Our Boy is here!!! Zach (middle names still undecided!!) was born at 0941 on Tuesday 21st April at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey. To say that we are all ecstatic and completely in love with him would be an understatement. I am currently still feeling rather like an unfortunate extra from a slasher movie, but am still smiling and shuffling about so I thought I had better get his birth story down in writing before full on nappy brain and sleep deprivation take over and I forget it all.

Our story begins slightly ahead of schedule, on Monday 20th April at around 8pm.

Everything was ready for baby boy's arrival, I had cleaned and tidied to within an inch of my life, all the beds were changed, the clothes for Teya laid out for her Dad and Granny, the fridge stocked with food, my hospital bag done, the moses basket in place, bod was shaved and prepped and all ready to be scrutinised under theatre lights. Kev and I had decided to order a fancy indian takeaway and have a small glass of wine, before settling down to watch Hells Kitchen and then get an early night. Ha the best laid plans and all that.. At around 8pm and just before the curry arrived I got up to go for my umpteenth wee of the day, nothing untoward about that - until I realised that this wee was quite different, there was blood present. Staying calm I came out of the bathroom and told Kev, who immediately looked panicked (an expression that became etched permanantly on my poor hubby's face for the next 24 hours!) I said not to panic and called the maternity ward - they asked if there was a lot of blood, I said no, they then asked if I had any contractions, again no. Phew, I was to rest up at home and call again if anything changed - if it didnt I would see them in the morning.

About halfway through the curry I felt it - oh yes it may be 5 years since the last one but you do not forget what a contraction feels like !! I asked Kev to get timing, 10 minutes and pang another one. How sodding typical, the night before I am due to have my baby taken out of me and he has other ideas! So, back on the phone and an hour later, my Mum has arrived to look after the blissfully unaware Teya, I have burst in to tears due to the blasted hormones and we have arrived at the central delivery suite. After being strapped up to the monitor and having a rather rough handed consultant shove his paw up my fandangoo (thankfully this time round that is the last time my girlie bits get any tampering with!) it is pronounced that yes indeed I am in labour, but my cervix is only very slightly open, and with no head down to speed the process up they dont think they will need to operate that night. Crikey. Then much to my dismay my poor scared hubby is sent off home and I am taken to the ante natal ward - just in case my waters go in the night. Boo. Not the way I had planned to spend my last night as a Mummy of one - I was hoping for a long cuddle with my hubs in our clean tidy bedroom, and what do I get instead? A room with 6 other heavily pregnant snoring groaning women, one of whom was in early labour and sounded as though she was orgasming her way through the night, much to the disgust of the woman next to her who huffed puffed and tutted the whole night through! I dont know which disturbance was more condusive to my lack of sleep, but needless to say when Kev arrived at 6am the next morning I was exhausted.

Anyway, on to the actual story! At around 7.30am the Midwife came in to see us and brought Kev his scrubs, my gowns and sexy stockings and talked us through the schedule of events for the next few hours. We both changed in silence, loaded up our empty cot with vest, hat, babygro and camera and then sat back to chat and wait our turn to be called. Turns out we didnt have to wait too much longer, at 8.30 we were collected and walked across the hospital with our cot full of paraphenallia - me as white as the hospital walls and Kev quieter than I have ever known him. The young maternity assistant who walked us down couldnt have been a day over 18 but she was so calm and lovely, in fact I would just like to take this opportunity to say that all of the staff who looked after us all during our time at Frimley Park were absolutely fantastic. So, at 9am we arrived at the theatre and by this time I am so bloody scared I could be sick. The theatre staff welcomed us through the scarily official looking doors and completed all of their checks. I sat up on the bed shaking like a leaf and trying not to look at Kev who looked as though he was about to cry. The anaethatist nummed my back with a local whilst the girls all made small talk to occupy me, but all I could think was 'i really dont want to do this - but i have no sodding choice' the fear of the unknown is hugely powerful and I can honestly say that I havent felt so scared for as long as I can remember. The anaethatist put the spinal in and first time hit a nerve so my back involuntarily spasmed - god that was horrid, but the second time she did it it went painlessly in and I felt a rush of warmth all down my left side 'Is this supposed to feel as though I am peeing in a wetsuit?!' i ask - laughter ensued and indeed, it was agreed that yes the two feelings were very similar. Very quickly I began to lose feeling in my legs and they tested out the level of sensation by spraying me with a cold spray. I really cant begin to describe what it feels like, you can feel everything - every touch, the pressure but NO PAIN AT ALL. When they put the catheter in I was convinced that would feel uncomfy but nope, not a thing. So odd, and so not pleasant. I hate to feel out of control - christ I dont even like to have anaesthetic before a filling so being partially paralysed was not good for me.

Once the staff were happy that I was suitably numb I was wheeled in to the brightly lit theatre and it was all systems go. My gown was hitched up and pinned on arms in front of my face to make the 'screen' Kev sat next to me as the surgeon began - I felt the tugs and pulls for what seemed like an eternity - Kev held my hand and watched as much as he could bear in the reflection from the light above my head - he gripped my hand tightly as I started to cry - I felt sick and I wanted my baby - the anaethatist tried to calm me down and added what felt like 2 litres of anti nausea drugs to my IV - where was my baby? At 0941 Kev started to cry as he saw our son lifeted from my tummy, I kept repeating 'is he OK is he OK?' and the next thing I remember is hearing my baby cry for the first time and everyone rushing to reassure and congratulate us, and both of our tears of tension and fear turned immediately to immense relief and euphoria. I was then handed my beautiful (if very purple!) baby in a towel and I held on to him as tightly as I could manage, I then felt the tugging as I was stitched up and passed him to his Daddy for his first cuddle. Wow, we did it - terrified and feeling quite frankly horrendous despite the lack of pain we were wheeled in to recovery where my beautiful baby Zach was placed on my naked chest for pretty much the whole time. I didnt even notice when my blood pressure dropped so low that the crash team were put on standby.. Nothing really felt real - the only thing that I could think about was how incredibly lucky I was to be holding my beautiful, perfect and longed for baby boy.

Well done if you have got this far! It was a bit of an epic and I am crying now as I finish writing this. Honestly the emotion of the whole experience has been overwhelming and I am so glad that it is all over and we are home safe and well. I was in hospital until the Thursday morning and was glad to get home to my gorgeous family, all of whom have been incredible.

Just a last note before I finish, now that I can say I have experience of the two opposite ends of the birth spectrum (if there is such a thing) if anyone wants my opinion as to which to go for, the no pain relief, full labour and natural memphis belle bomb doors or the sunroof option? Given the choice, it would be the bomb doors everytime. Oh and incedentally, the consultant who delivered Zach was the same chap who booked me in for the c section - the one who acted as though he didnt quite believe my midwife for saying Zach was breech - well after the operation he informed us that even if all had been normal and baby was head down, the umbillical cord was too short and my labour would have ended in c section anyway...

Welcome to the world Zach, words cannot describe how much we all adore you already.