Baby Annabel

For the last month or so Alex has been adamant that the new baby is a girl and her name is Annabel.  This freaked us out somewhat.  Annabel was not a name on the Approved Baby Names List compiled by Steve and myself, nor could we figure out where he'd even got the name from.  The only explanation was that our son was clearly psychic.

Apparently he's not though.  Meet Oliver James Francis Hunt, who is most definitely not baby Annabel. 

Sunday 18 March was Mother's Day.  I spent Mother's Day watching Steve shift furniture around the house while I issued instructions and felt mildy crampy, although as I'd been feeling mildy crampy for about the past month I thought nothing of it.  By Alex's bedtime I was feeling Definitely Crampy.  But as the due date was still a week away I still thought nothing of it, put Alex to bed as normal and carried on with Sunday evening. Then the cramps started to hurt.  Not in a terribly hurty way, just a little bit of a hurty way.  We warned Kay that we might have to call on her to come and sleep in our spare room if we needed to make a mad dash to hospital, but I was still in denial about the whole thing and was sure it wouldn't come to that.  So we went to bed and dozed for a bit until I decided maybe I was in labour after all and we should probably go to the hospital, so poor Kay had to be wrenched from her bed. 

We left the house at about 4am and got to the hospital about 4.30am.  I do not like driving to hospital while having killer contractions.  Having done it twice now, I'm not sure Steve likes driving me to the hospital while I have killer contractions either. 

On the plus side, when we got to the hospital we found out the one and only birthing pool was available.  On the down side, I was only four centimetres dilated.  FOUR!  All that agony for four measly centimetres!  I wanted to cry and probably would have done had I not quickly got high on gas and air.  However, it turns out second babies come along pretty quick once they've decided they're on their way and it wasn't long before it all started happening.

The rest is a bit of a gas and air induced blur but I am in awe of the mystical properties of the birthing pool.  They are the best invention in the world.  Ever.  I had second degree tears but didn't even notice until after the event when I spent more time on my back with my legs in the air being stitched up than I did in the water giving birth.  I am also in love with the midwife who was with us for the whole event, despite the fact she didn't even offer me drugs.  And I am especially in love with Steve who let me twist his fingers until I cut off all his blood supply every time a contraction hit, without complaining once.  Oliver was born in the water at 5.55 am on 19 March weighing a healthy 8lbs 12oz, and was delivered by his daddy.  I worried when I saw him that I wouldn't have enough love to give another little boy when I know and love every inch of Alex to the point that my heart wants to burst.  But it's amazing how your heart can expand.  I only have to kiss the top of Oliver's velvety little head and it makes me want to cry.

Oh, and Annabel, by the way, is Alex's little friend at preschool.  Obviously. 

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WHEN MY DAUGHTER NANCY WAS EXPECTING HER SECOND CHILD EMILY 3YRS OLD WANTED A BABY SISTER ANY NAME WOULD DO...JOSEPH WAS BORN,AND EMILY TOLD EVERYONE AT PLAY SCHOOL "I HAVE A BABY SISTER CALLED JOSEPH " READING THE ANNABEL STORY MADE ME REMEMBER,NOTHING LIKE CHILDREN AND BABIES TO MAKE A SMILE...