I am posting this because I found stories like this inspiring when I was preparing for Grace's birth.
Graces dad & I decided ahead of time that we wanted as natural birth as possible for our baby girl and we were very blessed to have everything work out in our favor. We have a wonderful, supportive local birthing center and Grace co-operated by being in perfect position and arriving at 38 weeks + 2.
The last 4 weeks of pregnancy were rough for me as I started having some strong & very regular Braxton Hicks around week 33-34 and was monitored closely for premature labor. My darn uterus worked out like a body builder for the next 4 weeks but baby Grace held on until she would be considered term for delivery. All our midwives told us to get ready for a December baby despite a January due date. As I finished my last scheduled day of work Friday December 23rd I started to worry that she might not come for weeks and I would have wasted some of my maternity leave.
I worried for no reason though because the following day (Christmas Eve) labor started! I woke up that Saturday morning having loose stool (sorry but this whole thing is full of TMI!) and some cramping. I blamed the vegetable sushi I had for dinner the night before, my typical BH contractions were ongoing but no surprise. Had a lovely lunch with my family and exchanged gifts. Mom got me a "Babys first Christmas ornament"! They left for the 2 hour drive home around 4pm. At 5pm I was having some cramping and thought it was an upset stomach again, noticed a small amount of thin, watery blood tinged discharge. I waited an hour and the discharge continued and I was having what I thought were strong BH contractions every 8-12 minutes. I told my hubby that he might not be skiing on Xmas and we packed the car. He had a quick dinner and I called our midwife to advise. I did not want to be admitted too early, but our midwife was already at the birthing center and wanted me to come in to be checked.
By the time we arrived (around 7pm), the contractions were becoming more consistent, 5 min apart, and more crampy. A quick bedside test confirmed that the fluid was amniotic (two lines showed up in just a few minutes on a 10 minute test). Our midwife then checked my cervix and I was 2cm dilated. A quick monitor strip showed a happy baby and strong regular contractions. We decided to be admitted at this point and I called our doula. Brattleboro has a volunteer doula network and we were lucky enough to meet a very caring and talented doula who would attend Grace's birth. Our birthing class instructor recommended a doula and for us it was an easy decision. Statistics have shown that women who have a doula have fewer interventions and shorter labors, after meeting Judith we knew it was a wonderful decision. We also alerted my parents so they could start the 2 hour journey back to our town. My dad made me laugh when he asked from the background (on the phone), How many centimeters? to help him make the decision when to drive down.
The midwife said she'd see me in the morning, and the nurse advised us to settle in for a long night. We decided to do minimal vaginal exams, in part to reduce introduction of bacteria, but also to avoid disappointment. At this point the contractions started coming 2-3 minutes apart and were increasing in pressure in my back. I measured them by breaths and they were lasting 6-8 breaths each. According to the monitor strip they ran on our arrival they were lasting 80-90 seconds each, but were only painful for a portion of that. I decided to walk around & bounce gently on the birthing ball which thankfully took most of the pain away from my back. Between contractions I was nervous and very excited that we were about to meet Grace! I had a snack of yogurt and tried to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. To avoid anxiety I knew I had to avoid thinking ahead, focusing on each contraction, without trying to imagine coping with more or larger contractions. Hubby gently rubbed my back which helped me to relax, but I also started trembling all over aka "the shakes" which continued throughout labor.
Our doula arrived around 8:30 and relieved my hubby of some of his back rubbing duties and suggested we both try to get some rest. Hubby settled in for a nap in the recliner and I layed on my side and breathed through the contractions, counting my breaths. In between I used some of the relaxation techniques from our hypnobirthing class to try & relax. I found myself yawning and almost dozing off in the few minute intervals between contractions. Time became kind of abstract to me at this point. Once I started really relaxing between the contractions, they changed, becoming more intense and lasting 8-10 breaths. Our doula noticed the change immediately and asked how I was coping. I had started improvising relaxation techniques by now and with each contraction imagined the feeling of being almost to the top of a mountain and trying to find the energy to climb one last rise to the top. Despite practicing many different guided meditations, put midwife told us that the one(s) you use to get through labor won't often come to you until you are actually in labor. As the contractions increased in intensity, I started having fear about what was to come, I told our doula I wasn't sure I could do this, she said "you already are!" She helped me re-focus on each contraction and stop looking ahead.
