Tuesday 1 December 2015

Tuesday, 1st December 1987

The afternoon of the 1st December 1987 (oh, cool, it was a Tuesday, like today) found me walking around Stamford High Street, pushing eldest daughter, Shoshannah, in her pushchair.  We were to meet her father at my in-laws later on that day, and go home together in the car.  All afternoon I had been experiencing what I put down to Braxton Hicks contractions, and just ignored them as that.  It wasn’t until we got home and the fact that they were still at it that I decided to ring the hospital and proclaim that I thought I had started labour.  They told me to come in, but not to rush as there was bound to be plenty of time yet. 

So, leaving Shoshannah with her grandmother, into the labour wing of Stamford Hospital I was taken.  The midwife had a look, pronounced that she had plenty of time, and then some, to go get the egg and chips she was looking forward to in the canteen, and disappeared off, leaving me to get on with it for a bit.

When she came back about half an hour later she was welcomed by my waters breaking and was somewhat aghast that things had moved along a lot quicker than she had expected.  I had only been in the maternity wing for around an hour when Olivia was born at 7.58 pm,  weighing 7lb 2½oz.

I had heard giving birth to your second child was much easier and quicker than the first, but I didn’t realise just exactly how easy and quick, and relatively painless, until that afternoon/evening! 

Love you lots, little one. And I officially let you off for causing me to miss that much laughed about steak dinner! I would rather have you in my world than eat a steak dinner anyway (yeah okay, I’m vegetarian.  But I wasn’t then!)

Happy Birthday, Liv

xxxxx