Trinity is officially two months old. I haven't posted for a long while - getting over the birth, Sydney, then Christmas and so on. Things have been hectic.

So here, belatedly, is Trinity's birth story.

I was due to see Paul on Monday, Oct 31 - what would have been the EDD. Was already home on MC due to the ever escalating BP. The Wednesday before, with readings of 200/122, Paul ordered me to stay home. But things were uneventful until early Sat morning, 29 Oct. The mucus plug came loose with two slightly painful and long contractions. I found out only when I visited the loo early in the morning. I half expected things to progress quickly but they didn't. I had a couple of half-hearted contractions but nothing really meaningful until dinner time at Pastamania when I had several contractions coming close and painful. So I knew it would be soon.

After midnight on early Sunday morning, Oct 30, the ccontractions intensifiedand kept me in a half-sleep for several hrs. Kept getting up going to the loo and each contraction was getting more painful and lasting longer. I could feel baby turning and moving with a slight pooing sensation. She was very active. After 3am, I thought I'd better wake KH up. Guydidn't want to wake up! So I let him sleep thru another two contractions before really jabbing him awake. SaidI thought this was it.

We timed the contractions - it was comingat 1 every 5min and lasting a minute. Still, I was doubtful about going in to the hospital. Decided to get up to go to the loo. Probably because of the change in position to an upright one, I could feel the contractions change in momentum and force. One came right on top of the other, each lasting 90sec long, very painful and intense. I sat on the loo and waited the wave out with KH holding me. Could feel a distinct urge to poo and realised that baby was definitely in descent and I was likely to be intransition.

Weirdly thru my labour, there was this little voice in my head (childbirth educator mode) telling me exactly what was likely to be happening and what I should be doing. So we made preparations to go to the hospital. Ididn't think I could sit in the car so I got in thebackseat and crouched over the seatback as KH drove. Once in Mt A, we walked up to the labour ward, goingthru contractions in the lift etc. This was at 4am.

In the room, I stayed in my pjs. I knew I was probably dilating very strongly and quickly due to the force of the contractions but for some reason, the nurses didn't think the baby was going to come soon,despite the pattern of pain I was going thru. There was no urgency at all. KH went thru the birth plan with the nurse etc, asked for the stuff we wanted - the ball, the mattress, the cd player etc. I settled on my left on the bed for the 15min CTG trace we agreed to in the birthplan. KH went down to do registration. A VE showed that I was at 8cm and the waters were bulging resulting in a slight urge to push.

KH was gone longer than expected. I had gone thru several contractions without him and those were hard ones.Once or twice I lost control of my rhythm/focus and gave in to the pain. Most of the time I visualised myself walking above the treetops very lightly andthen the breathing would even out. The next sequence of events took place very very rapidly.

Once KH came back, the CTG belts were removedand he stood beside me holding my hand. At that point,the contractions changed. Midway thru one, I could feel a very strong, irresistable urge to push. It was involuntary. The childbirth educator in me said, ok good, but don't push until you feel itis involuntary. And so it was - my body was already pushing and it showed with a catch in the breathing and the grunt that came.

KH, not trained, did not realise this. I did. I told him and the 3 other nurses in the room: Thebaby is coming. Maybe they were used to wild-eyed hysterical mothers who thought the babies were always coming. There wa sno urgency in taking me seriously.

The nurses walked over in slow mo and checked and made soothing sounds - yes,yes we've called the dr to tell him you're at 8cm etc. Second contraction I told them - "the water bag is going to burst!" and pop! it did!

Third contraction I gripped KH's shirt and yelled: "My leg! Someone lift my leg now! Only then did the nurses take me seriously enough to lift my right leg over. "

KH said very excitedly: "I can see the head! You're crowning!" I could feel the stinging sensation and the CBE in me said: ok, now stop pushing and blow baby out. And gee, I'm glad I did. Next thing KH said very excitedly, "The head is out! The baby is out! It's a girl, dear! It's Trinity Rose!"

This was at 4.38am. Trinity cried - this wet, slippery mass of purple flesh. The nurses stood there, at the foot of the bed, still stunned at the speed. No one caught the baby.She just slid right out. I had to tell them to givethe baby to me. Poor thing was just lying there, screaming her head off, wet and freezing cold! So KH scooped Trinity up and gave her to me. I unbuttoned my PJ, had skin-to-skin with her and askedthe nurses for a towel to cover Trinity's back.

So far it looked like they were still caught off-guard. Paul walked in about 5min later, grinned and said, " Hi,couldn't wait huh?" Then he checked me and found a small nick but nicely down the midline. Asked if I wanted it sewn. Said it would sting otherwise, so I said yeah. By then the cord had stopped pulsating. So KH snipped it. After that, we stayed in the labour ward for several hrs.

I would not stop bleeding and passed big clots. Paul had to go in to do a manual removal - but it didn'thurt! Later, becos I would not stop oozing blood andpassing big clots he ordered a drip - oxytocin - to stop the bleeding. They were concerned abt pph if thebleeding was not arrested. So that's it - when the bleeding stabilised, i went up to the ward, stayed a night and discharged the nextday.

Looking back, I think I did get my unassisted birth -no one caught the baby or protected my perineum or did anything. Trinity just slid out - KH couldn't believeit. Had we stayed longer at home I think I would have birthed the baby there. It was a speedy birth. My only regret - we never had time to play the new jazz cds I'd bought for the birth or try out the massages I'd been teaching KH to give, or even the various positions. There was just no time!