The birth of my daughter

One of the first shots with her eyes open, daddy keeping a close eye on his lil girl

Daddy and Imogen do some skin to skin

I spent the last three-four days of pregnancy as an in-patient at the Royal Brisbane. I had every symptom of pre-eclampsia, the blurred vision, the headache, the on edge mental state, the high blood pressure, but it stubbornly refused to show up in any of my blood tests.



On the Thursday (23.06.11) I actually started to have regular contractions (after about five hours they gave me medication to stop them). On the Friday they decided they did not want me to go into labour and they decided to ignore the blood tests, diagnosed me with pre-eclampsia, put me NBM (nil by mouth) and set my c-section date to the following day.

I remember the morning of 25.06.11 better than any morning that has happened since, and better than most of the mornings that happened before.
I was exhausted (from being woken for OBs, ah! being in hospital was exhausting!)
I was so thirsty. I wasn't allowed water since midnight, and for a three litre a day girl it was rough going.
I was ready. I had spent three days campaigning for this and now that it was happening I was left with a complete inability to recognise that by the end of the day I would be a mum!
I took for granted that she would be fine and that everything would go well. So I was not that nervous.

The c-section was booked for 1030am, but when we got down to the operating rooms there was an emergency c-section that pushed ours back two hours.

So we waited, took photos of each other, sat quietly, bullied the nurses into handing over a cup of ice chips.
I think it was just after twelve, I had snuck off to the toilet and when I came out the nurse was waiting and it was time!
My blood pressure shot up to over 180/110 while I had my spinal block and eqidural put in. I was sitting with my legs dangling over the left side of the bed, trying to arch my back like a cat and pretend I was on a beach on Mykonos. When I was really in a room that resembled a supply closet.
The spinal block took effect quite quickly.
The doctor ran ice down my stomach saying "Can you feel the ice"
"Tell me when you put it on," I replied.
"It is on"
"Oh then, no".

The nurse asked Rhys what her name would be. There was a big pause so I said Imogen! Turns out he didn't reply straight away because he was tearing up.

We moved onto the next room, after they inserted the catheter. I was transferred to the operating table. They covered me in sheets of paper, put pillows under me arms. Put up a screen between my head and tummy and invited Rhys in.

I could feel it. I could feel tugging and pressure. It didn't hurt or anything.

After about 5 minutes we were told that it was time.

And then there she was! Being passed over the barrier, screaming angry little face.

She was weighed and measure (3.27 kg, 7 lb 2 oz, 49.5 cm in length).

And then she was in my arms! She was crying, I said 'hello, its ok, you are alright' and when she heard my voice she stopped crying and just looked at us. At me.

The doctors sewed me back together again and then we were in the recovery room having our first feed.

She was so quick at feeding. She was so strong. She was so beautiful. She was so tiny. She was all mine! and she was perfect.



36 weeks 4 days pregnant



Imogen and mummy meet face to face