I Couldn't Have Put it Better

As expectant mother and father, with two beautiful daughters, we couldn't help feeling that we should be used to the combined experience of hospital, midwives and labour. But this time is somewhat different.

On the advice of the team of health professionals (and I use the word professionals advisedly), today was the day that Fred Jellybean would be invited to join us in the big wide world. A condition affecting a couple in a hundred of pregnant women beset us, and with due care was admirably managed by Beloved.

Nevertheless, the date was set and we found ourselves in the aptly named bay of the maternity ward for an early kick off. I couldn't resist taking today's shot. I stood next to the midwife station, pointing phone camera at closed doors and to my surprise, not one eyelid was batted by the staff. Hmmm, I can't be the first to have spotted the obvious connection. Someone suggested the ward had 5 bays, but sadly I had no time to go looking for E BAY.

Today's experience lasted for something around 14 hours for me starting at noon, involving hand holding, coffee buying and drinking, relative phoning and driving. For Beloved, all of the above and testing, monitoring and form filling, with a degree of discomfort, quashed by pain relief in the early hours for a few hours rest.

Thanks to my wonderful Sister, the girls were well looked after and organised throughout. Tomorrow is their first day at school for the Autumn term and she has volunteered to get them there, together with her own.

I returned home at 2am and crashed to be ready for the roofers to arrive at 8am. Nevertheless, life is good.