in a cup and then they hooked up the fetal monitor. The Midwife did an internal and my doc arrived, they said that I was in early labour and that they first would like to try and stop it. I was only 36 weeks pregnant.. They gave me a jab of something and kept on monitoring our baby girl. The contractions was still off the chart and the nurse kept asking me if I would like to have something for pain, but it wasn’t sore, it was sore but not THAT sore. I then finally had a show and thought to myself, oh goody this must be it ...not.

The Gynae came to check on us again, he did another internal and said that baby will probably be here by midnight, they were not going to try and stop labour any more. (I don’t think their first attempt worked in any case) Around 7:50 pm I was really getting bored, I sms’ed my friend telling her that I want to go home now cause this was such a waste off my time, (it might have been the drugs talking) Around 11:00 pm They gave me a pethidine shot, I told them I didn’t want it, but my contractions must have looked way worse that what it felt. I also had countless internals. ( NOT NICE I was stripped of any possible dignity that I might have had) The Fetal monitor was still strapped around my belly. And I seriously just wanted to go home and sleep. Hubby still made a joke and said that she will probably wait till tomorrow so that she can have her birthday on a public holiday. (woman’s day . I was only 1 cm dilated and contractions still off the charts. They used over 40 pages for us in that 3 days lol and I had to pay for it.... 

The Thursday morning it almost went the same I had countless internals, still hooked up to the fetal monitor and I was getting rather depressed, The labour ward (stage 1) was a small room with no window and hearing all the babies being born and woman screaming just wasn’t any fun any more, I just wanted to cry and I wanted my baby and if I couldn’t get my baby NOW, I wanted to go home. My poor mother almost had an artery failure because I kept telling her I wanted to go home and she wanted me to stay. Not as if I had any choice, the hospital and my gynae were certainly not going to discharge me. The midwife told me that our baby girl will certainly make her appearance today.

They did some bloods around 11:00 am to check for any infection , I had contractions for more than 24 hours with no real progress. Then they gave me another shot, one to make me sleep this time around. The day continued with babies being born, me getting internals, still hooked up to the fetal monitor, eating and sleeping. I waited most of the day for my gynae to come in, I just wanted to go home.... 

I then started to bleed. They were starting to get worried about our baby girl, but after the medicines the contractions subsided. Hubby went home that evening to get some rest, the contractions went away ( I watched Top Billing on SABC 3 ) and they said they will move me to the normal ward to keep me under observation or maybe discharge me the following day ( the Friday ) 
By now, I was EXHAUSTED.

On Friday morning my doc came to see me. he was worried about the baby and wanted to make sure there is enough amniotic fluid. So around 10: 00 am he did a scan and told me that he isn’t happy with my progress and there isn’t much amniotic fluid left. He said that they will induce me. Got back to the ward and they started the induction. I finally started to show progress and started to dilate. They moved me to the labour ward stage 2. Hubby had to help the midwife to break my waters ( poor man ) and the anaesthesiologist came to give me the epidural, I was so relieved that I was finally going to meet my baby girl. I was 7 cm dilated. 

Around 7:15 our baby girl went into distress, her heart rate dropped from 146 to below 40 bpm and she was stuck in the birth canal, I could feel my own heart rate drop, I was so scared. They tried to do something no idea what, but I know that they were pretty busy down south. My epidural worn out and I was in full blown labour. They immediately rolled me into to theatre, I was just looking for hubby, but he was busy putting on his scrubs and I was pretty scared and all alone and all these green men walking around me didn’t help at all. 

The theatre was white with green shades bouncing off the walls from all the green material and smelled so clean, sterile and gross at the same time., with blinding lights and a creepy cold. Because my epidural from the afternoon already worn off, I had a new anaesthesiologist and he asked me what I would prefer “do I want general anaesthesia or a spinal block” I went for the spinal, no way in the world that I was going miss the birth. 

When he was done with the spinal, I blacked out for a few seconds and they had to catch me. While they were busy cutting me, Hubby kept talking to me. It felt really weird, you can feel how your body is being shaken around but there is no pain. A feeling I can not describe, its not bad, but isn't nice either. I saw the Gynaecologist asking the scrub nurse for a clamp, and he pulled my girl out of the birth canal, 
And then there was the most beautiful sound ever. Our baby girl saying hello to the world with one hell of a scream for such a tiny little thing. A sound I will never forget. She was so tiny and so blue but still so perfect, I started to cry and kept telling DH to go to her. My poor hubby was as white as a sheet. 
Then My BP dropped and my arms and hands and neck and everything went dead, I started to panic, I couldn’t breath. The anaesthesiologist then put something into my drip. From there on I can’t remember much, 

My Husband gave Amelie to me, she was so small and so beautiful, We just gazed at each other, there was an incredible and indescribable bond. I would go through that 700 times over and over again if this is the reward. It is such an inexpressible instant love that I felt. 

The medicine then knocked me out completely and I can’t remember anything after that, I woke up again in my room, I immediately asked for my baby. I couldn’t wait to see and hold her again; she was and still is just the most perfect little human being I have ever seen. 

We left the hospital on Monday 13 August. I could finally take my girly home, although I missed the hospital food, I lived on fabulous chicken salads, cheese cakes and chocolate mouse.. The paediatrician only discharged Amelie after we got a private nurse for jaundice lights sent home. 

Amelie Kaelyn Bantjes was born on Friday 10 August 7:45 @ 36 weeks gestational period. Weighing 2.616kg / Length 50 cm /Head circumference 34 cm. Apgar score of 9/10