You understand the thrill and delight it was to hold my baby in my arms for the first time; however my birth story starts a couple years before BabyL was born. Mr. L and I tried for over a year with no success of pregnancy, so I went to see a naturopath. About six months after seeing the naturopath, we found out we were pregnant in June 2010. Unfortunately at the end of August I miscarried at 11 weeks. After trying for over a year and to lose my little one, was overwhelmingly saddening. It took a couple of months to overcome this sadness before we started trying again. God is so good! In January 2011 we found out we were pregnant again; and boy was I praying my socks off!
Nine months later, we were ready for our little man to
arrive. I was due September 19,
2011. My last day working before
maternity leave was September 9th, and I had plans like no other to
get so much done that week. Sunday,
Monday, Tuesday… I cleaned, did laundry, and cooked meals to freeze like crazy.
I was definitely in nesting mode. I was determined to get everything
perfect. On Wednesday I was still
working but starting to slow down and lose my momentum that I had the couple of
days before. Thursday I knew we were
getting close. I just wanted to sleep
and lay low; my nesting mode had left the building.
Thursday night before we went to bed, Mr. L and I prayed that this baby would come soon and safely. We were ready, and I had a feeling it was really close. I went to bed that night knowing this little guy would come soon. Sure enough at 3am, I was woken up by small contractions. I had been having contractions for over a month regularly, but these were different. They didn’t hurt; they were just more uncomfortable and were about 15 minutes apart. I tried to go back to sleep because in my birthing class they drilled us on trying to sleep as much as you can in stage one. For the next two hours, I went in and out of sleep with the contractions.
Mr. L’s alarm went off at 5am and by that time my contractions were around 5 minutes apart. As he was getting ready to get up, I let him know that I didn’t think he should go into work because I was having consistent contractions every 5 minutes. We started timing the contractions from 5-6:30am, and they would range from 4 minutes apart to 2 minutes apart. We decided to call our midwife, S, around 7am to fill her in and get her thoughts.
Thursday night before we went to bed, Mr. L and I prayed that this baby would come soon and safely. We were ready, and I had a feeling it was really close. I went to bed that night knowing this little guy would come soon. Sure enough at 3am, I was woken up by small contractions. I had been having contractions for over a month regularly, but these were different. They didn’t hurt; they were just more uncomfortable and were about 15 minutes apart. I tried to go back to sleep because in my birthing class they drilled us on trying to sleep as much as you can in stage one. For the next two hours, I went in and out of sleep with the contractions.
Mr. L’s alarm went off at 5am and by that time my contractions were around 5 minutes apart. As he was getting ready to get up, I let him know that I didn’t think he should go into work because I was having consistent contractions every 5 minutes. We started timing the contractions from 5-6:30am, and they would range from 4 minutes apart to 2 minutes apart. We decided to call our midwife, S, around 7am to fill her in and get her thoughts.
I know some of you
are thinking right now “mid-wife, WHAT?”
When
Mr. L and I started trying two years before
BabyL was born, we
started doing a lot of research on how we wanted our baby to be born into this
world. We knew we wanted to use a
midwife. It was just trying to figure
out where… hospital, birthing center, at home?
After all our research and what we felt most comfortable with, we
decided on a home birth. I wanted to
have this baby naturally
with no drugs and no pressure. With a
home birth, we could do things how we wanted to do them, and I would have the
comfort of my own home. I would have no
one poking and prodding me every hour or more, and no one pressuring me into
induction or epidurals. I could progress
and let my birth and labor progress as my body needed it to. For me, a home birth with a midwife is what I
felt most comfortable with and where I felt most comfortable. I believe that you need to give birth where
you feel the most comfortable. Your body
is in labor, and you need your mind focused on that, not on what is going on
around you.
We then called our midwife.
Since my contractions were not being consistent, she said to keep doing
what we were doing, and she would keep calling every hour to see how we were
progressing. She told us that at any
point where we felt she was needed, she could come over. I didn't think she was needed quite yet, so
we told her to just keep checking in on us.
We started timing again around 8am and they were pretty consistent at
about a minute and half to two minutes long and between 2-3 minutes apart. Because they were getting so close together,
I decided to lie down and try to rest. One
of my sisters was driving up from Vancouver, and I didn’t want this baby to be
born before she could get here. While I
was trying to rest,
Mr. L started getting the birthing tub set up in the living
room.
