Zebra's husband here. Copying this from my post in her journal:
Here's what you've all been waiting for
Meet Caitlyn, born on 4th Sept at 15:51 GMT, weighing in at just 5lb 12oz. She is tiny!!
We went in for induction on monday morning, starting on the propess by midday. The labour ward was hectic that day and so for us, not much happened apart from her being strapped to the CTG monitor a couple of times.
Tuesday she was given the gel, which combined with some walks around the hospital/grounds and some bouncing of the birthing ball, kicked off some nice strong contractions, especially after the 2nd lot of gel. She eventually took some cocodemol for the pain, and later on some pethidine was administered. I stayed until around 2am as the painkillers had relaxed her a lot, I'd been advised to go home and sleep. Her waters went about an hour after I got home, but she was told my the midwives to get some rest.
After a good sleep they moved her in the morning to a labour room, just as I arrived at 8.30am. First examination around 10am showed she was 3-4cm dilated, although baby was back to back at this point and not squarely on the cervix. At 1pm she was examined again, this time in a better position and showing 3cm but this is due to the head being properly on the cervix now.
Contractions were nice and strong as the afternoon went on, and we thought we were in for a long day. She was using gas and air and enjoying it for a while, but had a very dry throat, so she kept drinking water between contractions. She stopped using it eventually as it became less effective. A second dose of pethidine was administered, a decision I helped her make as I could tell she needed the edge taking off again.
At around half past 3, I was getting drowsy and decided to close my eyes for a few minutes. I awake moments later to her saying my name. I grab her hand, assuming it was a particularly tough contraction. The midwife took a quick look and exclaimed "I can see her head". I was totally shocked and suddenly had a big grin across my face. Within 15 minutes Caitlyn was born, at 15:51. As her head came out I got all teary eyed. It was an amazing moment.
My wife was very brave throughout the day and coped incredibly, both with and without relief. It was very tiring for her, especially after a few nights with very little sleep. After almost every contraction she would doze off for a few minutes and then awaken for the next one. She kept calm and quietly coped the whole time. It was a day I'll never forget, proudest moment of my life. My own little family!