Catalina Sánchez Martí

On Tues afternoon Rosario had random contractions so I came home early from work thinking she'd get over it. The following morning I realised she hadn't slept all night (my sleep too profound to notice) so we gathered our belongings and headed to hospital - at one week early the little lass was ready.

Juanita joined us (she got told off for being too loud by one midwife) as my Mum rushed up on the train from Surrey to babysit so I could support Ro. The nurses wanted to send Ro home when they measured less than 2cm dilated but we knew the score! We insisted they find a bed for us (just as we did with Juanis). So by 10am she was in a bed in the antenatal ward taking mild painkillers every four hours. By 2pm she was 5cm dilated and in regular pain. We had trouble getting her painkillers (last time they gave her an epidural at 4cm) and we discovered it was 'cos they only gave epidurals in the labour ward downstairs; it was full. We begged the midwife there and she felt bad; said her hands were tied. The labour ward was full and so was the postnatal ward. The contractions got worse and worse, and we made enough noise so that we got a bed eventually at 6pm. She was nearly 7cm dilated. It was so much faster this time, with Juanita Ro was still bordering 4cm at this stage.

The midwives were great. Abigail (pictured) was very calming with her Jamaican accent, and when Ro was fully dilated (10cm) at 11pm it all went so smoothly when Catalina popped out at 11:35pm I wandered what all the fuss was about. What pain? Rosario did really well, before 'giving the light' (as they say in Spanish) several midwives said she looked quite glamourous for a mother-to-be. Abigail said she made a great effort and had done brilliantly. She didn't even scream 'nunca jamas' through gritted teeth as she pushed (it means 'never ever again').



Well done Rosario. Another triumph for the female of the species. It's three to one in the Sanchez Martí household. And I quite like it.