I believe that baby comes when baby wants to come. I know people with no medical or midwifery background love to give me their 10 cents with regards to when my baby will arrive. But I can tell you, there has been no rhyme or reason as to when my babies have arrived. Mr Moo arrived 2 weeks late, the Little Dude arrived 2 weeks early, Z man arrived 1 day before his due date and now Buddy Boy arrived 9 days early.
I didn’t want to end work too early and then not get my full year with my mate – so I decided to work up until 39 weeks pregnant. And so, on the morning of the 11th when I woke up with a pain, I told Daddy it was irritable bowel and that I was ok and he should go back to sleep. And I would go back to sleep and then get up for work.
However after that pain at 3am, I awoke to another pain at 4am – but this time I couldn’t go back to sleep, in fact I couldn’t lie down…so I pottered around cleaning the bathroom and doing the washing up thinking that the pains would end (as it took 3 days of this happening with the Z man before I actually went into labour).
But by 5:30am, I realised that these contractions weren’t going away, in fact they were getting stronger and were 5 minutes apart. So I called my Mum to come over to look after the boys and I called the hospital to let them know that we would be coming in shortly.
At 6am, your brothers started to wake up – so I proceeded to get them breakfast, pack school lunches and prepare for Nanny’s arrival. Daddy was a little shocked when he joined us and I informed him that Mum was on her way and that I had called the hospital.
We were surprised at how long it took for Nanny to get through the traffic – and when she finally arrived, I was breathing through contractions holding onto the door frame. And I couldn’t get into the car until my contraction had subsided. Nanny joked that the hospital might send me home if I wasn’t far enough along.
The car ride was painful and the walk up to the maternity ward slow. I remember having to stop just outside the maternity ward, and someone asking Daddy – who was ahead of me – whether he needed any help. He pointed back to me…and then a head popped out of the delivery suites and asked if I was ‘Shari?’
We got inside the delivery suites at 7 am, they told me that I was 8 cm and if my waters had have broken, I may have delivered you at home. I felt pretty good managing my contractions through breathing and meditation, but they rigged up the gas and air for me just in case.
When the pain grew, I couldn’t manage to get in sync with the gas and air, so pushed it away and went back to my breathing and meditation. I knew that I’d hit transition when I wanted to throw up and was unbelievably hot. I hung over the back of the bed and Daddy placed cold face washers on my back.
And suddenly it was time to push! But Buddy Boy decided to make things difficult and was presenting posterior. I pushed and I pushed, but then he went into distress and so my OB gave me an episiotomy to help me get him out quickly. And two pushes later you were in my arms.
As he came out, he did the biggest poo I’ve ever seen all over me and then head bobbed around until he latched to feed. And that’s when they told me that I’d given birth to our fourth son – and I was so happy that I was blessed with the safe arrival of a healthy baby boy.
You graced us with your presence at 9:05am on the 11th of April 2019. Weighing a healthy 4.2kgs and 52cms long. You have black hair, just like all your brothers before you. I wonder if it will change and you end up fair like your brothers or if you will be the first to be dark, just like your Daddy? Baba actually thinks that you look just like Daddy when he was born.
I can’t believe you are here and healthy and beautiful. Another amazing little boy to add to our tribe. Your brothers are TOTALLY smitten with you. Your brothers are ALL OVER YOU – giving you kisses and thinking that you are the greatest! Mummy and Daddy can’t believe their blessing and we are stoked to be able to guide you on your journey through life. May you always feel how much we LOVE you – just as you did at this very moment in time xox
