At Last - She's Arrived!

Hello all!!! Finally, a chance to update and let you know that our baby is here at last!

It's lovely to be home - it was nice to be looked after in hospital for a while but nothing beats your own bed and toilet in my opinion!

So, down to the birth story - I hope it doesn't bore you all - there is much to say and no doubt much I've missed but I'll try and remember it all for you!
Thursday saw Clive and I leave for the hospital early. We left Lydia with our cleaner, bless her with a friend coming later with her daughter to play.
We were started at the hospital in a huge suite as they were very busy - it's normally booked by the wealthier Arabs for their huge entourage.

So, 8am and I was given the prostaglandin gel which kicked in right away - it didn't work with Lydia so obviously things from here on were bound to be different! I tried to keep occupied with travel scrabble but both Clive and I were coming up with really rubbish words so soon packed that away!
We were then transferred to the labour and delivery room by our lovely German midwife - she kept saying HA at the end of EVERY sentence which did get a bit distracting toward the end!! Our doctor then decided to break my waters to get things moving more.
Now, please excuse me for lack of timelines - I didn't keep a proper track and was then too out of it to care so bear with me!
Breaking waters with Lydia was a breeze - this time is was PAINFUL!!! I literally cried when the doctor examined me and then kept apologising for crying!!
The contractions then started immediately and didn't let up AT ALL. The gas and air was wonderful - with Lydia I had a brief dalliance with gas and air which had an attachment to hold between your teeth. This time I had a full face mask and I quickly worked out that I could get LOADS of the stuff by opening my mouth as wide as possible and gulping it down!

The midwife was lovely - giving me relaxing back rubs with her special aromatherapy oils. I was making all sorts of long groaning noises and poor Clive didn't think I'd stop for breath!! His hand was also caught between mine and the rail - I'm not sure if there are bruises but I know I squeezed HARD!!
She then gave me pethadine and I started asking for an epidural. I really had no build up to the pain - it was full on straight away and despite my best efforts at imagining waves coming in and out or climbing up and down mountains, my positive thinking was being overtaken by pain.
She examined me and I could hear her agreeing to an epidural and went to call the anaesthetist.

She was a while though - in which time I had convinced myself that her lovely oils and massage hid a determined woman who wanted me to have a natural birth and so was lying to me so she could come back and say it was too late for an epidural. This is when I started telling Clive to get an epidural NOW and that she was a liar! He then offered to hold my gas mask - big mistake as I think I nearly punched his hand away!
Anyway, they eventually got hold of lovely man who struggled as this time the pethadine had kicked in and I was now a moaning gas and air addict, high on pethadine and nearly sideways.
The midwife then decided to do another internal to see how far along I was and this was it - MASSIVE blood surge and even she turned white, said 'oh God' and started pressing the panic button and getting Clive to call our doctor to come IMMEDIATELY. It was Clive really who had to stay strong and reassure me - I was now too out of it to really appreciate the situation that was a placental abruption - I've had to look it all up to understand what actually happened. All I recall is being told we had to have a c-section, I had done brilliantly and off we went.

The actual surgery went smoothly - I saw the cut in my belly in the overhead lights! Lucky I'm not at all squeamish and I think the anaesthetist was a bit taken aback that I was so interested! I did feel incredibly sick though and threw up a couple of times because of all the medication.
They eventually let Clive in all donned in his greens! He is not good with any form of op so looked away while coming to the 'North end' as he calls it!

Then at 17.55 Dubai time, Esme Louise Cully was born weighing 9lbs 2oz! What a girl! In my eyes she is a fatter Lydia - really similar in looks.
The hospital gave her formula immediately as 1) I was too out of it to really do much and 2) they had a concern over her blood glucose levels. If she'd been my first I would have been very upset but you know, I'm fine about it. My milk has come in today (hello boobs!!) and I am combining breast and formula - she is a very hungry baby, so much so that her final weight at the hospital was 9lbs 5 ozs so she's PUT ON instead of losing it as normal!!

I got the shakes in my arms and lost a lot of blood - worrying as well as I'm RH negative and the midwife admitted after that she was worried the hospital were panicking as they didn't have my blood. Thankfully I didn't need a transfusion though.

Lydia adores her new baby sister and I am besotted already - I don't think the shock has hit me yet although Clive is wonderful at doing everything at the moment so I am being well cared for. I am proud that I tried natural labour - as long as my baby was safe then that's all that matters.

I'll leave it there now - I will regale you soon with more detail on the Arab experience! In the meantime - here's some shots of my new family!!