It usually works out that way. You wait and wait for something to happen. You wait with baited breath with so much anticipation that you can barely think of anything else. It becomes your every focus and everyday becomes longer and longer as you beckon and will it on. And then the moment you choose to let it all go and leave it to nature? Well its then that nature decides its time. Well that’s how it happened for me any way.
I always knew deep down that Brody would arrive earlier than expected. They say a mother knows these things and can feel when her body is ready for birth. That and the fact that I had experienced some light bleeding at 30 weeks and then rushed into hospital again at 35 weeks with pre labor contractions had me guessing our little guy would most certainly make an early appearance. So for three weeks (which felt more like an entire separate pregnancy) we waited. And waited. I was basically in slow labor for three weeks and every time I started cramping I would will them on with my mind, hoping it was the real thing. I’ve never wanted to feel pain more in my life. I know you are supposed to let the baby decide when he is ready but you have no idea how uncomfortable the last few months were for me. I wasn’t eating properly because of severe heartburn, could barley sleep and well like I said, was having contractions every day! It seemed to me my baby was being stubborn and just couldn’t make up his mind. So I bounced on my ball, went for long walks, drank raspberry leaf tea till it was coming out of my ears. And I waited.
By the time I went in for the fourth time, I was sure it was all about to happen. My back was sore, I was having deep abdominal pain as well as pain in my groin and thighs. When I arrived at the hospital my doctor examined me and told me I was 2cm dilated. Well that explained the pain I was having. She did a sweep hoping that would get things going and move me into the active labor stage. She warned me not to go to far, to perhaps go for our last breakfast together before we became four. She suggested somewhere VERY close. The downstairs coffee shop at hospital reception to be exact. We managed to finish our breakfast (well I managed a few spoons of oats) and paid the bill with not so much as a single pinch of pain. My doctor and the nurse in labor ward both put all their money on me returning that afternoon. I eventually went home to nap and as soon as I lay down I started cramping badly. Strangely I managed to fall asleep. I was so exhausted! By 7pm that night I was at home on my couch reading books to my 2 year old. The pain had vanished. I looked at my two boys on the couch and decided that was it. I was done playing the waiting game. Like so many other lessons I had learned along the way, I had to relinquish the control. I had to put it in nature’s hands. Better yet I had to put it in Gods hands. He had blessed me with this child and he knew every little detail about his development, his anatomy, HIS life plan.
My scheduled appointment to see my gynea was the very next day so in I went, feeling somewhat ashamed that I once again had defied the odds and gone against their predictions. If I had their words in writing I would be a very rich lady. She examined me again and told me I was 3cm with a bulging membrane. And then she did his measurements on the ultrasound. My son was weighing in at 3.6kgs!!. One of the things my doctor and I had discussed was that if he weighed more than 3.7kgs the risks with me were too high. Because of my first birth experience (post number 2) my hugest fear was going through all of that again. We had spoken in detail and weighed up the pros and cons and I had decided that if he grew bigger than 3.8kgs I would opt for a c-section. That combined with the fact that my doctor was leaving to go away for 4 days made my decision to be induced that much easier. Also the fact that I had had 4 threats of early labor, had me wondering if I would end up being induced anyway. She looked at me and said, Lets go have this baby. I called my husband and told him we didn’t have to wait anymore. We were about to meet our second born son. I headed straight to the labor ward; this time knowing my time of waiting was done. My time was now.
You rock my dear sweet friend xxx
Yes… and…….?