Right. Now for the important details concerning the birth of my daughter, the beautiful Miss Avilee Elisa Gillett, who entered the world on 21st December 2007 at 20:15, weighing in at 7lb 3oz (or 3260g as they insist on recording it and measuring it).
But first, we shall start at the beginning, as it is the right place to start.
Kathryn announced to her friends on New Years Eve that her New Years Resolution was quite simple, that she would have a baby by the end of the year.
So we started the year off on a health kick – No alcohol, lots of smoothies for Mummy and Daddy (that’s us!), Co-Enzyme Q10 and Selenium ACE supplements for me (rocket fuel for the boys!), Folic acid and vitamins for Kat, and lots of good healthy eating – fruit and veg galore.
Two months of detox, a special course of Reflexology for Mummy-to-be and a few weeks of trying (the fun part!) and we conceived – hooray! An early birthday present for me 
Kat then had to put up with three months of all day morning sickness before she could start enjoying the idea of being pregnant and looking forward to the new arrival.
Moving house and putting up with Daddy-to-be doing some major DIY and decoration around the house for months on end seem to make up the large portion of the second half of 2007. Kathryn grew her bump steadily bigger and enjoyed winding down her work life in readiness for being a full time Mum.
We both went to Ante-Natal classes – not too much silly breathing as you might think. Biology and Physiology
We appreciated how clever the human body is.
We met midwives, who have a wonderful job, and were very kind to us
We became members of the NCT. We met new friends who had bumps due at the same time too!
We made a few trips up to the hospital to check on baby and all was well.
We had ultrasound scans and saw baby grow.
We had fetal heart monitors attached to bump and heard baby’s strong healthy heartbeat.
We waited to see what it would be.
We bought bargains at NCT nearly new sales and made the single room a Nursery
We should have bought shares in the company that made all the Raspberry Leaf Tea that Kat drank towards the end (ripens the Cervix. So there.)
Towards the end of the pregnancy, Kat got SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction) to add to her general discomfort and ended up hobbling round on crutches to take the weight off her Pelvis.
Her due date, the 13th December came and went, and another 7 days passed until our bump decided to want to come into the world.
Midwives decided to book a date in the diary to be induced – the 27th December.
On the 20th December, Kat started having contractions. Her contractions started increasing steadily, on and off from 7am, really getting going regularly that night around 7pm. The TENS machine was strapped on and Kat bounced on her Gym ball to help things along. Seems like all the Raspberry Leaf Tea is paying off.
Excited phone calls were made to selected friends and family, as promised to let everyone know that things were happening. We settled in for the long evening ahead and passed the time in good humour watching repeats of Whose Line is it Anyway recorded on Sky.
Calls were made to the hospital. Happy labouring at home you say? OK – wait until they’re 4 mins apart lasting a minute and then come in.
Daddy-to-be spent his time logging contraction times and reported progress to his labouring wife. Nice progression and on our way up to contractions every 4 mins. Bags were loaded into the car. The windscreen was de-iced and we were going to be ready to roll as soon as the time was right.
And then it stopped.
What!! What do you mean it just stopped? Exactly that. Contractions that had been so insistent on getting closer just disappeared. The hospital was rung and apparently “Yes, that can happen. Try and get some sleep.” Great.
We slept. For 3 hours.
On the morning of the 21st December, Kat couldn’t really feel the baby moving. Those magic words which swing things into monitor mode “Reduced Fetal Movements”, meant that we went up to the hospital about 7am (thankfully literally 5 mins drive away), still contraction-less, to be strapped up to the Fetal Heart Monitor again.
Once attached, as always, baby stirred and kicked the pads and showed a nice healthy heartbeat.
Some mild, infrequent contractions came and went.
Kat’s Mum arrived at the hospital around 11am to see what she could do to help her daughter, and also give me the opportunity to get some sleep – I got as far as walking outside before realising that there was no way I was missing a second of it, sleepy as I was, and headed straight back up to the ward again.
Once the doctors had assessed Kat, given that she was 8 days over her due date, they decided that they would induce her that day. She was given the gel pessary at 12, and contractions started in earnest again at 1pm. So wether she actually needed to be induced is debatable, since it ordinarily takes far longer than that for the pessary to take effect.
Anyway, contractions started becoming more regular again, and the afternoon was spent with Kat labouring again receiving helpful foot and leg massages from her Mother and I to help her through. Her Dad arrived around 6pm to see how his daughter was getting on, and to take her Mum home. About 6.30 pm, Kat was starting to be in far more pain than previously with each contraction, and I asked the midwife on her behalf if she could have some pain relief – the midwives inspected Kat and found that she was progressing nicely and was about 4cm dilated.
They suggested at this stage that she have a warm bath to see if that would help. Her parents were preparing to leave us to it, and head on home before they were asked to leave the ward at the end of visiting hours.
So, I took Kat off to the prepared bath on the ward, and the minute her naked self hit the water, her contractions started coming faster and shorter. It was all I could do to wash the water over her to try and keep her warm. I think she lasted around 10 mins before she couldn’t take it anymore. So, previously I had the contracting wife nicely contained in a hospital bed, dry, clothed and ready to go. I now had the exact opposite. I managed to somehow dry her and clothe her and get her back towards her bed. This was when any notion of her birth plan went to hell and she started demanding an epidural. She really wanted me to tell them that she wanted an epidural. She wanted one NOW.
