The tale of two baby girls: Part Two

As you may know, my niece, Miss Asha Jane, was born via emergency caesarean section after a three-day labour. Apparently, she hadn't read the memo from her parents who were aiming for a gentle, intervention-free home birth. Which I suppose is to be expected because even exceptionally gifted babies can't read before they are born. (And we already know she is advanced. And beautiful. Obviously.) But since she is here safely, and is all snuggly-buggly and learning to smile, we have to forgive her for the ordeal she put her mother through, and simply enjoy every gorgeous minute (and just for future reference in your next incarnation, Ashie, it was the birth canal you were looking for, not the thigh bone. Ok? Ok.)

Now, to juxtapose Asha's supposed-to-be-natural-homebirth-turned-into-very-scary-emergency-caesarean, I would like to bring you the story of another beloved little fairy girl, born to my beautiful friends Arby Bec and Uncle Chrissy. Arby Bec, so named by mine own kids, taught with me a few years ago when I was up the duff with the Mouse. And apparently, we can all blame the Mouse for Uncle Chrissy's subsequent cluckiness, because I think quite simply he fell in love with Miss Maisie. As people tend to do (and which she is completely aware, and abuses the hell out of!) So not long after the Mouse's first birthday, we found out that Arby Bec and Uncle Chrissy would be having a little cherub of their own.

Now, Arby Bec always knew she would have a very controlled birth in a huge, well-known hospital, with very little say in how that birth played out, due to an existing medical condition. The doctors weren't quite sure how her body would react to the stresses of labour, so she was instructed by several specialists that she could not be induced, that she would only labour for so long, and she could not have an epidural. She would be monitored carefully in hospital every step of the way.

And during her pregnancy, she was. Bec's baby grew strong in her belly, and neither she nor Chris minded the medical intervention. They had almost no say in the type of birth they would have, but of course, they knew why. And as much as I'm sure they would have liked a more relaxed birth plan, both were happy to do as the doctors asked, as long as they were looked after and their baby was delivered safely.

Well.

Arby Bec's due date was Christmas Day (which prompted my children to declare she should name it 'Jesus'. Yes, even if it was a girl). So no one was more surprised than my friend when she began having mild contractions early in the evening of the 21st of December. They were so mild, and so irregular, she told her hubby they would go to bed and try to get some rest before the real deal began.

At around 10pm that night, Bec woke as her waters broke all over the bed. Did I mention they were living with Chris's parents while he renovated their own home? No? So Bec's waters broke all over the spare bed at Chris's parents' house, and when they rang the (very big, important) hospital, they were told to come straight in.

Given Bec's medical history, she expected to go straight in to the labour ward and be monitored closely. She laboured all night with contractions 2-3 minutes apart, with no pain relief because she could take nothing but Panadeine, which made her vomit. I'm not quite sure how many hours she was (supposedly) meant to be allowed to labour for, but she went all night. At 5am, she was examined by a doctor, pronounced to have made no progress at all, and was told to go home as there were no beds. The midwife fought for Bec, telling the doctor that under no circumstances was this woman to be sent home, in advanced labour, with her medical condition. She wanted Bec to be caesared immediately. Unfortunately, it's usually only good doctors that listen to midwives, and this doctor did not listen. So by 6am, Bec and Chris were back at home.

At 8am, Chris called an ambulance.

At 8.53am, on December 22, 2011, Tahli Marie was born on the spare bed in her grandparents' house, guided by her mother, her father, and three paramedics. Thanks to the angels above, she was just over 6lbs of dark-haired, velvet-skinned perfection. Her incredible mother had progressed through labour so rapidly, the paramedics were unable to move her and were forced to deliver Tahli where they were. We are so very, very lucky that Bec was able to deliver so easily. We are incredibly blessed that nothing went wrong. All births are amazing, all birth stories are a mix of horror and intense joy. But this...thank the heavens above that this birth went so right, in the end.

And so, despite all the medical warnings and cautionary procedures put in place for my friend, she safely delivered her child by herself at home. Which, in a weird, warped sort of way is sort of like Miffy and Bec swapped birth plans?? Kinda sorta. Anyway...

Bec and Tahli returned to the big hospital to get checked out, and Tahli went into Special Care for the night. Bec became a legend around the ward (which I'm sure you'll all agree was completely deserved!!). And on Christmas Eve, Arby Bec, now known as Mummy, and Uncle Chrissy, now known as Daddy, brought their little princess home. For good.

And that's the end of the story.