I'm guessing about 11pm I started feeling some pelvic pressure and after 3 trips to the bathroom recognized a vague urge to push. Our doula saw this too and alerted the nurse. She came and checked on baby Grace, who again was doing great and advised me to try to use the bathroom to relieve the pressure. Only after I told her I felt like my vagina was trying to vomit did she believe that my labor had progressed. She checked my cervix quickly and it was 8cm! No disappointment here. Our nurse alerted our midwife who confirmed 8cm dilation and was amazed at how quickly labor progressed. Laying on my back for the exam made the contractions much more painful so I got up and crawled all around on the bed until I found some relief, which is how I ended up on my knees with the back of the bed upright and my arms draped over the head of the bed. This helped with the pain immensely and I could also rock my weight side to side to relieve some of the pelvic pressure. The urge to push became overwhelming at this point, but there was still a lip of cervix over Grace's head so our doula helped me work at breathing through the urges and also let me squeeze the hell out of her hand. Fighting against the urge to push became all-consuming and I spent the time between contracting gathering the strength to get through the next one. Grace was monitored during this time and remained fine (at one point I grabbed the fetal heart rate monitor and placed it directly over her when the nurse took too long to find her).
Finally after an internal exam the midwife said it was OK to push. I pushed through 4-5 contractions which felt good after suppressing the urge but I didn't feel any progress or downward movement of Grace. I felt like I was going to vomit and kept asking for the pan but never did vomit. The contractions became less frequent and seemed ineffective, though increasingly more painful. I was passing what seemed like a good amount of blood, including clots at this time though. I started to panic now because the midwife confirmed that Grace was not able to move down due to a small lip of remaining cervix, she suggested I change positions and see if that helped. I started to freak out, is she stuck? Can I do this? Everyone remained calm, told me I WAS doing it and Grace was fine. With help I lay down and rolled onto to my right side.
After a few minutes of rest, the contractions picked up again and I panicked. Do I push? Don't push? Then it became obvious that not pushing was not an option, I felt a tremendous weight in my pelvis and bowel pressure as well (pretty sure I pooped, but did really care at the moment) and then downward movement of Grace. I could feel her wriggling around which was totally surreal! The midwife had the nurse hold my left leg up and had my husband push the call button for the baby nurse. Now I squeezed the hell out of both my hubby & doulas hands as the Grace repeatedly started to crown and then would go back in. That hurt like hell. I remember saying THIS HURTS & also the F bomb, and the midwife telling me I could reach down and touch Grace if I wanted. One of my favorite memories is of looking around and seeing the baby nurse enter the room. If they called her in I knew Graces arrival MUST be soon. I pushed with everything I had through the next two contractions despite the pain because I didnt want to have to feel her crowning again and then slip away. I could feel her squirming around too which was so bizarre. Finally she came out, head followed quickly by shoulders and I fell onto my back and she was placed on my stomach all warm and wiggly. She was born at 2:25am. The feeling of relief was immense followed by an overwhelming love for this new little being. I tried to pull her up towards my chest, but the midwife grabbed her and said to wait as the cord was around her neck (but over her shoulders like a scarf). The cord was untangled and she was placed on my chest while the nurse dried her and quickly took her vitals very unobtrusively. I remember thinking she was so hairy and teeny, with her little swollen brow and receded chin she looked grumpy to be out in the cold world. I offered her my breast, but she quickly shoved her hand in her mouth and was just as happy with that. She gave one little cry and then settled down between my breasts to snuggle. We were able to cuddle her for a few hours before she had to be weighed and measured. My hubby and I just adored her. My mom and dad got to meet her shortly after and she weighed in at 6# 11oz, 18 ½ long.
The birth of baby Grace was definitely the most painful and intense thing I have ever done in my life, but without a doubt also the most rewarding. I would do it again in an instant and am so incredibly grateful for all the wonder supportive people who attended her birth, keeping us both safe, while also respecting our wishes for a natural birth. We stayed that night and the next at the birthing center where we were allowed to stay as a family in our nice little room while being coached by nurses and lactation consultants.
