I had a great birth experience, even though it couldn't have gone more differently than my birth plan!

I was 12 days overdue and due to be induced in two days' time. My husband and I had gone for an hour-long walk the day before to try and get things moving (all that did was leave me feeling quite crippled once I stopped moving!). As that method didn't work we decided to try sex to see if that would do it (also for the fact that it could be the last time for six weeks!).

Immediately after I had a bit of show and started to get period-like cramps. I didn't want to get my hopes up, so just ignored them and we went and got out a DVD and had some dinner. No sooner had we finished dinner (about 6:10 p.m.), I stood up to take my plate to the sink and whoosh, my waters broke! Luckily I had put one of the baby's disposable nappies in my underwear to go to the video store (it may sound strange but it gave me peace of mind!). I'm very glad I did as it caught everything!

I was very excited to think that I would be meeting my baby in the next 24 hours! I called my midwife who told me to try and get some sleep as it would probably be a long night. Within half an hour my contractions were two minutes apart lasting between 40 and 60 seconds! I wondered how my midwife had thought I could sleep through these as they were extremely full on!

I was having great doubts in my pain threshold, as I had assumed that labor would come on slowly and the pain would gradually build. Within an hour of my waters breaking I was in the bath, groaning and grunting through contractions, which were coming one after another. The bath was fantastic. The warm water really did help my back pain, and my wonderful husband turned all the lights down and lit me candles and put on some relaxing music.

By 9:30 (less than three hours later) I called my midwife to tell her that I wasn't coping very well with the pain. I felt silly, as it had only been three hours, and terrified that if I had another 10 or so hours to go that I was really not going to cope! My midwife was great, and when I had a contraction while on the phone to her, which lasted a good 70 seconds that I was unable to talk through, she told us to meet her at the birthing center.

I hopped out of the bath (begrudgingly) just as my mum arrived (I'd asked her to be at the birth as well). I then threw up all of my dinner (bursting a blood vessel below my eye in the process!). At this time I also remember feeling like I really needed to poo!

I got dressed and got into the car. Luckily we're only five minutes' drive from the birthing center. I hugged and moaned into the headrest the whole way (I was really looking forward to getting into the big birth pool at the center).

We arrived at the birth center at 10 p.m. and were led to the birthing room, where my midwife asked to examine me. I was already 7 centimeters dilated (in less than four hours!) I was amazed and immediately felt better (well, a bit better!) knowing that was the reason for the full on contractions. She also told me that we were going to need to head straight up to the hospital as she had felt the baby's nose and mouth, which meant that his face was presenting, and that the angle he was presenting from his little neck wouldn't be able to bend any further to allow him to drop right into my pelvis. She told me that I would need to have a Cesarean section (which I was really scared about, and hadn't really thought I would need).

So we bundled me and all of my bags, which had just been bought in, into the car again. The drive to the hospital was really unpleasant. We seemed to get every red light there was along the way!

When I arrived at the hospital (10:30 p.m.) I was shown to a room where the registrar examined me and confirmed the need for a C-section. (I offered to hang upside down to see if they could move him. This got a few giggles but unfortunately wasn't an option!).

I was given gas, which I thought was great. It didn't do a lot for the pain but improved my mood and the ability to deal with the contractions. I decided to change my attitude about the C-section (as it was the only way my baby was coming out) and just relaxed and let everything happen.

I was shaved and the catheter was inserted before I then signed all the forms and was wheeled into surgery. My husband was allowed to come with me but Mum had to wait in the visitor's room.

Once we were in the operating theater, I was sat up and the epidural was inserted (another thing that was not as bad as I thought it would be!). I was still having contractions but the pain of those very soon faded away and I was able to totally relax. I was so excited that we would soon be meeting our son!

It was very weird chatting away to my husband while they were operating. It was also really weird knowing what they were doing but not really feeling anything apart from a bit of pulling sometimes, no pain at all.

I'll never forget the next part as long as I live! Hearing my son cry for the first time at 12:19 a.m. (six hours after it had all started) as they pulled him out and cut his cord! It was incredible and I immediately burst into tears.

It was a few minutes before he was bought over to me and put down the front of my hospital gown to warm up. It was incredible having this little (swollen faced) person trying to latch on to my cheek! Even through the swollen eyelids and forehead (due to the pressure of the birth canal) I still thought he was the most beautiful thing in the world!

He was a huge baby (10 pounds, 12 ounces) with 9/9 Apgars.

We were then wheeled into the recovery room after I had been stitched up. I remained in the hospital for four days and was up and about after my first day.

I was amazed at how good I felt following the surgery. I was expecting extreme pain and a slow recovery but I was off the heavier pain killers and down to panadol and voltaren by the end of day two. I found it hard not to overdo it when I got home as I felt so good, but Mum insisted on no vacuuming, etc.

The first week home from the hospital was quite tough, even with Mum there. I got the blues and was very teary. That coupled with the lack of sleep and the scary new reality of becoming a mum (well, it seemed a bit scary at the time!) made me quite emotional, but by the end of my second week home we'd settled down and I was really beginning to enjoy motherhood!

Today my son is 6 weeks and 1 day old and I am loving it. I'm able to drive again and we're getting out now and doing things (which was a scary prospect a few weeks ago!). I love him to bits.

My birth experience was really positive from start to finish, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat (and was even saying so within minutes of having him, so it really was that good)!

Good luck to all you expectant mums out there. The best thing you can do is stay positive and try to stay relaxed. Things aren't always going to go to plan, but if you know that and can stay positive about it, I think it makes a huge difference.