I wrote this a few days after, so if it's waffly that's why! 
I had a false labour for 5 hours between 1am-6am on Xmas Eve morning and was really shattered Xmas Eve (we had the in laws down that afternoon which didn't help and tbh I could've well done without it). So when I started to get pains again on Xmas Day at around 12pm I thought it was just that happening again. I was very uncomfy Xmas Day and couldn't bend over at the hips at all, not even to get the milk out of the fridge as she was so low down so I guess I should have realised something was going to definately happen.
We walked round to my mums at about 1pm for lunch and I continued having pains throughout the day roughly every 10 mins in my back. I didn't want to say to anyone that I thought that I was in labour in case I jinxed it or I wasn't and I'd look silly for thinking I was iykwim. I had a proper full show whilst I was there at about 6pm. I started getting more uncomfy but still didn't say anything. At 8pm we left mums, walked back and I got into the bath. After my bath I put on my tens machine and got Matt to start writing down the times of the contractions, I still didn't believe that I was in labour properly. I watched a few episodes of Little Britain and kept an eye on my contractions, they were quite erratic, mostly in my back. I'd get 3 in my back spaced 8 mins apart, then a real bad one in my back and tum 5 mins apart. Decided that I'd better get my labour bag together incase I had to go to hospital so moved upstairs and started to pack that and Ella's bag. Realised that we hadn't installed the car seat so at approx 11pm Matt was out front putting that in.
Contractions were more painful and more frequent (every 5-6 mins), came on the net to check out labour bag lists. Decided at 12am to call labour ward to see about being checked over to make sure that this was definately it (I was in denial!) and because I felt I could do with a bit of gas and air, plus the homebirth idea didn't seem such a good idea as the house was untidy, I hadn't prepared our room and I was tired/scared. They told me they wanted me to stay at home as they were short staffed and wait for my midwife to come round to check me over, but she was in Exeter and would be quite a while. Hung up, went to the loo and found that I was bleeding. Suddenly realised that this was it and I probably was in labour, called the hospital back and they said that the bleeding was normal and to wait for my MW. Came back upstairs and lay on the bed but was in a lot of pain (contractions every 4 minutes) and the tens wasn't really helping anymore so after 30 mins Matt called the hospital back and said he wanted to bring me in and managed to persuade them to let me go in there. Got in the car and I was getting contractions every 3 minutes and felt very sick, was gripping onto the handle thing in the roof for dear life when I was getting one as I couldn't sit down (MW has since said that I was in the transition stage at this point).
Arrived at hospital, left my bags in the car as I was sure they were going to send me home again, had some horrendous contractions on my way up to the 5th floor and the labour ward, finally got up there at 1.15am. They sent Matt back down to the car to get my stuff whilst they showed me to my room, I got straight on the loo as I could feel I was still bleeding and wanting to make sure there wasn't loads there, had a bad contraction which the nurse stayed with me through as Matt wasn't there. Afterwards I ripped off my pj bottoms, the tens machine and my rudolph socks (no mean feat!) and flopped on the bed. Matt came back and was trying to get me to breath through the contractions as they'd told me that I had to wait for my MW to get back from Exeter to examine me, but she wouldn't be long. She had got back but was feeling really sick from being in the back of the ambulance and was having a 5 minute rest. At this point I was desperate for some pain relief and I hadn't been examined so I'm not too happy then, or now, about the fact that they make you wait for a MW from your team (I'd not met this one before). As she came in the room I had the mother of all contractions and suddenly felt the urge to push (my body just took over). Things were really stinging down there and I was screaming for her to help me as I was in agony. I thought the baby was coming out as it hurt really bad and I could feel something down there, anyway she whipped off my pants and found that my membranes were bulging, with that my waters broke.
