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birth stories (...well, start of The Start)
- Jun 19, 2008 at 5:33 PM
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I need to write my birth stories... After all these years I never really have! In a reply in one of my CM groups I started with this, but I'll need to fill in details and write my first birth story, too. The birth video is pretty nice for the first, capturing our PROM story. But it needs to be written!
My Second
Baby was "supposed" to come early because that's what happens with
Second Babies, LOL! ha
Well, I'd had increasing, intense
warming-up contractions on occasion
(starting around 39 weeks) that would wake me up in the middle of the
night making me excited and wondering if it was "time". But it never
was.
It happened enough to make desensitized...
On Easter morning
(at 41 weeks or so), my midwife came by my apartment to check in on
me. She and everyone else (other midwives & apprentices) were busy
with Easter activities that day. She came to see how I was (like
continuing our weekly appointments, only in my own home, lol) before
going off for the day.
About an hour later (11 am) I was working in the
kitchen when I noticed "menstrual-like cramps." They felt like little
braxton hicks, but I
realized they had a pattern.
oooh, exciting! So I timed them and
it was
regularly every 7 minutes. But they were weak. So I stayed distracted,
but close to home, feeling that I needed to keep track of the timing.
I walked around my
neighborhood, walked to a bakery and got my daughter an Easter cookie~
that WAS her Easter... SORRY!! ;- /
I spent time laboring
at home, I became obsessed with self-timing. It was my way of
coping! I needed to see on my watch, that the contraction would be
over soon...
AND I also obsessed on circles.
Unintentionally, I chanted "ooooOOOOOO-pen!" I suppose I was talking
to my cervix. ?
The contractions got more intense and more frequent over
the day.
At about 4:30 in the afternoon we called and said this will
be The Day, yes-sir! The midwife said meed you there in an hour.
But
within minutes of hanging up we got ready quickly and then I suddenly
realized I needed to go NOW!!!
So we called back and told
them that---- the midwife & apprentices were on their way.
(We'd all meet there in 15 minutes.)
When we arrived my DH was
getting our sleeping 2.5 year-old out of the car and taking a while.
Alone,
I
started across the parking lot and the apprentice midwife was coming in,
too.
I had a couple of contractions in the parking lot and she
looked
scared, LOL! She asked if I was okay, I laughed, and said, "ehhhh,
kind
of. In labor here."
I felt good & confident, I just
thought it was
funny that she was more worried than me!
We went upstairs to the
birthing suite and the midwife was filling the tub. I said, "oh- lets
wait to fill it until closer to the end." (Since I am aware that
getting in too early
can slow labor down.) They said, "no it's time now."
I
laughed and
thanked them for boosting my confidence (telling me what a laboring
women wants to hear), but seriously, I wanted to wait
a bit. They made BIG eye-contact, "well, you're having this baby VERY
SOON, Stephanie!" LOL!
So I said okay and went to the
bathroom
and lost my mucous plug, yayyy! I decided to have my cervix checked for
fun (first time) and was almost fully
dilated so I got into the birth tub.
The midwives knew that we
wanted my 2.5 yr-old in the tub with us. She needed to tell us if it
was
her new sister or brother. lol But she was asleep... They
explained that if we still
wanted that, they need to wake asap.
I said "let's let her sleep
until just before baby's here." Again, "Well~ that's NOW,
Stephanie!!"
So the midwife went and woke her up, put on her new
swimsuit she'd been excited to save for the birth, her swim diaper
(something she adored, not cuz I cared!), and got her into the tub.
I
was not pushing at
all. It was just happening without any help or effort.
I
was on hands-and-knees in the tub. I felt down to feel the head
crowning~~ something was weird! The baby was crowning
shortly after
still in the bag. (water had not broken) My DH was the one to realize
this, he was feeling the
head through it. My DD felt it, too. The bag felt strong, like
slippery leather.
I was not in pain, needing to pay little attention,
really. I was talking with my daughter, explaining what was
happening, and making jokes.
We were really having so much
fun!! :-D
Then the head came out.
I did need to focus a bit,
there was a "ring of fire" but I knew it was a quick period of time, it
would be over in a second...
Next was a REALLY strange feeling... the
baby was MOVING inside me (LOW down, not up in my belly like when we
feel fetal movement in pregnancy). :-]
My eyes bugged out and
I had a small panic. From across the room (where the midwives sat
and watched), my midwife said: "Oh, that is baby turning in the birth
canal to get shoulders through-- it is very normal. Baby is doing
what he is supposed to do."
Relief!
I leaned forward on the edge of the tub and whispered to baby to sloooow
down, no hurry.
I breathed outward, blowing the letter "o" from my
lips.
It took focus to keep from pushing intentionally, to allow for a
nice slow passage. Instinctively, I touched baby as it was trying
to come out. Keeping my hand there helped me to really stay connected
to my body, aware.
And then the baby
slipped into my DH's arms he quickly handed baby to me under water
(through my legs) and I brought it up to
the surface.
I told my DD to look and see if it was a little
brother or sister and she got stage-fright!
I couldn't wait
so I looked~
another girl! :-) We were really happy!
While I nursed the
baby
my toddler played "shoot the midwives" spraying them with the suction
bulb.
And they blew up a purple latex glove so she could have a
balloon
in the tub.
What a blast! :-D
I managed to birth this baby
on my own without help or interventions.
She was just shy of
10-pounds and I had NO perineal tearing!! I know that how I labored
made all the difference!
I have had such a great time with
my children ever since.
:-)
Comments:
i bet this is a beautiful experience. i feel like this is something I want to do...the experience is more intimate and the family can actually be apart of the birth of the baby.
How beautiful. I think that is awesome that you involved your daughter as well.
I was disappointed to find out that I won't be allowed to give birth in the tub, but I can labor in the tub at the hospital where I will be.
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What a beautiful story!
I have heard the opposite - that getting in the water early can spead things up... hmm.....
- LadyJennifer
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