It’s 7:00am.

We slowly wake from a peaceful ten hour sleep.

“Ooh,” I hear from the pillow next to me.

“What?” I say. "Are you ok?"

“Yeah. It's probably only one of those Brackston Hicks contractions.”

"Are you sure?" I said, wondering whether maybe this might be it!

She looked over at me and took a deep breath.

“Oouugh.”

“What?!” I say.

“It’s a bit more intense than that, actually” she replied.

“What? Do you think it’s starting? Now!?”

“I don’t know,” she replies, “probably not.”

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's gone now. It was probably nothing."

I take a deep breath and climb out of bed for another day of waiting for Devon to arrive.

“What are we going to do today?” she asks.

I thought of Stewart and Carol, recently arrived from Northern Ireland, asleep in the back bedroom. They were intending to take a tour of the Swan River, Fremantle and see the city of Perth.

Yesterday we visited Kings Park and saw the city of Perth from above, so I suggested, “Let’s take it easy… rest… maybe take a walk.”

I was thinking 'it could be any day now…'

I look over at her.

She had a look of concentration on her beautiful face.

“What?” I say, concerned.

“Another one.”

“What!?” I sit down on the bed next to her. “Really?”

“Really,” she smiled and said, “Oouugh.”

Hmmm.

Note the time. 7:00am.

Date? October the 8th 2003. (Note: Devon was actually born at 01:21am on October the 9th – the next morning!)

“Should I wake your parents?” I said.

I considered that every minute of sleep would be beneficial to all involved in labour, and the statistics show that if it IS labour, it could take some time.

“Should I call Sally? (Sally is our Midwife.) Are you ok?” I asked.

“Let’s see if there’s another one,” she said.

I took out my pocket-watch from the bedside cabinet. It was a gift I received for my birthday a few years ago from my gorgeous Irish beauty.

Five minutes later she looks at me again. “Ooughhh!”

“Are you ok?” I asked, adrenaline starting to pump into my nervous system.

“I think my waters just broke.”

“Oh my goodness, really? Lets see.”

Yes, the bed was covered in water.

Labour had begun.

Oh my!