Hi girls, has anyone else's little one gone through a stage of being awful in the mornings? Hugo constantly wakes up in a bad mood, won't eat breakfast, won't get dressed, moans and cries all morning, it's so difficult when we are both working and have to be out of the house by 7:45. The only thing I can do to calm him down is bf him but I don't have time to do that when I'm trying to get ready for work. He loves nursery when he's there so it's not that, although he says he doesn't want to go beforehand. Please say this is just a terrible twos phase as mornings never used to be this tough, I'm getting on the bus on the verge of tears some mornings and feel relived to get to work to escape the almost constant whining! Then I feel guilty HELP! 😖

My birth story 23.02.14 Hugo Charles Skinner

Hugo was due on 23 February which was a Sunday. By Wednesday, he'd still not arrived so I was offered a sweep and a reflexology treatment. I found the sweep very painful but it seemed to do the trick! I was bleeding all day Thursday and I had light period pains in my lower back which got progressively stronger. I spent the day bouncing on my ball and keeping an eye on the builders who were still working on our new kitchen! Hubby got home from work at around 6 pm and I told him that I thought things were happening. I phoned my mum at 7pm and as I was talking to her I had my first contraction!

After that the contractions got stronger and closer together quite quickly and as I was bouncing on my ball I thought my waters had gone as there was a gush (at the hospital they told me that this was probably just a show).

We went up to our bedroom at about 9pm and bought the ball with us which I kept bouncing on. Hubby rubbed my back and we sat in candle light listening to my hypnobirthing cd and chatting. I felt really relaxed. We used oils - lavender and clary sage which we sprayed around our room and hubby massaged me with them. I remember feeling really excited and happy - not how I thought I would feel at all! It was a really special time and I loved that we hadn't told anyone that things had started. We were using an app on my phone to count and time my contractions and we were surprised by how quickly things were progressing. When the contractions got stronger and started to hurt more, I got my tens machine out which I found brilliant. It really took the edge off the pain. By about 11pm my contractions were coming about every 3-4 mins and were getting more uncomfortable so we called the hospital and they told us to come in.

By the time we were ready and everything was packed into the car it was about 11:45. Hubby went to move the car closer to our house as it was parked up the road. I saw him from the bedroom window and I could tell straight away that the car was refusing to start!! I think hubby was a bit panicked by this but somehow I stayed really calm (not like me at all!) and told hubby to order us a taxi. Luckily there is a taxi firm 1 min from our house and they sent a car straight over. The driver was really friendly telling us about his children etc! It wasn't too embarrassing either as I had one contraction just as I was getting into the taxi and another just as I was getting out - the hospital was only a 4 min drive that night as there was virtually no traffic going through twickenham.

We got to the hospital around midnight and it was very quiet. By now my contractions were getting more painful but the tens machine was still helping. We got sent to a waiting room for 10 mins or so. We were the only ones in there. I then got taken through to triage. I told the midwife that I thought my waters had gone and that the contractions were getting painful. She examined me and I was between 2-3cm dilated. She also said that it didn't look like my waters had gone yet. She said I could either go home and come back later or I could stay and get some gas and air. I opted to stay as the pain was getting worse and I didn't fancy having to get another taxi!

We got sent down to a small ward with about six bays which were all empty so we had the whole thing to ourselves. After about half an hour I got the gas and air which I found really good. I was still using my tens machine as well. The next few hours passed by so quickly and we were left just to get on with things. After a while though the pain was getting too and I asked for something else to help. It took the nurse ages to come back and hubby had to keep going to find her. My gas and air also ran out so I was having to just rely on my tens machine which wasn't really helping anymore.

I was stressing out a bit by this stage as the pain was horrible and I felt like we'd been forgotten about! There didn't seem to be anyone around! After about an hour, the nurse finally arrived with some meptid which was injected into my leg and a new gas and air canister. The meptid made me feel very groggy and like I was drunk. It also made me throw up all over the place! I felt horrible and I was sure I must have dilated a lot more by now but there was no-one around to examine me. I also had another gush and my waters properly went. I remember thinking that finally now I should get some attention but when I told the nurse she really didn't seem bothered and disappeared for ages again! Eventually I was examined by a midwife - I was 7cm and I could now go to the natural birth centre and get into the pool. I was so happy! By now it was morning.

