I had been planning my party for ages. Birthdays were always a big deal growing up, and.. well.. You only turn 30 once, and I can’t see myself wanting to celebrate the later milestones quite as much. I started saving a couple of years ago, it was gonna be big!

So the party itself, was booked in a hotel, and We managed to get the best room too. The theme was vintage 20’s - all the glitz and glam of the roaring 20’s with the ladies in amazing gowns, and the men dressed to impress. It was all black and gold, and the decorations I had been making over the last few months looked incredible!

The big day came, and despite my excitement, something felt really off. I dismissed it as nerves, and went about the whole morning preparing. Mum and I planned a very tight schedule to make it perfect. At lunchtime, I went to the tailors to pick up my dress. It. Was. Amazing! It was a Black and gold chevron design, all in tiny beads, with a tasseled hem. I couldn’t wait to get it on! I had a few more bits to finish off before putting it on again. Finally it was time. I got it out of the case, and held it up against me. It looked a little slim. I was measured though, and had eaten less than usual, so I couldn’t see why. I unzipped it, and put it over my head. It wouldn’t even get past my chest, mortified, I got all hot and bothered, trying to pull it off gain, and a load of beads came flying off. I instantly set off in floods of tears, and my mum came rushing in to see what was going on. She helped me out of the dress, and went over to the wardrobe and started flicking through my other dresses. After a few moments, she pulled out a little black number, that was obviously, nothing like the special dress I had planned, but good enough. She found some accessories that coordinated with the theme and dress perfectly, and gave me a huge hug. She always knows what to do. After applying my make up I was finally ready. My stomach was hurting a lot, and I clutched at it, struggling to deal with it. It felt very bloated, and looked huge! I kept telling myself to calm down, and kept telling myself, I will feel better after a few drinks.

The time came to set off to the hotel. Mum had hired a limousine! Excited, I climbed inside, and looked around. It was amazing! My best friend Chloe was sitting in there too. She took one look at me and frowned. She made a comment about looking rough, and I told her about the pains I had been experiencing on and off. She gave a sympathetic look, glanced at my stomach but then beamed at me. Babbling on about the party, our minds were distracted. We soon arrived. As I got out of the limousine the pains came back with a vengeance. I staggered into the hotel, squeezing my fists so hard, my new nails were bending and cutting into my flesh. I could feel the sweat on my brow, and knew something wasn’t right. Everyone started cheering happy birthday. I struggled to make a half convincing smile, and dashed toward the bathroom, leaving a very confused party crowd. The pain was immense now, and I had the urge to go to the toilet. I let out a small whine as I entered the ladies, and bumped straight into mum. Shocked to see me, she held my shoulders and gave a long hard stare. I started to explain what I was going through when I was crippled with pain again. I clutched my stomach and mum knew exactly what was going on, and her next words shocked me to the core. “ Sweetie, I think you’re having a baby!”