For three years, Leigh Campbell and her husband Rich tried to have a baby.
But what started as an exciting, life-changing decision soon became fraught with anxiety and distress. There were miscarriages. Unsuccessful rounds of IVF. Bad news over and over again. as the idea of becoming a mum seemed to slip further away.
By the end of 2018, Leigh was ready to accept that her future wouldn’t have a baby in it. Then, she fell pregnant. Naturally.
Writing for Mamamia in February, Leigh said that while she’d expected to be overjoyed, that’s simply not how she felt. She felt scared, and guilty. She was terrified something would go wrong.
It didn’t.
In June, Leigh and Rich welcomed a healthy baby boy, Alexander. Just two weeks after the birth, Leigh sat down to share her birth story on Mamamia’s podcast This Glorious Mess, hosted by Holly Wainwright. She wanted to share the unpredictability and unvarnished truth of giving birth, where even the most well-intentioned of plans can be derailed in an instant.
“I didn’t have a birth plan. I had one wish.”
Leigh says one of the advantages about having a tumultuous fertility journey was that she had learnt not to expect things.
As a result, she didn’t have a clearly delineated birth plan. She just had one wish.
Watch: Midwife Cath busts some birth myths. Post continues after video.
Top Comments
Congratulations Leigh! I was adamant that the one thing I didn't want was a caesarean. I was an athlete and was in the gym up until the night before, so everyone around me reassured me that my baby would basically walk out. I pushed for hours with no pain relief- and then had a caesarean! Women need greater warning that birth is especially hard on type A personalities, and for all our medical miracles, it turns out how it turns out! The main thing is that little Alexander is out in the world safely. I wouldn't feel guilty about the night nurse- no one seems to acknowledge it, but a caesarean is major surgery - and you're not allowed a second to recover from it, because YOU are the caretaker of the new human!
I absolutely LOVED this podcast. Thanks for sharing Leigh.
I followed Treading Water and can’t express the overwhelming happiness and relief I feel to see you finally get your wish. I’m sure many women out there felt the same - Waiting with baited breath in anticipation of your safe little arrival. Congrats on reaching the shore, Mama. Xxx