Introducing Alice Jo Margaret P. Little sister to Elana Grace aged 4.

Our little Apple was born on March 20 at 3:37am after a very interesting labour at 39 weeks 4 days. She was 3.65kg (8lbs) 51cm and had a head circumference of 33.5cm.

After a false labour at 38 weeks 4 days where we discovered an irritable uterus and she was half posterior she turned in the following week.

Elana got a vomiting bug on the Monday night and wasn't feeling the best Tuesday but she picked up again and was seemingly fine. Wednesday morning around 3am I woke up with really intense contractions but because it was 3am I took some panadol and tried to get back to sleep and the contractions dulled to almost nothing.

Around 7am I was trying to kickstart my contractions again by walking to the service station but when I got back Elana was awake and sick again.

She picked up again by midday and we went for a long walk to the park and woolworths, then came home for a rest, around 3pm we decide that because it was Easter weekend coming up we should probably go stay with my parents who live 5 minutes from the hospital instead of here which is an hour in case I went into labour at 3am again.

So around 5pm E and I walked up to the train to meet Nick, E was then picked up by my MIL and N & I waited for my dad to get there from work.

Around 6pm while waiting for the pizza my contractions started again - by 8:20pm they were really intense and 3 in 10 minutes so we left.

Got to the hospital around 9:40pm - Nick started feeling sick in the car, at first we thought it was the pizza, then car sickness-coupled with nervousness about the impending birth - it was actually Gastro like E had.

So he went to sleep in the exam room bed and I waited. They did an examination of me and found I was 4cm dilated and they were really busy and were going to send me home until I was more established but the midwife stayed and felt one of my contractions and decided to go and get a suite ready.

Nick curled up on the recliner lounge because everytime he moved he threw up and I thought he was asleep the whole time but he says he wasn't.

And I went to the shower to labour.

At 2am the doctor comes in - another exam - 6cm (4 hours all that pain and I'd only gone 2cm - I felt defeated) they broke my water and left me too it again.

3:15am I started pushing and she was out at 3:37am - no tears, no stitches.

Nick left less than 10minutes later and wasn't feeling up to visiting until 7pm that night where he wore a mask for his first hold.  

He and Elana both visited the next day just before lunch and we were discharged from the hospital after visiting hours began again at 3:30pm

Home sweet home.

Alice is now 20days old and perfect.