Before you start reading, please note that there is information in this post about waters breaking, merconium and other things  and descriptions about ‘bodily functions’ that SOME people may not want to read about!

Vinay was born on 7th September 2010.  On his due date.  Many of my friends had told me how they were all over-due with their babies and how it was quite common to be over-due, especially with the first one.  And since I was so nervous as to what to expect in labour and the birth, I just tried to put it all out of my mind.

I had a doctor’s appointment four days before my due date and he told me that the baby’s head was still high, and there was no way he was coming any time soon and that I should just relax.  So I did.  I had all the restaurants I wanted to go to planned for the whole of the following week!

On the 7th morning I woke up at about 5am to go to the loo (for about the third time that night) and knew something was different because I was rather… Damp.  I didn’t know what was going on and decided to go straight back to bed.  I woke again at 8am – again to go to the loo.  I knew then that my waters had broken.  But I also realised that something wasn’t quite right because the water was green.  I hadn’t read anything in any book, magazine or on any site about it being green!

I did as I had been instructed – called the hospital, told them I was coming and booked a mini-cab.  There was a tube strike that day and the cab didn’t come until 11am!

After doing all the usual form-filling exercises, they monitored the baby’s heart-rate for a little while.  The doctor came in to see me and said that the baby’s head was still very high, his heart-rate showed that he was in distress, the green stuff in my broken waters was merconium (gross!) and that I was only 1cm dilated!  We had two choices, he said.  We could either: 1. Induce labour (which could take up to 17 hours or more) and have the baby naturally, although we were not sure how the baby would cope through the contractions. Or 2. Take him out immediately.

The Hub (who obviously had not been listening to the doctor as I had) said, ‘Natural is best’.    The doctor wasn’t quite sure how to respond to this and told us he’d come back in five minutes so we could discuss 🙂  In those five minutes we (I) decided a c-section would be best!  I later told Hub that when he is the one going through labour for 17 hours and giving birth, then he can decide.

Thank goodness we opted for the c-section because not only did I not want to go through 17 hours of labour, but because when they took Vinay out, they saw that the cord was round his neck.  Twice.  Scary!

From planning to give birth naturally (with drugs, of course), I ended up having an emergency c-section.  And I’m actually quite happy.  I would choose to have a c-section next time!

My recovery was pretty good.  I do feel the odd twinge now and then – but it’s bearable.  And my boy is SO worth it!