Once my mom and both my sisters arrived, I was ready to get the contractions going. My resting actually slowed the contractions down, and they were becoming less consistent. I was doing a lot of sitting on the birthing ball and sitting backwards on our dining room chair. The contractions were still bearable, definitely very uncomfortable, but not overly painful. By late afternoon I still wasn’t progressing, so we decided to take a walk up a couple hills in my neighborhood. My older sister, Stacy, was also pregnant and about a month behind me. Wouldn't you know it; the hills were giving Stacy contractions, but not me. I told her she could not have her baby before me! It was so funny to me that it was working for her but not me.
Once my mom and both my sisters arrived, I was ready to get the contractions going. My resting actually slowed the contractions down, and they were becoming less consistent. I was doing a lot of sitting on the birthing ball and sitting backwards on our dining room chair. The contractions were still bearable, definitely very uncomfortable, but not overly painful. By late afternoon I still wasn’t progressing, so we decided to take a walk up a couple hills in my neighborhood. My older sister, Stacy, was also pregnant and about a month behind me. Wouldn't you know it; the hills were giving Stacy contractions, but not me. I told her she could not have her baby before me! It was so funny to me that it was working for her but not me.
I also want to stop and give my husband major props for
being the best birthing coach. He was
always making sure I stayed hydrated and kept food in me. As much as I didn’t want to eat anything,
knowing I needed to eat, and with him feeding me, I was keeping my energy
up. He was doing great rubbing my back
during the contractions and keeping me going.
What an amazing support he was!
Around 4:30pm we timed the contractions again; they were
staying around a minute and a half long and around 4 minutes apart. By this time it had been 12 hours of
contractions. I was so ready for this
baby to come. 7:30pm we timed them again
and they were around 2 minutes long and still around 4 minutes apart. Throughout this whole day, my midwife kept
calling to check in on us and seeing if we were ready for her to come
over. I knew we weren’t close, and I
didn’t want S to have to be sitting around waiting when I wasn’t
progressing. Plus, I already had the
greatest support in my husband, mother, and sisters.
Around 9:30pm, after talking with S, we decided to have her come over and see if she could help with me progressing. When S arrived, I remember her walking in the door and saying, “Oh Jen you look way too happy, you’re not close.” We decided to have S check me. What it ended up being is BabyL had his fists up by his ears with his elbows out into my pelvis, which was stopping him from coming down the birth canal. She showed me some figure-eight exercises to do on the birthing ball that would help move BabyL down and put his fists and elbows down.
Around 9:30pm, after talking with S, we decided to have her come over and see if she could help with me progressing. When S arrived, I remember her walking in the door and saying, “Oh Jen you look way too happy, you’re not close.” We decided to have S check me. What it ended up being is BabyL had his fists up by his ears with his elbows out into my pelvis, which was stopping him from coming down the birth canal. She showed me some figure-eight exercises to do on the birthing ball that would help move BabyL down and put his fists and elbows down.
Around 11pm, S suggested that I climb into the
birthing tub to try to relax. Since
Mr. L had been up with me since 5am, he laid down on the couch to rest while my
sister, T, assisted me in the tub. I
don’t know if it was the water or if it was just that I relaxed completely, but
out of nowhere the contractions started to get really intense and really close
together. I was going into the “late
first stage (hard labor).” At midnight
(now September 17th), T woke
Mr. L up as it was getting intense,
and I was moving into the “transition stage.”
I remember that the contractions were now right on top of each other and
oh boy, were these ones painful.
The contractions would start, and as one would be ending, another one was right behind it. They were coming so fast, I couldn’t breathe. I remember I kept saying, “I can’t breathe.” S and everyone kept telling me I was doing great and to try to take deep breaths. To me that sounded crazy! I wondered how I could take deep breaths when these contractions wouldn’t let me. I told S that I couldn’t. S leaned in and told me “Jennifer, this baby needs you to take deep breaths.” I don’t know what it was about hearing that the baby needed me to, but it changed me! Even though I felt like I couldn’t breathe, I kept taking deep breaths.
Then I started getting this urge to push, but S hadn’t told me to push. I started pushing without her telling me to. S actually had to tell me to stop pushing. I was trying to stop myself from pushing, but I couldn’t. A contraction would come, and I had to push.
On one of the pushes, I felt my bag of waters break and felt this whoosh of water come out. During this whole time, S and her assistant were constantly monitoring BabyL's heartbeat. Each time I remember them saying, that his heartbeat is strong and great. It wasn’t long after that, that S was telling me that if I put my hand down I could feel BabyL’s head. Soon S had me pushing, and pushing hard. It really was burning as BabyL’s head came out. S had Mr. L get into the catching position, and as I took those last couple pushes, out came BabyL into Mr. L’s hands at 2:03am.
