This is a birth story, so if you don't want to read details of a birth, don't read this.
Archer arrived in a style we've become accustomed to in our family, a little unexpectedly, very fast and with a good dose of the absurd.
On Friday morning 14 October at 37 weeks and 6 days, I had a routine check up with Dr Cattanach and I was expecting to schedule an induction for sometime the following week.
It had been a week since he had attempted to remove the stitch in his office. Of course, me being me, this had been complicated by the fact that my cervix had grown over the stitch, making it painful and difficult to remove. Instead, it had been fully removed under anaesthesia on the Tuesday. I had been 4 cm dilated then. On Wednesday night I had experienced irregular contractions of between 4 and 12 minutes apart, but they had disappeared after 2 hours. I was miserable. I had been in pre labour for a long time, which was causing plenty of very uncomfortable aches and pains and I was big and we had been waiting anxiously on Archer's arrival for about 2 months. I sincerely just wanted to evict him.
I expressed all of this to Dr Cattanach. He asked how long I had laboured with Lily and I said about 4 hours. He followed this up by asking how far away I lived. 45 minutes in great traffic.
Well, he said, let's induce you today.
I don't think I have ever been so excited. Dr Cattanach began the induction by doing a membrane stretch and sweep. This involves manually breaking the membranes (not to be confused with the amniotic sac, which is what breaks when your waters do) and stretching the cervix open an extra centimetre or two. He then thought he would call labour and delivery and inform them I was coming. It turned out they were exceptionally busy and I wouldn't be able to get a delivery suite until 2:00pm at the earliest. He asked if it was possible to admit me anyway as I was a "cough and pop". Grudgingly they accepted and I made my way down to the pregnancy assessment unit for the very last time.
After a non stress test confirming that baby was doing well, I was sent up to the ward to wait. Bob arrived and handed Lily over to Mum and Grandma. And we waited.
At almost 2 o'clock on the dot, my midwife came to hand me over to delivery suite. We took one last belly shot and just about ran there. The midwife was very amused, but I was beyond ready to meet our son.
The midwives on the ward weren't quite ready to meet me and the induction didn't begin to 3:00pm. I learned that because of my quick labour before, the fact I had begun to dilate on my own and the baby's head was well and truly engaged, it was quite the surprise I hadn't begun to labour.
So we progressed to the next step in the induction process, which was to break my waters. This involves hooking the sac with what looks remarkably like a very long crochet hook. As usual, my body didn't think this was the appropriate course of action and it took two midwives several minutes to do this normally simple procedure as my sac was especially tough. I can't say I was in the least bit surprised.
At this point Dr Cattanach arrived and suggested I be started on an IV of Syntocinon, which is a synthetic hormone that hastens labour. He then left, as he still had patients and would return when delivery was closer. By the time the IV was in, I had begun to have contractions. The time was about 3:30pm.
The midwives weren't sure if they really needed to start the IV and decide that 3mg was more than enough to begin with. Within minutes the contractions were strong and hard and about 2 minutes apart. Bob became very "helpful" at this point and would watch the monitor and tell me when each contraction was about to begin. If I'd had a sharp implement, I would have used it. (As a side note, except for this and a very surreal 30 seconds where he sat down to look at his phone, Bob is an excellent, supportive, kind and unflinching labour partner).
A little desperate and panicked, I asked how long I had to wait for an epidural. I had not planned on having an epidural, as contractions with Lily had been more than manageable and I had only had one to cope with the stitch removal. I had not liked being tied to the wheelchair or the indignity of the catheter. But this was a bit different. It was not only painful (obviously) it had come on so hard and fast I was feeling quite scared and just wanted to be relieved.
The midwife said that I could have one now and she would just check how dilated I was and then call Dr Cattanach and the anaesthesiologist. I was 8cm. She said that it was too late for an epidural, I was labouring too fast and it would never be effective in time.
I must have given her a "look" because she hastily said she would call Dr Cattanach and ask him and in the meantime I could try gas. The next contraction I gave a half hearted go with the gas, but I could not imagine anything worse than enduring the contractions AND vomiting so I handed it right back to the midwife.
Dr Cattanach arrived much faster than I had expected and I was SURE he would get my epidural. He said no too. I think I really must have given him a look because he quickly explained that I COULD have one, but it sincerely would not be worth it and I could try a shower. Ever trusting of him, I agreed.
On the way to the shower, I noticed the toilet and thought, "Gee, I'd like to use that."
Dr Cattanach agreed and said it might help me progress to the pushing stage of labour. He was wrong. Why was he wrong? I was already at the pushing stage of labour.
The very next contraction as soon as my bum hit the toilet I had the overwhelming urge to push down. So I did. Never having lived through this stage of labour without an epidural, I became suddenly very aware of why women cry out during labour. It feels very natural and helps a lot.
I was now stuck on the toilet and resigned myself to pushing there, at least for a while. On the third push I felt the head. As I stood up, I felt a breaking sensation and the baby slipped free, caught by our midwife as Bob and Dr Cattanach held me steady. If I had not thought to check for the baby's head, he may have been born on the toilet. Archer Robert made his debut at 4:37pm after just an hour of labour.
I panicked immediately. He wasn't crying and was awfully blue. I had not seen Lily at birth, but she had been crying pretty much on her way out. They handed him to me and I asked why he wasn't crying. Dr Cattanach assured me he would and ushered me back to the bed. They divested me of my gown and put him skin to skin. By this stage he had started to blessedly cry out and within moments of being skin to skin, he had relaxed and Bob and I had a long time to just sit and drink him in before the cord was cut. He had black hair, dark skin (which we later learned was bruising from his hurried entrance into the world), and his lips and nose were swollen giving them a broad appearance which surprised us and we laughed that he had embraced his father's Maori heritage. Another thing that struck me was that falling in love with Archer was completely different than it was with Lily. As soon as they had handed Lily to me, it was had been like been punched. My love for her hit so hard and fast, the only way to express it had been to cry. With Archer, I'd describe it as an expanding feeling. As though my love for Lily had to stretch (but not minimise) to accommodate her brother. It was different but just as wonderfully extraordinary.
Bob, ever the comedian, chose this time to say, "Well, that was easy. We should have another one." Despite it being awfully tacky to plan your next child while the newest one still has an umbilical cord, HE wasn't the one that had to experience the "easy" labour in full technicolour, so once again I was looking for that wished for sharp implement.
After they cut the cord, I delivered the placenta and had my first degree tear (a souvenir of a speedy, standing delivery) repaired while Bob snapped photos of Archer being weighed, measured and immunised. He was 3.408kg and 52cm long and so, so perfect.
Not realising labour would be so fast, I had not removed my bra, but as soon as I did, Archer was ready for his first feed. He was a champ, latching beautifully and taking long nutritive sucks.
Bob and I ate a snack which the midwife had ordered for us and then we went to our room. It was now I became very grateful for not having had an epidural as I was able to relax and fully enjoy my son.
It was a wonderful, happy experience and we cannot thank Dr Cattanach and all the staff at the Mater Mothers' Private Hospital enough for the safe arrival of our beautiful son.
