HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY, WILLOW-RIVER!!!

My boy celebrated his 10th birthday! It is so hard to believe that it was a decade ago that I gave birth to him.

His birth story reads like quite an adventure!

My original due date given was the 24th June...it then changed to the 5th July (my parents wedding anniversary)....he was actually born on the 23rd July!

I was dead set on a hospital birth when I found out I was pregnant, actually I didn't even give it a second thought...I thought that is where babies are born! Jason had other ideas though (thank goodness)...he suggested a water birth...Me??? a water birth...I don't even really like swimming! LOL

But...I kept an open mind, and decided to look into it...

After much researching, reading and more researching - I had a change of heart - we decided to have a water birth at home! We found an amazing midwife, Tracy Roake, and I had a wonderful, beautiful pregnancy.

Jason and I were living on the coast in Amanzimoti, in Durban during my pregnancy doing gigs in pubs and restaurants in the evenings and spending our days on the beach. The venues where we used to play at regularly threw us a baby shower - we were really spoiled!

Two + weeks after my due date, on a Friday, 23 July, we head off for a visit with Tracy, knowing that if baby doesn't come soon, Monday I would be induced....

On the drive to Tracy, I had these weird feelings in my belly...I didn't say anything to Jason right away...I waited a few minutes, then I noticed they were quite regular....I then said to J casually that I think I am in labour! We arrive at Tracy's place and she does a quick once over on me and tells me I am indeed in labour and about 2 cm dilated...baby should be here soon!

We leave Tracy and go visit my parents, they don't believe me when I tell them I am actually in labour, and baby will be born...finally!!!

After our visit we head back home (our little 1968 vw kombi doesn't go that fast, so a trip to Durban to Amanzimtoti can take a good 25 - 30 minutes!)...

We arrive home and since I won't be going to hospital after all (I had my hospital bag all packed and ready)...I decide to unpack the bag...give me something to do to pass the time! LOL

At around 6 - 6:30pm the contractions start getting stronger...we call Tracy and she tells us to get the birth pool filled....my sister had arrived too by then (with a new boyfriend that I had NO idea was there! LOL)...and my parents were also there (but all were in another room)...

Tracy arrived with my wonderful doula, Cyrenna Sorour...who had the most magical, beautiful hands that massaged my lower back!

The water was beautiful...it was relaxing, relieving, soothing, comforting...and having Jason right in there with me pouring water over my back was just amazing! The worst part was when I would have to get out of the water for Tracy to do a check on me and the baby...then the pain was grueling! But once I got back down into that water...heaven!

But...it was not to last....at around 9cm dilated, he just was not coming...by this stage I was lying on the bed with some gas and I can't remember what else right now...but I looked a sight! LOL

Tracy told us that his heart rate was dropping and that we needed to get to a hospital....well, they asked me where my hospital bag was (and the baby bag)...so I sheepishly had to tell them I was bored and unpacked it! LOL

Well, I rode to the hospital in a pair of Jason's old shorts and a tee shirt (not even shoes)...and Jason came barefoot too - we must have looked a sorry sight! The trip on the way to the hospital was very relaxed - you would have thought we were off to the movies!

When we arrived at the hospital, they wheeled me in, did an internal and realised that baby was facing the wrong way... he was posterior - meaning he was face up instead of face down....sooooo...they tried to turn him...manually! Now *that* was painful - I actually felt my coccyx snap...I then heard them say they would need to give me an episiotmy...(the cut I had been dreading!)...they then proceeded to give me an injection (to numb the area down there where they were going to cut)....then I heard someone say, no...emergency cesarean! The first thing I asked was "Have you cut down there yet????" - thankfully they hadn't!

So I was wheeled off to the operating room...I was prepped and ready to go! Finally after some pulling and tugging, I saw my baby boy being lifted up into the world! What a moment....seeing your baby for the first time is a feeling that cannot be described! He was a little wrinkled from all the pushing, he reminded me of a little sharpei puppy...and also reminded me a bit of a tortoise! He had a little cut just above his eye, from the scalpal...but he was just perfect!

Jason followed him around and sang him his lullaby ~ Jamaican Farewell ~ (we would sing it to him all the time while he was in my belly), while I was wheeled into the recovery room where I stayed for what seemed like a lifetime, and all I wanted to do was see my baby!

Eventually I was taken to a room (there was no room in the maternity ward - it was a late Friday night and I had no reservation! LOL)....so we were put on the floor above in our own room and I insisted that my baby was staying with us...they were not very happy, but they relented, and our baby stayed with us.

The next day, believe it or not...I walked out the hospital....I was determined to go home and have Tracy care for me rather than spend another day in the hospital....they were not happy about that either! But Jason just said to them that we were out of there! It was so great to be home and Tracy was absolutely amazing - she made this amazing concoction of comfrey leaves and honey and I can't remember what else, but I put it on my wound and it healed it up beautifully!

And that was 10 years ago!

Today, that little baby is a beautiful, happy, healthy, thoughtful, kind, loving, joyful, inquisitive, caring boy, who means the world to me and his dad and brothers and sister!

WE LOVE YOU, WILLOW-RIVER!!!!

Opening up his box of "books".....

Oh, wait....that's not a book...

It's an amp!!!!

The look on his face when Daddy brought in his electric guitar!

Keanu-Storm, Riza, Asia-Faith, Angus, Willow-River and Ryan

Singing "Happy Birthday" with Nana and Papa via Skype...

Time for water balloon fights!Willow-River taking aim...

~* Peace and Love *~