Joshua's arrival - is he meant to be purple?

• I waited … and waited
• I wanted to get it over with
• He even kept the 'Greens'!
• I had to ask him what sex our baby was!
• I love our little monkey

By the time I was 38 weeks pregnant, I weighed in at over 17 stone and on a 5ft 2in frame. That's a lot of weight to carry around! So I was booked in to be induced on 8 January 2002. We got there nice and early and the treatment started almost immediately with a pessary. I sat back and waited for it to all start.

And I waited.

And I waited.

36 hours later, 3 pessaries, a drip and having had my waters broken - nothing.

No dilation at all!

I was given the option to either stop the drip and try again in the morning (it was about 10.30pm) or I could have an emergency C-section.

I asked if it was likely for it to actually work the next day and was told that it could and that all pregnancies are different - ya-de-ya. The bottom line was that if it didn't work by lunchtime I would have to have a C-section anyway, so I thought let's get it over with now and I can have a kip!

By 11.00pm I was in the operating room. I have never been in one before and I was a little scared but my husband was with me and he was so excited, not only about becoming a Dad, but because he got to dress up like a doctor (he even kept the 'Greens' - cheeky so-and-so!).

They started the op. My husband loved every second, he even started to explain to me what was happening, which I put a stop to immediately as I don't like the sight of blood, especially my own! I was just glad that I was hidden behind the screen.

It felt so strange to be wiggled about and feel the surgeons cutting to get the baby out. I even heard a sickly 'schloop' noise when the baby came out.

They asked my husband if he could see the sex of the baby. He said he could but didn't think to tell me. I had to actually ask him what sex our baby was! He said 'We have a boy, we have our son!'. He was so happy he actually shed a tear.

Then they showed him to me - and guess what I said? 'He's purple. Is he meant to be purple?' How did I know - I had never seen a newborn baby before!

They whisked him away and put an endoscope down his throat as they thought he might have some problems but he was fine. He was beautiful. I was struck dumb and just couldn't speak so I was taken away to recovery to be with my family and my baby.

I was the third person to hold my baby. The first was my husband and the second was my mum. But I could really look at him properly in their arms as I was really sore from the operation. I couldn't see anything but his gorgeous face when I held him but I didn't mind.

I love our little monkey so much and I hope that soon we will be able to add another little monkey to our family. Here's hoping.

Where to next?

• Read the full birth story
• Read accounts of different types of birth
• Read accounts of other caesarean births