The Big Book.

After a pretty rough first birth I had a idea in my head about how my second child's birth would be and the one thing I knew for sure was that I did not want to be induced again. 

I thought being induced accounted for lots of the troubles of my first birth. 

Firstly the baby simply wasn't ready to come and I believe that when a baby is ready then labour will start. 

 The interventions I had when I was induced meant my first labour was spent lying flat on my back nearly all the time and I don't think this is conducive to a good labour. In my head I think it's better to be upright during labour whenever possible,gravity and all that.

When I was induced with my first baby the labour started with vengeance,eventually,there wasn't any slow build up and I felt a slower more natural birth would be better for me. 

So although I was willing to take any advice offered to me about birth,I just knew I didn't want to be induced. 

My second baby was due on July 28th and to my horror that day came and went and no baby appeared.

I tried all the usual things that people say start babies but to no avail and there was no sign of the baby arriving.

So I ended up at the hospital to see the gynaecologist with a view to having the baby induced.As you can probably gather,I wasn't in the mood for an induction. But given the size of the baby and the ever going by of the days the choice was slipping away from me.

And this is the reason for this post ...my visit to the gynaecologist and the reason for my second sons birthdate.

I walked into the gynaecologist office and when the introductions were over he opened a big book to see what days were available for inductions.

To this day I can picture that book. It was a diary and the gynaecologist flipped though the pages.

I stated my case that I wanted to be left for as long as possible and he raised his eyebrows but seemed to listen.

Then the fun started.

Monday 12th August...this was pushing the boundaries but when he glanced on the page it was already full with booked in caesarians and inductions.

So we moved on.... Tuesday 13th... oh uh I had a problem with that date. The thirteenth...unlucky for some....I didn't want my baby born on a unlucky day,not at all. Okay if it arrived naturally on the thirteenth I wouldn't have had a problem with the date but I certainly wasn't choosing that date...so I said no. 

I don't think my reasons for refusing to book in for that date went down well but he moved on to the next page, Wednesday 14th August and this is where my quirks really kicked in....I refused that date. Well Wednesday child is full of woe and I certainly didn't want that for my precious baby.

I'm not sure if I actually gave that reason for refusing a Wednesday induction but knowing me I probably did.

By this time the gynaecologist was losing the will to live I think and in no uncertain terms he said Thursday 15th August was the last day I could be possibly booked in.

So Thursday 15th August was the day I finally booked in for and on Thursday 15th August at 4.50pm my beautiful second son was born.

I did have to be induced,even though my baby was so overdue.

None of my babies have ever started naturally.

Looking back I have to smile at how I sat in that room and decided when my baby would be born or more to the point when he wouldn't be born.

That baby will be seventeen years old tomorrow and when I told him this story recently he couldn't believe that I had done this. But as he knows me so well it didn't take much imagination on his part to know its something I would so do.

Very,very me!