Graces dad & I decided ahead of time that we wanted as natural birth as possible for our baby girl and we were very blessed to have everything work out in our favor. We have a wonderful, supportive local birthing center and Grace co-operated by being in perfect position and arriving at 38 weeks + 2.
The last 4 weeks of pregnancy were rough for me as I started having some strong & very regular Braxton Hicks around week 33-34 and was monitored closely for premature labor. My darn uterus worked out like a body builder for the next 4 weeks but baby Grace held on until she would be considered term for delivery. All our midwives told us to get ready for a December baby despite a January due date. As I finished my last scheduled day of work Friday December 23rd I started to worry that she might not come for weeks and I would have wasted some of my maternity leave.
I worried for no reason though because the following day (Christmas Eve) labor started! I woke up that Saturday morning having loose stool (sorry but this whole thing is full of TMI!) and some cramping. I blamed the vegetable sushi I had for dinner the night before, my typical BH contractions were ongoing but no surprise. Had a lovely lunch with my family and exchanged gifts. Mom got me a "Babys first Christmas ornament"! They left for the 2 hour drive home around 4pm. At 5pm I was having some cramping and thought it was an upset stomach again, noticed a small amount of thin, watery blood tinged discharge. I waited an hour and the discharge continued and I was having what I thought were strong BH contractions every 8-12 minutes. I told my hubby that he might not be skiing on Xmas and we packed the car. He had a quick dinner and I called our midwife to advise. I did not want to be admitted too early, but our midwife was already at the birthing center and wanted me to come in to be checked.
By the time we arrived (around 7pm), the contractions were becoming more consistent, 5 min apart, and more crampy. A quick bedside test confirmed that the fluid was amniotic (two lines showed up in just a few minutes on a 10 minute test). Our midwife then checked my cervix and I was 2cm dilated. A quick monitor strip showed a happy baby and strong regular contractions. We decided to be admitted at this point and I called our doula. Brattleboro has a volunteer doula network and we were lucky enough to meet a very caring and talented doula who would attend Grace's birth. Our birthing class instructor recommended a doula and for us it was an easy decision. Statistics have shown that women who have a doula have fewer interventions and shorter labors, after meeting Judith we knew it was a wonderful decision. We also alerted my parents so they could start the 2 hour journey back to our town. My dad made me laugh when he asked from the background (on the phone), How many centimeters? to help him make the decision when to drive down.
The midwife said she'd see me in the morning, and the nurse advised us to settle in for a long night. We decided to do minimal vaginal exams, in part to reduce introduction of bacteria, but also to avoid disappointment. At this point the contractions started coming 2-3 minutes apart and were increasing in pressure in my back. I measured them by breaths and they were lasting 6-8 breaths each. According to the monitor strip they ran on our arrival they were lasting 80-90 seconds each, but were only painful for a portion of that. I decided to walk around & bounce gently on the birthing ball which thankfully took most of the pain away from my back. Between contractions I was nervous and very excited that we were about to meet Grace! I had a snack of yogurt and tried to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. To avoid anxiety I knew I had to avoid thinking ahead, focusing on each contraction, without trying to imagine coping with more or larger contractions. Hubby gently rubbed my back which helped me to relax, but I also started trembling all over aka "the shakes" which continued throughout labor.
Our doula arrived around 8:30 and relieved my hubby of some of his back rubbing duties and suggested we both try to get some rest. Hubby settled in for a nap in the recliner and I layed on my side and breathed through the contractions, counting my breaths. In between I used some of the relaxation techniques from our hypnobirthing class to try & relax. I found myself yawning and almost dozing off in the few minute intervals between contractions. Time became kind of abstract to me at this point. Once I started really relaxing between the contractions, they changed, becoming more intense and lasting 8-10 breaths. Our doula noticed the change immediately and asked how I was coping. I had started improvising relaxation techniques by now and with each contraction imagined the feeling of being almost to the top of a mountain and trying to find the energy to climb one last rise to the top. Despite practicing many different guided meditations, put midwife told us that the one(s) you use to get through labor won't often come to you until you are actually in labor. As the contractions increased in intensity, I started having fear about what was to come, I told our doula I wasn't sure I could do this, she said "you already are!" She helped me re-focus on each contraction and stop looking ahead.
