Happy Birthday Mason | Mason’s Birth Story

Happy Birthday Mason | Mason’s Birth Story

Today Mason, my youngest, my last baby, turns two. I honestly can’t believe how fast two years has flown by – I can blink and I am back in the haze of the newborn days, and then I blink again and I have a beautiful crazy toddler, who knows his own mind and is fiercely independent, but is yet still the cuddliest of my babies.

I found out I was expecting Mason early September 2014. From the beginning I felt a sense of calm as I worked out my due date was days apart from Sophie’s due date. Mason was destined to be my May baby – he was due on 28th May 2015.

The early days of my pregnancy were not fun. Izzie had just started in reception and I was struggling with HG which after 12 weeks just went to regular morning sickness. The shock of the school run whilst taking a bowl to throw up in on the way was a new one for me – my first pregnancy where I had to be out of the house in the morning.

Izzie didn’t adjust too well to starting school – every morning she would cry and cling to me and I would end up back at the car in tears. Ollie had decided a pushchair was no longer for him and every school run was a ridiculously slow walk with a not even two year old, trying not to throw up in bushes along the way.

We were ecstatic to find out at our 20 weeks scan that we were expecting another little boy and I threw myself into organising, switching Izzie and Ollie’s rooms so the boys could have the bigger one, and washing all the baby clothes that belonged to Ollie.
At one point we had so much stuff stacked in the corner of the living room it became a standing joke.

Aside from the sickness, my pregnancy with Mason was relatively straight forward – aside from some low platelet issues that developed around 28 weeks, and a hospital admission at around 31 weeks for a severe chest infection that brought on an asthma attack.
That was hard as we were sent to A&E expecting a prescription for antibiotics, and I ended up admitted, in oxygen and unable to breathe.
Ell coped so well with Izzie and Ollie for the three days I was in hospital, especially as they were also poorly too – and I felt so guilty for not being there.

Hospital admission aside, I started getting random contractions around 36 weeks of pregnancy – just as I had done with Ollie. My lovely midwife Carol – who I’ve mentioned before was my midwife at the start of my induction with Izzie, there when we lost Sophie and I also met when I had Ollie, had gone into community midwifery and was my midwife for my whole pregnancy.

She was so lovely, and I will forever remember her kindness – she always used to book my appointments for the end of the morning so we could have extra time to chat.

It was suspected that I had started slow labour and the last few weeks of my pregnancy were tough – I was randomly in pain and then other times totally fine.

Around this time Ollie started having night terrors, and would wake throughout the night screaming and refusing to sleep in his bed. It was a really tough time. This continued long after Mason was born and at points Mason as a newborn was sleeping better than 2 year old Ollie.

After losing Sophie as ever I was really vigilant about movements and in the last few weeks we were sent to Swindon a couple of times to monitor movements after a slow day.

I had organised a football presentation for 40 people on the Saturday before Mason was born on the Thursday and this was the last photo taken of me – none of my feels fit and I had to wear flip flops as my feet were so swollen!

The day before Mason was born at 37+6, I woke up and felt a random burst of energy. I had been feeling so tired and it was a bit unnerving. The random pains were coming more regularly but they weren’t too painful – I was just aware of them.

I realised we had no food in the house and set about taking Izzie to school and then dragging Ollie round our local co-op throwing random food into the trolley – it really was the biggest mish mash of things. A few weeks before I had panic written a ‘guide to Izzie and Ollie’ for my mum and mother in law with all the information about what they needed for school and their routines etc, plus how much to feed the dog and the cat.
I ran into my ex neighbour and mentioned to her I was feeling a bit out of sorts and we joked that baby would be here soon.

I then got home and put away all the washing. I started tidying the cupboards and found some cardboard lunchboxes (like happy meal ones) and for some reason decided to make a load of lunches up for the kids in the fridge. Ollie then wanted to go on the trampoline and so I led on it in the sun while he bounced around me.

The tightenings were still bugging me and I rang Ell and asked if he could come home and go to my already booked midwife appointment with me.

