5/1/13

Happy Birthday to my beautiful son.
Not quite time yet. 22:05 on a Saturday evening was the moment he finally arrived into this world.
Gosh, I was so young and living in Northern Ireland. My family were then living in the UAE so I was pretty much alone. My husband was in the Military and we were young newlyweds on our first posting.
I guess when you're young and in labour for the first time it seems more horrific than it probably was.
Women all say it was the worst labour ever, and I'm not saying any of us are lying; maybe in hindsight it's just not that horrific.
I remember my waters were broken circa 10am and thinking it wouldn't be long. Around 2pm the nurse told my husband to go and get some food because it would be a while yet and I looked at the clock thinking I would be done by maybe 5:30.
I was incredibly anaemic apparently so while he was gone the nurse changed my drip and blood spurted everywhere. Quite funny really. The pillow was spattered, the sheet had a huge patch of blood as did the gown I was wearing.
Gas and air: Oh my god, how great is that stuff!!! I think I used 2 bottles and had injections of whatever; good stuff.
Men have a hard time of it don't they. My back was in agony due to a tilted pelvis and my son laying the wrong way so the lovely nurse rubbed my back for a while until my husband returned.
"You have to rub my back"
YOU'RE NOT DOING IT RIGHT!!!!"
Yeah, I bet if you asked him he would remember me screaming it at him.
Eventually he came, this beautiful little 6lbs 4ounce 17 inches bundle of beauty, and I didn't know how I was supposed to feel but felt I was supposed to say something and all I could say was; "has he got 10 fingers and toes"
What an idiot, hahahaha.
I didn't get to hold him at all and that was weird. He was very blue and his heart was to the right rather than left so they whisked him off to the special care unit on another floor only no-one thought to tell me. They stitched me up, put me on a ward, I slept, my husband left and that was it until the following day. I went to the nursery where all the babies were and looked for one with my name on it but no; not there.
I asked the nurse who went off, came back, "oh, yours is in the special care unit"
I went in the lift, couldn't tell you how many levels, likely only one or two and went to see my baby. He was sleeping and I just sat with my hand through the opening stroking him gently. I did the same the following day and the next until I said to a nurse, "Can I hold him?"
"Oh my goodness, you haven't held him?"
"No"
She opened the incubator took this amazing little person out and laid him in my arms. That was the precise moment I felt that he belonged to me and I to him. That was the moment I realised I was a mummy to this little piece of heaven that had been sent from angels.
It's so heartwarming to remember that moment, to kiss his skin and stroke him gently and just to sit and hold him in my arms.
He has since grown up to be one of the most amazing people I know. He's funny, charming, intelligent, too laid back sometimes (he gets that from me) and I'm so proud of him.
Happy Birthday gorgeous. I love you .xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Oh, did I add that I was pregnant again 11 weeks later? Yes, a beautiful daughter born the same year on NYE.