Rose Erica Lise Blackburn arrived at 16.29 on 19th Spetember, weighing 6lbs 12ozs and 4 weeks early. After all my worrying about having a giant baby, she’s a wee thing who doesn’t fit into any of the clothes or knitwear I have for her, but she is a sweetheart.

I should have known something was up last Friday when I got the urge to clean out the fridge! The following morning, I started having mild contractions but because I was convinced that she would be late like her brothers, I ignored them til lunchtime when it became clear that it was probably the real thing. Because the acceptable range for a homebirth is 37 to 42 weeks, I called my wee sister to come over and look after the boys so that Mr B and I could go to hospital. Wasn’t happy about this at all, but I was getting past caring.

Unfortunately, or fortunately perhaps, by the time my sister arrived and I managed to get dressed to go to the hospital, it became obvious to me that she wasn’t going to hang around and so Mr B called the hospital to get the midwives to come out which they did, with the advice to call 999 if the baby started arriving before them. Which she did! *gory bit coming up which you might want to skip over* My waters broke at that point, so Mr B called 999 and then had to get down the business end to see if he could see the head. Which he couldn’t, but he could see feet..! Everything went a bit mad at that point as the midwives and paramedics all arrived and seeing that she was breech, it became a bit hairy. I was fortunate because I couldn’t see what was going on as I wason all fours concentrating on pushing, whereas Mr B could see that she was coming out all blue.

After what seemed like forever, she slipped out and after another age, she started crying. She was whisked away in one ambulance and I was taken away in another one. I had to be wheeled onto the ambulance on a stretcher which I felt was a bit unnecessary, but I think made the best entertainment the street had seen for ages, baased on the large group of children watching from across the street!

Despite her unconventional arrival, Rose was fine and after staying overnight on the maternity ward (where I got not a wink of sleep thanks to various comings and goings and the women on my right snoring like a warthog) we went home on Sunday morning.

Now I just plan to spend the next couple of weeks being waited on hand and foot.

I’ve been having a non-knitting few days due to feeling like a whale. I suspect that bump has also decided to settle into position and this basically means I can’t walk far without feeling as if my insides are going to fall out of my bottom. I have spent a lot of time arranging baby clothes instead, which I can do sitting down!

I’ve dabbled with a couple of baby things, but am now being a faithful knitter and concentrating on the outstanding projects which really need to be done. So I’ve been working exclusively on the grey Having Hope socks and have just four pattern repeats left of the cuff. Not that exciting to photograph so imagine this:

almost doubled. I don’t want unfinished sock guilt when I go into labour, after all.