From the water to the water... Griffin’s life Aquatic.

Griffin was meant to be born via a water-birth, like Quinn was, but after a slow start to his labour I was not allowed to get into the birth tub for fear that my labour would progress even slower. I had to wait until my labour was progressing well and we were sure it wouldn't stall.

As it turned out my labour suddenly picked up the pace and the mid-wife decided to check my progress to see if I could get into the birth pool 15 minutes before the allotted 2 hours was up, and well 9 minutes later he was out - this included a stop past the toilet and me climbing onto the bed to be examined! So there was no time to even think about filling the birthing tub!

I wonder if Griffin has some kind of sub-conscious urge to return to the water of the womb from which he so abruptly emerged? Because in his own words, 'I have drowned 4 times now, hey?'.

Yes this child has slipped underwater 4 whole times in his life. *shudder* The most recent was this past Saturday.

The rest of this post may be a bit disturbing to some...

The first time was my fault. He was still very little (2 maybe) and was playing on the step of my friend's swimming pool. The older kids were swimming, and I was watching them. My friend had gone into her kitchen, which is right next to the pool. I asked Quinn and his friend to watch Griffin for a second while I dashed into the kitchen to grab my glass. I told them to call me if Griff slipped. I went in and then came out and hey presto he was off the step and underwater. I waded straight in work-clothes and all and calmly lifted him out. He had been about 2 cm under the water, and looked very calm despite being wide-eyed. He was fine, just a bit surprised. Even though the other 2 were RIGHT next to him they didn't see or hear him. It happens that fast and silently. I did not blame them, as you can not hold a 4-5 year old responsible for someone else's life.

The second time Griffin was about 3, Richard took the kids to swim at the gym. He would sit on the side while Quinn swam and Griffin splashed on the steps and monkey walked around the shallow end side. Griffin somehow lost his grip and went under. Richard waded in fully-clothed car-keys, wallet, cell phone and all to retrieve him. I came out of kata box to find him soaking wet. Again Griffin was under for a second and was calm and fine after being fished out. He even told me he had drowned and daddy had saved him.

The third time was similar to the first, we were at the same friends but this time Griffin and the others were monkey walking right around the pool, while my friend and I watched. Her older son and his friends were making a whirl-pool by wading and swimming around as fast as they could. The little kids were enjoying this, until Griffin was pulled by the whirlpool while at the deep end. I saw him slip off and asked one of the big kids to retrieve him. The big kids started panicking, but I told them everything was fine, just to pull him out. It happened really fast and everyone was fine. In fact Griffin wanted to carry on where he had left off.

Now despite what it sounds like neither of my boys have ever fallen into a pool, and they are both pretty cautious when swimming, and never swim without us watching or at least knowing they are going to swim and us being right nearby with them watching each other. In fact when we moved into our house which has a pool we got a net installed immediately and it has hardly been used at all. It has spent 95+% of the time off the pool, and so I was thinking a week or so ago what a terrible waste of money it was, and we shouldn't have bothered....

Yes kind of like my thought process regarding my driving insurance risk profile. I should just STOP thinking, because clearly 'I think, therefore it happens!'.

So on Saturday the boys were watching a video, I was showing Richard something on the Internet. We were having people over for dinner, so I had been putting candles out. Lighting some to melt wax to set them in their bases etc.

So while I am showing Richard the web page, I hear Quinn scream in a bad way 'MOMEEEEEE!'. My blood went cold as my mind raced to figure out what could be wrong. My first though was that the house was on fire, as the candles and matches were still out... I started running through the house and Quinn met me half way and said, 'Griffin is in the pool, he is under the water!'. I didn't even know what to think, and the thought of arriving at the pool to find him motionless and floating face down was too much to comprehend. I got out to the pool and there he was in the deep end in his usual 2 cm below the surface staring wide-eyed and almost swimming below the surface. I lay down and reached for him, and was about to jump i, when Richard swooped in and grabbed him out by the scruff of his neck. Richard panics a bit more than me and held Griffin almost upside down and said 'Breathe breathe!' the poor child had to muster all his strength to say, 'Put me down, you are gong to drop me in the pool!'.

The pool was freezing and his lips went white from the cold. I had a hot bath with him to warm him up again. For some unknown reason he had taken the pool cleaner and was trying to sweep the pool!? Something he has never done before. I am very thankful that Quinn was right there laying with his soccer ball, and saw him fall in, and yelled immediately and came to call us. I don't even want to think about what would have happened otherwise.

So the net is back on the pool, and Griffin has promised never to fiddle near the pool again unless someone is with him. The thing is he can basically swim now anyway, but with water that cold even if you CAN swim it doesn't really help.

The moral of the story, I am not thinking anymore. It's too dangerous.