Then three became four...

My dear readers I am thrilled to report that you are in good company. It appears Mother Nature, or at least the purveyor of civilised and no-fuss labours, does in fact read this blog. And best of all she takes requests! So cast your wish below and you might just be rewarded like I was.

On Friday our second darling daughter, Miss L, made her way into this world with minimal fuss and maximum ease. She is completely divine and has already forced me to eat my earlier envious words. Her birth was so calm and straightforward that I found it, err, empowering. Truly! What's even more telling is that since Miss L's arrival i have thought to myself - more than once - that a really bad knee reconstruction would be a lot worse. I kid you not.  Can you believe this is really me???

I sort of can't. For a start it happened two weeks earlier than I expected. Last week when I waxed lyrical about the joy of maternity leave I did not expect the baby bit to kick in quite so soon. At least not consciously.

In hindsight, however, it seems on some level I knew what was coming. When Mr G and Miss I went to visit his family in the country for two days I weighed up my options. Embrace the break and do absolutely nothing or go absolutely nuts on the home front and use the remaining two weeks to slowly get prepared? Now ordinarily when 
faced with two such options I would be horizontal on the couch inhaling rocky road and Vanity Fair faster than you can say bliss. But this time I went with the latter. 

I was possessed; I washed and sorted all the baby clothes, i finalised the last details in the nursery and I then proceeded to attack every corner, cupboard and crevice in our flat with unprecedented fervour. I tidied, I scrubbed, I cleaned, I sorted and I shopped. Nothing was safe. When I found myself outside scrubbing our courtyard  I realised something was odd. I was nesting like a crazy woman.

Mr G and I laughed during my first pregnancy about this whole 'nesting' concept we read about; we both knew it was highly unlikely the affliction would strike me. Ever. And first time around we were right.

This time around we weren't because this time was different. In every single way. From the minute we arrived at the hospital to the moment i had a beautiful baby in my arms, the experience was serene and stress free. An epidural administered at the right time certainly contributed to this but so too did the fact my body seemed to have read up on all the textbooks and followed the steps set out to a tee.

We relaxed while my body did its thing: if you watched video footage of Mr G and I kicking back in the delivery suite I swear you would not guess I was in labour. Well, except for the telltale sign that we were in a delivery suite. We chatted, laughed, read the papers, did sudoku, debated what variety of baby might be joining our clan...and frankly had quite a bit of fun. Seriously. Mr G played with every contraption in the room while I contemplated marrying every person who came in my vicinity.

In my blissed-out state I was ready to marry the anaesthetist, the midwife, my obstetrician and Mr G in one big happy polygamous ceremony. Because all together we were having my baby and we were cool, calm and collected. Mother Nature had picked me!!!

My high was compounded exponentially when everything culminated in the swift and peaceful arrival of a healthy bundle of baby girl. Could this world be any more amazing??? I'm afraid I can't see how. Having any healthy baby arrive in your arms is no small miracle so having two feels akin to winning one of life's great lotteries. And when the second comes with ease? Well that feels like  it was one of the really big mega pick, lottery bonanzas so right now I'm feeling pretty darn lucky.

I had planned on spending some quality time blogging over the next two weeks but obviously that is now most unlikely. Which is a tiny shame because I had a few timely topics I needed to canvass with you - such as how I was feeling before the imminent birth of my second child!! - but alas. For the next  little bit  I'm going to play NABM by baby. If time and mental capacity permits I'll be here with bells on but if not I will be ensconced in baby land. But if you ever want to talk uplifting childbirth stories I am your woman and for that topic I will forever be available.