The midwives were a little “well of course you’re having pain, you’re having a baby!”, but when she was next inspected the attitude changed very swiftly. “OK, you’re progressing VERY well – you’re fully dilated, and we’re off to the delivery suite!”. Her parents were just leaving at this stage and we waved goodbye to them as Kat was wheeled from St. Catherine’s across to the delivery suite in a wheelchair. This would be about 7pm.
My sister’s story of her husband desperately needing to pee throughout the delivery and having to run off almost immediately after the birth prompted me to inquire as to the location of the nearest gents. I ran out of the delivery room, promising to return ASAP, and immediately ran in the wrong direction, much to the considerable disappointment and consternation of the two doctors/midwives/nurses on the reception desk of the delivery suite, or in urgent tones informed me that I was heading for the Operating Room, must stop what I was doing and not run in the future. I was pointed in the correct direction with a look as if to say “Tsk! Expectant Fathers!” and a knowing smile from the guy behind the desk. I’m sure I’m not the first running muppet he’s had to deal with. Anywho, after what seemed like the longest pee of my life, I made it back to my labouring wife.
We managed to catch a change of shift and had the attention of two midwives as we arrived. Seemed like we were the only ones having a baby at that stage, and had the place to ourselves. The midwife started to put a canula in her hand for an IV and to get her hooked up to the baby monitor, still with an eye to getting an epidural arranged. Thankfully at this stage, Kat could start having some Entennox (Gas and Air) which made her drunk in a hurry, but helped take her mind off the pain of the contraction.
It became very obvious that there would be no time for the epidural
Whilst the midwife was trying to flush through the canula in her hand with saline, Kat protested that she would have to wait until the current contraction had passed. “But that contraction has finished?”, “Yes, but after every contraction I need to push …”, “Really?”
A quick inspection and the midwife announced that she was sorry there would be no epidural as the baby’s head was crowning, and would be here soon
I was grateful that I’d attended my ParentCraft class at that stage since I was asked to assist in getting an AmniHook from a supply cupboard in the room. I’m not sure who was the more suprised, me for remembering what it was supposed to look like, or the midwife when she learned that I knew what she was asking for
A consultant was briefly called in to assess whether Kat was going to need an Episiotomy, but they decided that her services would not be required.
Contractions came on quicker and I heard the words I’ve been waiting an eternity to hear “OK, Now PUSH!”.
I jumped in with “Come on Honey, Come on Honey!” to which the midwife asked me if I was an American.
“What? No! I was born up the road in Guildford and I’ve been here ever since …”
Apparently my “Honey” sounded quite American. “Evidently too much US TV dramas”.
At some stage my supportive “Come on Honey!”’s got a little louder than the midwife opposite me would have liked, and I was told to calm down. I turned my volume dial down from 11 to 5 and all was well.
Despite the explicit instructions earlier in the pregnancy that Kat didn’t want me anywhere near the business end, and wanted me at the head end, I realised rapidly that my midway position, holding a thigh to help the midwifes without resorting to stirrups, and using my cold hands as a cold compress on Kat’s face (“Hands! Face! NOW!!”), meant that I was going to see the whole show.
The birth of my daughter was truly miraculous. I could see a mop of dark hair, with more hair on display with every push.
The actual birth was remarkably quick – I think the midwifes continued to be suprised by just how quick Kat had progressed.
A few more pushes and the head was out, one more and the rest was out
It was 8:15pm, and I think we had only been in the delivery suite for a little over an hour.
I got to tell my wife that we had the girl we had hoped for, as soon as the midwife turned her over! “It’s a girl – It’s Avilee – Avilee’s here!”
I very nearly cried, it was a truly overwealming experience.
Avi was cleaned up a little bit, and then laid on Kat’s chest for the all important skin to skin contact we had heard so much about. Previous concerns about a slimy child were banished as our pink and alert little girl let out little cries on her Mummy’s tummy.
Her Apgar score was 9/10 after a minute (think she lost a point for not crying immediately or something)
Whilst Kat was having her stitches done, we sat and cooed at our daughter. She was quite happy, wide eyed and taking the world in.
Eventually, she was weighed and tagged on both her feet and Daddy got to fit his first nappy and clothe his daughter for the first time.
The first of a thousand photos was taken.
Kat could have a shower and we wheeled Avi in her perspex cot to join her in the huge delivery suite bathroom.
Daddy set to work texting the world, and called grandparents from the room, although technically I shouldn’t have been using the phone in there (“But if I’m not here, and you didn’t tell me, then no-one would know …”)
Her name was confused in translation and her middle name was widely reported as Elsa by mistake. Kat’s Mum was touched that Elisa was chosen after her.
Everyone wanted to know where the name Avilee came from – we have always loved “Avi” for short after some friends of ours named their daughter Aviendha, and we had also liked all the named that ended in “lee”, so we combined the two There are other Avilee’s out there in the world, but they seem to be few and far between. They must all be very special. Ours certainly is.