I went into shock at this point, partly because of the pain and because I'd been in denial for so long about being in labour and trying to work through it. She hooked up the gas and air and I started breathing it in as much as I could. Was soon well out of it (which was a relief!). She gave me a painful examination and said I had no cervix left and was fully dilated and could start pushing, but first of all I had to move up the bed a bit. I really didn't want to start pushing and remember grumpily asking her how long it was going to take as I was too tired to do it and couldn't they just cut it out as I wanted to go home. She told me that we couldn't always get what we wanted and yes I did have to push the baby out. She also told me off for breathing the gas and air when I wasn't having a contraction (hell I was keeping topped up!). Then I said that they were going to send Matt home as soon as I'd had the baby as it was late, and she told me to worry about one thing at a time and first of all that was to get the baby out.
Well I couldn't have held onto that baby if I'd wanted to as my body had other things in mind! After a couple of smaller heaves I had a massive massive push and her head popped right out. I was shouting that it was stinging and the MW asked if I wanted to know why and I grumpily told her 'no'. Then a couple minutes later I stated 'the heads out isn't it' and she said 'yes, that's what I was going to tell you earlier'. So I told her to just pull it out then, obviously she refused
After another push and some sort of shoulder wiggle by the midwife the rest of her came out, the pain seemed to stop (apart from the stinging, I thought all the outside of my bits had been pulled off!) and they flopped this squawking, wet, purple bundle onto my chest (she smelt like the butchers shop aswell!). So from getting into hospital to her birth it took 47 minutes.
I had planned to deliver the placenta naturally without the injection but they had to get it out quick as I'd lost quite a bit of blood and they needed to stitch me up before things got too swollen. Had some more gas and air whilst they were injecting me with local anaesetic then settled back (with my legs up!) to meet my little girl, who was looking around and sucking her hand.
The MW arranged for Matt to stay with me until morning and for us to have a private room which was lovely of her and we were moved downstairs at 5am after I had a freaky shower (I thought I was going to faint and went deaf for a couple of minutes).
At 7.30am the paedtrician checked her over and declared her healthy to come home and we left hospital at 10am.
There we go!
I had a false labour for 5 hours between 1am-6am on Xmas Eve morning and was really shattered Xmas Eve (we had the in laws down that afternoon which didn't help and tbh I could've well done without it). So when I started to get pains again on Xmas Day at around 12pm I thought it was just that happening again. I was very uncomfy Xmas Day and couldn't bend over at the hips at all, not even to get the milk out of the fridge as she was so low down so I guess I should have realised something was going to definately happen.
We walked round to my mums at about 1pm for lunch and I continued having pains throughout the day roughly every 10 mins in my back. I didn't want to say to anyone that I thought that I was in labour in case I jinxed it or I wasn't and I'd look silly for thinking I was iykwim. I had a proper full show whilst I was there at about 6pm. I started getting more uncomfy but still didn't say anything. At 8pm we left mums, walked back and I got into the bath. After my bath I put on my tens machine and got Matt to start writing down the times of the contractions, I still didn't believe that I was in labour properly. I watched a few episodes of Little Britain and kept an eye on my contractions, they were quite erratic, mostly in my back. I'd get 3 in my back spaced 8 mins apart, then a real bad one in my back and tum 5 mins apart. Decided that I'd better get my labour bag together incase I had to go to hospital so moved upstairs and started to pack that and Ella's bag. Realised that we hadn't installed the car seat so at approx 11pm Matt was out front putting that in.
Contractions were more painful and more frequent (every 5-6 mins), came on the net to check out labour bag lists. Decided at 12am to call labour ward to see about being checked over to make sure that this was definately it (I was in denial!) and because I felt I could do with a bit of gas and air, plus the homebirth idea didn't seem such a good idea as the house was untidy, I hadn't prepared our room and I was tired/scared. They told me they wanted me to stay at home as they were short staffed and wait for my midwife to come round to check me over, but she was in Exeter and would be quite a while. Hung up, went to the loo and found that I was bleeding. Suddenly realised that this was it and I probably was in labour, called the hospital back and they said that the bleeding was normal and to wait for my MW. Came back upstairs and lay on the bed but was in a lot of pain (contractions every 4 minutes) and the tens wasn't really helping anymore so after 30 mins Matt called the hospital back and said he wanted to bring me in and managed to persuade them to let me go in there. Got in the car and I was getting contractions every 3 minutes and felt very sick, was gripping onto the handle thing in the roof for dear life when I was getting one as I couldn't sit down (MW has since said that I was in the transition stage at this point).
