Baby Update: Monday

I had now been in hospital for 6 nights and was getting impatient. I was sent for at 6:30am for a fetal heart/contraction scan, but still there was nothing. Water was still gushing out of me and the mid wives said they were going to induce me yet again.

This time I'd had enough, I was emotional since after 6 nights I had seen countless women come into hospital with big bellies and then after 2 days leave with a little baby in their arms.

So I said no. No more induction. I want a C-section. The mid wives cannot make these decisions so sent me to wait for the gyno to make his rounds. After what felt like a life time he came and tried to get me to be induced but I said no again, and off he sent me to be prepped for the C-section.

So soon? Bel fidanzato was at home. I had no time to prepare. I went, in tears to the delivery rooms to be prepped and surely they thought I was crazy since they didn't understand why I was crying. The real reason was that I had wanted a natural birth, I wanted bel fidanzato to be by my side, there to cut the umbilical cord...but little baby just didn't want to come.

As I was getting prepped the chief surgeon came in to speak with me, and in my emotional state he some how convinced me to be put on an induction drip which made it my 6th attempt at a relatively natural birth. I stupidly said yes, thinking there was a ray of hope. Italy used to have a reputation as one of the countries with the highest rate of C-sections in the world. After a bit of international flack they have (thankfully) changed and realise perhaps that a C-section is not a walk in the park, but a major operation. Now the doctors go out of their way to get you not to have one.

I was still crying as the tubes were put in my arm, and finally bel fidanzato arrived. Men are not allowed in the delivery rooms until labour is under way, but they let him in - I think just to calm me down! Once I was calm he went back outside. I was sitting on the drip for about 2 hours and still no labour, no nothing, so I called in the midwife, told her to turn the machine off, the drip off and take me for a C-section. I had already been prepped for it.

Once more bel fidanzato was called in to kiss me goodbye. In Italy no one can enter the operation theatre. In Australia the husband is allowed to enter, but here I was to be left all on my own. My first operation, and it had to be all in Italian!

The nurses were lovely, I told them I was nervous that I wouldn't understand what they were saying, I told them I had never had an operation before....and I'll save you all the gory details but finally, at 13:30 on Monday 24th January a little, purple, 2.880kg baby was pulled from my stomach and alas, bel fidanzato and I became a family of 3.