Charlotte - My Beautiful Daughter

My waters broke at 2am on 22nd December 1995. I was in labour for 48 3/4 hours. I'd been transferred from Clacton Maternity ward to Colchester Maternity Home. I was 36 weeks and Clacton didn't want me there, because it wasn't 37 weeks....and apparently 1 week makes a whole world of difference in the teeny tiny baby world!!!!

We were put in the private labour room, then I was put in the ward, then in a delivery room. I was there so long we'd been given the black and white tv and then progressed to the colour....I was a VIP by then.

My tummy was the strangest shape, she was all on one side and the other side was flat....well...relatively.

Eventually after the drugs....and the waiting, hadn't worked, they finally decided that maybe this little person wasn't going to do the job on her own. We were both getting rather stressed and the Dr decided that it might be rather a good idea to knock me out and give me an emergency caesarean....great....just what I didn't want to hear. Unfortunately it was several people against 1, so I had to relent.

At 2.45am on Christmas Eve, a little girlie bundle was born...Charlotte Emma ...she was 7 1/2 lbs and despite being 4 weeks early was one of the biggest babies there. She was beautiful and I couldn't stop looking at her....once I'd come round that is.

So here she is all growing up and nearly a teenager.....and even more beautiful....