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Erika.

July 26th, 1999 at 06.35am weighing in at 9lbs 2ozs, she arrived.

In the blink of an eye, eleven years have gone by since the arrival of our beautiful daughter. The first grandchild on both sides, a huge amount of excitement surrounded this little girls arrival.
The due date was the 12th of July and being first time parents, we thought that would be the day! It is also my Mother in Laws birthday, so it was destined to happen that day.
11 years on, 3 children later, 7 pregnancies later, we know that nothing goes to plan in the baby making game.
But novices we were.

My husband’s sister was due back to Amsterdam and changed her flight in anticipation of this arrival. After she had changed her flight a couple of times more, over the next few days, she went back. Just as well because it was a good 14 days later before we had news.
I remember walking a lot, eating an awful lot of spicy Indian food, jumping up and down and finally walking around Ballsbridge again and again. Shuffling more like because walking was very difficult, the baby just weighed down on me and it was actually quite painful to walk.
A false alarm, about 9 days into the waiting game was of course on the cards. The desperate need to finally be in labour had me convince myself and darling husband, that the Braxton Hicks contractions were really labour. We had out the paper and the pen, the timing written down meticulously, but false alarm it was.
Home again and back to walking!

I remember walking around to the old Lansdowne Road stadium, The Corrs were playing to a huge crowd. I got talking to a young Garda, who invited me to sit up on a wall and listen (he even helped me up on the wall, goodness help him!!). I’m sure looking back, he was sure I was going to give birth there and then, as I was looking very uncomfortable. To this day, she loves the Corrs so a lot to be said for hearing things inside the womb.

I was finally brought in and induced. This was all very different to the birth plan, we had painstakingly made out curled up on a sofa, at home in the calm surroundings of our little house. I was Semi- private, so it was all done by whatever staff were on duty. I remember mixed up, in all the excitement of finally getting somewhere, feeling quite uncomfortable with all the initial prodding and poking. By the time she arrived 22 hours later, I didn’t care anymore who came near me, there had been many examinations over those hours.

When they finally broke my waters labour really kicked in and I remember thinking between the contractions,’ How did I ever mistake Braxton Hicks for this?’
I have scoliosis in my spine so an epidural was not on the cards. Gas and Air all the way, helped along with the odd injection of pain relief. I was quite out of my head at times and my husband has many a hilarious story of things I did and said during those 22 hours. I remember believing he and the midwife were talking about me and being really suspicious of them. Sorry Denise!

Finally the waiting was over and she tumbled, burst into the world. Of course more drama as she had the cord so tight around her neck she wasn’t breathing and was a very strange colour. The Senior Midwife, Breid moved fast and soon had her receiving suction and oxygen, after what seemed like an eternity she began to breathe and relief turned to huge excitement as we finally held this beautiful baby girl. The phone calls got made and the news was spread. Erika had arrived, safe and sound amazing!

To this day, I still remember Breid O’Dea and Denise Doyle who delivered her, I don’t remember any doctors names because they were not there.

To Breid and Denise, I say thank you and tell you that she has brought us so much joy over the years and is growing up to be amazing. Erika still wows us every day so here’s to the next lot of memories.
As she approaches teenage years and all that, that has to offer we do have those days, where I often think give me back the little toddler who was so funny and sweet, but then I remind myself this is normal just growing up pains!!

So Happy 11th Birthday my gorgeous girl.

Posted by Mother of 3.

Here is Erika aged 2.5 blowing out candles.
Erica Candles

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