The contractions would start, and as one would be ending, another one was right behind it. They were coming so fast, I couldn’t breathe. I remember I kept saying, “I can’t breathe.” S and everyone kept telling me I was doing great and to try to take deep breaths. To me that sounded crazy! I wondered how I could take deep breaths when these contractions wouldn’t let me. I told S that I couldn’t. S leaned in and told me “Jennifer, this baby needs you to take deep breaths.” I don’t know what it was about hearing that the baby needed me to, but it changed me! Even though I felt like I couldn’t breathe, I kept taking deep breaths.
Then I started getting this urge to push, but S hadn’t told me to push. I started pushing without her telling me to. S actually had to tell me to stop pushing. I was trying to stop myself from pushing, but I couldn’t. A contraction would come, and I had to push.
On one of the pushes, I felt my bag of waters break and felt this whoosh of water come out. During this whole time, S and her assistant were constantly monitoring BabyL's heartbeat. Each time I remember them saying, that his heartbeat is strong and great. It wasn’t long after that, that S was telling me that if I put my hand down I could feel BabyL’s head. Soon S had me pushing, and pushing hard. It really was burning as BabyL’s head came out. S had Mr. L get into the catching position, and as I took those last couple pushes, out came BabyL into Mr. L’s hands at 2:03am.
After 23 hours of labor, the last two hours being the “hard
labor”, they lifted
BabyL into my arms and there was my sweet baby boy! He was perfect! I remember the pure joy it was to hold him in
my arms. Here was the baby we had been
praying for, for 3 years now. Once he
was breathing on his own, and the cord stopped pumping,
Mr. L cut the
cord.
I actually nursed BabyL for the first time right there in the birthing tub. I handed BabyL off to his very proud daddy as I now had to push out the placenta. I actually had a hard time getting the placenta out. I started to get light headed. S said I had been in the tub for too long and needed to get out. I started to get pretty pale, so I got out of the tub. S put an IV bag of fluids in me to help with my lightheadedness. S assisted me in getting the placenta out.
A couple minutes later, when my color started to come back, they helped me move back to my bed. Let me tell you, it was wonderful to go back to my own bed. They brought BabyL back to me, and I nursed him again, holding my perfect little boy. Right there in my bedroom on my bed, they took all of BabyL’s measurements. It was wonderful to know that BabyL never had to leave my sight, he was always right there. The perk of having your baby in your own home-- I was never worried about him or where he was. S stuck around to fix me up, ensure BabyL was nursing, and we had everything we needed before she went home.
I actually nursed BabyL for the first time right there in the birthing tub. I handed BabyL off to his very proud daddy as I now had to push out the placenta. I actually had a hard time getting the placenta out. I started to get light headed. S said I had been in the tub for too long and needed to get out. I started to get pretty pale, so I got out of the tub. S put an IV bag of fluids in me to help with my lightheadedness. S assisted me in getting the placenta out.
A couple minutes later, when my color started to come back, they helped me move back to my bed. Let me tell you, it was wonderful to go back to my own bed. They brought BabyL back to me, and I nursed him again, holding my perfect little boy. Right there in my bedroom on my bed, they took all of BabyL’s measurements. It was wonderful to know that BabyL never had to leave my sight, he was always right there. The perk of having your baby in your own home-- I was never worried about him or where he was. S stuck around to fix me up, ensure BabyL was nursing, and we had everything we needed before she went home.
 |
BabyL
Born on 9/17/2012, 2:03am
8 pounds 1 ounce, 20 ¾ inches
|
What an amazing woman my midwife was. She was encouraging, calm, and always knew
what to do in every situation. I truly
trust her with my life, my baby’s, and all my future babies. I know a home birth is not for everyone, but
in my eyes, why wouldn’t you have a midwife?
This is her profession! This is
all she does day in and day out. It was
the most amazing experience, and I know we made the right decision to have
BabyL with a midwife. Childbirth is
amazing and a true miracle!
Do you have a positive natural birth story to share? You don't have to be a blogger or consider yourself a "writer" but just be willing to share from the heart and encourage other women. If you would like to share your story, submit it here.
This post is linked up with The EO and Frugally Sustainable and SortaCrunchy.
So glad it was a good experience!
ReplyDeleteMichelle
http://normalchaosforamultitaskmom.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-birthday-that-almost-wasnt.html