>Two Years Ago today.. Part One.

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2 years ago today I was officially 9 months pregnant and 1 day overdue. In the morning I went for my midwife appointment where they offered to give me a sweep. Yes you heard it right, the dreaded membrane sweep. Having two older children who were both born after inducement, I knew a sweep would be of no use (my body doesn’t produce the hormone needed to put me into labour naturally). It just causes unnecessary pain and discomfort, not to mention it gets everyone’s hopes up. My midwife was shocked when I politely declined.

The midwife looked at me with a worried look on her face, she asked my reasoning by using the exact words ‘Why the hell not?’. I explained how I was in no hurry to give birth. Now this is the same midwife who has told me off a few months previously for wearing my 5 inch heels…I was working in an office, and I had driven to my appointment, it wasn’t like I had been walking for any more than 20 metres maximum. I had left the appointment feeling like an embarrassed child, and made a mental note to bring a spare pair of flats for appointments….
With the shoe-telling-off in mind, and feeling like a naughty school girl, I was keen to explain that I am not just a freaking looney, but I have a perfectly reasonable excuse for not wanting to have a finger shoved inside my cervix.
I was feeling content and actually comfortable. I was very anaemic and was enjoying a brilliant routine of 9 hours sleep at night, followed by a 5 hour nap while the children were at school. I knew that as soon as I give birth to my much wanted child, that it would all change, so despite me being eager to meet him, I was happy to relax and enjoy some time being pregnant.

The midwife explained how she is constantly hounded by pregnant ladies begging for a sweep before their due date, there seems to be a sense of desperation of wanting to give birth as soon as possible. This is something that I have experienced through the wonders of good old Facebook. I have seen many status updates from ‘friends’ asking for suggestions on how to go into early labour, some from as early as 35 weeks! Personally this makes me very uncomfortable. Surely a baby will come when it’s ready, and surely we must need to be pregnant for 9 months for a reason? Now I am no medical expert, but I do have some friends who have gone into early labour only to give birth to a poorly baby and have to deal with the pain of watching the helpless baby in neo-natal and special care. So surely the main reason early labour is not a good idea is because your baby could be at risk, so why hurry it? It’s something that amazes me, yet makes me angry at the same time. I am sure there is many mothers out there who wish they could of been pregnant for longer to get their child to a healthy pre-term age, so they could have a healthy baby.
Now don’t get me wrong, I understand that some people are not able to carry a full term baby, and there is many medical conditions that mean you have to be induced/sectioned early, but I am talking about a normal uncomplicated pregnancy here, I am not that ignorant to think every pregnancy is the same, after all I have had three!

So back to the examination room, and the midwife is still looking at me with a puzzled expression. She understand that I don’t want a sweep, yet she says can’t understand how I am enjoying being pregnant. What’s not to enjoy about protecting my little baby from the big bad world??

9 months and 1 day overdue.