Well here we go again.... an expected but all the same a surprise pregnancy! Baby #5 is making it's way to us on 24th Oct 2013 :-)
My previous pregnancies have gone very well, I couldn't and can't complain (but I did, you know how it is, every niggling ache and pain...)
Baby #1
Talking to a friend at work who had just got married abroad and was planning on starting a family, I was extremely happy for her, but it got me thinking about my own life. I'd always wanted children since I was very young. I'd been an only child for 15yrs (my mother had a second wind of children with her new partner), and I found my childhood years to be very boring and lonely. So I always thought about having a few kids, rather than just the one or none at all!
I was passively talking about my colleague to Nick, when (he must've been listening - for once!) he off the cuff decided we should have a baby too! To say I was shocked was an understatement, but I was ecstatic all the same, so I got to work on the internet Googling all about conception, etc. After the 1st month that I finished the Pill, there were them unmistakable 2 lines. I was PREGNANT!
I carried on working full-time at the Day Nursery, and compared cravings, feelings and excitement with my friend who fell pregnant 6 weeks after me. We found out we were having a girl, whereas she kept it a surprise. Later in the pregnancy I went on Maternity Leave and spent my days baking in the heat of the hot summer heatwave we were having that particular year!
A week before my due date, my waters broke after getting out the shower. I didn't know what to do even after all the prep talks with the Midwife. So I eventually rang the hospital that told me to go in to get checked over. After getting to hospital, they put me on a monitor for half an hour but sent me back home to get some sleep before coming back in when I started getting regular contractions. I hadn't had any contractions until we were making our way home from the hospital.
So we got back home, and laid down to get some rest, but I couldn't sleep due to the pains gearing up a notch! We hadn't been home long before Nick had to ring the hospital back to tell them we were going back in again as the pain was unbearable (if I knew then what I knew now, then laying on my back would not have been my preferred position!)
So back in we went, only to find I was 2-3cms! Took the wind right out of my sails, I knew I had a long way to go, yet I was in extreme pain I never thought possible. I tried just about every drug going before I got the epidural. What pure bliss! Although laying on my back was a nuisance and awkward at times, I'd never felt so relaxed. And so we waited. I dozed in and out of light sleep whilst the Midwife came in to check on me and baby. I had to be put on a drip after a few hours as the contractions started to stop, which sped up the labour quite quickly. Another few hours later it was time to push.
I spent about an hour pushing, although it didn't seem that long, it felt shorter, and our 1st daughter Alexia made her way into the world. I was completely exhausted after nearly 9hrs of labour, so gave her to Nick after my cuddle and he fed her whilst I rested and waited for the epidural to wear off. Soon after they took us all up to the ward, after I managed to shower and we settled there until Nick went home to get something to eat and sleep.
The next day, Nick came to pick us up but had to wait a few hours for the Dr to come round and discharge us. After what seemed a long time, we got to go home and settle in. We walked through the door of our rented house and popped her car seat on the floor and stood there bewildered. What do we do now? We had no idea, but sure enough it came to us in the end!
And so there it was, the start of our own little family. Little did I know then, the decisions we would make to have more and how many....
Baby #2
And so a few months down the line after Alexia was born, baby #2 was talked about. I didn't want an only child, I knew only too well from my own experience how boring it can be growing up on your own with no one to play with. I also didn't want a massive age gap. Five months after Lexi was born I fell pregnant.
This time pregnancy took its toll on my body. I ate a lot more, my sickness was a little worse, I was extremely tired, which probably didn't help that I had just started working night shifts at my local shop. I split my time looking after Lexi in the day whilst Nick worked, and then working 5-10pm most evenings a week. I kept this up til I was 38wks pregnant, before I went on Maternity Leave and days later my waters broke.
I had another very straight forward pregnancy. At the 20wk scan we found we were having another girl. Finding this out meant that I didn't need to buy anything new, as I had all of Alexia's clothes saved in the loft. Still didn't stop me from going shopping to top up on any special bare essentials I would need though!
When we found out I was pregnant again, Nick and I set about getting another place but of our own this time. We bought a 3 bedroom house, and I set about doing it up as soon as we got the keys. And with 2mths to go until my due date, I was at the house all hours I could get to decorate. We finally moved in 6wks before I was due.
When my waters broke, it was quite unexpected to say the least. Although I was prepared, I wasn't prepared for another early labour, earlier than my 1st! I'd went to bed the night previous feeling a bit off it, but woke up feeling quite refreshed and full of energy. I had a little cramping in the morning, but though nothing of it, and went shopping with Nick and Lexi that morning before heading off to Nick's brothers house.
Within half an hour though, I felt like I was leaking and popped to the toilet. I couldn't think whether this was it or not, and my sister-in-law asked me if I was getting any contractions. I told her about the pains I were getting every now and again, but they were sporadic and manageable! She suggested I may be in labour again and that it was probably my waters that were leaking. So I told Nick and we made our way back home to get my bag and to the hospital. Thankfully my in-laws offered to keep Lexi for us whilst we went in.
to be continued........
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