I don’t know how to start this one off really. I guess the best way is to introduce my Granddad,

Arthur Stanley Mullins

   My Granddad passed away in the early hours of Sunday 24th January 2010.  We found out he’d developed cancer around the same time I found out I was pregnant with Edward.  Time passed with the doctors being positive he’d be with us for a lot longer than we expected and we survived a bittersweet family christmas rallying round him. Just after christmas Granddad took a tumble and broke his hip, sadly this brought on C – Dif as his immune system was so battered from his treatment.

We spent an emotional week expecting him to bounce back and be complaining about  how much money we were spending in no time, he died in his sleep peacefully.

I could harp on about how much of a great man he was but that’s what you’re expecting! In fact he was really just an ordinary man, he worked hard and would give us all lectures when we spent our money on stuff we didn’t really need. He was fair, liked a drink (or 4) and lived his life.

It seems wrong that he’s not here sharing the little moments we have everyday and it breaks my heart he wasn’t with us when Edward was born. Even 2 years on, I can’t shake it off.

Miss you Granddad ♥

So, after waving goodbye to Granddad on the Monday I was taken in to Leicester Royal Infirmary to be induced as Edward was 2 weeks overdue.

I wasn’t in the best place mentally and in all honesty I hadn’t prepared myself for his birth. My birth plan was very naive and I felt very uninformed.

We arrived at LRI at around 8.30am and I was shown to my bed in a room full of other women in for the same treat. We got settled, I was examined with an internal examination (which she asked to do) and she found I was only 1cm dialated at 14 days overdue and 2 stretch and sweeps from my community midwife. She gave me another stretch and sweep and the pessary and left me strapped to a monitor for a few hours. Just before lunch she returned and sent us off for lunch and a walk round the hospital, we had an anxious lunch and returned to the ward for me to be examined again and put back on the monitors. Nothing happening so we sat twiddling our thumbs until I was allowed another pessary and things started to move along a bit more.

I was getting the odd twinge every so often but nothing strong enough to be a contraction so I stayed in overnight and Brett went home. They moved me onto thain ward where everyone had already got their babies but put me on my own in a side room -it made me feel so lonely. My Mum treated me to a TV card so I could watch some trash but when I was flicking through I found One Born Every Minute and quickly switched to another chanel – I couldn’t tell you what I watched, but it kept me entertained that evening.

The next morning I was allowed some breakfast while I waited to be examined (again) and for Brett to bring in some supplies. I was then moved back to the original ward ready for another examination but there wasn’t a bed for me so I was stuck in a chair! When Brett finally arrived they agreed to get me a comfy bed and when the midwife examined me she found I was 5cm dialated (only 5cm!!!) but that my waters felt ready to break. Due to the maternity ward being so busy she decided to leave me until they were quieter and if my waters hadn’t broken by then she would break them for me.

It was at this point I was told lovely relaxed notion of a calm and happy waterbirth was completely out of the question. I had a panic attack while she tried to break my waters and cried the whole time.

Once my waters were broken things really kicked of! Minutes after the procedure I had my first major contraction followed by another and another! They were coming thick and fast, so I was given some co codamol and I started getting comfortable. This was really hard as the pains were right down my back and into my bum, whenever Brett tried to comfort me or support me I had to push him away because his hands were so hot, he runs a little hotter than me anyway but they were almost scolding me!

After what felt like hours of this we were finally moved to a delivery suite and I had a blast of gas and air. I was sick immediately! Although the poor student midwife didn’t believe me when I said I was going to throw up. Brett helped me get changed and onto the bed so I could be examined, I was 7cm – if I was going to have an epidural it had to be soon. I caved and had an epidural and from then on I was pain free!

I was confined to the bed with both Brett and the midwifes telling me to get some sleep while I could – I couldn’t though I was so excited to meet my new baby!

As the night wore on, the midwife was concerned she could only findthe heartbeat high up in my bump and not where it should be so she had me checked out by the doctor on call – his hands were HUGE!!! He couldn’t see why the heartbeat was so high up and thought maybe we’d got another little stow away in there so suggested they give me a quick scan and thankfully there was just the one baby in the best possible position for birth!

I was examined countless times – on the hour every hour and had my epidural topped up when needed. In the early hours of the morning I  was told to push but due to the drugs I couldn’t feel when I was contracting so I had the midwife with her hand on my bump waiting and telling me to push when I needed to. I kept pushing but he wasn’t moving anywhere nearer to the door so the doctor was called in and she examined me, she told me they may have to do an assisted delivery and as soon as I nodded in acknowledgement she had the A – Team in the room putting the plan into action.

Eventually Edward was born at 7.10 Am on Thursday 11th Febuary 2010 by a forcepe delivery.