Birth Story Series - Maria's Stories

Happy Friday. It's time for another birth story. My cousin Maria has written hers up for me. If you'd like to write up yours, I would love to feature it. Email me at littlepaperswans@gmail.com.

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My first baby was due on the 14th of January 2003 and I was super excited yet very nervous. I had no idea what to expect but couldn't wait to meet my very own little person. Due to having an underactive thyroid I was consultant led which meant several trips to the hospital but they just wanted to make sure both myself and baby were OK. I found out I was going to have a baby boy at the second scan and before I knew it the 13th of January arrived!!! I can remember thinking my baby boy will be born tomorrow and my mum telling me don't be silly hardly any babies are born on their due dates. Later that day I had another check up at the hospital and whilst I was sat in the waiting room my waters broke!! I was sooo embarrassed I didn't know what to do , where to look and wanted the floor to swallow me up. Luckily help soon arrived in the form of a midwife and I was taken to the delivery suite. My little boy (Adam) was born at 12:30am on the 14th of January (his due date!!!) weighing 8lb 11oz! I had lots of pain relief in labour and luckily was able to deliver him with just a slight tear to myself which the doctors soon sorted for me.

My second baby was due in the middle of June 2007 and at the second scan I found out I was going to have another boy. All was ok so I was happy. I was consultant led again and had several visits to the hospital. Unfortunately this little boy was quite happy cooking inside his mummy and didn't want to make an appearance! His due date came and went and after 2 weeks they decided I would have to be induced. Unfortunately when the day came for me to go in I was told there was no room at the inn so they couldn't induce me and I was sent back home again. This happened several times until eventually 21 days past his due date he decided he actually did want to meet his family. I was massive at this point and I soon learnt why as Daniel arrived on the 5th of July at 6:40pm and weighed 11lb 6oz and started life in 3-6 month clothes! I can remember asking the midwife to reweigh him as I'm sure they must have got it wrong but no they hadn't! Due to the size of him and me having him naturally and only being a size 8  I suffered a third degree tear so I had to have a small operation to be repaired. But Daniel was so worth all the pain!

My third baby was due middle of April 2009. The second scan showed me I was having another baby boy. I was really pleased as It was always "Maria and her boys" although as long as the baby was healthy that's all that mattered. Due to Daniel being so large and me being so small I received an extra scan at 32 weeks to check on his size. The scan revealed he was weighing 8lb12oz at this point but I was assured it was ok as they wouldn't let me go past my due date. Sadly I had pretty much the same problems as I had with Daniel and they couldn't induce me as no beds or not enough staff on the ward to monitor me. Exactly 21 days late on the 11th of May I started getting contractions around 6am. I phoned the hospital but they said I would be fine for the next 3 hours or so and to just wait it out. Matthew on the other hand had different ideas and my waters broke and he was ready to make an appearance while I was still at home! My husband phoned the midwife and she phoned for an ambulance but by the time the ambulance arrived it was too late Matthew was going to make an appearance sooner rather than later so they refused to take me to hospital. The ambulance guys couldn't have been nicer and as I lay on my bed in absolute agony they held my hands whilst my hubby made them cups of tea!! The ambulance unfortunately didn't have any gas and air on it as they came straight to me from another emergency so I had to grit my teeth and bear it! Less than an hour after help had arrived my little boy arrived at 8:41am weighing 11lb 1.5oz!! The midwife laughed and said well they did tell you he wouldn't be as big as Daniel ! I told her a few ounces didn't count I was hoping for pounds smaller! I was rushed into hospital as unfortunately due to Daniel being so large and then Matthew too I received another 3rd degree tear. At the hospital it was advised that due to the damage the boys had caused for me not to have any more children as my body wouldn't cope with it. Having all 3 boys naturally and weighing huge amounts wasn't great for someone as small as I am. This turned out to be correct as 6 weeks after having Matthew I had to go into hospital and have my gall bladder removed and the tubes connecting my liver untwisted. I was in hospital for just under a week and missed my boys so much. The size of my boys had damaged my insides and even now my liver only functions at 80% even though this part of the body regenerates itself.

My boys are now 13, 9 and 7. They haven't stopped growing and are going to be really tall when they get older. My eldest two are sporty and my youngest loves school and is the academic one of the 3. I am so proud of all of my boys and I'm lucky to be able to say they are mine!