My name is Danielle, and I would like to share all of my birth experiences.

My first pregnancy was uneventful, with no morning sickness, not much weight gain. All was well until week 35 when I was told that my baby was breech. I was told by the doctor there was no chance of him turning, as he was too big. I was booked in for an elective Cesarean section on January 1, 1999, and I was so excited.

Then at my 36-week checkup I had high blood pressure and protein in my urine. I had to stay in the hospital for the day for monitoring. At 6 p.m. I was told I had an hour to go home and pack my bags and ring my family because my baby would be born the next morning (21/1/99).

I got back to the hospital at 7 p.m. and was admitted to the ward. The next morning I was prepped for surgery and was told I would be going down at about 10 a.m. That time came and went and I was still pregnant. I was told that two emergencies had come in and I would have to wait. I was sympathetic for the other women, but I was so anxious about the surgery and I was starving (I had been fasting since midnight) that I just wanted to get it over with.

Finally at 11:45 a.m. I was taken down to the operating theater and I was given the spinal. The doctor said it would take about 10 minutes to kick in, but mine was instant. I panicked and automatically assumed I was paralyzed, but I was reassured that I wasn't and it just takes to some people quicker.

They started the first incision at about 12:15 p.m. and I was blissfully unaware. At 12:25 I asked the doctor if she had started yet and she said that she could see the baby's feet. Needless to say I was stunned and couldn't feel a thing.

That all changed as they were having trouble getting the baby out. I had two doctors pushing on my tummy and I felt like I couldn't breathe. Then the doctor actually got on the bed to press on my tummy and that seemed to work because I heard the most wonderful sound, my baby's first cry.

The pediatrician took the baby to check him and clean him up. Then I got to hold him while they stitched me up. He was so perfect and he just stared at me, sizing me up.

My husband then went to the nursery with him to be checked and I was taken to recovery after being stitched. I was in recovery for about an hour and a half waiting for sensation to come back to my legs.

On the way back down to the ward I was taken to the nursery to see my son. I held him for about 10 minutes and then was taken to my room. At about 2 p.m. he was brought into my room and we just cuddled for ages.

We named him Robert Kyle. He weighed 7 pounds exactly and was 48 centimeters long. His Apgars were 8 at 1 minute, 10 at five minutes.

I recovered really well and went home on day three with my stitches still in. The midwife came on day five and took out my stitches and checked us out and declared us perfectly healthy. I ended up with a minor wound infection but it was treated quickly.

Robert was such a good baby and is now an active 6-year-old. I have since had three more children all by C-section, but that is a story for another time.