I
was born on Monday, 5 March, 2001, at 7:34 pm Australian Eastern Standard
Time in Calvary Hospital, Canberra
(Australian Capital Territory). I weighed 3405 grams or 7 lbs 9 oz and was
50 cm or 20 inches in length. My Mum was in hospital for 10 days before my
birth!
At about 2 am on Friday, 23 February, Mum got up to go to the bathroom and
went back to bed. As she sat down on the bed she had a funny feeling. Her
waters had broken.
Mum went to Grandma and said "I think my waters have broken." Mum
checked with the hospital where I was supposed to be born and asked what to
do. She was told to go directly to the nearest hospital and get checked out.
Well, Mum did that, and she was admitted to the hospital right away. Grandma
was all ready for me to arrive immediately, but nothing happened!
Mum
decided to stay at Calvary Hospital
because she wanted me to meet my great-grandmother, Dodie, as soon as possible.
So, we stayed and got to know the nurses. Mum was really bored in hospital
and she spent a lot of time reading, watching TV and doing cross-stitch. She
learned how to breastfeed from the videos and how to take care of me after
my birth. Every day she was hooked up to a machine and my heartbeat and movements
were recorded. One day I got the hiccups! Mum thought it was really funny
and couldn't stop laughing because my hiccups were recorded on the paper running
through the machine!
The
decision was made by the Registrar that Mum would be induced on Tuesday, 6
March. Mum talked to me every day as the day grew closer and finally said
to me, "Well, if you don't decide to do this tomorrow, you're going to
be forced out." By 6 am on Monday, 5 March, Mum was having regular contractions
about 15 minutes apart. At about 10 am Dad arrived and Mum sent him away to
get some sleep. By 3 pm Mum was moved from her room into the birthing suite.
She was put on a drip and given IV antibiotics and (stuff) to help augment
the contractions. Mum's second stage of labour was only 1 hour long. And I
was born at 7:34 pm.
Two weeks later we returned to Canberra so Dodie could perform a Naming Ceremony.
She officially named me Ryan Morgan Gibbs, and my sponsors are Jason, my uncle,
and Kim, Dad's good friend.
Only two weeks after my naming, Dodie died. She was determined to stick around
to meet me, and she achieved her goal. Mum misses her lots and will tell me
lots of stories about her as I grow up.
