Saturday, October 1, 2011

A's Birth

 The cast...
T and K- Friends and camera crew
A- Midwife
J- Second Midwife
D- Third Midwife
L- the big sister

I'm ready. A few weeks past my "Due Date"
Early Saturday morning(3-7-09) I was woke up every hour by little contractions which I ignored because they didn't seem real. Dad took me and L out for the day and we ran some errands. While walking around BJ's the contractions were starting to be about thirty minutes apart and thirty seconds long and stopping me in my tracks. I texted A to let her know what was going on and told my dad that I felt sick and wanted to be brought home instead of going out for lunch with them. So he took me home and kept L for the night.
Trying to nap
*Contains pictures and video of actual labor and birth*



When I got home I called T to let her know that I could possibly be in labour. Tried to nap a bit but was not very successful, talked to T again and she decided to drive down because she lived four hours away. I tried to convince her not to come, this couldn't be it. It is a good thing she didn't listen to me because the contractions started getting stronger after we hung up. I called A to let her know what was happening and she said to call her if anything changed. T got here around eleven that night ad we hung out and watched movies between contractions. (Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Robin Hood Men in Tights)

Still able to joke between and watch movies
They were getting to be around fifteen minutes apart and a minute long when A decided to come over and check me at three in the morning. When she got here we timed some contractions, checked our vitals and checked my dilation. I was a 2-3cm and squishy. She set up all of the birth supplies and gear and went home to try to get some sleep before everything really kicked into gear. I took some benadryl and we went to bed. I only got an hour of sleep and was up for the day around six when I gave up hope of getting any more sleep. T was still asleep so I tried to read a book on the bathroom floor. The cool tile helped me relax. 


I talked to K some time in the night and she headed here in the morning with her baby, and my mom came as well. When they all were here we decided to take a walk around the neighborhood for a little bit because my contractions were starting to get further apart but longer around 13 minutes apart and 2 minutes long. When we got home I wanted to drink the maple syrup in the fridge but no one would let me. Boo! So I had some graham crackers instead. L came home after church from my fathers house and A came to check me again. I was 4cm and he dropped a bit. A called D to come over and stay with me and do labour support while she was going to go home and try to get sleep again. D came and A left saying shed be back in the morning at the latest and if he hadn't come by then we would discuss breaking my water around 5am. My mom also decided to go home and take L with her.
T applying pressure while D watches on and times a couple contractions.
After the crowd dissipated, The contractions really started to pick up and were becoming harder to deal with and I was shaking a lot. D helped me get into different positions and was encouraging me to eat and drink. I tried the shower and exclaimed that I was not going to come out it felt to good! Once K got her baby to bed, her and T went out to get some food and drink. I had moved to sitting on the toilet even though it was uncomfortable but it helped him move down. While they were gone it was just me and D in the house, and labor took it up another notch. T and K came back and I tried to eat the sandwich they brought but nausea started to kick in. I was up and off the ball kneeling, leaning on anything. 
D and Me
Laying down hurt to much and I was exhausted not having slept since Friday night and that was interrupted. D had me moving into different positions. The contractions seemed to be almost on top of each other and the pressure was not going away between the contractions. It wasn't the pain but the pressure that hurt so bad. I was starting to think I couldn't do this anymore and told D that.
K applying pressure
 I got in the shower again around 10/11 and just started crying. D stepped out of the bathroom for a minute. I thought she was leaving me because I was a wimp. She was really calling A to tell her to get here NOW, because she thought I was getting really close.
A came and I really don't remember much of labour after this besides me and A. I was trying to focus and staring into her eyes helped me not to get worked up during a contraction. J arrived after A around midnight. I remember everyone being there but not what was going on, I assume they got the room ready because when it was time to push the bed was prepared. She checked me and said that I was 8cm and he was really low. I was told that if I felt like pushing I could at any time. 

J offering a drink while I sat on the stool
I started to feel pushy soon after and started to push on the birth stool. At one point in the middle of a contraction I remember telling A that her shirt matched the colour of her eyes, I have no clue why... The stool was not really doing it for me so I moved to the bed. A tried to break my water but it did not want to release. I started to feel like there was a bowling ball stuck in my vagina. I imagined that I was pushing it down long thing tunnel. It hurt but felt so good. I just kept yelling "Baby Out" and telling them to take him out. My water finally broke and two minutes later he started to crown and boy did the ring of fire burn. His head came out with his hand on his face and he took his first breath before his body came out, only 20ish minutes of pushing. They placed him right on my stomach and of course he was perfect.
I cant believe I actually did it...




He was checked over and needed a little bit of oxygen and some suctioning but was healthy. Once the cord stopped pulsing A clamped it off and T and K cut the cord. The placenta was taking a bit to come out so they had me move back to the stool to try to help it along and I was given two herbs that don't taste good at all. Forty minutes after he came out the placenta was delivered and I moved back to the bed and they weighed and measure the baby and got him semi cleaned up. The midwives examined the placenta and took blood samples from it to check blood type. My friends put on some gloves and played with the placenta. While they were doing that J helped me to latch him on he nursed for a bit for the first time. They cleaned everything up and started the laundry and then tucked us into bed...

K holding baby
T holding baby
8lb 6oz 21in
Hi Momma
Hi World...
K and T playing with placenta while I nurse
Baby side of placenta
Mommy side of placenta
My lovely friends
My lovely midwives
L meeting her baby brother

2 comments:

  1. Ohh, that looks sooo nice! Really makes me want to have a home birth next time.

    ReplyDelete