Ask Mummy Gibson

{see Mum's last post here}

Tomorrow is 7 weeks since the birth of our beautiful Cheli. The time has absolutely flown and we have settled into our new normal with four in our little family now.

Today Mum headed to the U.S for 18 months, but more on that later, before she left I asked her what she remembered about my own birth.

Mum and Cheli  2014

Can you tell me about my birth?

Jessica was the fourth child in our family, the others being 18, 15 and 6 when she was born, all girls. 

We didn't figure on a boys name at all, we thought that would tempting fate. 

We had many discussions and arguments about a name so in the end we all put a name in the hat and agreed the one drawn out was it. The name Jessica was put in by Simone. 

I had worked right through my pregnancy and had put on the most weight of all 4 pregnancies.  I had been extremely tired throughout and found it very difficult to maintain work etc. I also suffered with blood pressure which I had had since Collettes birth six years before. 

I was 40 in the July and she was due on 31st October.  I worked up until the school holidays in early September, thinking this was giving me time to rest before she was born. 

I was on weekly visits to the Doctor because of the blood pressure and he became concerned that the baby was stressed. 

All my children were induced and on the visit on 25th September he said that's it, in tonight and induced tomorrow. 

Neville and I had Chinese for tea and then I went into hospital for the night to prepare me.  

In those days they still did the shave but were not so keen on the enema.  

I liked the enema so I asked if I could have one but they didn't do a really good job.  At 8 am Dr Roberts-Thomson broke my waters and inserted an IV drip to induce labour.  

The contractions started straight away and came thick and fast. 

There was a lady next door whom I knew and I could hear her making lots of noise, it was really funny as later in the week when I saw her and asked what timeshe had had her baby he wasn't born until the next day.  

Her labour had stopped,I couldn't believe it when she was making so much noise.  

There really isn't a lot to tell for the next 4 hours I had full on contractions. 

Neville and the doctor stayed the whole time and they had lovely chats about all sorts of things. 

Jessica was born around 12 o'clock on 26th September, 1988. 

She weighed 9 lbs. 6 ozs.  

It was the bi-centennial year and she was sent a medallion for being born in that year. 

I had the usual episiotomy with stitches, stayed in hospital 10 days and then went home to a mad house with 3 girls and a father all vying for her attention.

Thanks Mum! 

I wonder if you took the recommendation that baby should sleep outside in the daytime as much as possible, even on a cold day, seriously?

*update: corrected ages at birth as dictated by Simone.

Lisa - 17
Simone - 14
Collette - 5