Charles Robert Wright Smith
Son of Victoria and Robert Smith
Born on the 14th of April 2013, at King’s College Hospital,
weighing 7lb 4oz
I’m from the North East of Scotland, and I met Rob when he was there on holiday. Rob was living in a village in Northamptonshire at the time, so our relationship was long distance for a while.
We visited each other a couple of times, and met each other’s families, but we hadn’t met up very often when Rob asked me to move to London with him. It was an impulsive thing to do, to move 600 miles to be with a man I’d only spent a short amount of time with, but on the 23rd of December 2003 I moved to London to be with Rob. We married on the 25th of September 2010, in Scotland.
We were excited and nervous when we found out that I was pregnant. Our flat was on the market and we were planning to buy a house and do it up – Rob loves a project! We had an offer on the flat not long after we found out about the pregnancy, so we were rushing around trying to find the perfect house in time. We eventually found somewhere, and completed the sale on my due date!
The due date was 28th March, but this must have been well out because I didn’t give birth until 14th April. I felt as though I was waiting forever! Because of the hassle of finding a home and moving I hadn’t been able to attend any NCT classes, so I felt a little clueless. I was very happy that my mum was staying, and she helped me out while Rob was still working.
I had some chest pains on 8th April, and told the midwife that I thought it was my breasts filling up with milk. The hospital went crazy and admitted me. I was in for two days, having scans to rule out a clot in my lungs. I was nervous that the CT scan would affect Charlie, but they reassured me that it would be okay. In the end, they found nothing – I knew they wouldn’t, but I suppose they had to check. I was given a sweep before leaving hospital but it didn’t do anything.
On Friday 13th April I had another sweep. It was quite painful, but it felt like this time the midwife had definitely done something. On the Saturday we went out for lunch, as it was my mum’s birthday on the Monday. There was a newborn baby at the table next to ours, and I’d heard if that you’re around young babies near to your due date it helps you to go into labour. We had a short walk and went home. That night my waters broke.
We arrived at the hospital at 3am, and I was being sick. I wanted to have an anti-sickness injection, because I didn’t want to go through labour being sick at the same time. I was taken into a small room and, after a wait, I was given the injection.
The staff were quite busy and thought that my labour was only in the early states.
For some reason, the only way that I could deal with the pain was to go into myself and not make much noise, so I think that because I wasn’t screaming out they thought that I had a while yet. They moved me to a ward and left me to it. Rob and my mum where trying to get me some pain relief, but were told that they were doing rounds. Finally, after what seemed like forever, my mum got someone to check me, and I was full dilated and ready to push Charlie out.
I was taken to the labour ward. I asked for some pain relief but was told that it was too late! I hadn’t had anything apart from my anti-sickness medication – not even gas and air. It hurt! Rob was so helpful, he held a monitor against me – he was like a midwife’s assistant! My mum was with us too, and she was a rock.
Charlie was born at 9.50am. I was quite shocked, because the process of pushing hadn’t seemed to last very long, and Charlie wasn’t breathing straight away – they said that he was shocked too. Then he was given to me to hold and it was perfect!
I donated the umbilical cord blood to the Anthony Nolan Trust. The doctor who took it said that it will definitely save a life, which was really nice to hear. King’s College are a super hospital – their care leading up to the birth and during the pushing part of the labour was fantastic.
We came home on my mum’s birthday, and she said that it was the best birthday ever. Her first grandchild had been born. We had a meal and spent ages staring at Charlie – he was perfect!
Rob is such a hands-on dad, and he helped me so much in the two weeks that he had off work. Now Charlie’s nearly eight months old, and he’s doing really well. The house is great, too – it’s starting to feel like a family home. I miss my home in Scotland so much, and my family, but now I have Charlie here as well as Rob, we are a family of our own.
