Nice to hear it from the horses mouth Joel, rapt that they're
both fine, and hope you are too, now back to the maternity
ward, no rest for the wicked, especially from now on!!!!
Love and Hugs{{{{{ all of you}}}}}} from Jean and Wilson. xxx for Cary

My heartfelt congratulations for you, Vicky and especialy Cary James
Chapman.

Got to the hospital at 3pm Sunday, to have the proglandin gel applied at
4pm, but there was a woman here who was very very sick after giving birth to
her baby so the staff were rather busy and the gel didn't go on till 6pm.

At midnight, they checked my progress - nothing much happened and my cervix
was still very posterior although the gel was working as well as could be
expected considering where we were starting from. Another batch was applied,
and I started to feel proper (but not severe) contractions at about 2am. At
6am, they took me to the labour ward. The obs came by at about 7:30am to
burst the waters and put on the syntocin drip, and I was 1cm dilated at that
time. By 9am, I was definatley in labour proper.

I was using gas quite well until about 12am, at which time I suddenly and
violently ejected my stomach contents all over the floor. The nurse there
was less than pleased (sh'es been the only nurse who I haven't found
absolutely wonderful) but there was really nothing I could do - I couldn't
actually get up and walk around by that point and you would have htought
that they'd have provided a bucket or something close to thebed for such
eventulities anyway. Besides, by that point I really didn't care about
*anything* besides the contractions.

By 1 o'clock the
contractions were too strong, and I chose to have an epidural. By the time
it was in properly, i was *howling* in pain,   I don't think I could have
stood one more contraction like the last one I fully felt. Iwas so relieved,
I cried, and then kissed the aneasthatist. Epidurals are God's gift to
women, IMHO. I was 4cm diluted and the contractions were coming thick and
fast as the epidural finally kicked into action.

At 3am, I went into transition, and there was a blissful 5 minutes of gas
induced
silliness before the really hard works started. While the pushing
part (2nd stage of labour) didn't hurt in a physical sense, it was extremely
intense and I pushed as hard as I could for what seemed like forever.

Cary's head did manage to come down a little, but he had such big head (38cm
diameter) that he was stuck, and I just didn't have any energy left to push
any harder. By 4:30pm, I was exhausted. There was no "push" left in me and I
don't think I've ever cared less about anything and everything - including
my own life - before (or after) that time. Joel and hte midwife did their
very best to keep me encouraged and to keep my pushing, but Cary was well
and truly stuck and all I could do was a perfunctury "push" when told to
simply to keep people happy - they weren't making any more actual progress
even though I was fully dilated and his head was in the birth canal.

The obs turned up at 5pm and tried to get Cary out using
suction, but the suction wouldn't take because I had been pushing too hard
for too long and his head had a great odema (?) so it was too soft and
squishy to get hold.

My contractions were slowing down, I was exhausted, and Cary was showing
signs of exhaustion and distress. The doc tried the forceps, and much to
everyone's relief, he finally made his appearance at 5:25pm AEST on 5th
April 2004. He weighe 4225g (9lb, 5oz) and was 52 cm long. His head was 38
cm in circumference (which is what was causing him to get stuck) I lost
*alot* of blood and fluid and needed a large number of stitches (they won't
tell me how many, but he used two full packets).

Joel did actually manage to cut the cord, despite the fact the fact that he
was quite sure he'd faint. Joel was *very* emotional, and held Cary as soon
as he as wiped down and wrapped. But I was still to exhausted to care and
besides, I was also being stitched up on the birthing bed.

The resemblence between father and son is quite remarkable and I'll put up
pictures and the mpeg of him less that 10 minutes after the birth when I get
home from the hospital and have a few minutes onthe computer. Just like his
father, he was born with brown eyes and a mop of dark borwn, spikey hair.
His ears still have a tiny trace of the fetal hair (vernix?) on them, and I
think its terribly cute. I cal him my little chicken for some reason.

2 days later, my stitches are still a little tender, but otherwise I"m
pretty much back to feeling human. Cary is still having a little trouble
breastfeeding, once he attaches properly he knows *exactly* what to do
(ouch!) but still fusses alot and I can't get him on without the help of the
midwife. But then again, my milk hasn't come in yet either, so things might
improve when that happens, who knows. The hospital room is pretty
comfortable, as I'm sure the bed would be if it was half a foot longer or if
I was half a foot shorter. I have discovered the "joys" of free-to-air
daytime TV and am now aware of why we pay so  much for our pay TV each
month, what utter mind rotting trash! In comparison, Jerry SPringer is
actually *interesting* hisspit!

Apprantly Fluffy hasn't clued in on my abscence, but Shmogg has taken up
vigil on my bed and only moved to service his digestive tract. I miss his
purrs when I go to sleep at night and wonder how Cary, Shmogg and I will go
sharing the same room at night (Fluffy sleeps in the garage so she won'tbe a
problem in that regard). I can see alot of hallenges ahead, too, but you
know, I reckon we'll do OK. Cary and his Dad have bonded really well (better
than me actually) and, well, we'll just have to learn to be a family
together.

Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes and congratulations, I'm sure
thee purrs helped me get through the worst of the pain. It snot something I
am currenlty looking at repearting, but even now, I know I'm forgetting just
how bad the labour pains were. So maybe in a fe years there might just be a
Yowlet 2. And perhaps this time, he or she may look a bit more like Mum!

Yowie

Hi Joel (and Yowie, and Yowlett)

Quite apart from many congratulations, you do realise that your son has
started his life out right, in that he's the same weight as a healthy
adult cat?

Helen M

--

Do you get the feeling that Joel's a little overwhelmed?  Congrats to
you all, and please kiss Cary's toes for us.

Pam, Rob, and the NC nine

Yowie had something important to tell us on Tue, 6 Apr 2004 11:48:48
+1000:

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CC                OO       OO   NN  NN  NN   GG      GGG
CC                OO       OO   NN   NN NN   GG         GG
CCCCCC    OOOOOO   NN   NN NN   GGGGGGG
CCCCCC    OOOOOO   NN    NNNN   GGGGGGG

RRRRRRRR   AAAAAA   TTTTTT    SSSSSSS
RRRRRRRR   AAAAAA   TTTTTT    SSSSSSS
RR             RR   AA       AA        TT          SS
RR             RR   AA       AA        TT          SS
RRRRRRRR   AAAAAA         TT          SSSSSSS
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RR         RR       AA       AA        TT                         SS
RR             RR   AA       AA        TT          SSSSSSS