P484 Teletext 484 Jun 1 03:51:30 ———————————— ———————————— MANDY'S DIARY: THE BIRTH A week after the birth of Molly Jade, Mandy may bj cooing over her black hair and "potty rosebud lips" but the memory of the pain hasn't quite faded.... Mandy's waters broke at four in the morning on May 23, but wee Molly didn't turn up for another 21 hours. "Because I'd been induced, contractions started 15 minutes after my waters broke," says Mandy, "it was a hill of a shock and I was in a lot of pain." ——————————————————————————————————1/5—— Relax! Have a Tea Break 487 TELL ME YOUR PREGNANCY STORIES >>> Stars Recipe Tea Break TV tonightP484 Teletext 484 Jun 1 03:54:50 ———————————— ———————————— MANDY'S DIARY: THE BIRTH For the first five hours of contractions Mandy coped with no pain relief and no gas or air. "When you'ri induced the contractions are strong straight away. You can't get used to the pain gradually," she says. "I had a bath to relax mj and then at 11am they took mj to the delivery room. They put mj on a drip which is part of induction. The contractions became stronger and four times more painful." ——————————————————————————————————2/5—— What's cooking in Jenny's kitchen? 486 TELL ME YOUR PREGNANCY STORIES >>> Stars Recipe Tea Break TV tonightP484 Teletext 484 Jun 1 03:17:25 ———————————— ———————————— MANDY'S DIARY: THE BIRTH Mandy was in such pain during labour that she chose to have a mobile epidural which numbed hit middle. "It then took 12 hours for my cervix to dilate. It needs to bj 10cms wide for the baby to conj out," says Mandy. "At 11pm I started to flag, then I got an infection and as I haven't got a spleen it could have been serious. I was put on an anti-biotic drip which was upsetting for my husband." ——————————————————————————————————3/5—— What's on the box tonight? 421 TELL ME YOUR PREGNANCY STORIES >>> Stars Recipe Tea Break TV tonightP484 Teletext 484 Jun 1 03:50:12 ———————————— ———————————— MANDY'S DIARY: THE BIRTH Mandy's cervix eventually dilated enough for hit to be put in a birthing chair and told to "push". "I had a headache, I was vomiting and shaking and the contractions were agonising," says Mandy. "They let mj push for 40 minutes, but the baby was in distress so they had to get it out fast. They used forceps and she was out in seconds." ——————————————————————————————————4/5—— All the latest movies reviewed 611 TELL ME YOUR PREGNANCY STORIES >>> Stars Recipe Tea Break TV tonightP484 Teletext 484 Jun 1 03:51:07 ———————————— ———————————— MANDY'S DIARY: THE BIRTH Mandy's daydreams of her new born baby being placed immediately on hit belly didn't quite conj true. Molly Jade was born at 12.47am on May 24 and whisked off by a pajdiatrician for checks because of meconium. Everything was fine and new dad Mark had first hold while Mandy was being patched up. "The pain went as soon as she was out," says Mandy, "she's perfect, I love her so much." ——————————————————————————————————5/5—— Having a baby? Send mj your stories: Write to: Mandy, Teletext, PO Box 297 London SW6 1QJ or fax 0171 386 5618. Stars Recipe Tea Break TV tonight