At the appointment, I mentioned to the midwife about the pains and also that the baby’s movements weren’t as obvious today. She suggested we pop to GWH to be monitored to be on the safe side. Ells mum came over to sit with the kids and I clearly remember the kids being on the trampoline and kissing them goodbye and jokingly saying ‘if I don’t come home tonight I will bring you home a little Brother tomorrow’. Little did I know how spot on I was.

When we got to Swindon they put me on the monitor, which was showing me having three contractions in 10 minutes but I wasn’t feeling them. The baby definitely wasn’t as active but I was still shocked when the doctor came round and told me we were being admitted for induction – I had a little cry as I was in shock and then rang my mum to say we wouldn’t be coming home and that she would have to stay with Izzie and Ollie.

When I was examined by the midwife in the delivery room (the room that Sophie had been delivered in – again fate) I was 1cm dilated but my cervix was still high. They mentioned the ward was busy and that they would insert the pessary overnight to see if anything kicked off – if not they would break my waters in the morning.

Ells mums friend Tracey who works at GWH popped in to see us at that point and somehow managed to wrangle Ell an actual bed. I was feeling the contractions mildly after the internal and put on my tens machine that I had borrow from my friend Ruby, which really helped. I managed to get a decent nights sleep, with a few twinges – however not as good as Ell, who slept solid next to me – snoring if I remember rightly! 

The actual birth story part of this is pretty boring. At 9am my waters were broken and immediately, as with Ollie I had full blown contractions that I couldn’t talk through. Within 5 minutes I was on gas and air and that’s where I stayed. The tens machine made no impact at all at this point. I’m sure Ell went and got breakfast at some point but I was totally off my head on the g&a.
About 10.45 I started asking to push and saying I couldn’t do it anymore and I wanted a c-section (always a sure sign the finish line is near) and the midwife checked me and said that I was 10cm and to start pushing.

Mason was born incredibly quickly – I pushed like a crazy person – I always really enjoy the pushing part.
At 11.02am on THursday 14th May 2015 our beautiful baby Mason Thomas Brushneen arrived into the world weighing 7lb and 14oz at 38 weeks gestation exactly.
Due to his super speedy delivery (2 hours and 2 minutes from the contractions starting and 15 minutes of pushing) he was born with a very bruised face (facial congestion). The very first photos we have of him, he was so swollen and purple bless him. Also because of this, his temperature dropped very quickly and he had to go in a warming cot to bring it back up.
I needed a couple of situches as I had retorn on a previous tear (possibly on the scar I had from the episiotomy with Izzie).

We were totally in love with our gorgeous (purple) boy. Ell as ever was totally amazing, and I have said it every time, but that moment when our babies are born, I have never been more in love with him. There is something about a man holding their newborn baby. He has always been the first to dress them and is so natural with them.
Within a couple of hours and after a little rest I was up and about and determined to get back home to my babies.
Just after lunch we were told we could be discharged when the padictrician had been round and my meds had been put up – I had to inject with clexane injections (that’s a whole other story – injecting myself was not fun).

Unfortunately due to a busy ward by 7pm we were still waiting to be discharged. I think I had a mini meltdown at that point as I had face timed Izzie and Ollie and had promised them we were coming home.
Ell went and spoke to one of the midwives and I think possibly told them I was turning into a hormonal mess about going home, and within half an hour all the checks had been done and we were on our way home.

We finally arrived home with our beautiful boy at 9.40pm and naughtily woke up Izzie to meet her new brother. She was so excited we were home and to meet him – it was so lovely.

The next few days passed in a blur of school runs (I did my first one to show him off when he was 4 days old) and injecting myself (I wasn’t good at it and got loads of bruising) and running backwards and forwards for postnatal checks in at the Midwife unit at Chippenham (apparently they don’t come out round here now unless they have to) and obviously in a beautiful baby haze.

Mase was a a chilled baby, and has continued to be so – I think having two older siblings, he just had to fit in and he has continued like that.

I honestly can’t believe he is already two – I’m totally pining for the baby days – writing this had added to my broodiness but I know he was always destined to be the last Brushneen baby – forever his Mummy’s little baby, and totally adored by us all.

Happy Happy 2nd Birthday Little One – you made our lives more compete than you will ever know – your cheeky personality, your happy face and your ability to make us all laugh, we love you so much and I am so lucky that I get to be your mummy.

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