Heather Stones tells her birth story: 'I woke on Thursday morning (24th Feb 2008) at 4am with a pain, like really, really bad period cramp. Checked the time then closed my eyes again.
Ten minutes later the same thing happened. Then 8 minutes later. So I woke OH up and said "I think the baby is coming." The pains really hurt. He just said, "Go and wake my mam" (who was staying for the week).
So off I went. By time I got downstairs they were every 5 mins. They had me doubled over. I phoned the hospital and they told me to go in. Got OH up and still don't think he believed me 'cos he was waffling on about going to work.
Anyway, I finally arrived at the hospital at 6.20ish and was examined at 7.15am and was 4cm! I was told baby was in the back to back position. Was given some gas and air and a birthing ball.
By 9am I was in the bath with the gas and air. Pain was getting worse soIi got out and was given some diamorphine.
Leaning over the back of the bed huffing and puffing on the gas and air, I was examined again at 11.15 and told I was 8cm!! It took ages to get to fully dilated 'cos I had a full bowel so I was given something to sort that out.
At about 2pm, I was examined again and my waters were broken; still not quite fully dilated. Got the urge to push at about 3.40 so I did.
I pushed for exactly an hour. It was so hard, I was leaning over the back of the bed for most of it but then I had to go into the stirrups for the last 10mins.
His head crowned with his cord round his neck, but not tight, and I tore badly! Then the rest of him was born with one last push. It was amazing. Was the most painful part but it was great.
He weighed 7lb 13oz and was born at 4.40pm. We named him Matthew Ian James.
A doctor came in to examine me and I was told I had a 3rd degree tear so I was taken to the theatre and given a spinal and was stitched up. That was scary too 'cos I have never seen anything like it before. I cried until I couldn't feel anything.
A few weeks on, and we're getting there. Settling into a routine nicely. He's had a bit of colic and now has the chicken pox but he's OK . The first couple of weeks were hard as I have a 1 year old and with the lack of sleep I really struggled, but now he manages to sleep for 5 hours then 4 hours through the night so I'm coping with that.
We also moved house which added to the stress a bit!'