Arrived at hospital, left my bags in the car as I was sure they were going to send me home again, had some horrendous contractions on my way up to the 5th floor and the labour ward, finally got up there at 1.15am. They sent Matt back down to the car to get my stuff whilst they showed me to my room, I got straight on the loo as I could feel I was still bleeding and wanting to make sure there wasn't loads there, had a bad contraction which the nurse stayed with me through as Matt wasn't there. Afterwards I ripped off my pj bottoms, the tens machine and my rudolph socks (no mean feat!) and flopped on the bed. Matt came back and was trying to get me to breath through the contractions as they'd told me that I had to wait for my MW to get back from Exeter to examine me, but she wouldn't be long. She had got back but was feeling really sick from being in the back of the ambulance and was having a 5 minute rest. At this point I was desperate for some pain relief and I hadn't been examined so I'm not too happy then, or now, about the fact that they make you wait for a MW from your team (I'd not met this one before). As she came in the room I had the mother of all contractions and suddenly felt the urge to push (my body just took over). Things were really stinging down there and I was screaming for her to help me as I was in agony. I thought the baby was coming out as it hurt really bad and I could feel something down there, anyway she whipped off my pants and found that my membranes were bulging, with that my waters broke.
I went into shock at this point, partly because of the pain and because I'd been in denial for so long about being in labour and trying to work through it. She hooked up the gas and air and I started breathing it in as much as I could. Was soon well out of it (which was a relief!). She gave me a painful examination and said I had no cervix left and was fully dilated and could start pushing, but first of all I had to move up the bed a bit. I really didn't want to start pushing and remember grumpily asking her how long it was going to take as I was too tired to do it and couldn't they just cut it out as I wanted to go home. She told me that we couldn't always get what we wanted and yes I did have to push the baby out. She also told me off for breathing the gas and air when I wasn't having a contraction (hell I was keeping topped up!). Then I said that they were going to send Matt home as soon as I'd had the baby as it was late, and she told me to worry about one thing at a time and first of all that was to get the baby out.
Well I couldn't have held onto that baby if I'd wanted to as my body had other things in mind! After a couple of smaller heaves I had a massive massive push and her head popped right out. I was shouting that it was stinging and the MW asked if I wanted to know why and I grumpily told her 'no'. Then a couple minutes later I stated 'the heads out isn't it' and she said 'yes, that's what I was going to tell you earlier'. So I told her to just pull it out then, obviously she refused
After another push and some sort of shoulder wiggle by the midwife the rest of her came out, the pain seemed to stop (apart from the stinging, I thought all the outside of my bits had been pulled off!) and they flopped this squawking, wet, purple bundle onto my chest (she smelt like the butchers shop aswell!). So from getting into hospital to her birth it took 47 minutes.
I had planned to deliver the placenta naturally without the injection but they had to get it out quick as I'd lost quite a bit of blood and they needed to stitch me up before things got too swollen. Had some more gas and air whilst they were injecting me with local anaesetic then settled back (with my legs up!) to meet my little girl, who was looking around and sucking her hand.
The MW arranged for Matt to stay with me until morning and for us to have a private room which was lovely of her and we were moved downstairs at 5am after I had a freaky shower (I thought I was going to faint and went deaf for a couple of minutes).
At 7.30am the paedtrician checked her over and declared her healthy to come home and we left hospital at 10am.
There we go!
@ she smelt like a butchers shop
I was a wreck and far from in denial, I wanted them to put me out 
