So in my last two weeks of pregnancy I started itching at night soooo bad! I would wake up through the night wanting to shave my skin off, nothing would help the itching. I was bright red, uncomfortable and miserable!!

I told my midwife about the itching and she was immediately concerned and asked me to come in for blood tests. Turns out I had developed Obstetric Cholestasis which is when your liver produces too much bile/toxins which makes you itch.

I was 39+1 and the midwife said they would just go ahead and induce me, so they sent me home to get my bags and ship the kids off to their grandparents.

They induced me with the pessary at 4.30pm and immediately me and my partner set to walking the hospital corridors in an attempt to bring labour on. 3hrs later I had nothing but a sore back from all the walking. We went back to my bed and I bounced on the ball for a bit before settling down to bed - disappointed nothing had happened yet.

11pm came and my poor partner was trying to sleep in the chair. I told him to go home and get a good nights rest and I would call if anything happened - I was so convinced nothing was going to happen.

I went to sleep and woke up at 3am to a *pop* my waters had broke! I called the midwife and asked if I should get my partner to come back. She said she would check me first to see where we were at and go from there. So I txt him anyway to let him know and went to the toilet to clean myself up and change clothes. By the time I was walking back from the toilets I was definitely having contractions.

The midwife checked me and I was 4cm already by 3.30am! So I txt my partner to come back and the midwife said she would take me down to the labour ward. I warned her with my first delivery I went from 4cm-10cm in 2.5hrs so this could be quick too! She took this on board and raced off to tell labour about it and that I was on my way down!

Someone was helping me gather my things and said they would bring it all down if I started walking, by this point the contractions were coming a lot closer together. I walked a maximum of about 7 yards before they were coming after every step. The midwife got me a wheelchair and whisked me off.

By the time I got into the room and up on the bed they were coming thick and fast! They checked mine and babies vitals and said baby might be getting a little distressed so could they clip a monitor to her head. All I could muster was “er er er er” the midwife began to explain again thinking I was against it when in reality I just couldn’t get the words out! As she began to explain again suddenly I had the urge to push! I managed to say “No!! I need to push!!!”

So pushing began and my partner still wasn’t there, a few people came in and out of the room but they weren’t him! I asked where he was - in between pushes and they said he was on his way and not to hold back on my pushes...which admittedly I kinda was because no one wants their partner to miss the birth of their child!

He finally made it! I could put my all in to get this baby out! She was harder work than my first, she was bigger and her hand was up on her face - so I didn’t have that respite period where the head is out and you can have a quick rest before squeezing the body out!

A few pushes later at 4.30am we welcomed Cora Jayne Roberts 🥰 the most intense 90 mins of my life, I worked my butt off but wouldn’t have it any other way!