Part 3

After walking around for 20 minutes I lay back on the bed in the theatre and Dr Berral was able to give me the first successful internal examination of the day and saw that I was 5.5cm dilated. He said that it would be around another 4-5 hours before delivery as with a first pregnancy the cervix dilates at a rate of a cm per hour.

So Tanc decided to go and find something to eat as it was now 10.30pm and he could finally relax a bit after the day's tension and before the final act. Well, next thing we knew my cervix was fully dilated and Willow was right there ready to come out. All the staff put on their theatre outfits and the lighting set up and I was rolled into position. The only thing left was to find the husband! Dr Berral called his mobile and discovered he was in the port having a tapas and a beer. Tanc had to fly back, put on his greens and run in to where we were all waiting for him! There seemed to me to be about 10 people gathered around my nether regions. Tanc stood by my head holding my hand and saying reassuring things.

It was never going to be an easy delivery as Willow was over 9lbs but the next half hour required an enormous amount of strength from me, the doctor and 2 nurses sitting on my chest, pushing my stomach. Dr Berral was telling me to take a deep breath then push with the next contraction but you try taking a deep breath with 2 women sitting on you! Anyway, it wasn't working and the doctor said, scarily to Tanc, I have to talk to you. We feared the worst, but he went on to say that he would have to us the suction and that he only had 3 tries before the baby would become distressed. It only took one almighty pull/push combination from all of us and Willow was dragged out. Funnily enough her heart rate did not even really change! She was placed onto my stomach and I will never forget the feeling of her skin. It felt like hot, wet velvet. She was then taken by Yolanda and Tanc out of my view to where she was smacked in an effort to start her breathing. I couldn't hear anything and kept calling out to Tanc but soon all the staff were clapping as she took her first breath. It was such a surreal experience, almost out of body experience.

Dr Berral was busy sewing me up with his best cross-stitch technique. Seemed to take an awful long time which was slightly worrying!

Yolanda brought Willow back so I could have a proper look at her. Wow! Good work! She is beautiful! I was rolled back to our suite which was adjacent to the baby room where Tanc had gone with Willow to see the paediatrician and have the tests. Just as I was lying back, obviously shell-shocked, the sky suddenly filled with fireworks! What a magical ending to a hell of a day!