My EDD was the 12th of December and soon after that date I was beginning to think that I would never give birth. As much as I wanted to give birth to our baby boy, I also wanted to keep him inside me for as long as possible to make sure that he had as good as start as I could possibly give him. I felt that I had a relatively good pregnancy, just with all the typical symptoms like being really tired in the first and third trimesters etc, but thankfully no morning sickness. I'd had instruction Leah about vitamins, diet etc and starting on Raspberry Leaf extract at 32 weeks for good uterine health. I also did yoga intermittently and walked almost every day with Alan, even if it was just to the shops and back. I did Optimal Fetal Positioning Exercises, sitting on a fitball each day and Pelvic Floor Exercises. Even right up to today, I was very active and determined to birth naturally and I think that this also contributed to a smooth labour.
I did engage the help of a fantastic Doula called Rachel (Rae) who helped me with my fears of tearing, pain and hoping that I could birth Lachlan the way I wanted to. Even though Alan and I only started meeting with her at week 37, I felt like I'd known her for ages as she was so personable! I was very anti-intervention and anti-medical pain relief, but was also completely scared that I would not be able to follow through with it. Rae met with us often in the last month and we talked a lot about my fears and her role with Alan and I during labour and the birth. When I was 41 weeks exactly (19th December) I went for my first appointment with an Acupuncture Therapist called Dr Alex Perry to stimulate my gall bladder, bladder etc in preparation for labour. Even though I was happy to continue with the pregnancy without being induced, I was also beginning to worry occasionally that there was something wrong with me and that my body could not birth the baby. Silly thoughts, I know! I was also getting really worried by this stage as I knew that in two more days when I had an appointment with the Doctor's at the hospital, they would be discussing and encouraging inducing me. I went the next day (20th December) to see Alex again and could definitely feel a difference in just the fact that I actually slept really well that night, and again the following day (21st December) in the morning before seeing the Doctor.
The Doctor of course wanted to book me in for the following day (22nd December) for an induction but Alan and I convinced him that if we came back every second day for monitoring that they could induce me on the 30th when I would be 42 weeks and 1 day. I was really excited because I knew that there was no way that I would make that appointment because I would already have had a baby by then. I believed in my body that it would know what to do at the right time. I went back to see Alex that afternoon at 3.45pm for my last treatment and at 4.00pm actually had my first contraction there. Alex kept saying, "Yep, I think these pains are contractions, you might be having a baby soon". I just kept hopeful, thinking that it would be at least a few more days away.
Alan and I got home at 5.30pm and I was having pains in my pelvic area, stomach and lower back on and off. I had a bloody show and Alan frantically rang the hospital to ask advice. I couldn't comprehend that it might actually be labour whereas Alan was keeping a log of contraction times and length. I kept telling him I just needed to go to the toilet as I truly doubted that it was pre-labour. My plan all along, was to labour at home for as long as possible with Alan and Rae and head to hospital when contractions were around 5 minutes apart. I spoke to Margo the Midwife during a contraction and she said that I was doing really good work at home and that she would probably be seeing me around dawn. At 8.00pm Alan ran a bath for me and I dived in to relieve some of the pain. I was getting a bit grumpy though because the bath was too shallow for me to get my back and stomach into it at the same time. I was in some very interesting positions to try and make that happen. Alan finally almost convinced me that I was actually labouring and that I should get some rest for the big event! I wasn't sure though as he told me that in the space of an hour I had gone from contracting every 10 minutes rapidly down to every 2-3 minutes. I did as I was told and got into bed and lasted for one contraction before I had to jump out and lean on the wall and wanted the bath again. Alan kept asking me did I want to go to hospital and I remember being really annoyed at him a few times when he asked because he knew that I wanted to labour at home for as long as possible. Suddenly after another contraction I knew that the baby was close (or so I hoped) and yelled out to Alan to get the bags, put me in the shower and get me to the hospital. I at least thought, 'if I get there and I am still just in pre-labour, they can send me home again and as least I've used up a couple of hours'. It's true that labouring women have no sense of time or rationale and poor Alan was dealing with about 40 different requests, demands and wants all at the same time.
We got to the hospital at around 11.30pm and even though had always planned on not having internal examinations to keep me 'updated' on my progress, I said yes to having one as soon as I got there and was told we were 6-7cm dilated. I was SO ecstatic as I knew that our little guy would be joining us in a few more hours. Or so I thought. The Midwife tried to monitor him for 10 minutes to make sure he wasn't in distress at all and that lasted about a whole 3 seconds as I could not bring myself to be on my back during a contraction. Rae had already taken charge of the situation and drawn the birth pool for me and I readily dived in there wanting some sweet relief! It was absolute heaven because it came up over my chest and I could just wade around in there. From that point on I totally lost everything around me except for a few snippets here and there. I remember during the contractions kneeling in the pool and holding onto the side and in between Alan wiping my face with an ice-packed washer. I also remember Rae giving the Midwife instructions every now and then about how I wanted to labour etc because I had not printed out my Birth Preferences to give to her. Rae was great, Alan was able to really concentrate and focus on me while she prepared the room and negotiated terms with the hospital staff. I remember on the way to the bath Rae saying to me 'Your baby is going to be born on the 22nd of December'. My first thought was "Bloody Hell Rae, don't tell me that! That's hours away!" Little did I realise it was 11.50pm.
After what seemed to be only a matter of minutes, I had to really concentrate on the contractions as I felt like I was involuntarily pushing. I didn't want to risk tearing badly so the contractions were really painful as I was clenching my pelvic floor so much. The Midwife could hear this too and I got out of the bath again around 12.30ish so that I could have another internal and was told I was 10cm and it was go-time! Rae raised the head of the bed for me so I could kneel up and grab a hold of the rail behind it and push from all fours. I kept saying and thinking that my knees and thighs were really hurting but there was no way that I could possibly move because I knew if I moved positions I'd find it hard to get comfortable again. The Midwife without warning broke my waters as they were bulging, but it was the best thing because I suddenly remember having this huge relief from pressure.
At 1.05am, Lachlan Mackenzie Copeland came sliding out into the world into his Fathers hands. I always wanted Alan to catch him so that his Dad was the very first person he felt touching him instead of some rubber-gloved Doctor. I was a little teary and looked around finally and saw the hugest smile on Alan's face and knew that we'd achieved exactly the birth experience we wanted. Lachlan's umbilical cord had already stopped pulsating so I let the Doctor cut it before birthing the placenta. I knew that it could take up to and hour to birth it naturally and the Doctor and Midwife kept saying "Your body makes this hormone anyway, this is just a way to speed up the process." I said "Well, I'll let my body make it then!" 5 minutes later, the placenta had been birthed and stitches were being sewn. Lachlan opened me up like a cheap can of sardines and I swear having the stitches was more painful than Lachlan crowning! Ouch!
Lachlan was still covered in loads of vernix despite being 'overdue' and when he was put on my chest for his first cuddle I just couldn't believe he was ours and that we were really beginning to be a family! Of course I think he is the most adorable little boy to grace this planet, just like every parent thinks of there own children, but I know that Lachlan will give Alan and I many years of happiness. I really feel wonderful. I know it is the hormones that are still rushing around my body, but I swear I could fly right now if I had to!
