The Story Of Zachary

This is the story of my handsome butterball baby, who entered the world on June 29 2010.

It all began back in November 2009. I had been suffering with a tummy bug for a few weeks. Our tenant was giving us grief. Life sucked and I wasn't pulling it together very well. After yet another night of me sitting on the toilet, my husband suggested I might be pregnant. What a load of crap I thought to myself- we had been using the rhythm method and I was sure of my dates. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a period- which was probably a sure sign it had been quite a while. The next night, we got babysitters in and took ourselves off to town for some late night shopping. As we passed the chemist, Chad thought it might be a good idea to pick up some pregnancy tests. I did, thinking what a waste of money it would be.

I casually did a test later that night, not at all concerned about the results. I put the test down on the windowsill while I got ready for bed. I looked at the test about a minute later and started shaking. Positive. Very, very positive.

We hadn't planned on another baby quite so soon after the other two. We had thought that we might have another one when the other two were off to school. But life had other plans. Test after test revealed that yes, I was indeed pregnant. My GP sent me off for a dating scan, which pinpointed the pregnancy at 9 weeks and 2 days.

The pregnancy was beautiful- the easiest yet. I sailed through and loved my pregnant belly. I felt good, and felt that I looked good. At 37 weeks, I had been in what I thought was prelabour for a few days and at my midwife appointment, I was feeling pretty emotional. My midwife agreed that labour was probably imminent and did a stretch and sweep. I was so so disappointed when I didn't end up going into labour. A few days after the stretch and sweep, I resigned myself to going to term or over and settled in to enjoy the last few days of my last pregnancy.

The following Sunday, and 38 +2, I woke up at 3 am needing to use the toilet. It was then I discovered that my waters had broken, in a slow leak. It took me until morning to decide that it was definitely my waters. I rung my midwife to let her know, and settled back to wait for contractions.

I spent some of Sunday and Monday down at the hospital being monitored, but with contractions few and far between, I was admitted on Tuesday morning for an induction. My midwife examined me and discovered that my waters had fully broken, and that there was no hope of breaking the hind waters to get labour going. I needed the syntocinon drip. When this news was broken, I cried and cried. I had had that drip with my previous births and was well aware of the ferocity of the contractions it brought on. But with no other option, we soldiered forth.

The drip was inserted at 9 20 am and by 10 contractions had started- very intense and very close together. By 11, we were in established labour and I was finding it hard to cope. Then, all of a sudden, I felt the need to push. I figured I couldn't possibly be ready after such a short time, but there was no denying that feeling. I screamed for a midwife and they came running. I said the baby was coming NOW and I remember looking into the eyes of one of them as she frantically tried to figure out what to do. My own midwife had gone AWOL and took them about ten minutes to track her down. Trying to push this baby out was the hardest thing I had ever done- the baby was the wrong way around and just wouldn't come out.

I remember saying that I couldn't do it anymore, but as I was saying that, another part of my brain was thinking that there was no option here and the only way out was through. A couple of gigantic pushes later, my beautiful baby was born. Officially a 31 minute labour, including 8 minutes of pushing. When I looked in the mirror after he was born, I had broken blood vessels all over my face from the intense pushing.

After two days in hospital we went home, and Zachary fitted in like he'd always been there. He is the old soul in this family, peaceful, accepting and ever so chipper. He has completed our family and brought me peace.