Maple's Birth Story

22ND JANUARY 2016

At 32 after doing all the 'grown up stuff' buying a home, becoming financially stable and getting married. My husband and I were ready to try and make a baby. It was a very fun time to share with my husband and I was certain we would create a honeymoon baby because we both wanted a baby so much. It didn't happen, I remember the heartache and disappointment, I remember buying 100 pregnancy tests and ovulating kits and wondering why it hadn't happened. Was it something I ate? Did I not stand on my head long enough? 

Eventually the stick had two lines, I knew I was pregnant because the very second I fell pregnant - I was sick... So very sick! 

Again we decided to keep the gender as a surprise.

 I felt round ligament pain so painful I was in tears. I was told by my GP there was a 90% chance this pregnancy was ectopic and I would loose my fallopian tube and the baby. Acid reflux started really early on, I constantly had the hiccups and my throat burnt... Not even sleeping in a sitting position fixed it. As a result of the acid in my mouth my teeth started to ache. On our babymoon in Vanuatu the beautiful warm weather made my thighs chaff. I had horrible hayfever and had to cross my legs whenever I sneezed to stop myself peeing my pants. I also had gestational diabetes, which meant checking my blood sugar levels four times a day.  
I felt disappointed in myself for not staying in 'shape', for taking medication, for not having the same easy experience I had with my first pregnancy, feeling sorry for myself when I knew people were dealing with much greater challenges! 

Finally after what felt like the longest pregnancy in the world at 39 weeks I was booked in to be induced. Still wearing heels I was checked in to the maternity ward to have a trace on on the baby and it was determined that I was already having contractions. I remember joking to James about how easy it was because I couldn't feel them...

I was given a hormone to insert and popped myself to bed in the hospital while James went home ready to be induced at 6am... All night I was up walking around the maternity ward in pain, having regular contractions. I didn't want to disturb anyone so I kept to myself. James arrived and we walked / waddled to the delivery room together and it was game on!

My waters were broken, no induction required... I felt the urge to poo, so I held on, I was clenching my bum cheeks and begging for a cesarean. They began to prep me for a cesarean  when my ob arrived and very sternly said 'The baby is right there - stop sucking the gas and PUSH'. Sure enough I stopped clenching my bum, pushed and Maple arrived! Little did I know that in that moment I had broken my coccyx bone! Again a few stitches later recovery was fairly simple.  

Tears of joy - I no longer felt nauseous and had my second beautiful baby girl safe in my arms.