I'm guessing about 11pm I started feeling some pelvic pressure and after 3 trips to the bathroom recognized a vague urge to push. Our doula saw this too and alerted the nurse. She came and checked on baby Grace, who again was doing great and advised me to try to use the bathroom to relieve the pressure. Only after I told her I felt like my vagina was trying to vomit did she believe that my labor had progressed. She checked my cervix quickly and it was 8cm! No disappointment here. Our nurse alerted our midwife who confirmed 8cm dilation and was amazed at how quickly labor progressed. Laying on my back for the exam made the contractions much more painful so I got up and crawled all around on the bed until I found some relief, which is how I ended up on my knees with the back of the bed upright and my arms draped over the head of the bed. This helped with the pain immensely and I could also rock my weight side to side to relieve some of the pelvic pressure. The urge to push became overwhelming at this point, but there was still a lip of cervix over Grace's head so our doula helped me work at breathing through the urges and also let me squeeze the hell out of her hand. Fighting against the urge to push became all-consuming and I spent the time between contracting gathering the strength to get through the next one. Grace was monitored during this time and remained fine (at one point I grabbed the fetal heart rate monitor and placed it directly over her when the nurse took too long to find her).
Finally after an internal exam the midwife said it was OK to push. I pushed through 4-5 contractions which felt good after suppressing the urge but I didn't feel any progress or downward movement of Grace. I felt like I was going to vomit and kept asking for the pan but never did vomit. The contractions became less frequent and seemed ineffective, though increasingly more painful. I was passing what seemed like a good amount of blood, including clots at this time though. I started to panic now because the midwife confirmed that Grace was not able to move down due to a small lip of remaining cervix, she suggested I change positions and see if that helped. I started to freak out, is she stuck? Can I do this? Everyone remained calm, told me I WAS doing it and Grace was fine. With help I lay down and rolled onto to my right side.
After a few minutes of rest, the contractions picked up again and I panicked. Do I push? Don't push? Then it became obvious that not pushing was not an option, I felt a tremendous weight in my pelvis and bowel pressure as well (pretty sure I pooped, but did really care at the moment) and then downward movement of Grace. I could feel her wriggling around which was totally surreal! The midwife had the nurse hold my left leg up and had my husband push the call button for the baby nurse. Now I squeezed the hell out of both my hubby & doulas hands as the Grace repeatedly started to crown and then would go back in. That hurt like hell. I remember saying THIS HURTS & also the F bomb, and the midwife telling me I could reach down and touch Grace if I wanted. One of my favorite memories is of looking around and seeing the baby nurse enter the room. If they called her in I knew Graces arrival MUST be soon. I pushed with everything I had through the next two contractions despite the pain because I didnt want to have to feel her crowning again and then slip away. I could feel her squirming around too which was so bizarre. Finally she came out, head followed quickly by shoulders and I fell onto my back and she was placed on my stomach all warm and wiggly. She was born at 2:25am. The feeling of relief was immense followed by an overwhelming love for this new little being. I tried to pull her up towards my chest, but the midwife grabbed her and said to wait as the cord was around her neck (but over her shoulders like a scarf). The cord was untangled and she was placed on my chest while the nurse dried her and quickly took her vitals very unobtrusively. I remember thinking she was so hairy and teeny, with her little swollen brow and receded chin she looked grumpy to be out in the cold world. I offered her my breast, but she quickly shoved her hand in her mouth and was just as happy with that. She gave one little cry and then settled down between my breasts to snuggle. We were able to cuddle her for a few hours before she had to be weighed and measured. My hubby and I just adored her. My mom and dad got to meet her shortly after and she weighed in at 6# 11oz, 18 ½ long.
The birth of baby Grace was definitely the most painful and intense thing I have ever done in my life, but without a doubt also the most rewarding. I would do it again in an instant and am so incredibly grateful for all the wonder supportive people who attended her birth, keeping us both safe, while also respecting our wishes for a natural birth. We stayed that night and the next at the birthing center where we were allowed to stay as a family in our nice little room while being coached by nurses and lactation consultants.
xxx
