Congratulations everyone! I guess it's time I told my story. I have had 3 kids. The first one was born in 3.5 hours without too much trouble. He was 3 weeks early and weighed 3303grams. My second was born in 2 hours 13 mins and weighed 2995 grams. She was ten days early. So when my third baby came, I was expecting another early birth, but he decided to wait. He was born 1 day early on what would have been his great grandfathers birthday. His birth is a story to be told so here goes!! Good Friday 2003, I had strong braxton hicks contractions on and off all day. They were very irregular and would come and go so I didn't worry about them and went on about my day. My husband and I went to bed about 10pm that night. I was watching the footy on tv. About 11pm just as I was drifting off sleep I had my first contraction. It was a lot stronger then the braxton hicks I had been having earlier. I thought, ok this might be it, so I'd better try and get some sleep. Only 4 minutes had passed and I was having another one. My reaction was it must be braxton hicks again as I didn't think they would start off so close. I got up and went to the toilet where I had another contraction. I got back to bed and woke my husband up who woke our other kids (10 years and 7.5 years), and rang his mum to tell her we would be dropping the kids off there shortly. I went back to the toilet where I discovered I was bleeding. My husband rang an ambulance and his mum again and told her to come quickly (she has had 8 kids, and he needed her support. She also took our other kids home). By the time the ambo's got there my contractions were coming 1 minute apart. I was being put into the ambulance screaming through yet another contraction and all I could think of was that I had only been in the new house for 3 weeks, and now I'm screaming out the front yard at midnight!! The ambulance left with my husband close behind. We got 2 minutes up the road when I began to deliver. I gave birth first to the sack of waters which then broke on the outside, leaving me to have a dry birth. Leaning over pillows on all fours allowed the baby to drop into the birth canel and slide out easliy.(all 3 of my kids were born this way). My babies head was born with the cord wrapped twice around his neck. He was blue. They put the oxygen mask on the face straight away, while I delived the shoulders, which took four contractions, as there was no fluid to asist, and the shoulders where stuck. Finally my baby boy was born-in the ambulance-outside our local ambulance station!!! The entire labour was 1 hour and 10 mins. He was born at 12.10 am on the 19th April 2003 weighing in at a healthy 4120 gram. He was my biggest baby born, but he was the quickest and easiest to deliver, so don't fret if they say you are having a big baby. I had no pain relief, and no stiches or grazes. Brady's birth even made it into our local newspaper. He became a real celebrity in the hospital that Easter Saturday!!
Good luck to all, and stay safe over the xmas/new year holidays.
Mother of 3, Qld