To my littlest man

A year ago tomorrow at precisely 9.42pm my life changed forever - forever for the better.

Jack Graham Brodrick 10lb 13oz (4990gms) 59cms long

When I close my eyes I can still feel the excitement and anxiousness building while waiting for my contractions to start - watching the clock tick by waiting for that first little sign that you were making your way into the world.

In what was to become so much like you, you arrived with all the bells and whistles blaring. Just like it is today, four years ago the Olympics was playing in the background. Ausralia was celebrating a gold medal win and just as the first strains of Advance Australia Fair began playing you took your first breath. Your Daddy and I wonder whether it's an omen of what's to come - maybe you'll one day be an Olympic athlete. Your Daddy thinks more like a politician since you've been blessed with the gift of the gab.

Looking at you now, it's so hard to imagine that you and that chubby bubby are one and the same. You've become such a little man and you amaze me everyday with your thoughts and actions. You are now, and always will be my little ray of sunshine.

Happy 4th Birthday Little Man xx

And since I have it saved on my computer and various places all over the WWW - here's Jack's birth story:

Jack Graham (aka Horace throughout pg)was born 16th Aug 2004 at 9.42pm. Weighing 10lb 13oz, 59cm long and with a head circumference of 36.5cm.

Where to begin...At 36 weeks an ultrasound estimated that Horace's size was already 9lb 2oz, so I begged them to induce me before 40 weeks. I know most people hate the idea of inductions, but Liam was 8lb 12oz and I had heaps of trouble delivering him (failed vacuum extraction, episiotomy and forceps delivery) so I was scared that the same thing would happen again. The OB said no for the time being and to discuss it with him at 38 weeks again.

So 37 weeks comes around an it's a different OB and she doesn't even want to talk about inductions, so instead I convince her to give me an internal to see if anything is happening. Thank god - I am 2.5cm dilated and 30% effaced, so I can finally have my induction.

16th August, 2004

7.45am Arrived at the hospital and was shown to a delivery suite and was told to make myself comfortable and that a m/w would be with me shortly.

8.30am Still no sign of any m/w.

9.00am M/w comes in and explains that since I am an elective induction, I have a lesser priority over some of the other patients, and that she was about to go and do an emergency caesarian, I had to bide my time. She said not to panic and that my baby would be still born today.

Between 9am and 11am I have several m/ws check in to see how I am and to make sure that I am settled in.

11am Another m/w and student come in and want to break my water. She has two goes and can't break the membrane. Another midwife has two goes as well and she can't break it either. They call in an OB to have a go. The OB gets it first go, but I think it's because she is SOOO much rougher than the m/ws. Anyone who tells you that having you water broken doesn't hurt, lies. (Then again maybe it was just that OB).

Between 11am and 1.30pm Nothing was really happening except fairly mild contractions.

1.30pm Here is where the pain started to kick in. This is when the m/ws decided that I was officially in labor. From here the contractions were at about 2 minutes apart and lasting for about 45 seconds. The m/w offered to check how dilated I was, but I said no as I was not too concerned as I knew I still had hours to go.

4.00pm Decided it was time for the gas. At this point the only comfortable position for me was sitting straight upright with my legs handing over the side of the bed. The gas was great. At first it wasn't doing anything, so the m/w turned it up and suddenly, WHAM, the room was spinning. I didn't tell the m/w that as there was no way I was letting go of the gas.

6.00pm Time for the epidural. I was really concerned about getting this, as it was patchy with DS1. Between contractions, I managed a discussion with the anesthetist as to why it didn't work last time, and was it going to happen again. Basically the answer was, I don't know - to both questions. By this stage I figured, what the hell, he is here anyway, might as well do it. It took 5 attempts and staying still during contractions is almost impossible, but boy was it worth it.

7.00pm Pain free and kicking back watching TV. After Liam's birth, it was really weird to be in labor and not in pain. I could still feel when I was having a contraction, but it just felt more like pressure rather than pain. I don't believe that I slept at all during this stage, but I did really relax.

8.50pm The pressure is getting a lot stronger and I feel like I need to push. The m/w checks me and tells me that I can push whenever I am ready. This starts off a flurry of activity - things are getting wheeled in, other things moved out.

The bed is getting set up for the stirrups (I asked for them to help push). Did you know that they end of the bed comes off for these? I found it quite fascinating, the m/ws were laughing at me.

It was at this stage that I started to get a bit panicky. I had got a hemorrhoid the day before and I was terrified that it was going to get worse and/or I'd get more. The m/w thought this was funny and said that it should be the least of my concerns. Brian thought that me having a hemorrhoid was hysterical and proceeded to call it Roy and informed the m/w of this. So here I am, legs in stirrups, in full labor, big hemorrhoid sticking out of my bum, and Brian and the m/w are pissing themselves laughing at my expense. I was not amused, as you could imagine.

Suddenly the room is full of people, there are 2 trainee m/ws (one of which is delivering the baby), and 3 other m/ws. They start telling me to push harder when I have contraction, 3 pushes per contraction. Between contractions they are all talking amongst themselves, but soon as one starts building they all are staring intently between my legs. As the head starts to crown, they ask Brian and my mother if they want to look. Brian declines, but they talk him into it. I can tell by the look on his face that he was a little horrified by what he saw, but my mum is almost crying. They ask me if I want a mirror - No thank you!!! One of the m/ws is giving me a running commentary of how much of the babies head you can see. It's the size of a 20c piece, it's the size of a vegemite jar. By the time she got to margarine container, I was beginning to think he was never coming out. How much bigger could his head be??

9.42pm All of a sudden he was there. They told me to stop pushing while they cleared his airway, but the next contraction pushed him out without me trying. I was stunned. I just lay there, I didn't know what to say or do. I could hear the m/ws laughing and I was starting to stress out, but all they were doing was placing bets on his size. They brought him to me and my first thoughts where, "Oh my god, no wonder I was so fat". He was the boofiest thing I had ever seen. But he was also the most precious thing (well equal to his brother) that I had ever seen.

After this, it was the usual, deliver placenta, get stitched up (2nd degree tear), feed baby, have shower.

And thus - Jack Graham entered the world.