A lovely midwife called Natalie came and got me along with a student midwife called Laura. It took me about 20 mins to walk to the birth centre along the corridors as my contractions we're coming thick and fast and were painful so I had to keep stopping. It was 7am by the time I got into the pool and the relief was immediate. I put my hypnotbirthing cd on repeat. The next few hours are a blur. Time passed so quickly. I think I was in her pool for about 4 hours just bobbing around and using gas and air. Hubby had to keep propping me up as I got really drowsy. Hubby said I was talking complete nonsense most of the time and kept asking for a pitcher of Pimms which they found very amusing! At 11am I got out of the pool and was examined. I was given another injection of meptid as it was really hurting, I was fully dilated and the midwife said it wouldn't be long now and I should be able to start pushing.

Time whizzed by again but not much was happening. I was getting exhausted and didn't have any urge to push. Hubby kept trying to feed me nuts but I kept throwing them up. I was now lying down on her floor with Natalie regularly monitoring baby's heart beat with a doppler. I remember thinking "why is it taking it so long when I was fully dilated?" More hours passed and the pain got worse and worse. I still didn't have any urge to push but Natalie told me needed to try. I was now squatting with a mirror under me so Natalie could see what was going on. I remember pushing and the pain was absolute agony. I'd push well for a short amount of time and then I would lose it as the pain/pressure was too much. It felt as though I was trying to do the biggest poo as all the pain was all in my bum. This went on and on for ages.

By about 3pm I was utterly exhausted and I couldn't take it anymore. I'd been very calm up until this point but I lost it. I was screaming and I remember begging for an epidural which they said I couldn't have as it was too late. I was so distressed and my contractions had really slowed down. Natalie kept telling me to push but I knew that I couldn't. I was eventually taken into a side room and a doctor gave me an injection of something to help my contractions come back. This didn't work. I again was screaming and swearing as the pains got worse and worse. The doctor told me that it was clear by now that I wasn't going to be able to get baby out on my own. She said that they could try a forceps delivery but if that didn't work I would need a section. I didn't care at this point and I signed the form consenting to forceps and c-section.

I was wheeled into theatre. I was still screaming and crying, dreading the next contraction as the pain was now unbearable. Hubby had to change into scrubs. He was crying and had leave the room to compose himself. I'd never seen him cry before. I was shaking terribly. I've never been so scared. The relief from the epidural was immediate and amazing! About 5 mins later, after a couple of tugs with the forceps by the doctor and some very lame pushes from me, Hugo wad born weighing 6lb 12oz. When I heard him cry for the first time, it was the most surreal experience - I couldn't believe that was my baby making that noise! In the space of 5 mins, I'd gone from feeling absolute horror and desperation to pure joy. I remember looking at hubby who was crying and saying "that's our baby crying" They were cleaning Hugo up at this point and checking him to make sure that the forceps hadn't hurt him. Vish was called over to cut the cord and then he bought him over to me all wrapped up in a towel and we just stared at him. He looked so tiny! I took a quick photo of my boys on my phone.

It took them an hour to stitch me up. I'd had an episiotomy and suffered a third degree tear so I didn't get to hold Hugo for while. I was still shaking uncontrollably. Hubby went to phone his parents and mine to tell them the news.

Once I had been stitched up, they wheeled me into a side area and I finally got to hold my beautiful baby boy. He was put on to my chest and he latched on to my boob straight away - and he's pretty much stayed there ever since! The midwives bought us tea and toast and I can honestly say it was the most enjoyable meal I've ever had! I had to spend the night in hospital as I had to wait for the epidural to wear off. I had a catheter and I also needed to go on an antibiotic drip due to the tear. That night was amazing. The ward was full so rather than sleeping in a chair hubby decided to go home and get some much needed sleep so it was just me and Hugo all night. I couldn't move easily due to the epidural so he just slept on my chest all night feeding as and when he pleased. I don't think I slept a wink all night, not because of all of noise, but because I couldn't stop staring at Hugo. I lost my heart that night and all the pain and suffering was quickly forgotten.